^H OF P8I^Y??>. -J B5r?„B AN AMERICAN COMMENTARY ON THE OLD TESTAMENT PHILADELPHIA AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY 1630 CHESTNUT STREET The Book of Leviticus / BY GEORGE F. GENUNG, D. D. Copyright 1905 by the Ameeican Baptist Publication Society Published March, 1906 jfrom tbe Society's own iptcss IKTEODUCTION The name "Leviticus" is the one given to this section of the Pentateuch in the Septuagint and Vulgate versions. It is an adjective, the word ''book" being understood with it. The Levitical book is thus named from its subject — the book of Levitical laws. In the Hebrew it is designated, as it was the Hebrew habit to do, from its opening word, ^'^p"'!, ivayyiqra\ "and called," sc. Jehovah. It is probable that originally the book was not set off by itself, but was simply ten out of the fifty-four sections into which the whole of the Mosaic writings was divided — a division which still remains in our Hebrew Bibles. But by the time of St. Jerome even the rabbins had adopted the pentateuchal division, giving to each of the five books the name of its opening section. In Leviticus is described the inauguration of the full system of sacrificial wor- ship. It is almost entirely made up of legislation. Ordinances and institutions of a ceremonial nature occur also in other parts of the Pentateuch, and the account of these is usually incorporated by the author in a narrative giving the occasion for their rise. This method is followed to some extent in Leviticus, but here the laws predominate very largely over the history. Of pure narrative, indeed, we have but little ; the account of the consecration of the priests (chap. 8, 9), of the death of Aaron's sons (chap. 10), in consequence of which not only the immediately following legislation but the rites of the Day of Atonement (chap. 16) seem to have been instituted, and the story of the blasphemer (24 : 10, seq.), to w^hich are attached the laws regarding blasphemy and retaliation, being the entire extent of the strictly narrative portion. So predominantly is the book taken up with regulations regard- ing worship and ceremonial purification, or with moral precepts which are inter- esting from a priestly point of view, that, as compared with other books of Scrip- ture, it has an unusual unity, and is fitly called the Levitical book, or book of priestly laws. The book naturally divides itself into two parts followed by a supplementary chapter. The first part, which consists of the first sixteen chapters, contains the fundamental laws of sacrifice, purification, and atonement. The laws of the five principal types of sacrifice occupy the first five chapters and seven verses of the sixth, which in our Hebrew Bibles are attached to the fifth chapter. Then follows a manual of priestly directions under eight heads, giving certain regulations to be observed by the priests in sacrificing the various off'erings and by the people in eat- ing the peace off'erings ; defining the priest's share in the burnt, meal, and peace off'erings, and inserting the ritual of the guilt off'ering, which was omitted when that off'ering was introduced and defined in the fifth chapter. Then follows a narrative portion, giving an account of the consecration of the priests and their entry upon office, copied almost exactly, with a change of tense, from the directions for that ceremonial given in Exod. 29. This takes up the eighth and ninth chapters, and V vi INTKODUCTION is followed in the tenth chapter by the story of the sad fate of Nadab and Abihu, with some regulations and incidents growing out of it. The subject of uncleanness and purification occupies the whole group of chapters eleven to fifteen, the eleventh chapter legislating regarding clean and unclean animals, the twelfth in regard to pur- ification after childbirth, the thirteenth and fourteenth concerning the important subject of leprosy, and the fifteenth in regard to uncleanness from secretions. The sixteenth chapter forms a fitting climax to this first part of the book by giving the ceremonial of the great Day of Atonement, which attaches itself as its historical point of departure to the dreadful judgment upon Nadab and Abihu for their too rash familiarity with the sanctities of the holy place. The second part, chapters seventeen to twenty-six, consists of legislation which, because it speaks more distinctively from the standpoint of personal and ceremonial purity, has been denominated the law of holiness. It begins in chapter seventeen with general regulations as to killing animals for food and sacrificing. The eighteenth chapter occupies itself with unlawful marriages and lusts, and is followed, after a most edifying chapter (19) of miscellaneous religious and moral precepts, by a code of penalties (chap. 20) attached to the off'enses specified in chapter eighteen. In the twenty-first and twenty-second chapters are regulations as to domestic and personal purity touching priests and offerings. The next chapter (23) is a calendar of sacred seasons. A somewhat miscellaneous chapter, the twenty-fourth, containing regu- lations regarding the lamps in the tabernacle, and the shewbread, and concluding with the incident of the blasphemer, is here inserted. Then follows the important twenty-fifth chapter on the sabbatical year and the year of jubilee ; and the whole ends with a hortatory conclusion (chap. 26) containing promises and threatenings, and concluding with a final subscription as if the book were finished. The supplementary chapter (27) relates to the commutation of vows and dues, and ends with a repetition of the subscription to the laws. As to the authorship of this civil and ceremonial legislation, undoubtedly the universal Jewish belief, at least in New Testament times, and we do not know how much earlier, was that ''the law was given by Moses." Not only w^as he thought of as the lawgiver, or receiver and oral transmitter of Jehovah's commands, but as the writer of those words in their present form. The entire pentateuchal history and legislation had by the time the first instalment of the Septuagint version was made (264-248 b. c.) been wrought into a single canon or book, which was uncrit- ically accepted as a whole ; and from that time forward the conditions existed for the formation and acceptance of a tradition that the great lawgiver who figured so prominently in its pages as the recipient of the divine communications, and who was represented on several occasions as writing down certain specific portions by express command, was the author of the whole collection, including its very considerable anonymous portions. In various passages of the Hexateuch the act of writing, or the written docu- ment, is expressly mentioned ; as where Moses is directed to write the history of Amalek's enmity in a book (Exod. 17 : 14) ; where he writes the words of the cov- enant (Exod. 24 : 4) ; where the substance of the covenant is rehearsed, after the second giving of the tables of stone, and directed to be written (Expd. 34 : 27) ; where Moses by divine command keeps the log or itinerary of the journeyings of INTRODUCTION vii the children of Israel (Num. 33 : 2) ; where the law, at least of Deuteronomy, is spoken of as kept in charge of the priests, the Levites, and the king that shall arise in the future is directed to make a copy therefrom for his own use (Deut. 17 : 18) ; where Moses writes the deuteronomic law and delivers it to the priests (Deut. 31 : 9) ; and finally where the commands of the lawgiver are spoken of by Joshua as written in the book of the law of Moses (Josh. 8 : 31 ; 23 : 6). In the book of Judges (3 : 4), and throughout the Old Testament, Moses is referred to as a law- giver ; while in the books of Kings his laws are especially spoken of as written (1 Kings 2 : 3 ; 2 Kings 14 : 6). Whatever date between Sinai and Christ we may assign to the redacted and completed Hexateuch, or to these historical books, this much at least is certain, that the history of Israel, as the biblical authors wrote and understood it, proceeds upon the supposition that Moses wrote considerable portions of the moral and ceremonial law. And yet the evidence, however it may have been understood or supplemented by tradition in later times, gives us surprisingly little knowledge of the authorship of the law as a whole. "In point of fact," says Professor Robertson, " the books of the Pentateuch, like the historical books which follow them, are anonymous. The book of Genesis gives no hint of its authorship, neither does the book of Leviticus ; and the few passages found in the other books which speak of Moses writing such and such things 'in a book,' will be discovered on examination to refer to certain specific things. Indeed the very fact of such expressions occurring within the books may even be taken as a presumption that it was not he who wrote the whole." How much of the legislation in its present form is from Moses' hand it is im- possible for us to determine. That he started in at the beginning and produced a finished draft of the law as it now stands, few at this day would have the hardihood to maintain. Modern historical criticism seems to find clear indications of different documentary strata from which the various narrations and commands of the Pen- tateuch were drawn. Of the legislation the most ancient is thought to be that part which Moses in Exodus is said to have written, designated as the Book of the Cov- enant. The deuteronomic code or homily is figured as reflecting priestly or pro- phetic reformatory effort during the latter part of the period of the monarchy, say in the reign of Manasseh or Josiah. ; while that part of the law dubbed the priest- code, to which the book of Leviticus belongs, is thought to have attained its final shape the latest of all. Of this priest-code Kautzsch says : ** Everything appears in the best order and self-evident when we think of the codifications as arising in this order: Deuteronomy, Ezek. 40-48, Law of Holiness, Priests' Code. The latter . . . obtained official validity through Ezra, and afterwards continued to be the standard of ritual and life and of the entire view of history amongst the Jews. In the grad- ually written expositions of Israel's laws of life it was the last word." As to the correctness of these opinions, it must be said that while a sane scholarship will reject many of the extravagancies which accompany the ingenious reconstructions of Israelitish history concocted in German brains, and will maintain that the patri- archal and wilderness history was not consciously invented by late writers, and that there was a legislative and priestly literary activity long before the prophets, never- theless the research of recent years has presented at least enough evidence of the viii INTRODUCTION composite nature of the Pentateuch so that belief therein is held by scholars who are accounted among the most conservative and devout. The laws purport at the outset to be a verbatim reproduction of words spoken privately to Moses by Jehovah ; the communication being at first stated to be from the tent of meeting (1:1; comp. Exod. 33 : 7, 11), afterward from Mount Sinai (25 : 1 ; 26 : 46 ; 27 : 34 ; comp. Exod. 24 : 18 ; 25 : 1). That the author's thought, however, does not consistently keep to the image of this communication as so secluded and detached from its occasion as this would imply is evident, not only from the apparent latitude in respect to the place, but from the repeated intro- duction of narrative giving the occasion for some law, from the fact that Aaron is often included in the address, and especially from the odd way in which, in at least one instance, the author awakes to the fact that it is the priest whom Jehovah must be taken as addressing (27 : 12). This pecuhar literary method of intro- ducing direct speeches as if they were the exact words of Jehovah is due to the fact that the Hebrew language has developed only in the most rudimentary way an in- direct form of discourse, and therefore has no convenient method of indicating that a communication is reported only for substance. The conventional literary or juristic form, "The Lord spake unto Moses saying," may thus easily be under- stood to imply no more exact communication than that the legislation in question was divinely revealed to the lawgiver. This book of Levitical regulations as we have it no doubt represents usages and ideas that were in process of growth in the priestly circles during all the period of the tabernacle and the first temple. In the time of Jeremiah the promulgation of law seems to have been popularly thought of as a characteristic function of the priesthood (Jer. 18 : 18 ; see also Ezek. 7 : 26). Some of the usages thus chronicled are very ancient, dating no doubt from the first establishment of the tabernacle worship. In regard to some there are the marks of an origin in a later circle of ideas and necessities than would be natural in the wilderness times. Those rules or precepts were handed down as a part of the traditional education of the priest- hood, and existed partly as oral directions, partly as more or less extensive written groups or codes of regulations and laws. ''While the first temple stood," says Driver, ''the traditional knowledge of the priestly class was embodied in practice, and we are not in a position to say how far their rules had been reduced to writing. Probably there was nothing to prevent changes and developments in matters of detail from taking place in the course of time." It is not impossible that Moses, the great founder of the nation, may have given to some of these laws the sanction of his authority. It was not the habit of the priest in precritical times to inquire closely into the authorship of what had come down to him as established and sacred. Custom soon hardened into obligation, and any precept whose lifetime ran back beyond the memory of man would be as a matter of course endowed wdth the pres- tige of that great name w4iich had given such a mighty initial impulse to the nation's life. It was therefore the most natural thing in the world for a writer or redactor, in codifying the temple usages which had existed from time immemorial, to introduce each new topic or section with the recognized legal formula, "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying." The book of Leviticus may therefore be said to be Mosaic in that it is the literary INTRODUCTION ix precipitate of Moses' work and of its continuation through the priestly activity which took its rise from the Mosaic tabernacle system and fulfilled itself in the nation's religious life. The saner and more conservative of those modern critics who maintain the late date of the priestly legislation are careful to specify that this assertion applies only to its putting into final shape or codification. Thus Driver says : " The date of the redaction of the laws in Leviticus must be carefully distinguished from the dates of the laws themselves. . . Difi'erent hands have co-operated in codifying the usage and elaborating the theory of these sacrifices." " The various compilers or redactors did little more than reduce to a permanent form the legal and ceremonial tradition which had long been current in priestly circles. A special motive for preserving and codifying these traditions would be given by the destruction of the temple (586 b. c.) and the exile of the people. One of these writers, the compiler of the ' Law of Holiness, ' cannot be separated very widely in time from Ezekiel, whether he wrote before or after that prophet (595-572 b. c). On the other hand, the account of the promulgation of Ezra's law in 444 b. c. determines the date by which Leviticus had received almost its present form." Of the five principal types of sacrifice whose ritual is instituted in Leviticus the first, or burnt off'ering, expressed self-dedication to Jehovah, with the mental result for the offerer of a sense of acceptance or atonement as the gift went up to God in the smoke of the altar. The meal offering was a voluntary gift to God analogous to what was used in ordinary life to produce an amicable understanding between parties. The peace off'ering was an expression of communion and recon- ciliation and was essentially a feast with Jehovah. The idea of expiation and restitution comes prominently forward in the sin off'ering and the guilt off'ering, which appear to be the characteristic creation of the law and of the state of cove- nant obligation which its promulgation implied. These off'erings, at least the first three of them, are not to be thought of as projected on the nation by the book of Leviticus as a new thing nor the predominant task of the legislation as that of creating or fostering the habit of worshiping by sacrifice. Burnt offerings and gifts and peace off'erings had been the spontaneous expressions of religious feeling from the earliest times. In all the ritual of these off'erings, therefore, as it appears in Leviticus, the disposition of the off'erer to bring his gift is taken for granted, nothing being prescribed as to the frequency or even as to the obligation of this species of worship. But a practice so spontaneous and luxuriant needed to be pruned and regulated, not only that it might be kept more orderly in its procedure but that the priests, by assuming control of it, might guard it from that tendency to alliance with the nature worships of the heathen, which was the characteristic temptation during the whole early religious history of Israel. It is possible that the motive for codifying and publishing these Levitical regula- tions — a motive which must have been something more urc:ent than the mere desire to prevent an ancient cultus from sinking into forgetfulness through disuse when the temple was destroyed — was the purpose to resist and neutralize those temptations to idolatry after their power and working had been felt in the destruction of the nation. The priest code would thus serve its purpose as the backbone of the post- exilic reformation. Full of the impressions which come to one on looking at the INTRODUCTION ceremonial legislation from this point of view, Schultz says : *'The sacrificial laws of the middle books of the Pentateuch seem like an earnestly intended restoration of old sacred forms which the religious life of Israel had in reality outgrown, like an attempt to express the antique faith, which had sprung from the soil of materialistic and mystic religion, in the mold of ethico-spiritual piety. These laws were full of significance as a preventive against Israel's sinking into the cult and magic of the highly developed paganism of that period." However this may be, whether the legislation owes its present written existence to the purpose of re-establishing and re-enforcing old religious forms with a published legislative substance and sanction or to the necessity of pruning a redundant religious life in its earlier vital period by bringing it under the educated control of the priests, at all events the lurking temptation to idolatry was an objective point, and the intended result was to resist that temptation among the laity by the superior attraction of a more exalted worship. The first step toward securing this object and the one which was represented as naturally following upon the rearing of the tabernacle and the setting-up of an altar, was to provide a daily burnt off'ering with its attendant meal and drink offer- ings at the public expense (see Exod. 29 : 38-44). By this regular opportunity for worship presenting itself every morning and evening the ordinary impulse of the congregation to draw near to God by sacrificing might satisfy itself and the religious feeling which needed to be regulated might find vent in an orderly public service. This ordinance of daily burnt sacrifice is not directly laid down in Leviticus, but is implied as the constant term in the directions for worship given in that book. The fire on the altar was never to go out (Lev. 6 : 12). On its embers which were " upon the wood that is on the fire" the flesh of the voluntary sacrifices described in Le- viticus was to be consumed (Lev. 3:5; 4 : 35 ; 6:9, 12). Thus the burnt off'ering, which was the characteristic expression of the worshiper in his moments of greater elation, would tend to pass over entirely from a private sacrifice to a great public function in which all the people might share. The seductive idolatrous tendencies of the peace offering were not so easily resisted. This was a function which came nearer to the common life of the people, being indeed in all probability the primitive spontaneous form of religious ex- pression. It diff'ered but little from an ordinary secular feast. Indeed, the slaugh- tering of domestic animals for food was and is to this day among the Arabs an act of religion. But the religious feeling which it carried was so little removed from the rejoicing of secular life that under an imperfect sense of the holiness of Jehovah it might easily degenerate into a fellowship with the unhallowed rejoicings of the pagan nature cults. The priestly legislation accordingly prescribed carefully the priest's share in all the peace offerings and forbade the secular use of the internal suet, while the law of holiness required all domestic animals that were slaughtered to be brought to the central sanctuary as an oblation to Jehovah. The irregular satyr worships of the woods, with their inevitable tendencies to impurity, were sternly prohibited. Thus the legislation undertook to regulate the luxuriant spontaneity of the people's worship by bringing it under the visible accountability of priestly rules. But the great achievement of the priestly legislation was the doctrine of expia- tion. This may be taken as the creation of the Mosaic law. While the lawgiver INTRODUCTION xi in Leviticus treats the first three types of sacrifice as voluntary offerings, the impulse to which he finds already existing, he approaches the sin ofi'ering from another point of view. He specifies cases where the sin ofi'ering is required and, graduating the prescribed oblation according to the ability or theocratic rank of the sinner, whether it be anointed priest, the whole congregation, ruler, or private person, indicates the conditions on which atonement may be made for them by the priest. Only sins of error or ignorance are thus provided for, while the intentional or high- handed sinner may hope only for the sentence of being cut off" from the congregation. It is to be noted that in all the accounts of sacrifice in the patriarchal age, and also in the early history of the tribes in the promised land, it is always the burnt ofi'ering and the peace ofi'ering that are mentioned, and not the sin ofi'ering. In the Book of the Covenant too, which is accounted the earliest extant legislation of the Pentateuch, there is no recognition of this species of sacrifice (see Exod. 20 : 24), nor is it mentioned in Deuteronomy. The burnt ofi'erings and peace off'erings do not emphasize the element of expiation properly speaking. It is true, there is an element of atonement, an ''odor of pleasantness," in the burnt ofi'ering, but it is that atonement which consists in acquiring the sense of having pleased God, rather than that which arises from the sense of guilt done away. The pictur- esque Scripture language presents a reflex of the off'erer's emotions in the formula, "The Lord smelled a sweet savor." It can hardly be held, therefore, that all sac- rifice had its origin in man's sense of alienation from God and his desire to avert divine wrath. The sense of guilt demanding expiation appears to be among the later developed religious impulses, rather than the primal feeling from which the practice of ofi'ering sacrifices arose. "By the law," saj'-s Paul, " is the knowledge of sin." As religion passed from domestic life into the domain of law, and from being a spontaneous impulse became an organized system of duty under the control of the priests, the principle of expi- ation began to enter into the sacrifices, so that finally the sin ofi'ering, though the last developed, becomes logically the first, or the preparation for the other off'er- ings. "The religious life of the community, as centering in the national sanctuary, had by means of these laws a definite and completed regulation which was honored and cherished as God's holy commandment. The intercourse of Israel with God in sacrifice gave to the nation the consciousness of a continual and ever-renewed communion of grace. Therefore the nation's most serious endeavor was by sin ofi'ering and purification immediately to make good every ritual error that might interrupt or render inefficient this intercourse and hinder the holy God in his com- munion with Israel (Lev. 15 : 31 ; Num. 19 : 17-20)" (Schultz). This extreme solicitude regarding the ritual fitness of the worshiper for communion with God wrought to raise expiation to a predominant importance in the sacrificial system, and issued not only in specific sin off'erings but in what Oehler calls an "ordinance of atonement, which is principally carried out in acts of worship specifically expi- atory, but which also runs through the whole of the rest of the worship ; in all parts of which, but especially by the use which is from this time forward made of the blood of the sacrifice at the burnt and thank off'erings, the idea is expressed that man may never approach God without previous atonement, that this must be accomplished before he can expect that his gift will be favorably received by God." xii INTEODUCTION With this watchful holding to account of the Israelite's unwitting sins, and especially with its carefully elaborated restrictions as to uncleanness from foods, from contacts, and even from secretions that are accidental or in the course of nature, the whole tendency of Leviticus was to cultivate an apprehensive sense of sin and of the need of expiation. It is this which is expressed and developed by the priest-legislation. Through the sin offering and the regulations regarding cere- monial impurity there was a gradual leading of the whole idea of sacrifice into the region of expiation and purification. This constant requirement of expia- tion for even unintentional sins, this watchfulness against uncleanness and ritual unfitness which culminated even in an annual purging of the holy place with its sacred furniture, and the solemn sending away of the people's collective sin into forgetfulness, had the effect of elevating the idea of expiation to a supreme significance in the theory of sacrifice, so that this idea, with its accompanying assertion of the universal human need of atonement, becomes the basis of the Christian doctrine of salvation. This notion of sin as an expiable entity was from the nature of the case more physical than ethical ; and yet we should hesitate to call it on this account more primitive or less worthy of an advanced intelhgence than the strictly ethical idea of transgression. It was another kind of idea, necessary perhaps to any radical treatment of sin as an accountable thing remaining as a stain on the soul even after the person had desisted from the specific act of wrong-doing. After the nation under the teaching of the prophets had attained the ethical insight to perceive that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin, there nevertheless clung to the religious consciousness, as a heritage of this priest-legislation, the idea of sin as a thing, an objective entity to be abhorred and put away ; and this idea, refined and elevated through the spirit of Christianity, has been of great and permanent value in the religious history of mankind. In estimating the influence of the book of Leviticus on the history of the people of Israel it is not wholly practicable to separate it from the entire priestly legislation of which it formed a part. ''The peculiar arrangement of the legal por- tions, nay, their very divergence from one another, proves that law was for long a living thing, and that the codes are not resuscitated from the memories of priests or excogitated by scribes" (Kobertson). But it is to be remembered that while the priestly code was in a state of growth it existed mainl}'- as a terse and technical manual of ceremonial for the use of the priests, rather than as a book of exhorta- tion and guidance for the people. We should therefore not look so much for marked popular effect from the legislation until after the redaction and publication of the code as a part of a canon, or instrument of edification. But that the priests had a prescribed order from the earliest times, that the tabernacle at Shiloh became the center of worship only by virtue of its meeting the wants of the people with some recognized ritual, that its worship, and the ceremonial from its time forward, was invested with authority, seems to be clearly shown from the undisputed history of the period. It is true that some of the apparently unreproved practices of saintly men, particularly in regard to worship in high places, are out of harmony with the fully developed priestly legislation which restricted legitimate sacrifice to the central sanctuary. It is true that the status of the priests and their relation to the INTRODUCTION xiii Levites does not seem to have been settled in the early monarchical and deutero- nomic period in strict consistency with the definition which it finally attained in the priest-code. It is true that the Sabbatic and jubilee year legislation, if it existed before the exile, existed only to be disregarded by the people. We must also not forget our task of accounting for the puzzling fact that Ezekiel carefully lays a new foundation in the latter part of his prophecy for a projected temple structure and ceremonial, just as if there were no completed building which had occupied the ground from the days of Moses. Nevertheless that the germs of the priest-code existed and were a living influence in those circles to which its legislation applied, in times long anterior to the prophets, though subject to growth and modification as the religious problems of the nation advanced in complexity, is a fact which must be evident from a careful and unprejudiced study of the history. The permanent impress of the book of Leviticus has naturally been the most marked in those portions of the legislation which concern personal and family life, and in regard to which assent could readily harden into ineradicable prejudice. Such are the regulations in respect to clean and unclean animals and to eating blood or animals that die a natural death, many of the precepts fostering a horror of ceremonial impurity, and the legislation regarding marriage within forbidden degrees of kinship. Man}'- of these regulations are probably not original with the book of Leviticus, but reflect usages and scruples that come down from very early times. The habits and abhorrences commanded and fostered by the Mosaic legisla- tion in regard to clean and unclean meats still distinguish the Jews from other nations almost as broadly as their Sabbath ; and to those habits, considered in their sanitary aspect, is often attributed the remarkable vitality of the Jewish race. The dread of defilement fostered by the regulations regarding personal ceremonial purity came to associate itself and play in with the Jewish national and religious intolerance, so that by the time of Christ a Jew regarded himself as rendered unclean by merely entering a Gentile's house (Luke 7:6; John 18 : 28 ; Acts 10 : 29). From this feeling also, which in a proudly separate nation refined itself to a prejudice, among other details, against eating with "common" hands, were no doubt evolved, through rabbinic ingenuity, the laborious usages with respect to bathing and washing re- ferred to in the Gospels (Mark 7 : 1-6). As to the Levitical defining of degrees within which marriage is prohibited, this part of the legislation has not only re- mained valid for Jewish people, but it has so acquired the force of moral law as to be accepted as binding to a very considerable degree on the Gentile Christian con- science. In general it may be said that in proportion as the laws have been felt to be of universal human application and interest they have been accepted by all Christendom, not simply as positive Mosaic precepts but as expressions of the ideal humanity — the kingdom of God ; and some of the legislation of the law of holiness, notably in the nineteenth chapter, reaches a very high moral plane, so that indeed one of its precepts (19 : 18) is characterized by Christ and accepted by the church as a part of that fundamental revelation on which hang all the law and the prophets. The ordinance of the Sabbatic year and the year of jubilee, seeking as it did to establish a custom which could maintain its existence only as a general and public observance, seems to have failed to get itself enforced before the exile, if, indeed, xiv INTRODUCTION it became a part of the recognized law before that time. Like the legislation of idealists in general, it appears to have been beautiful as a scheme, but impracti- cable as a civil and public observance, because striking a keynote of unworldliness too high for the public convenience or average devotion to follow. The Sabbatic year was entirely neglected by the nation during the whole period of the monarchy, and the captivity itself was accounted for by the idealists as the divine punishment for that neglect. It seems to have come into force as an observance only in the smaller priest-governed colony of the return, after the doctrinaires had got the upper hand. The year of the jubilee appears to have existed as a matter of reck- oning without ever being in any adequate way kept in practical life. The priestly regulations and theories as to sacrificial worship and ceremonial established themselves gradually in the citadel of the national conscience, and no doubt attained to greatly augmented binding force after the exile when the Jews in a measure came to despair of fulfilling their divine destiny as a nation and cen- tered their enthusiasm in the Jewish church. Under the regime of the second temple the ceremonial law and the priesthood became for the Jews who returned to Pales- tine the principal instrumentality for unifying the nation, and zeal for the purity of the temple and ritual again and again incited an angry people to bloody outbreaks, or nerved to acts of devotion and suff'ering worthy the name of martyrdom. Even for those of the dispersion the great annual pilgrimage feasts were a force that operated to turn their thoughts and often their footsteps to their native land, and to keep aglow in their hearts a passionate love for Zion. But, however the temple and its ritual may have served as a rallying point for patriotism — a focus at which the idea of Jehovah as the God of Israel was con- verged and intensified to the burning point — as an expression of the religious life of the people, the daily act of offering victims on the altar had probably ceased to be a primary and real act of worship even before the codification of the priestly regulations was complete. Sacrifice had become a secondary and symbolical act, no longer expressing directly the naive feelings of the worshiper, but enacting them as it were in a conventional and dramatized form. The intelligent worshiper, enlightened by the prophetic teaching, soon outgrew the thought that he was mak- ing a sweet savor for the nostrils of Jehovah, or bestowing on him an acceptable gift ; but the smoke of the sacrifice became a symbol of prayer, that act which, as the lifting up of the soul to God, could alone carry with it the whole intimate out- breathing of the spirit. While prayer is scarcely mentioned in the priestly legis- lation the whole ritual which it prescribes is nevertheless but enacted adoration and supplication, so that the temple to prophetic conception was to fulfill its intention by becoming a house of prayer for all peoples (Isa. 56 : 7), and this description of it was accepted by our Lord as the most characteristic and inclusive one (Matt. 21 : 13 ; Mark 11 : 17 ; Luke 19 : 46). With the growth of the ethical and spiritual mind and needs the symbolical ritual was, for the private and inner life, replaced or fulfilled by the XoyiKr) \arpeia, or service of the Word or Spirit, which demanded the whole earthly activity as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12 : 1), and thus the visible form wns preparing itself to be done away, when the nation became finally scattered, without the destruction of all religion with it. Had it not been for the rejection of Christ, that momentous abortion of the Jewish religious evolution, perhaps the INTRODUCTION xv palingenesia of the nation might have been effected by a transfiguration in which the whole striving of the Mosaic and prophetic economies should be fulfilled and satisfied in the consummate life of Christ. But, on the contrary, it was ordained in the counsels of eternity that this should be only by a world-saving death, and accordingly, when Moses and Elias appeared with Jesus on the mountain, it was that they might talk with him of his decease which he should accomplish at Jeru- salem (Luke 9 : 31). By that death and rising again the whole world of believers is put in the way of attaining, through faith in Christ, a sonship to God, which is all that the deepest and truest Judaism strove for, raised to newness of life ; but the priestly Judaism which knew not the day of its visitation, but rejected the Anointed One who was its representative and end, still, as the great world example of arrested development in religion, awaits its resurrection to the life of the spirit. When the city of Jerusalem and the temple finally fell, then perforce the daily oblation ceased, and its stately ceremonial, going out with the nation, ceased to have a place in Jewish worship altogether. Yet the sacrificial system, which had already been pronounced by the Christian church old and nigh unto vanishing away, so far from fsxlling to the ground and dying, rather attained its euthanasia, as it were, by paling like the stars in the light of the rising sun. The blood of bulls and goats had, even from Old Testament prophetic times, been felt to be valid for the taking away of sin only as a type or foreshadowing of some reality as yet unful- filled, and when the Lord Jesus died and rose from the dead. Christian thought began to recognize in him the actual and heavenly redeeming power to which all these types and symbols pointed forward. By a remarkable transformation the ordinances of the worldly sanctuary became sublimed in Christian thought into the doctrine of the greater or more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, through which Christ has come a high priest of the good things to come. According to the inspired speculations of the writer to the Hebrews the whole ceremonial law finds its fulfillment in the transcendent priesthood of Jesus Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God once for all, and opened the way for every believer into the holy place through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. Thus, through the vivifying power of Christian faith the Levitical priest- hood and ceremonial as a system of types and shadows becomes fulfilled in Christ the eternal reality, and so attains to a transfigured existence or resurrection life in the salvation of the world. So the book of Leviticus becomes a permanent factor in the spiritual life of humanity in different ways, according to the nature of its various enactments, very much as the growth from the tree seed fulfills its destiny in divers manners in the life of nature and the uses of man. Some of it passes into unreasoned scruple and prejudice useful for maintaining the hardy integrity of personal and social habits, just as the tree growth hardens into woody fibre, which is durable and strong for the building's frame or vessel's ribs and keel. Some of it, as the Sabbatic year, attains little or no fruitful or reproductive life in man's obedience, but rather enriches his spiritual life from its own bed of death as a condemning reminder of his sin and failure, just as the leafage of the tree puts forth a beautiful growth, only to fall in the autumn and enrich the soil through its own decay for the growth of other seeds. Some of it, on the other hand, like the fully ripened fruit which attains its xvi INTKODUCTION intended destiny by becoming the seed of a new growth, passes into its larger Hfe only by falling into the ground and dying as the shriveled seed of type and sym- bol, that it may rise to eternal life as the joyous new growth of fulfillment and actual salvation in Jesus Christ, the eternal high priest and atoning victim. And this last form of development, this career of death and resurrection, is that which alone really fulfills the creative idea of tree or of book, of all literature, indeed, and even of the divine Word made flesh. The interest of the book of Leviticus for modern readers is chiefly historical. As a specimen of ancient ceremonial jurisprudence, it supplies the student with data for the study of Israelitish institutions, yielding precise results for the under- standing of the development of the Jewish genius just in proportion to the pre- cision with which criticism succeeds in determining its chronological place in the history. As the record of a stadium in God's revelation to the world of his plan of salvation, it has always been of interest to those whose reading of the Bible is prin- cipally devotional, and whose piety feeds itself on admiration of God's wonderful counsels, and these humble worshipers, already suff'used and elated with the ador- ii^g joy of Christ's salvation, have found the old system of types and shadows won- derfully full of suggestion and edification on every page as they have read Christ in the Old Testament. It is as if the Saviour himself had taken them, and begin- ning at Moses and all the prophets had interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Yet even here the interest has been historical, for who that had the fully risen light would turn back to the faint foregleaming to study it by, except in a historian's spirit? Some of the glowing speculations and type-findings of these zealous expositors may here and there run to extremes, which to the unsympathetic are forced and fanciful, just as the Spirit-filled disci- ples at Pentecost seemed to some to be filled with new wine ; but all these methods of treating the divine word are simply the way in each case in which some order of mind derives and transmits edification from God's revelation of himself, and they kindle faith and devotion according as they find their audience. If we approach the book with such candid attention as it deserves, with perse- verance sufficient to discover the interest which lurks beneath its rather forbidding technical exterior, and with such powers of spiritual interpretation as belong to our order of mind, we shall find that it is not without its living worth and message even for this late day of the world's unfolding. LEVITICUS PAKT FIRST. FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF SACRIFICE, PURIFICATION, AND ATONEMENT, CHAPTERS 1 TO 16. This collection of working formulas for wor- ship (StKatcu/AaTa Aarpeias, Heb. 9 : l), haS been called the ceremonial law, but it does not exactly answer in a theological sense to Paul's idea of law as he draws it out in its distinction from grace. The law was the expression of God's requirement, or standard of duty, and brought men into the presence of the God of judgment, while these forms of worship and atonement are a device for approaching the God of grace. The law forbade sin and brought it home to the con- science ; the ceremonial eased the conscience of its sense of sin by inducing a sense of pardon. The law, as Paul figures it in the Epistles to the Galatians and to the Romans, is calculated to drive men to Christ through the condemnation which it produces but cannot allay ; while the priest legislation leads to Christ by foreshadow- ing him, or serving as a type of his dispensation. Law proper fosters subjection and obligation; ceremonial makes for reconciliation and com- munion with God — it is in its way a kind of gospel or good news for the soul. This ritual may be taken as a formalizing of the instinct to seek and enjoy communion with God. And we may well believe that the feeling of God's grace or friendship was a much larger element in the religion of ancient Israel than the mere legal, factitious feeling of merit as a result of perfection of conduct. Indeed, Paul himself, though giving a large place in his argument to laAV in its stricter sense as the foil to his doctrine of free grace, nevertheless indi- cates that the religious life of the Old Testament time was primarily and essentially the large, rich growth of the promise to Abraham, while the law only entered in at the side (irapeLo-fiKeev, Rom. 5 : 20) in order that "the offense might abound," and so the precise worth and applica- tion of divine grace to the individual might be apparent. That larger life of grace found a formal or ritual expression in the burnt and meal and peace offerings, or a ritual restoration when impaired in the the atoning devices of the sin and guilt ofierings. This very externalizing, however, of the in- stinct for communion with God brought the act of worship down to a tangible form in which it could be grasped and debased by the legal spirit. Worship, whether in the form of sacrifice or in the more spiritual form of prayer, is in its nature a spontaneous reaching out toward God and can no more claim merit for itself than can the act of holding out the hand for alms. Yet when the form of worship is prescribed it forgets its essential spontaneity and becomes a work ; the legal spirit is very prompt to debase it and cause the worshiper to engage in it as a meri- torious performance or an act of preeminent virtue. Thus participated in, it becomes by a sort of reversion, a part of the law by which the mechanical religionist hopes to win the favor of God. But this aspect of the ceremonial system as mere law does not belong to its original in- tention; the prescriptions for orderly worship are rather the guide-posts and encouragements in the way of grace. As moral law and the ritual of worship differ in their nature, so there is a difference in the way in which they are respectively done away in Christ, according to the exposition of Paul and of the writer to the Hebrews. According to Paul the law was added to intensify trans- gression (Gal. 3 : 19) by making prohibition defi- nite, or giving the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3 : 20) ; and thus the necessity for the provisions of grace through Christ was brought out, such grace being man's only hope of salvation. Thus the law becomes a pedagogue to lead to Christ (Gal. 3 : 24) J and the glory of his gospel is that he makes men free from the curse of the law. Law thus drives the sinner to the gospel by its very contrast. On the other hand the ritual devices for atone- ment are never represented as intensifying con- demnation, but rather as producing an imperfect 17 18 LEVITICUS [Ch. I. and temporary alleviation of guilt ( Heb. lo : i, seq. ) . They are done away in Christ as the stars pale before the sun ; they have efiected typically, or as a makeshift, what Christ eflects perfectly ; and as types and shadows they are rejected in the presence of the substance or reality on account of their weakness and unprofitableness (Heb. 7 : 18). They tlius lead to the gospel by their inadequacy as devices for the same expia- tory purpose. We call the atonement which was wrought through the blood of bulls and goats a type of the atonement wrought by Christ. In drawing out and insisting on the resemblances, however, between the type and the fulfillment, theologians have perhaps fallen into an error in supposing that the older sacrifice foreshadows Christ by its form rather than by its effect on men. The typical sacrifice has been thought of as a sort of ritual enacting, by means of animal victims and purely for its predictive value, of what God was going to do for mankind in the future by means of a divine-human victim. As a result the type has insisted on dominating and narrowing our understanding of the fulfillment. Artificial and conventional as the I'cmoving of sin through the blood of slain victims necessarily is, the crude artificiality of the type has clung to the antitype, and dogma has been inclined to deny the benefits of the work of Christ to all except those who can receive him as a slain victim saving them by the sprinkling of his literal blood. But should we not rather say that the animal sacrifice typified Christ by its effect rather than by its form ? The principal use which the type subserved lay in its effect on the people of its own day. Consider what the people of the earlier time need to have done for them in advance of the coming of Christ. Do they need a ritual object- lesson to serve as a chart of the doctrinal mean- ing of some history to be enacted in the distant future ? Do they not rather need something to put them into a state of grace, or into the way of salvation, now ? Generation after generation Avill come upon the earth and die before the Redeemer will appear in the flesh : is there to be no possibility of salvation for the Avorld meanwhile ? If mere moral law is what Paul says it is, men can derive from it only condemna- tion, for by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. Is there no way by which men trembling under an awakened sense of sin may persuade themselves that God will forgive ? Is there no way to foster the sense of reconciliation and communion with God, as distinguished from the sense of shortcoming and guilt? If in all ages of the world salvation means peace with God or access to his grace, then there needed to be something, even before Christ came, which aimed at peace and reconciliation, and so gave the possibility of a life of spontaneous devotion. These expiatory contrivances were, for those who needed them, such a means of approach to God. God has always been a God of grace as well as a God of law. Those who have found and lived in that grace have been justified or saved. The great difiiculty has been to enable men who were awakened to the holiness of God to conceive of that grace as possible. Something that could stand for an appeasing of anger by means of a victim, or for a producing of satis- faction by means of a gift, has been to the mind a help in getting over the difiiculties which its training or its perversity have placed in the way of free divine favor. If God must have a victim the ritual provides it, as the sinner feels, in a divinely ordained way. So when the priest sprinkled the blood and pronounced the atoning words there stole over the soul, temporarily at least, a sense of reconciliation and favor which was a real drawing near to the goodness of God. In its clumsy and shadowing way the ritual ministered the grace of God which bringeth salvation. Thus in its effect on the worshiper the slain victim was a type of Christ. The ritual was a ministration of grace. It served as a device for making men feel that they were no longer enemies of God. The type was given because it was needed for a real purpose, namely, present reconciliation. The manner in which the type produced this effect on its own age may not have been essential to the correspondence of the anti- type. It is suflUcient that it foreshadowed Christ by doing imperfectly what he did perfectly and once for all. The ritual expiation foreshadowed the spiritual reconciliation in Christ by its effect rather than by its form. If, then, God gave a ritual in order to produce an effect for the time being, may we not say that the spiritual or eternal reality corresponding to that effect is all that is essential to Christ's ful- fillment of the ceremonial law ? It is true, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews teaches that Christ is for mankind what both priest and victim were to the Israelites — that he offered himself once for all to God, and that his blood cleanses the conscience from dead works to serve the living God. But does this mean that every one must understand Christ as a literal victim slain to appease or propitiate God, or only that those who have been brought up to feel such a Ch. L] LEVITICUS 19 CHAPTER I. 1 AND the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, 1 AND the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tent of meeting, saying, victim necessary will find all their demands met in Christ — that for those who must think of God's salvation in terms of victims and blood- sprinklings and washings there is the most abundant correspondence in Christ's death to every essential feature of the ritual ? In other words, this author's explanation of Christ's atonement by the Levitical ritual means that for the believer who needs it Christ may coincide with and satisfy all these forms of expiation, but not necessarily that he must present himself in these Levitical forms to every type of mind in order that his work may have its saving effect. As a matter of fact many minds experience the spiritual effect of the Saviour's work, that is, are brought into loving and trustful and fruitful communion with the God of grace, to whom the thought of a God who cannot save without first being appeased with blood is an utterly repug- nant one. No man fully understands the method of the Saviour's atonement, but if that inefiable life and character and death, however appre- hended, produces in the believer a loving and aspiring walk with God, all that is essential to the type is fulfilled in the antitype ; the Leviti- cal ceremonial as an expedient for access to the grace of God has found its fulfillment in the spiritual fellowship of the believer with God and with his Son Jesus Christ. I. Law of the five principal types of SACRIFICE, 1 : 1 to 6 : 7. Chap. 1. 1. And the Lord called unto Moses. It is a part of the universal and eter- nal religious instinct to observe forms. The impulse to order and propriety is an essential element in religion. In this sense the eternal God speaks eternally through ceremonial. The particular form of ritual may change with the circumstances or needs or capabilities of the people. The whole system, as in this case, may pass out of use, but the spirit of ceremonial, as we may call it, is eternal and belongs to all re- ligion. Asa recent author has said (Prof. Ed- ward Slosson, in the " Independent " for March 8, 1900) : "Inreality the foundation of ritualism is not historical or theological but psychological. Any long-established religion develops uncon- sciously those particular rites that are best fitted for exciting religious emotion." The same writer goes on to remark: "One of the main objects of ecclesiastical forms is the development of a religious life by isolating it from common life. The set days and hours with which no other duty must interfere, the sanctified place or building where nothing profane is allowed to enter, the ecclesiastical architecture and fur- nishings, the archaic pronunciations and pecu- liar intonations, the vestments and music, the postures and movements, all these are associated with religious emotions and experiences and with nothing else, so that they have the power of reviving and instigating devotional feelings. If all one's religious training and experiences from childhood have been connected with cer- tain sights and sounds these will have an influ- ence over the emotional nature that is astonish- ing to one who has been otherwise trained. . . Rites arbitrary in origin become the language of the soul, so that if the power of these is lost it sometimes happens that all faith is lost too." If the observance of ceremonial becomes inimical to spiritual religion it is because it is insincere or imitative or no longer expresses the feeling of the worshiper, not because it is a form. Some form even the most spiritual will inevitably observe in approaching God ; some feeling that the merely natural or free and easy is not seemly in the divine presence will pervade even the most fervent and quietistic. Though it be no more than the adoption of the solemn style of speech or the uncovering of the head there will be some minimum of form which the mind will never outgrow. And this form, whatever its historical origin, will have for the mind the force of prescription ; the habitual will become sacred, so that that which is incongruous will cause pain or laughter and innovation will pro- duce a shock. In this sense, namely, as adapted to the permanent instincts of men, ceremonial religion is eternal. The Jehovah who spoke to Moses, bidding him make men's sacrifices or- derly, speaks as the eternal God to the deepest instincts of mankind through form and the striving after a higher or exclusively religious order and propriety. As a generalized or eter- nal truth this assertion that God spake thus teaches that the ritual feeling is of divine origin. The tabernacle of the congregation. In the Revised version this phrase is uniformly rendered tent of meeting, meaning not the place of assembly for the congregation but the place where the Lord was to be met. The literal ren- dering of the phrase is, tent of appointment. It referred to the tabernacle as a whole, as God's 20 LEVITICUS [Cii. I. 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man of you offereth an obla- tion unto the Lord, ye shall offer your oblation of the cattle, even of the herd and of the flock. appointed place for manifesting himself— Jeho- vah's headquarters, as it were. It was here that Jehovah promised to meet and commune with Moses (Exod. 25 : 22)^ and this revelation to Moses in Leviticus appears to be the fulfillment of that promise. Over this tent the cloud rested (Exod. 40 : 34)^ and witliin it was the myste- rious glory which symbolized the presence of Jehovah (ibid., 35). As the law of the Ten Commandments was given from Mount Sinai (Exod. 19), so these priestly laws purport to have been given from the cloud after it had been transferred to its resting-place in the camp above the tent of meeting. These laws are stated to have been given in Mount Sinai, i. e., perhaps the wilderness of Sinai (see 7 : 38; 26 : 46; 27 : 34). If they Were given from the completed tabernacle it must have been some time between the first day of the first month (Exod. 4o : 2) of the second year of the exodus and the twentieth day of the second month (Num. 10 : 11) when the tabernacle and the congregation left the wilderness of Sinai for the desert of Paran. 2. If any man of you bring. It is to be noticed that the custom of sacrifice is treated as an old and familiar thing. The function of the lawgiver is regulative rather than creative ; it is to prescribe an orderly method for what peo- ple are in the habit of doing instead of to com- mand their practice de novo. Sacrifice had been common from the earliest times ; it was a spon- taneous form of religious expression. The effect of the book of Leviticus was to curb its extrava- gances, to bring its rules into such shape as to give the least encouragement to idolatry ; in short, to place it under regulation by means of a ritual. An offering. This word, in He- brew, l^'^.P, Qdrbdn, is so characteristic of Le- viticus and Numbers that it may be taken as a sort of note of the class of conceptions with which these books predominantly deal. The word, outside of these two books, occurs only twice in Ezekiel (20:28; 40:43), and twice in a little different form in Nehemiah (10 : 34; 13 : 31), in the latter book referring to the wood offering for the temple sacrifices. It means a gift and is so translated by the LXX, but it is a sacred gift, a gift that is brought near to God. The books of Leviticus and Numbers contain regulations for that department of human effort which seeks to give something directly to God, to send some token of good-will visibly to heaven. Material things can only in a conven- tional or constructive way be sent to God, and the method hit upon from the earliest times was to send the smoke or odor of the sacred object into the air. If the whole object was not thus sent to God, the inemorial, or representative portion, at least, was burnt, and the remainder was set apart for the use of the priest. Objects thus set apart as well as the acts connected with the offering came to possess in the minds of the people a peculiar quality, the quality of being sacred, or separated from, and elevated above, the ordinary things of life. Hence arose that rigid distinction between the sacred and the secular, or the holy and the common, a distinc- tion which it was the cherished purpose of the priestly legislation to emphasize (^^ee 10 : 10 ; Ezek. 22 : 26 ; 42 : 20 ; 44 : 23). The act of Sending things by their smoke or savor directly to God even- tually became simply symbolical of the act of prayer, and as religion grew more spiritual the idea that the gift offering had any value in the sight of God ceased to commend itself to the prophetic mind (Ps. 51 : 16; 69 : 31: Isa. 1 : 11-13). It was as a house of prayer that the temple was appraised by the prophets (isa. 56 : 7). But as prayer takes the place of its symbol in public worship, the idea of giving a pleasing gift for God's enjoyment passes away. It is the draw- ing near of the whole person, the linking of human helplessness to divine might, of human frailty to divine mercy, that takes the place of the smug satisfaction of contributing to God's enjoyment, and that externalizing of prayer which arose from the thought of the act as meri- torious or plea.sing in itself was stigmatized by our Lord as hypocritical (Matt. 6: 5) and even hea- thenish (ibid., 7). On the same Pharisaic theory of the preeminent meritoriousness of public worship, the act of setting apart property for sacred uses, or making it Corban, came in process of time to be placed above plain moral duties, and was denounced by Christ (Mark 7 : ii). The teachings of our Lord, indeed, and of tlie apostles, tended to replace the idea of giving directly to God by a better and more rational one (Matt. 25 : 4o), and to reveal to spiritual ap- prehension the principle that the distinction between the clean arid the unclean, the holy and the common, is not a final or eternal truth (John 4 : 31-24 ; Rom. 14 : 14 ; 1 Tim. 4 : 4). Ch. I.] LEVITICUS 21 3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish : he sliall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the taber- nacle of the congregation before the Lord. 4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering ; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 5 And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord : and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congre- gation. 6 And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces. 3 If his oblation be a burnt offering of the herd, he shall offer it a male without blemish • he shall offer it at the door of the tent of meeting, tha^ 4 he may be accepted before the Lord. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt offering ; and it shall be accepted for him to 5 make atonement for him. And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord : and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall present the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is at the 6 door of the tent of meeting. And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into its pieces. The peculiar form of the beginning of this clause in the Hebrew — "a man if," cf. "a soul if," 4 : 2, "a man or woman if," 13 : 29— is pointed out by modern critics as one of the characteristic marks of style in the Priest- Code, or P., of which Leviticus largely consists, dis- tinguishing it from the earlier document JE., which forms a considerable portion of Genesis and Exodus. This theory of the documentary character of the Pentateuch assumes the non- Mosaic authorship of the books in their present form. The only profession made in the book (for the title does not belong to the original book), is that it was revealed to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. It is possible for it to be substantially Mosaic, i. e., a following out of the spirit and intention of Moses, while still a collection and codification, made by later hands, of the great body of priestly teachings and work- ing formulas which had grown up during Israel's national history. The burnt offering. Three forms of burnt offering are specified: from the herd, i. e., of larger cattle (ver. 3-9) ^ from the flock, i. e., smaller cattle (ver. 10-13) ^ and birds (ver. n-n). The directions for these three kinds are pre- sented with only such difference of detail as is made necessary by the different natures of the animals. 3. Any offering of larger or smaller cattle must be a male without blemish ; the person is to offer it for his acceptance, not of his own voluntary will, before Jehovah. Cf. R. V. He is to place his hand on the head of the victim that it may be accepted for him. This placing the hands on the head of the ani- mal fostered and expressed the feeling that the offerer was thus identifying himself with his victim, and thus in reality offering himself to God, as is done in the consummate act of prayer which the rite symbolized. The offerer is next to kill the animal, i. c, perhaps, take some ostensible part in the killing that shall make it constructively his personal act, while no doubt leaving most of the work to the more practised Levites. The priests are to dash the blood on the altar round about. This dashing is a way of disposing of the blood in quantity, and differs from the sprinkling in 4 : 6, 17 ; 16 : 14, 15, etc., for which a different word is used, and which was done with the finger. The priests are then to flay the animal and divide it into pieces, to place the parts in an orderly manner on the altar, taking care to wash the inwards and legs, and then to burn the whole with fire. It is to be noted that in the case of sheep or goats the side of the altar on which they are to be killed is specified. This is the only passage that informs us where the offering was to be killed, though elsewhere it is specified that the sin and guilt offerings were to be slain in the same place (* : 24, 29, 33; 7 : 2). It is also to be noted that in the case of birds the priest is to do the killing, and that the blood is apparently to be allowed to sprinkle itself as it is drained out at the side of the altar, and also that the crop with the feathers (not filth as in R. V., which is philo- logically inadmissible) is not to be burned but to be thrown out in the place of the ashes. The peculiarity in the form of the burnt offer- ing, distinguishing it from all other forms of sacrifice, is that it is wholly consumed on the altar, while in the case of the others only selected portions are burned. The main idea of the burnt offering, expressed by the offerer through the act of laying his hand on the victim's head, is the idea of self-dedication to Jehovah. The life of the victim was, as it were, presented to God. At the same time the thought of a propi- tiation, even in this form of sacrifice, is not wanting. 4. Note the expression. To make atonement for him. The theory of its ac- ceptability, reiterated in every separate case, is that it is an "odor of satisfaction" unto Je- hovah (comp. Gen. 8 : 21). The Hebrew word T'tSpn, Mqtir, used for the act of burning, in connection with the sacrifices, does not empha- size the consuming of the thing burnt, as does the ordinary word, ^"l^, sdrCiph (see e. g., * = 12), but rather means to cau^e to smoke or ascend, as if the primary aim was to furnish an agreeable odor for Jehovah's satisfaction. The broad, simple feeling which was fostered LEVITICUS [Ch. II. 7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire: 8 And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the tire which is upon the altar : 9 But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water : and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrilice, an offering made by lire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 10 And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of tlie sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice"; he shall bring it a male without blemish. 11 And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the Lord : and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar. 12 And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat : and the priest shall l;iy them in order on the wood that is on the lire which is upon the altar: la But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring lY all, and burn it upon the altar : it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 14 And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls, then he shall bring his offer- ing of turtledoves, or of young pigeons. 15 And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar : 16 And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside tlie altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes : 17 And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder : and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire : it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay wood in order upon tiie 8 fire : and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall lay the pieces, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: 9 but its inwards and its legs shall ho wash with water : and the priest shall burn the whole on the altar, for a burnt oft"ering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 10 And if his oblation be of the flock, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt offering ; he 11 shall offer it a male without blemish. And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before tlie Lord : and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood upon the altar round 12 about. And he shall cut it into its pieces, with its head and its fat : and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is 13 upon the altar: but the inwards and the legs shall he wash with water : and the priest shall offer the whole, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 14 And if his oblation to the Lord be a burnt offering of fowls, then he shall offer his oblation 15 of turtledoves, or of yoinig pigeons. And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar ; and the blood thereof shall be drained out on the side of the 16 altar: and he shall take away its crop with the filth thereof, and cast it beside the altar on the 17 east part, in the place of the ashes : and he shall rend it by the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder : and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire : it is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. CHAPTEE II. 1 AND when any will offer a meat offering unto the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour ; and he shall pouroil upon it, and put frankincense thereon: 1 AND when any one offereth an oblation of a meal offering unto the Lord, his oblation shall be of fine flour ; and he shall pour oil upon it, by this form of worship was the feeling that Jehovah was pleased with an offering of the self Avhieh was also a losing of the self in him. The whole victim was reduced to the volatile form of smoke or odor and ascended visibly to the skies. The immense effectiveness of this form of spectacular teaching was far more than an offset to any danger lurking in the notion that God derived an animal pleasure from the smell of smoke. That notion was sure to be felt to be only a fiction or emblem of a great spir- itual truth, while on the other hand the feeling that God is pleased with the heartfelt ascent to him of all that is most spiritual and aspiring in humanity would grow as intimacy with his kindness increased, and would derive new strength and vividness from each new clothing of the truth in the visibility of material sacrifice. Chap. 2. 1-10. The meal offering. The word which designated this offering is nnjD, mtnchdh, which means a gift, such, for instance, as Jacob brought to Esau to propitiate him (Gen. 32: 13, 18), or the brethren of Joseph car- ried on their second visit to Egypt as a propi- tiatory gift to the governor (Gen. 43 : ii). In general the minchah was a gift from an inferior to a superior, a gift expressing homage. As a sacrifice the minchah is the antithesis of the n^T, zebhdch, or slain offering ; the minchah be- ing in general the bloodless or meal offering. The two terms, zebhach and minchah, taken together, designate the two inclusive kinds of sacrifice, the animal or slain, and the vegetable or bloodless offerings, as in Ps. 40 : 6, "zebhach and min- chah thou hast no delight in" (see also i sam. 3 : 14). In the Law the minchah is generally treated as an accompaniment of the burnt offer- ing or peace offering, rather than as an inde- pendent sacrifice. It was an actual and useful present to the priests, only the memorial, or small part of it as representing the whole, being burned on the altar. 3femorial, n^3TJ^, 'dzkd- rah, is a technical term and describes the of- fered portion as that which, as ascending di- rectly to heaven, brings the whole gift into remembrance before Jehovah. The rest of the offering was treated as most holy, i. e., most Ch. II.] LEVITICUS 23 2 And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests : and he shall take thei'eout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frank- incense thereof ; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord : 3 And the remnant of the meat offering shall he Aaron's and his sons' : it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by lire. 4 And if thou bring an oblation of a meatoffer- ing baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. 5 And if thy oblation be a meat offering bakeii in a pan, it shall be of tine flour unleavened, mingled with oil. 6 Thou Shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil there- on : it is a meat offering. 7 And if tiiy oblation be a meat offering baken in the fryingpan, it shall be made of tine flour with oil. 8 And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the Lord : and when it is presented unto the priest, he shall bring it unto the altar. 9 And the priest shall take from the meat offer- ing a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar : it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 10 And that which is left of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons' : it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire. 2 and put frankincense thereon: and he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests : and he shall take thereout his handful of the fine flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof ; and the priest shall burn it as the me- morial thereof upon the altar, an offering made 3 by file, of a sweet savour unto the Lord : and that which is left of the meal offering shall be Aaron's and his sons' : it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire. 4 And when thou offerest an oblation of a meal offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleav- ened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or un- 5 leavened wafers anointed with oil. And if thy oblation be a meal offering of the baking pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with 6 oil. Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil 7 thereon : it is a meal offering. And if thy obla- tion be a meal offering of the frying pan, it shall 8 be made of fine flour with oil. And thou shalt bring the meal offering that is made of these things unto the Lord : and it shall be presented unto the priest, and he shall bring it unto the 9 altar. And the priest shall take up from the meal offering the memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar : an offering made by fire, 10 of a sweet savour unto the Lord. And that which is left of the meal offering shall be Aaron's and his sons' : it is a thing most holy of the exclusively set apart for the priests' use, or most sedulously protected from secular profanation. "Among the dues of the priests a distinction was made between the holy and the most holy offerings. The latter could be eaten only (1) by the priests, and (2) in a holy place, i. e., within the courts of the sanctuary. The former could be eaten by the priests and any members of their family or household, in any clean place. In both cases it was necessary for the person who partook of the gifts to be in a con- dition of ceremonial purity " (Dkiver). When the offering was of uncooked flour, or of parched grains of first-gathered corn, it was to be accom- panied by a small quantity of frankincense, which as a sacred substance was all to be taken for fumigation. The three forms of the minchah enumerated are : fine flour with frankincense (ver. i-s)^ cakes and wafers of fine flour (ver. 4-8) ^ and parched grains of earliest harvested corn with frankin- cense (ver. 14-16). Of the cake offerings several varieties are mentioned, distinguished by the kind of utensil with which they are cooked, and designated as "minchah baked in the oven" (ver. 4)j " minchah on the pan" (ver. 5)^ and "minchah of the pot" (ver. 7). The first kind of offering, that of uncooked fine flour, was the typical minchah, the other forms being perhaps the offering of the humbler class. It was this form of minchah with which the princes of the congregation accompanied their costly gifts at the dedication of the tabernacle (see Num. 1 : 13, ai.). This uncooked minchah belonged to all the priests (7 : lo), who were, however, to bake it without leaven and to eat it in the court of the tabernacle (6 : i6, it) ; the cakes and wafers which were offered went to the particular priest who ofiiciated {"^ ■^). In its meaning the minchah differed from the burnt offering in that it was a present instead of the symbolical offering of the life. As a reason why the offered cakes should be broken in pieces and anointed so as to make a tempting display, as a host would set food before a guest, it is said, "It is a minchah," i. e., a present, such as that with which one propitiates a superior. At the same time it is more than a mere present ; there is the idea of consecration to God in it. The reason why the memorial of it is to be burned on the altar is, that it is a fire offering, an odor of satisfaction unto Jehovah (ver. 2, 9). " As the bumt offering represented the consecration of the life, the person, to God, so the meal offering represented the consecration of the fruit of his labors." This consecration was made vivid by the ascent of the azkarah or me- morial in smoke, and so prominent an element in worship was this offered sample of the gift that even in New Testament times the memorial was a familiar emblem, in religious feeling, of acceptability in the divine presence (^cts io:4). Minute study of the text of this section has not failed to notice the peculiar employment of the style of direct address abruptly beginning with the fourth verse and continuing through the chapter. It is impossible for us to account for this ; but not unreasonable is the note of Driver 24 LEVITICUS [Ch. III. 11 No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the Lord, shall be made with leaven : for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the Lord made by fire. 12 As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the Lord : but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour. 13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt ; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering : with all thine offerings thou slialt offer salt. 14 And if thou offer a meat offering of thy first- fruits unto the Lord, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the lire, even corn beaten out of full ears. 15 And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frank- incense thereon : it is a meat offering. 16 And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof : it is an offering made by tire unto the Lord. 11 offerings of the Lord made by fire. No meal offer- ing, which ye shall offer unto the Lord, shall be made with leaven : for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, as an offering made by fire unto 12 the Lord. As an oblation of tir&tfruits ye shall offer them unto the Lord : but they shall not 13 come up for a sweet savour on the altar. And every oblation of thy meal offering shalt thou season with salt ; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meal offering : with all thine oblations thou shalt offer salt. 14 And if thou offer a meal offering of firstfruits unto the Lord, thou shalt offer for the meal offer- ing of thy firstfruits corn in the ear parched with 15 fire, bruised corn of the fresh ear. And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense 16 thereon : it is a meal offering. And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the bruised corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof : it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord. CHAPTER III. 1 AND if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offer- ing, if he offer it of the herd ; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. 2 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation : and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. AND if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace of- ferings ; if he offer of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his oblation, and kill it at the door of the tent of meeting : and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round who says : " The second person in 2 : 4-16, unlike the rest of these chapters, is noticeable, and may be an indication that the chapter is formed out of a combination of elements originally distinct." 11-13. Regulations of the minchah. Two general regulations of much importance in re- gard to the minchah are here made : the in- terdiction of leaven and honey from the fire offerings of Jehovah, and the invariable re- quirement of salt. Leaven is often spoken of as a symbol of corruption (Matt, le : 6 ; Mark 8 : 15 ; 1 Cor. 5 : 7, 8), and this association with corruption may be the basis of the interdiction. Why honey was to be kept from the fire oflerings of Jehovah we can only conjecture. It may be because of its tending to promote fermentation and decay in that with which it is mixed. Both of these substances, however, might be offered as first-fruits (see r. v. of ver. 12), but they were not to be burned as a part of the fire offering for an odor of satisfaction. As for the salt, this was to accompany not only the minchah, but animal offerings as well. Though not often mentioned in the legislation of the Pentateuch, salt was considered of great importance (Ezek. 43 : 24 : Mark 9 : 49, 5o). It was perhaps an ingredient of the incense (see Exod. so : 35, R. v.), and according to the LXX of 24 : 7 was placed along with the frankincense on the .shewbread which was the great public minchah. Its significance as a sacrificial symbol appears in the expression, the salt of the covenant of thy God; salt being mutually partaken of by contracting parties as a seal of a covenant because the partaking of one's salt laid upon the host, under Oriental laws of hospitality, the ob- ligation to keep faith with his guest (cf. Num. is : 19 ; 2 chron. 13 : 5). This allusiou to Salt indicates that there was another idea underlying the minchah, and indeed all the offerings, which has not been so clearly brought out before, namely, that in ofiering sacrifices the worshiper incurred obligations like those of hospitality, and entered into a covenant with God intended to be inviolable. 14-16. The minchah of first-fruits was not the same as the dedicatory offering of the first- fruits at the beginning of harvest. The lat- ter if made into loaves might be baked with leaven ; and whether in loaf or sheaf, no part of it was ofiered on the altar ( 23 : 10, 11, n, 20) , This minchah, on the contrary, like the minchah of fine flour, was to be arranged in a manner sugges- tive of a meal set before a guest, and the memorial of it was to be burned, the remainder being most sacred to the use of the priest. It was to be of fresh ears of choicest cultivated corn roasted and bruised into coarse grits. This was to be ac- companied by oil and frankincense ; and the "memorial" of the grain and oil, Avith all the frankincense, was burned as a fire offering, an odor of satisfaction unto Jehovah. Chap. 3. 1-5. Tlie peace, offering. The peace offering was the expression of thankful- ness and joy, and was in its meaning essentially Ch. III.] LEVITICUS 25 3 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by tire unto the Lord ; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 4 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, vs^ith the kidneys, it shall he take away. 5 And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire : it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 6 And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offer- ing unto the Lord be of the flock ; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. 7 If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the Lord. 8 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation : and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar. 9 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the Lord ; the fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone ; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 10 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. 3 about. And he shall offer of the sacrifice of peace offerings an offering made by fire unto the Lord ; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all 4 the fat that is upon the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the 5 kidneys, shall he take away. And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt offer- ing, which is upon the wood that is on the fire : it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 6 And if his oblation for a sacrifice of peace of- ferings unto the Lord be of the flock ; male or 7 female, he shall offer it without blemish. If he offer a lamb for his oblation, then shall he offer 8 it before the Lord : and he shall lay his hand upon the head of his oblation, and kill it before the tent of meeting : and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round 9 about. And he shall offer of the sacrifice of peace offerings an offering made by fire unto the Lord ; the fat thereof, the fat tail entire, he shall take it away hard by the backbone ; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is 10 upon the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, shall a feasting with Jehovah. It was the only sacri- fice of which the people were permitted to eat the flesh. Peace offerings and simple feasting often came to be practically synonymous in the minds of the people, so that the religious cere- mony could be participated in without any great withdrawing from the ordinary carelessness of life or any great solemnity of religious feeling. The strange woman in Proverbs (7 : i4) even proposes to make her waiting peace offerings the occasion of a dissolute orgy. The intention, however, was to give a religious character to social festivities by associating them with the completeness of the divine reconciliation. The peace offering was usually the crowning or final act in a series of sacrifices in which burnt offer- ings or sin offerings first secured that reconcilia- tion of the soul with God. The offering might be either of a male or a female animal, provided only that it was perfect, and was to be either from the herd or a sheep or goat from the flock. The preliminary steps, the laying of the hand on the head of the victim, the killing of it at the door of the tent of meeting, the sprinkling of the blood by the priests, were the same as in the case of the burnt offering. But for the fire offering unto Jehovah use was made only of the suet in the interior of the animal and the kidneys. This internal fat was reserved for Jehovah, the same as the blood, and was never to be eaten (see ver. 16, 17). The formula descriptive of this Lord's portion is several times repeated and makes four specifications: (1) The fat that covereth the inAvards (ver. 9), ^. e., the large net of fatty tissue which stretches from the stomach or paunch over the bowels and completely en- velops the latter. (2) All the fat that is upon the inwards 9 entrails, i. e., the fat attached to the intestines, which could easily be peeled off. (3) The two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the loins (ver. 10) J i, e., upon the inner muscles of the loins or in the region of the kidneys. (4) The caul, lit,, excess, upon the liver, i, e., the fat made visible on the removal of the lesser omentum, which commences at the division be- tweeen the right and left lobes of the liver and stretches on the one side across the stomach and on the other to the region of the kidneys. Hence the clause. Upon . . • the kidneys, i. e., by them, as far as it reaches, shall he take away. The latter clause of ver. 4 is unintelligible in the Authorized version as it is also in the Re- vised version unless we remove the comma after " kidneys." It means that the priest shall take away the liver-net on or by the kidneys in re- moving it from the animal. The Polychrome version translates, " Which mass he shall remove as far as the kidneys," " The four portions mentioned comprehended all the separable fat in the inside of the sacri- ficial animal," It is to be burned upon the burnt offering which is on the wood which is on the fire. This seems to indicate that the peace of- fering is a secondary sacrifice which is hardly complete without a burnt offering preceding. 6-11. The ritual for the offering of a sheep is the same as that for the offering of cattle with the addition that, besides the portions of fat mentioned in the first case, the fat tail, A. V., rump (ver. 9), is to be burned entire. This is a broad excrescence from which the true tail 26 LEVITICUS [Ch. IV. 11 And the priest shall burn it upon the altar : it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the Lord. 12 And if his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the Lord. 13 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congrega- tion : and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about. 14 And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord ; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 15 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. 16 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar : it is the food of the offering made by lire for a sweet savour : all the fat is the Lord's. 17 It shall be a perpetual statute for your genera- tions throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood. 11 he take away. And the priest shall burn it upon the altar : it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the Lord. 12 And if his oblation be a goat, then he shall 13 offer it before the Lord : and he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tent of meeting : and the sous of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about. 14 And he shall offer thereof his oblation, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord ; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon 15 the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, shall he 16 take away. And the priest shall burn them upon the altar : it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a sweet savour : all the fat is the Lord's. 17 It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that ye shall eat neither fat nor blood. CHAPTER IV. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, | l AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, hangs down, sometimes weighing as much as fifteen pounds, and often seen upon the sheep at this day in Syria. It consists of a substance between marrow^ and fat. In ver. 11 the fat that is burned is called the bread of fire offering to Jehovah, i. e., food that reaches Jehovah by being burned or, as it were, etherealized. 12-17, In the case of a goat the ritual is the same as with oxen or sheep. A significant ad- dition is made in ver. 16 that all the fat is the bread of fire offering to Jehovah for an odor of satisfaction. This designation of the ofiered fat as the bread or food of Jehovah, here and in ver. 11, points to the fact already stated that tlie sacrifice was essentially a feast in which a hos- pitable union was established between the offerer and Jehovah. Schultz makes the peace offer- ing, as the one sacrifice in which the people partook of the victim, the original and funda- mental means of communion with Deity. " Sac- rifice, according to its most significant phe- nomenon, is a sacrificial meal at which the worshipers rejoice around the table of their God" ("Journal of Theology," Vol. IV., p. 266). These naive notions of God's partaking of food, smelling a sweet savor, are notions which in their natural sense were perhaps al- ready outgrown when the Levitical law was codified, the terms being continued in use as an inheritance from the remote past. The last verse of the chapter is what is called an " ordinance of eternity," or a perpetual and universal statute intended to regulate not simply the sacrifices but the habits of private life (" throughout all your dwellings ") that neither fat nor blood is to be eaten. This precept re- garding blood is elsewhere given as dating from the time of Noah (Gen. 9:4), and both fat and blood are repeatedly prohibited as articles of food in the Pentateuch (see 7 : 23, 26 ; it : lO, 14 ; Deut. 12 : 16). The fat forbidden did not include all kinds of fat, but simply this internal suet, called ^'^n, chelebh, which was reserved for the fire offerings of Jehovah. Other fat, called JDIJ^P, mlshmdn, might be eaten (see Neh. s : lo), Jehovah perhaps reserved to himself the fat as the chief part, the very blossom, as it were, of the animal's flesh. Chap. 4. 1, 2. The sin offering. It is to be observed that with the introduction of the sin offering a fresh start is made, as it were, in the Mosaic legislation. 1, This is indicated by the repetition of the formula, And the Liord. spake unto Moses. The legislation assumes a slightly different tone. In the case of the burnt offering and minchah and peace offering it was simply regulative in its form : " If any of you bring an offering" (i : 2), "If his offering be a burnt oflering of the herd " (1 = 3), " of the flock" (1 : 10), or " of fowls" (1 : u), etc., let it be offered in a certain way. But now certain cases of unintentional sin are specified, and the offering is prescribed or required. It is no longer a voluntary or optional thing; it is rendered necessary by the sin committed. The sin for which a sin offering is prescribed is called sin in error, by which is meant mainly sins occasioned by ignorance, though as Keil supposes the term may include " all such sins as spring from the weakness of flesh and blood, as distinguished from sins committed with a high (elevated) hand, or in haughty, defiant rebel- lion against God and his commandments." The Hebrew conception of sin brought it into closer Ch. IV.] LEVITICUS 27 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them : 3 If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people ; then let him bring lor his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock with- out blemish unto the Lord for a sin offering. 4 And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord ; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill the bullock before the Lord. 5 And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock's blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation : 6 And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the Lord, before the vail of the sanctuary. 7 And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of the congrega- tion ; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 8 And he shall take off from it all the fat of the bullock for the sin offering ; the fat tliat coveretli the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any one shall sin unwittingly, in any of the tilings which the Lord hath commanded not to be done, 3 and shall do any one of them : if the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people ; then let him offer for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto 4 the Lord for a sin offering. And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tent of meeting before the Lord ; and he shall lay his hand upon the head of the bullock, and kill the bullock 5 before the Lord. And the anointed priest shall take of the blood of the bullock, and bring it to 6 the tent of meeting: and the priest shall dip his hnger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the Lord, before the veil of 7 the sanctuary. And the priest shall put of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet in- cense before the Lord, which is in the tent of meeting ; and all the blood of the bullock shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt of- fering, which is at the door of the tent of meet- 8 ing. And all the fat of the bullock of the sin offering he shall take off from it; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is and more mechanical relation to positive pre- cepts than our more ethical and spiritual thought of it does. The natural intuition of right by which all may be condemned was less taken account of. 2. The sin is described as against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done. The congregation, or a ruler, or one of the common people might sin and not know of it until informed (see ver. u, 23, 28), the information undoubtedly consisting in the disclosure of the provisions of the law as applying to the case. The priest, on the other hand, is presumed to know the law, and his inadvertent sin is thought of as something which brings guilt upon the people, no doubt through carelessly leaving them ignorant of regulations by the transgression of which they have incurred guilt. All this gives far greater scope for mere ignorance as the occa- sion of sin, and less for w^eakness of flesh and blood, than our more intuitional and personal conception of the relation of the individual to God. As for " sin with a high hand," the abbre- viated ritual of the sin offering in Numbers prescribes especially that it is beyond the scope of atoning sacrifice (Num. 15 : so, 31). The dis- tinction between the two kinds of sin is recog- nized in Ps. 19 : 12, 13 ; Heb. 10 : 26, 27. Four cases of unintentional sin are specified : that committed by (1) the anointed priest, i. e., the chief priest; (2) the whole people; (3) a ruler; and (4) an ordinary Israelite. The grada- tion appears to be made according to the the- ocratic rank of the sinner. 3-12, Sin of the anointed priest. The priest that is anointed means the high priest, so called on account of the completeness of his anointing at the time of his consecration. The anointing of the common priests also is commanded (Exod. 28: 41 ; 40 : 15), and implied (7 : 36 ; 10 : 7), but the high priest was the one in whose case that ceremony was especially sig- nificant. Do sin according to the sin of the people, rather, so as to bring guilt on the people, as in E,. V. In his influential position as a representative of the law of God, even an inadvertence on his part might be extensively harmful. The preliminary steps in the offering of this bullock for the sin offering Avere the same as in the case of the burnt offering. The principal difference was in the disposal of the blood. In this sin offering the blood was to be solemnly sprinkled seven times before the veil of the sanctuary, perhaps in token of the reinstate- ment of the endangered covenant with Jehovah, and also to be smeared on the horns of the altar of incense. In this chapter alone in Leviticus is the altar of incense mentioned. The seven-fold sprinkling was also prescribed in the case of the sin of the whole congregation, and also in the solemn expiatory sacrifices of the great Daj^ of Atonement (chap. le). It has been noted by some that this sprinkling in the Holy Place is an addition to the sin offering as described in Exod. 29 : 12 and Lev. 8 : 15 ; 9:9, and it is suggested that this chapter may represent a more advanced stage in the growth of the sacrificial system. "It appears doubtful," says Driver, "whether the author of the last-named chapters (viz., chap. 8, 9) can have been familiar with the ritual of chap. 4" (see however on 8 ; 14-17). 28 LEVITICUS [Ch. IV. 9 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away, 10 As it was taken off from the bullock of the sacritice of peace offerings : and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of the burnt offering. 11 And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung, 12 Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt. 13 And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thuig be hid from tlie eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord co?i- cerning things which should not be done, and are guilty ; 14 When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall oft'er a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation. 15 And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the Lord : and the bullock shall be killed before the Lord. 16 And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock's blood to the tabernacle of the con- gregation : 17 And the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, even before the vail. 18 And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the Lord, tliat is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt oft'ering, which is at the door of the taber- nacle of the congregation. 19 And he shall take all his fat from him, and burn it upon the altar. 20 And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this : and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them. 21 And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the first bul- lock : it is a sin offering for the congregation. The rest of the blood, as not saerificially sig- nificant, was to be poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. The internal fat was removed as in the case of the peace offering and burned upon the altar, while the skin and head, and in short all the animal with its refuse, was burned in a clean place without the camp in the place where the ashes were poured out. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews finds in this burning without the camp a suggestive coincidence in connection with the fact that Jesus suffered outside the gate of Jerusalem (Heb. 13 : 11-13). 13-21. Sin of the congregation, 13. Sin through ignorance, lit., err. And they have done somewhat, etc. This is much more simply and directly translated in the E.. V. It was in connection with such a sin as that described here that Saul erected his first altar (i Sam. 14 : 31-35). The sacrifice mentioned in that place, however, seems to be more in the nature of a peace offering, as the people were 9 upon the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat tliat is upon them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with tlie kidneys, shall 10 he take away, as it is taken off from the ox of the sacrifice of peace offerings : and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of burnt offer- 11 iug. And the skin of the bullock, and all its flesh, with its head, and with its legs, and its in- 12 wards, and its dung, even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with Are : where the ashes are poured out shall it be burnt. 13 And if the whole congregation of Israel shall err, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done any of the things which tlie Lord hath commanded not to be done, 14 and are guilty ; when the sin wherein they have sinned i,i known, then the assembly shall offer a young bullock for a sin offering, and bring it 15 before the tent of meeting. And the elders of the congitgation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the Lord : and the 16 bullock shall be killed before the Lord. And the anointed priest shall bring of the blood of 17 the bullock to the tent of meeting : and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times Lefore the Lord, before the veil. IS And he shall ] ut of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the Lord, that is in the tent of meeting, and all the blood shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt oft'ering, which is at the door of the tent of meeting. 19 And all the fat thereof shall he take off from it, 20 and burn it upon the altar. Thus shall he do with the bullock ; as he did with the bullock of the sin offering, so shall he do with this : and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they 21 shall be forgiven. And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bullock : it is the sin offering for the assembly. directed to eat, and to be prescribed more as an example of how cattle ought to be slaughtered and eaten than as a means of propitiation for sin committed. The ritual in the case of a sin of the whole congregation is the same as that for the sin of the anointed priest, except that here the elders of the congregation lay their hands on the head of the victim. 20. The formula. The priest shall make an atonement . • . and it shall be forgiven, recurs with all the sin ofierings except that for the high priest. In his case, being the party seeking reconciliation, it would be obviously impossible for him to pro- nounce his own absolution, nor did the law provide any one of higher thcocratical rank who could make the atonement for him. He was the one in all Israel who must approach Jehovah directly, even for himself, and find his pardon in his own consciousness. The idea which lay at the root of the Hebrew ceremony of atonement was the idea of covering. Ch. IV.] LEVITICUS 29 22 When a ruler hath sinned, and done someivhat through ignorance agdinut any of the command- ments of the Lord his God cuitcerning things whicli sliould not be done, and is guilty ; 23 Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge ; lie shall bring his oft'ering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish : 24 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the Lord : it is a sin oft'ering. 25 And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering. 26 And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings : and the priest shall make an atonement for him as con- cerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him. 27 And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, wiiile he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty ; 28 Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge : then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned. 29 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering. 80 And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar. 31 And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings ; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the Lord ; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him. 32 And if he bring a lamb for a sin offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish. 33 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering. 34 And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin oft'ering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar : 35 And he sliall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings ; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, according to the offerings made 22 When a ruler sinneth, and doeth unwittingly any one of all the things which the Lord his God hath commanded not to be done, and is guilty ; 23 if ills sin, wherein lie hath sinned, be made known to him, he shall bring for his oblation a 24 goat, a male without blemish ; and he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering 25 befi)re the Lord : it is a sin offering. And the }/riest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his ftnger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and the blood thereof shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt 26 offering. And all the fat thereof shall he burn upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings : and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin, and he shall be forgiven. 27 And if any one of the common people sin un- wittingly, in doing any of the things which the Lord liath commanded not to be done, and be 28 guilty ; if his sin, which he hath sinned, be made known to him, then he shall bring for his obla- tion a goat, a female without blemish, for his 29 sin which he hath sinned. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering. 30 And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt oft'ering, and all the blood thereof 31 shall he pour out at the base of the altar. And all the fat thereof shall he take away, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace of- ferings ; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the Lord ; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. 32 And if he bring a lamb as his oblation for a sin offering, he shall bring it a female without 33 blemish. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and kill it for a sin of- fering in the place where they kill the burnt 34 offering. And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and all the blood thereof shall he pour out at 35 the base of the altar : and all the fat thereof shall he take away, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of peace offerings ; and the priest shall burn them on the altar, upon the offerings of the Lord made by fire: The blood placed on the thing to be purified, or sprinkled as a veil between the sinner and the Holy Place, was thought of as "covering" the sin, or expressing the fact that God no longer cared to look at or make account of it. 22-26. Sin of a ruler. 22. The ruler is the head of a tribe or of a division of a tribe ( xum. 3 : 24, 30, 35) . The ritual for the ruler differs from tliat for the high priest and for the whole congregation in several particulars. 23. The victim is not a bullock but a shaggy one of the goats, not kid of the goats, i. e., an old, hairy he-goat. There is no mention of sprinkling the blood seven times before the veil, and the blood is put upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering instead of the altar of incense. It is to be observed, morever, that nothing is said in this or the following ea.se about burning the flesh and skin of the animal without the camp. From the prohibition in 6 : 30 we may infer that sin offerings of this kind, whose blood was not brought into the holy place, might be eaten by the priests, and from the incident related in 10 : lG-20 we sliould infer that this was expected of the priests. The shaggy goat is mentioned as the animal sacri- ficed as the sin offering for the princes of the tribes (Num. 7), for the nation at the yearly festi- vals (16:9,15; 23:19; Num. 28:15, etc.), aud at the consecration of the priests (9: 3, 15). 27-35. Sill of the common people. Tlie literal designation for one of the common people is one of the people of the land. His sin offering was to be either (1) a shaggy female of the goats (ver. 28) or (2) a ewe sheep (ver. 32). The ritual in both cases was the same as with the he-goat for the ruler. In ver. 35 it is said that the priest shall burn them "upon the fire offerings of Jehovah,^' not according to, as in the text (see R. V). 80 LEVITICUS [Ch. IV. by fire luito tlie Lord : and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him. and the priest shall make atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned, and he shall be forgiven. There is a somewhat abbreviated ritual of the sin ofiering both for the people and for individ- uals in Num. 15 : 22-31. There was also pi-ovided a water of separation, in which the virtues of the sin offering were, as it were, stored up for use in cases of defilement by the dead (Num. 19). This constant bringing of sin to account by- means of prescribed offerings surrounded the people as a whole with a religion in which the thought of sin and of the need of reconciliation with God was a very important factor. As to the significance of the sin offering it can hardly be supposed that it bore for the peo- ple any such developed meaning as Christian thought, not to say ingenuity, has sometimes injected into it in connection with the death of Christ. As we look back upon these Old Testa- ment types we see them irradiated and glorified by the halo of Christian history and feeling through which we behold them and which has been so inspiring to us. But in order to esti- mate these foreshadowing institutions aright as revelations of God's truth — preparations for Christ — we need to consider what they were to the people of their own time for whom this in- spiring history did not exist. Only the broadest and simplest religious feeling can be supposed to have been awakened or attempted in those early ordinances. In the first place, with what we call sin and guilt in the proper sense neither sin nor guilt offering had anything to do. "For the entire sphere of the inner life there exists no sacrifice. . . . Only 'if anyone sins through error ' is there a sacrifice for sins unconsciously and unintention- ally committed through human weakness and short-sightedness, where evil will — the actual center of sin — is missing." The victim can therefore hardly have been regarded as suffer- ing death as a punishment for the offerer's sin, since the mere sins of error for which alone an offering was admissible were not death-worthy sins. Nor does it seem probable that the flesh of a constructive criminal — for such would be a victim suffering capital punishment — should be regarded as most holy (6: 29). The sprinkling of the blood rather than the requirement of* a vicarious death seems to have occasioned the necessity for a slain sacrifice, and even this was not so essential but that in some cases a blood- less minchah might be accepted as a sin offering (5 : 11). The laying of the hands on the victim's head was an accepting of the animal as one's offering and, as in all kinds of sacrifice and con- secrations, a setting of it apart for purposes of cult, but not necessarily, any more than in the case of the burnt offering, a symbolical transfer of guilt. It is true this idea of transference of sin to a representative — not, however, with any notion of making the representative guilty — was acted upon in the ceremony of placing the^ people's sins on the ^wegoat that he might carry them away to Azazel on the great Day of Atone- ment (16 :2i, 22). Not unfamiliar with Hebrew thought, moreover, was the notion of one per- son's suffering for another's sin (Exod. 32 : 32 ; isa. 53 : 4)^ and in the fifty- third chapter of Isaiah the vicarious suffering of the Servant of Jehovah is suggestively associated with the 'asham, or guilt offering, which, as will be seen in the next chapter, is only one variety of sin offering : " When his soul offers a guilt offering, he shall see seed, he shall prolong days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand" (isa. 53:io). This idea of vicarious atonement, however, seems to have been the very highest flower of Old Testament thought, peculiar to the great evangelical prophet, and hardly understood even in New Testament times. It seems hardly pos- sible that the common sin off'ering should have intentionally been so framed as to portray the transfer of mere sins of error to a victim in such a way as to make it guilty of death. Such was the form of the ceremony, however, that when taken up into the luxuriant environment of a more developed future the notion of vicarious guilt and suffering would associate itself with the sin offering as a not unnatural graft on such a stock. Sin and the divine holiness were both ideas which had to be touched and developed by the idealism of the prophets before they resembled the highly ethical notions which we inherit from centuries of Christian thought. The former was almost indistinguishably blended with ceremo- nial uncleanness, while the latter was at first thought of as like some awful electrical quality by which the unclean or unprepared person would be struck dead on coming into the Divine presence. In the sin offering, as in all animal sacrifices, the blood, as the sacramental means of uniting God in covenant with his people, be- came the medium for purifying or preparing the person for the presence of Jehovah. "The blood is the life. Blood must be withheld from all profane use and can only subserve sacred Ch. v.] LEVITICUS 31 CHAPTER V. 1 AND if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swear- ing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity. 2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him ; he also shall be unclean, and guilty. 3 Or if he touch the uneleanness of man, what- soever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him ; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty. 1 AND if any one sin, in that he heareth the voice of adjuration, he being a witness, whether he hath seen or known, if he do not utter it, then 2 he shall bear liis iniquity : or if any one touch any unclean tiling, whether it be the carcase of an unclean beast, or the carcase of unclean cat- tle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and it be hidden from him, and he be unclean, 3 then he shall be guilty : or if he touch the un- cleanness of man, whatsoever his uncleanness be wherewith he is unclean, and it be hid from him ; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be purposes of cult. In accordance with divine decree, blood shall * cover ' man that God may not view his uncleanness." The simple mean- ing attaching to the whole oflfering may be summed up in the words of Schultz ("Ameri- can Journal of Theology," Vol. IV., p. 309) : "Sin offering is a purificatory rite (Lev. 12:8). The entire sacrifice consists in what at other offerings is only the preparatory part, namely, the * covering.' And it is this in a particularly intensive manner, since a defilement of physico- ethical nature is to be abolished, besides the general human uncleanness. The entire sacri- ficial course, including the eating of the sacrifi- cial flesh by the priest (10 : le f.) and the render- ing of the sacrificial cake (5 :ii) is purifying. Hence the real ground of purification is that God accepts the sacrifice and thereby enters into communion with the sinner, granting him actual pardon, and that man in this offering, enjoined by God as the embodied prayer of a penitent, expresses his confession, his regret, his petition for forgiveness.'* The sin offering became typical of the death of Christ, not by embodying and teaching all the details of doctrine which later ethical needs attached to that death, but by introducing the sinner to that simple all-regenerative feeling which constitutes the state of grace in all ages of the world, the feeling of sin confessed and accounted for, the feeling of divine forgiveness possible and actual, and of restored communion with Him who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. " The importance which the sin offering as- sumed among the Israelites is closely connected with the increasingly ethical character of the ideas associated with Jehovah's * holiness.' " Chap. 5. 1-13. Unintentional sin. Exam- ples are here given of unintentional sins requir- ing a sin offering, but sufficiently venial to admit of a graduation of the expense accord- ing to the ability of the offerer. This passage is of the nature of an appendix to chap. 4, and specifies some sins of omission or rashness on the part of the common Israelite which might easily be passed over as too venial for notice, and yet which in God's estimation need to be brought under the discipline of sacrifice in order that men may be trained to notice and avoid them. The first is the sin of keeping silent when one has knowledge of important facts which may clear up the truth in some case at law. He hears the voice of adjuration — the judge charging any that have knowledge in the ease to make it known — but he does not declare what he knows. Of such a person it is said that he shall bear his iniquity, that is to say, he incurs guilt by his negligence, and this needs to be expiated by a sin offering. This is purely a case of civil transgression and bears no specific relation to " any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done," like the cases in chap. 4. More particularly than the two following cases, which have a more obvious relation to religious purity or faithfulness, this kind of transgression needs to be defined as a case of ecclesiastical guilt, if it is to be brought under the discipline of the sin offering at all. The second sin mentioned is the uninten- tional contact Avith a dead animal or with the uncleanness of men. It is mentioned here, as it were, only in passing, and simply in order to specify when it became a case requiring and ad- mitting of a sin offering. It required a sin of- fering, i. e., involved guilt as distinguished from mere uncleanness, when it had been allowed to pass unnoticed until brought to the person's at- tention. The ordinary discipline, when the un- cleanness was attended to at the time it occurred, was simply ablution and isolation until evening (see u : 24-40) . The guilt incurrcd was so great that a sin offering was no longer admissible when the person in his uncleanness presumed to eat of the peace offering (see 7 : 21). This matter of uncleanness and purification was a very sig- nificant feature in Jewish religious practice, and is more fully treated in chap. 11-15. 32 LEVITICUS [Ch. V. 4 Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce witli an oath, and it be liid from him ; when he knoweth 0/ it, then he shall be guilty in one of these. 5 And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing : And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering ; and the priest shall make an atone- ment for him concerning his sin. 7 And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath com- mitted, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the Lord ; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. 8 And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder : 9 And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side of the altar ; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar : it is a sin offering. 10 And he shall offer the second for a burnt of- fering, according to the manner: and the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he hath sinned, and it shall be forgiven him. 11 But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall 4 guilty : or if any one swear rashly with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall utter rashly with an oath, and it be hid from him ; when he knoweth of it, then he 5 shall be guilty in one of these things: and it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that wherein he hath 6 sinned : and he shall bring his guilt offering unto the Lord for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering ; and the priest shall make atonement 7 for him as concerning his sin. And if his means suffice not for a lamb, then he shall bring his guilt offering for that wherein he hath sinned, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the Lord ; one for a sin offering, and the other for a 8 burnt offering. And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off its head from its 9 neck, but shall not divide it asunder: and he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the sid€ of the altar ; and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the 10 altar : it is a sin offering. And he shall offer the second for a burnt offering, according to the or- dinance: and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin which he hath sinned, and he shall be forgiven. 11 But if his means suffice not for two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he shall bring his ob- lation for that wherein he hath sinned, the tenth The third case is that of rashness in making vows or sworn promises : 4. If a soul swear, unto babbling, with his lips. Of course it is implied that the oath is not kept. The guilt is in the rashness: observe the R. V. in ver. 4 where utter rashly is the term used instead of pronounce as in A. V. To do evil does not mean to do moral wrong, but to do a thing which is not to one's own advantage. The same Hebrew verb is used in Ps. 15 : 4, where the upright person is described as " He that sweareth to Ms oivn hurt and change th not." It is al- lowed that this rash swearing may be hid from the person, i. e., that from an over-sanguine tem- perament or from negligence in reckoning his resources, he may overestimate his ability to per- form his vow. When his inability to keep his promise becomes manifest, he is not thereby ab- solved, but is in a state of guilt for his rashness, which requires expiation by means of the sin offering. The sins are to be confessed when the sin offer- ing is brought, an act which is not specifically mentioned in the preceding laws of the sin offer- ing. The oblation required, unless commuted on account of poverty, is the same as the sin offer- ing for one of the common people, namely, a female from the flock i. e., a ewe or a hairy female of the goats. In verse 6 the expression occurs that he shall bring his trespass, or guilt, offering unto the Lord. Notice, how- ever, that this passage goes on to say he shall bring it for a sin offering. This is not prop- erly the guilt offering, despite its peculiar fea- ture of specific confession, inasmuch as it lacks the essential mark of the guilt offering, namely, restitution. That new species of sacrifice is in- troduced in its order, as was also the sin offer- ing, by the formula, "And the Lord spake unto Moses " (see ver. 14). Up to this point there has been no hint of commutation in the sin offering on account of poverty. While the whole scheme of sin offer- ings is arranged in a descending scale, begin- ning wnth the anointed priest and including in its order the whole congregation, the ruler, the ordinary layman, the poor, the very poor, the classification in the fourth chapter seems to be according to the theocratic rank of the offerer, while in regard to these more venial sins the sacrifices prescribed range in magnitude accord- ing to pecuniary ability. In regard to these less serious sins, so important is it that some recognition be made of them that even the humblest transgressor is directed to make some atonement. 7. If he be not able to bring a lamb, lit., if his hand reach not to the suffi- ciency of a lamb, then he may bring two turtle- doves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. The priest is to offer the sin offering first, pinching or wringing its head from its neck without divid- ing it asunder, and sprinkling a small portion of the blood upon the side of the altar, while the remainder is poured out at the base of the altar. Afterward the bird intended for the burnt offering is offered according to the formula already given. If the offerer is yet too poor to Ch. v.] LEVITICUS 33 bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering ; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon : for it is a sin offering. 12 Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, even a memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the Lord : it is a sin offering. 13 And the priest shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him : and tlte remnant shall be the priest's, as a meat offering. 14 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the Lord ; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the Lord a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estima- tion by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering : 16 And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest : and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him. part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering ; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon ; for it is a sin ofter- 12 iug. And he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as the memo- rial thereof, and burn it on the altar, upon the offerings of the Lord made by fire: it is a sin 13 offering. And tiie priest shall make atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in any of these things, and he shall be forgiven : and tke remnant shall be the priest's, as the meal offering. 14 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 15 If any one commit a trespass, and sin unwit- tingly, in the holy things of the Lord ; then he shall bring his guilt offering unto the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation in silver by shekels, after tlie 16 shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering : and he shall make restitution for that which he hath done amiss in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven. bring the two turtle-doves or young pigeons, he is to bring a tenth part of an ephah, about five pints, of fine flour without oil or frankincense ; and the priest is to burn a handful for a memo- rial on the altar and keep the rest as a minchah. In each case the priest makes an atonement for the sin and the person is assured that it will be forgiven. The tendency of these regulations to foster in each individual the feeling of responsibility for the just disclosure of the truth, of dread of defile- ment, and of caution in the making of promises is worth pointing out. Indeed this whole salu- tary, yet merciful, system of sin and guilt offer- ings was of immense value as a discipline. I. The guilt offering, 5 : 14 to 6 : 7. The present passage is occupied with the cases in which the guilt ofiering is to be paid, while the ritual of the guilt offering is given in 7 : 1-7. The difference between the ideas underlying the sin offering and the guilt offering appears to be that " as the idea of the expiation of sin, which was embodied in the sprinkling of the blood, was most prominent in the sin offering, so the idea of satisfaction for the restoration of rights that had been violated or disturbed came into the foreground in the trespass (or guilt) offer- ing " (Keil). The following particulars may be noted: (1) The guilt offering was required in cases involving injury to some one— it miglit be Jehovah himself— in regard to property. (2) It was accompanied by a fine equal to the value of the property with the addition of a fifth. (3) the blood was disposed of as in the burnt offer- ing instead of being put on the horns of the al- tar (see 7 : 2). (4) The victim was a ram instead of a female sheep or goat. (5) There was no graduation of values to suit rank or ability of the offerer. "It is not always easy to distin- guish between cases where a guilt offering was given, and others where a sin offering was re- quired. Possibly a desire to cover all cases of offense against the holiness of Jehovah led to an extension of both offerings to cases where they would not originally have been demanded (cf. ver. 17-19, and 19 : 20-22). In 2 Kings 12 : 16 the D^J<, 'dshdm, appears as a pecuniary fine ; in 1 Sam. 6 it is a present sent back by the Philistines with the ark to make amends for the desecration done to it ; in the law of Num. 5 : 5-10, the term 'asham is applied to the property restored together with the fifth part added, while the victim is called the ram of atonement " (Driver). 14-16. The first case requiring a guilt offer- ing is where the person commits a trespass — lit., treachery, or breach of trust — through negli- gence, in withholding something from the holy things of Jehovah. This vJ^D, md'dl, or breach of faith, is a technical term in the priestly law, and refers generally to acts of faithlessness toward Jehovah. The holy things were the gifts, sacrifices, first fruits, tithes, etc., which consti- tuted the revenue of the priests. Such unfaithful- ness Avas an actual wronging of God in the person of his priests, and was to be made right by the restoration of the value of the property plus one- fifth. The guilt ofi'ering was a ram without blemish Avhose value was fixed by Moses as the magistrate, thy estimation (ver. 15) ; but pos- sibly the priest (cf. 27 : 12), the estimation being made in silver by shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, i. e., perhaps the exact or official shekel. The translator in the Polychrome Bible makes this employment of the term shekels to indicate a minimum value, and mean " two shekels at least." 34 LEVITICUS [Ch. VL 17 And if a soul sin, and ccMnmit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the com- mandments of the Lord ; tliougli he wist it not, yet Is he guilty, and sliull bear liis iniquity. 18 And he shall bring a ram witliout blemish out of the Hock, with thy estimation, for a trespass of- fering, unto the priest : and the priest sliall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him. 19 It is a trespass offering : he hath certainly tres- passed against the Lord. 17 And if any one sin, and do any of the things which the Lord iiath commanded not to be done ; though he knew it not, yet is he guilty, and shall 18 bear his iniquity. And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation, for a guilt offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning the thing wherein he erred un- wittingly and knew it not, and he shall be for- 19 given. It is a guilt offering: he is certainly guilty before the Lord. CHAPTER VI. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 if a soul sin, and commit a trespass "against the Lord, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour ; 3 Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely ; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein : 4 Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceit- fully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found, 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 If any one sin, and commit a trespass against the Lord, and deal falsely with his neighbour in a matter of deposit, or of bargain, or of robbery, 3 or have oppressed his neighbour ; or have found that which was lost, and deal falsely therein, and swear to a lie ; in any of all these that a 4 man doeth, sinning therein : then it shall be, if he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall re- store that which he took by robbery, or the thing which he hath gotten by oppression, or the de- posit which was committed to him, or the lost 17-19. These verses hardly describe a distinct case requiring a guilt offering, but are introduced in order to note with special emphasis that sins of the foregoing order, even though committed in ignorance of Jehovah's requirement, incur guilt. This is indicated by the unique double conditional with which the clause is introduced : 17. And even if a soul sin, etc. ; lit,, and if a soul if. The sin is described in the most general terms — just such terms indeed as are used in 4 ; 27 — in order to reserve the emphasis for the succeeding statement, which is the only important statement in the paragraph, viz., that though the person transgressed a commandment and wist, knew, it not, he is certainly guilty, and must bring the ram to the priest. But that it is a guilt offering case, and so different from that in 4 : 27, is taken for granted. The first seven verses of chap. 6 in our English version really belong to this section on the guilt offering, and in the Hebrew are rightly placed at the end of chap. 5. The English division of chapters was adopted from the Septuagint. Chap. 6. 1-7. The offenses described in de- tail in this section really constitute the second or alternative case requiring a guilt offering; the first (5 : u-19) being treachery or breach of faith in the holy things of Jehovah, wliile this is breach of faith against Jehovah exemplified in wrong- ing one's neighbor. The identification of men's rights with Jehovah's rights is to be noted. The details cited as examples are: false dealing in the matter of a deposit, or of a pledge, or of ro))- bery, or if one has oppressed his neighbor or found his lost property and deals falsely and swears to a lie. It seems as if these acts of vio- lence and treachery were passing beyond the limit of those sins of error and short-sightedness for which the system of sin and guilt offerings was provided, and were approaching perilously near to those high-handed offenses for which there could be no expiation. In estimating the magnitude of these offenses, however, something depends on our view of the relation of the sin to prevalent habits of thought. Men graduate the relative enormity of sins by different scales according to the social conditions and the mental habits in which they have been brought up. What is a weakness, a yielding to overwhelming temptation, in one epoch or state of society seems like the most deliberate and high-handed under- mining of the very foundations of order in an- other. With modern Occidental people, shaped in their mental structure by the long education of a commercialism the very foundation of whose large operations must be faith between men, such crimes as treachery and violence and false con- cealment of another's property seem so deliberate and determined that no temptation can be con- ceived of strong enough to excuse them. But to the Oriental, not so schooled to the importance of the commercial virtues, the temptations of avarice are more violent, and concealment and deceit are more of the nature of weaknesses. In the book of Proverbs the invitation of the disso- lute to the young man to " have a good time " — the snare by which the feet of unwary youth are entangled — is described as a temptation, not to the drowning of sorrow in the flowing bowl, but to a life of freebootery and treacherous violence (Prov. 1 : 10-16). Ch. VI.] LEVITICUS 35 5 Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely ; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering. 6 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: 7 And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord : and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespass- ing therein. 8 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, y Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering : It is the burnt offer- ing, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it. 10 And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall lie put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath con- sumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. 11 And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place. 12 And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it ; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it ; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings. 13 The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar ; it shall never go out. 5 thing which he found, or any thing about which he hath sworn falsely ; he shall even restore it in full, and shall add'the fifth part more thereto : unto him to wliom it appertaineth shall he give 6 it, in the day of his being found guilty. And he shall bring his guilt offering unto the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation, for a guilt oft'ering, unto tlie 7 priest : and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven ; concerning whatsoever he doeth so as to be guilty thereby. 8 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 9 Command Aaron and his sons, saying. This is the law of the burnt offering: the burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night unto the morning ; and the Are of the altar shall 10 be kept burning thereon. And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh ; and he shall take up the ashes whereto the fire hath consumed the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall pnt 11 them beside the altar. And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean 12 place. And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning thereon, it shall not go out ; and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning : and he shall lay the burnt offering in order upon it, and shall burn thereon the fat of the peace of- 13 ferings. Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually ; it shall not go out. The offenses here described are all matters in which the extent of the wrong can readily be estimated ; and the commandment is that full restoration of property shall be made to the one to whom it belongs with the addition of the fifth, and tlien the ram shall be ofiered for the guilt offering as before. In Num. 5 : 5-10 it is pro- vided in addition that in. case the person to whom restitution is due be dead and have no next of kin to perform the part of Go'el the money shall revert to the sanctuary. II. A MANUAL OF PllIESTLY DIRECTIONS, 6 : 8 to 7. The regulations of this section are mostly characterized by the recurring introduc- tion, "This is the law of," and the same intro- duction is used when the laws are named in their order in the subscription at the end (7 : 37). 8-13. 1. Regulations to he observed by the priest in sacrificing the burnt offering. The law of the burnt offering as found here does not refer to occasional offerings of individuals, as in 1 : 2, 3, but to the perpetual burnt offering, which was to be kept lighted continually on the altar. This perpetual fire was the visible sign of the uninter- rupted worship of Jehovah, which ideally could not be suspended without unfaithfulness. Other ancient nations also kept perpetual fires burning on the altars of their principal gods. In ver. 9, instead of because of the burning, the trans- lation should be, on the hearth, as in R. V. Both ver. 9 and 10 are much more adequately trans- lated in the Revised version. Observe that the priest was not to approach the altar except in his sacred garments of linen. Those garments are described and this same regulation is made in Exod. 28. On the other hand these linen garments were not to be worn outside of the sanctuary, a regulation which is also made by Ezekiel (44 : 19). When the ashes were once removed from the altar they could be carried away by the priest in his ordinary clothes. According to the regulations given in Exod. 29 : 38-42; Num. 28 : 3-8, the public burnt offering was to be rendered twice a day, morn- ing and evening. In the time of Ahaz the order seems to have been, a burnt offering in the morn- ing and a meal offering at evening (2 Kings le : 15). Perhaps the regulation in Exodus and Numbers indicates the custom which obtained at the time of the redaction of the priest code when a second burnt offering had been introduced. It is not known when the change was made. The fire of the burnt offering, which was to be renewed with wood every morning, was not only a per- petual symbol of worship before Jehovah, but it was the constantly ready public fire on which the fat of peace offerings was to be burnt, as these were brought and offered during the day. The basis of private worship seems to have been the act of feasting in token of communion with Jehovah, and for this act, which was constantly recurring with new worshiping parties, a priest would need to be in attendance all through the 36 LEVITICUS [Ch. VI. 14 And this is the law of the meat offering : the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord, before the altar. 15 And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meat offering, and shall burn it upon the altar /or a sweet savour, even the memorial of it, unto the Lord. 16 And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place ; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it. 17 It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it unto them for their portion of my offerings made by fire ; it is most holy, as is the siu offering, and as the trespass offering. 18 All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations concerning the offerings of the Lord made by fire : every one that toucheth them shall be holy. 19 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 20 This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the Lord in the day when he is anointed ; the tentli part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual, half of it iu tlie morning, and half thereof at night. 14 And this is the law of the meal offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord, be- 15 fore the altar. And he shall take up therefrom his handful, of the fine flour of the meal offer- ing, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankin- cense which is upon the meal offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour, as the 16 memorial thereof, unto the Lord. And that which is left thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat : it shall be eaten without leaven in a holy place ; in the court of the tent of meeting they 17 shall eat it. It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my offerings made by fire ; it is most holy, as the sin offering, 18 and as the guilt offering. Every male among the children of Aaron shall eat of it, as a due for ever throughout your generations, from the offerings of the Lord made by fire : whosoever toucheth them shall be holy. 19 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 20 This is the oblation of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the Lord in the day when he is anointed ; the tenth part of an ephah of tine flour for a meal offering perpetually, half of it in the morning, and half thereof in the day. Thus the routine of the sanctuary Avas what corresponded to the function of the larger ritualistic churches in Christendom, namely, a general public service and the constant oppor- tunity for the exercise of private devotion. 14-18. 2. Regulations to he observed by the priest in sacrificing the meal offering. This reg- ulation is applicable to all the minchas or meal offerings which individuals might bring to the sanctuary, though there was a daily public offer- ing of food (Exod. 29 : 40, 41) wliich fumishcd a reg- ular supply for the priests on duty. The l)urning of the memorial is the same for all viinchahs, whether public or private, as in 2 : 2. By the regulation as to eating what remains after the taking out of the memorial handful is of course not meant that whenever a minchah is brought in the priests shall repair to the court of the taber- nacle and eat as a religious ceremony, but sim- ply that whatever minchah is offered goes into the stock from which the priests when on duty at the sanctuary shall be fed, and that this shall be cooked without leaven and eaten in the holy place. This was most sacredly set apart for the use of the priests, and all males of the priestly family, even though incapacitated by some physical blemish for public service, might par- take of it (21 : 22). So sacred was this food considered that a lay- man touching it became " holy " by the contact, so that he had to guard against defilement in the same manner as the sanctified priest (21 : i-s), though without sharing in the priestly rights and prerogatives. This idea of holiness is strangely blended with that of uncleanness, which no doubt formed the basis of the Jewish notion of sin. "That is holy which, has entered into so close a union with the Deity, and is so permeated by his majesty that it may no longer serve the purposes of ordinary life. That which divine powers have touched is unto the uncon- secrated person fatal and terrible, 'as if charged with electric forces' (W. Robertson Smith). Whosoever touches it becomes ' holy,' i. e., falls under the ban. Whosoever sees God must die. W^hosoever touches his holy ark, even if actu- ated by good and benevolent intentions, is smitten by a ' breaking forth of God.' There- fore David is afraid to receive it into his house. He does so only after becoming assured that God's will directs him to do it, and then accom- plishes its entry with extreme ritualistic pre- caution (2 Sam. 6 :4-18: cf. 1 Sam. 6 : 3 f.)." Both holiness and uncleanness "disqualify man for participation in the normal social life and sub- ject him to the ban in case of oversight. Thus there is naturally a frequent transition between both. Whosoever enters into contact with some- thing consecrated becomes holy. But at the same time he is unclean for daily life. Legal- istic Judaism of the very latest period still says that 'the canonical writings defile the hands,' i. e.. entail washings before other things may be touched, while scriptures not holy do not have that effect" (Schultz). 19-23. 3. The high 2>riesVs daily meal of- fering. The formula introducing this oblation (ver. 20) rcads as if it were the high priest's consecration offering, but it is evidently the offering which began to be rendered by each high priest on the completion of the days of his consecration and continued every evening and morning during his term of office, as is indi- cated by Ecclus. 45 : 14. It was not offered in Ch. VII.] LEVITICUS 37 21 In a pan it shall be made with oil ; and when it is baken, thou shalt bring it in : and tlie baken pieces of tlie meat offering shalt thou otier fur a sweet savour unto the Lord. 22 And the priest of his sons that is anointed in his stead shall offer it : it is a statute for ever unto tlie Lord ; it sliall be wholly burnt. 23 For every meat offering for the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten. 2i And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying. 25 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where tiie burnt offering is killed shall the sin ottering be killed before the Lord : it is most holy. 26 The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it : in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation. 27 Whats(jever shall touch the llesh tiiereof shall be lioly : and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in the ho.y place. 28 But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brasen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water. 29 All the males among the priests shall eat thereof : it is most holy. 30 And no sin olfering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten : it shall be burnt in the lire. 21 evening. On a baking pan it shall be made with oil ; when it is soaked, tliou shalt bring it in : in baken pieces shalt th(ju offer tlie meal offering 22 for a sweet savour unto the Lord. And the anointed priest that shall be in liis stead from among his sons shall offer it: by a statute for ever it shall be wholly burnt unto the Lord. 23 And every meal offering of the priest shall be wholly burnt: it sliall not be eaten. 24 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 25 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, Tliis is tlie law of the sin offering : in the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin oilc-ring 26 be killed before the Lord : it is most holy. The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it : in a holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the 27 tent of meeting. Wliatsoever shall tourh the flesh thereof shall be holy: and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any gar- ment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was spriii- 28 kled in a holy i-lace. But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodilen shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brasen vessel, it shall be scoured, 29 and rinsed in water. Every male among the 30 priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy. And no sin offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atone- ment in the holy place, shall be eaten: it sliall be burnt with tire. CHAPTER VII. 1 LIKEWISE this is the law of the trespass offer- ing : it is most holy. 2 In the place where they kill the burnt offering sliall they kill the trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar. 3 And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof ; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards. 1 AND this is the law of the guilt offering : it is 2 most holy. In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the guilt offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle uf)on 3 the altar round about. And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof ; the fat tail, and the fat that the raw state, but was prepared after the man- ner of the minchah of pieces (2:6). The char- acteristic of this priest's offering was that it was not to be eaten, but to be wholly burnt, as an offering not now intended for the benefit of the priest or representative of God, as were the minchahs of the laity, but expressing as an odor of pleasantness that priest's ow n devotion to God's service. 24-30. 4. Regulations to he observed in sac- rificing the sin offeriiig. This regulation, like that regarding the high priest's meal offering, is inserted with a new introductory formula, And the Lord spake, etc. The place where the burnt ottering is killed was the north side of the altar (i = n). The sin offering which was to be eaten was regarded as most holy, that is, its use was most rigidly restricted to the priests. At the same time to eat it was the priest's obliga- tion, not simply an optional privilege (io:i7). That seems to have been the priest's way of " bearing the iniquity of the congregation," as if the sins of the people w^ere thereby incorpo- rated into the priests who partook of the victim and so taken away by virtue of the sanctifying power of their office. Whatever blood may have been sprinkled upon a gannent must be washed out in the holy place, for it must not be carried out of the sanc- tuary to be mingled and confused with common things. The unglazed earthen vessels in which the holy flesh Avas boiled would absorb the juices and fat so that they could not be thoroughly cleansed of all traces of their contents — they must be broken. With brazen vessels the ut- most pains must be taken to remove every trace of the holy flesh that was boiled in them. The significant general regulation of this sec- tion is that no flesh whereof the blood is brought into the holy place is to be eaten. The blood was brought into the sanctuary in the case of the sin offering for the high priest (* = 5-7), for the congregation (4 : le-is), and the sin offering on the Day of Atonement (is : 27). In these offerings the priests themselves shared as oftt-r- ers, and, except in the case of peace offerings, no offerer partook of his own victim (comp. ver. :j3). This final verse is thought by some critics to belong, like chap. 4, to a later revision of the priest code. Chap. 7. 1-7. 5. Ritual of the guilt offer- ing. The section devoted to the guilt offering (5 : 14 to 6 : 7) only defined the cases in which the guilt offering was required, and specified thnt the victim in each was to be a ram. The ritual 38 LEVITICUS [Ch. VII. 4 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul that is above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away : 5 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by lire unto the Lord : it is a trespass offering. 6 Every male among the priests shall eat thereof : it shall be eaten in the holy place : it is most holy. 7 As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering : there is one law for them : the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it. 8 And the priest that offereth any man's burnt offering, evai the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered. 9 And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and in the pan, shall be the priesfs that offereth it. 10 And every meatoffering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as "another, 11 And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the Lord. 12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. 13 Besides the cakes, he shall offer /or his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. 14 And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation Jor an heave offering unto the Lord, and 4 covereth the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the caul upon the liver, with the kidneys, 5 shall he take away : and the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire 6 unto the Lord : it is a guilt offering. Every male among the priests shall eat thereof : it shall be 7 eaten in a holy place : it is most holy. As is the sin offering, so is the guilt offering : there is one law for them : the priest that maketh atonement 8 therewith, he shall have it. And the priest that offereth any man's burnt offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offer- 9 ing which he hath offered. And every meal of- fering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the frying pan, and on the baking 10 pan, shall be the priest's that offereth it. And every meal offering, mingled with oil, or dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as well as another. 11 And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which one shall offer unto the Lord. 12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleav- ened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled 13 with oil, of fine flour soaked. With cakes of leavened bread he shall offer his oblation with the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanks- 14 giving. And of it he shall offer one out of each oblation for an heave offering unto the Lord ; it of that offering is given here. It coincides very closely with the ritual of the sin offering whose blood is not brought into the sanctuary, except for the difference in the animal sacrificed. As to the disposal of the ram, it is specified (ver. i) that it is to belong to the particular priest who ofiiciates. This gives occasion for the appendix (ver. 8-10) wllich folloWS. 8-10. Appendix on the priests' share in the burnt and meal offerings. In the case of the burnt offering the skin is the perquisite of the ofiiciating priest. A distinction is made in regard to the different kinds of meal offering. That which is brought already prepared as cakes, perhaps because such offerings were made only on special occasions and presented in quantities not too large for one man's consumption, goes to the priest who ofiiciates ; while the larger and more regular offering of flour mingled with oil (chap. 2 : i), or dry — 2: 15, where it should read, "Thoushalt add oil to it," instead of "pour upon it" — is placed in a common stock for all the priests. 11-21. 6. Of the species of peace offering, loith the conditions to he observed by the worshiper in eating the flesh. The method of slaying the ani- mal for the peace offering and making that part of the sacrifice which is offered on the altar was prescribed in chap. 3. In the present passage we have the bloodless or pastry offering which accompanies the sacrifice, and the conditions, for the different species, to be observed in eating the flesh, Three different species of peace offer- ings are mentioned, the thanksgiving, the vow, and the voluntary or freewill offering. The first would be an act of worship and feasting commemorative of some special occasion for gratitude, the second would be the fulfillment of some obligation promised beforehand, and the third would be simply a spontaneous ex- pression of devotion. The peace offering for a thanksgiving is most fully described, the differ- ent kinds of oiled cakes being minutely specified. It is to be observed that leavened or ordinary bread accompanied the thanksgiving sacrifice (ver. 13), as the memorial of it was not burned on the altar like the minchah (2 : 9, cf. 11, 12). One loaf out of the whole offering was set apart as a riDnj^, tWUmdh, for Jehovah, and appropriated to the use of the priest. This term, which is generally translated heave offering, literally means what is lifted off, the act contemplated being probably not the act of lifting up, or ceremonial raising toward God, as the mislead- ing translation heave offering would indicate, but simply the act of special setting apart or reserving. The term is thus applied to the contributions made for the tabernacle (Exod. 25 : 2; 35 : 5, etc.), to the consccratcd portion of the spoil of the Midianites (Num. 31 : 41), to the land assigned to the priests (Ezek. 48 : 8-12), etc. This partaking of leavened bread before Je- hovah, as the accompaniment of thanksgiving for his blessings, seems like a bringing of com- mon life into relation to God in a manner cal- culated to neutralize and remedy the stiffness Ch. VII.] LEVITICUS 39 it shall be the priest's that spriiikleth the blood of the peace offerings. 15 Aud the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace of- ferings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered ; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. 16 But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice : and on the morrow also the remainder of it sliall be eaten : 17 But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. 18 And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomina- tion, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity. 19 And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten ; it shall be burnt with fire : and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eut thereof. 20 But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sac- rifice of peace offerings, that peWam unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. 21 Moreover the soul that shall touch any un- clean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any un- clean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the Lord, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. 22 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. 24 And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use : but ye shall in no wise eat of it. 25 For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. 26 Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. shall be the priest's that sprinkleth the blood of 15 the peace offerings. And the flesli of the sacri- fice of his peace offerings for thauKsgiving shall be eaten on the day of his oblation ; he shall not 16 leave any of it until the morning. But if the sacrifice of his oblation be a vow, or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he of- fereth his sacrifice : and on the morrow that 17 which remaineth of it shall be eaten : but that which remaineth of the flesh of the sacrifice on 18 the third day shall be burnt with fire. And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace of- ferings be eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity. 19 And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten ; it shall be burnt with fire. And as for the flesh, everyone that is clean shall 20 eat thereof : but the soul that eateth of the fiesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pert;iiii unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him , 21 that soul shall be cut off from his people. And when any one shall touch any unclean thing, the uncleanness of man, or an unclean beast, or any unclean abomination, and eat of the fiesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the Lord, that soul shall be cut off from his people. 22 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye 24 shall eat no fat, of ox, or sheep, or goat. And the fat of that which dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn of beasts, may be used for any other service : but ye shall in no wise eat of 25 it. For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even the soul that eateth it shall be 26 cut off from his people. And ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of and uneasy dread which the primitive sense of his awful sanctity would tend to fasten on the mind. That the divine holiness, however important to be kept in view, was not unfriendly to the common enjoyment of life, was a truth which this priest-legislation did not ignore. As to the time during which the flesh was to be eaten, in the case of the thanksgiving offering, it was to be the same day ; for a vow or a voluntary offering the time during which it might be eaten was extended one day. In no case, however, was it to be kept till the third day, but it was to be consumed with fire. The person who ate of it the third day acquired thereby no acceptance with God, but on the contrary incurred guilt. The flesh thus remaining over became 7Ui3, plg- gul or refuse (ver. is)^ a term which ought not to be confounded with "detestable thing," or "abomination," as is done in our Authorized and Revised versions, but which is technically appropriated to stale or overtime flesh of the sacrifice. Any sacrificial flesh that had touched anything unclean was to be burned with fire, Very strict regulations were made in regard to eating the meat while one was in a state of uncleanness. The soul that overstepped the regulations was to be cut off from his people, i. e., deprived of the privileges of the covenant and made an outlaw. The scrupulousness which this law reflects and formulates is suggestively referred to as a familiar feeling in the earlier days of the monarchy (i Sam. 20 : 26)^ and is no doubt an inheritance from the earliest times. 22-27. 7. Fat and blood not to he eaten. The remainder of the instructions of this chapter are addressed to the people. This prohibition of the eating of fat and blood is more succinctly given in 3 : 17. The ground of the prohibition in regard to the fat, i. g., 3 vH, chelSbh, or suet (see on 3 : 17), is that this was a gift sanctified to Jehovah, and thus the eating was the invasion of his right. The prohibition, therefore, particularly specifies the fat of such beasts as are offered a fire offering to Jehovah, and probably does not include such animals as were allowed for food, like the stag and antelope, but were not sacrificed. As for that which died of itself or was torn of beasts, 40 LEVITICUS [Ch. VII. 27 Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut ofiE from his people. 28 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 29 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the Lord shall bring his oblation unto the Lord of the sacrifice of his peace offerings. 30 His own hands shall bring the offerings of the Lord made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved /or a wave offering before the Lord. 31 And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar : but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'. 32 And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest /or an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings. 33 He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part. 34 For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel. 35 This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offer- ings of the Lord made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the Lord in the priest's office ; 36 Which the Lord commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, 6?/ a statute for ever throughout their gen- erations. 37 This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings ; 27 beast, in any of your dwellings. Whosoever it be that eateth any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people. 28 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 29 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the Lord shall bring his oblation unto the Lord out of the sacrifice of his peace offerings : 80 his own hands shall bring the offerings of the Lord made by fire ; the fat with the breast shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a 31 wave offering before the Lord. And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast 32 shall be Aaron's and his sons'. And the right thigh shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering out of the sacrifices of your peace offcr- 33 ings. He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, 34 shall have the right thigh for a portion. For the wave breast and the heave thigh have I taken of the children of Israel out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons as a due for ever from the children of Israel. 35 This is the anointing-portion of Aaron, and the anointing-portion of his sons, out of the of- ferings of the Lord made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the Lord in 36 the priest's office ; which the Lord commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them. It is a due for ever 37 throughout their generations. This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meal offering, and of the sin offering, and of the guilt offering, and of the consecration, and of the sacrifice of peace the reason for not eating the flesh itself would abundantly suffice for not eating the fat, namely, that it defiled the eater. The prohibition against blood included that of birds as well as of cattle, and was to be observed by Israel in all his dwelling-places, because the blood was regarded as the soul of the animal, which God sanctified as the medium for the atonement of the soul of man (n : n). 28-34. 8. The priest's share of the peace offering. In the peace offerings, which were the sacrifices on which the offerers feasted, the suet was sacred to Jehovah for the fire offering on the altar, while the breast or brisket Jehovah claimed as his own for the use of his representa- tives the priests. The act of devoting this por- tion to Jehovah that it might revert to the use of the sanctuary was symbolized by waving, i. e., placing it upon the offerer's hands, along with those of the j^riest placed underneath, and mov- ing it to and fro. The term seems to have been sometimes used more generally of the act of devoting any gift to Jehovah, which was to be received back for sacred use rather then sent up irrevocably in the altar flame, as where men were said to wave a wave offering of gold for the tabernacle (Rxod. 35 : 22). "Waving especially characterized the act of consecration, and even the Levites at their consecration to the tabernacle service were said to be waved (Num. 8:11)^ perhaps by being conducted solemnly up to the altar and back again. In addition to the wave breast, which reverted to the priests in general, there was also given to the priest who officiated the right thigh or round as a t'rwmah, i.e., a. portion lifted off* or set apart (see on ver. 14). The legisla- tion in this place is different from that in Deut. 18 : 3, where the priest's portion is designated as the shoulder (called in Hebrew the arm), the two cheeks, and the maw. It is thought by modern critics that this priest code represents the latest stage in the history of the sacerdotal rites, the earlier stages being reflected first in 1 Sam. 2 : 13-16, where the priest is seen to have no understood claim to definite dues of flesh, and secondly in Deuteronomy {lac. cit.), where the priest's dues are fixed definitely, but where the portion assigned him is not so choice as in this passage. 35, 36. First subscription to the preceding section. This subscription applies to the sec- tion 6 : 8 to 7 : 34, in so far as this comprises regulations respecting the priests' share in the different offerings. The anointing portion per- haps means the portion due the i:)riests in virtue of their anointing or office ; though Driver holds that this translation is due to a mistaken ety- mology, and that the term means something measured out or allotted. 37,38. Second 7riore general subscription. In Ch. VIII.] LEVITICUS 41 38 Which the Lord commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai. 38 offerings ; which the Lord commanded Moses iu mount Sinai, in the day tliat he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai. CHAPTER VIII 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread ; 3 And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 4 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him ; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 5 And Moses said unto the congregation. This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done. 6 And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them witli water. 7 And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith. 8 And he put the breastplate upon him : also he put in the breusplate the Urim and the Thummim. 9 And he put the mitre upon his head ; also upon the mitre, eveyi upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown ; as the Lord com- manded Moses. 10 And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanc- tified them. 11 And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them. 12 And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the gar- ments, and the anointing oil, and the bullock of the sin oft'eriug, and the two rams, and the bas- 3 ket of unleavened bread ; and assemble thou all the congregation at the door of the tent of meet- 4 ing. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him ; and the congregation was assembled at 5 the door of the tent of meeting. And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which 6 the Lord hath commanded to be done. And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed 7 them with water. And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephud upon him, and he girded him with the cun- ningly woven band of the ephod, and bound it 8 unto him therewith. And he placed the breast- plate upon him : and in the breastplate he put 9 the Urim and the Thummim. And he set the mitre upon his head ; and upon the mitre, in front, did he set the golden plate, the holy 10 crown; as the Lord commanded Moses. And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanc- IJ tilled them. And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the laver and its base, to sanc- 12 tify them. And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sauc- its form this subscription seems to relate only to the section beginning with 6 : 8, and charac- terized by the recurring formula, This is the la.w of. Only the laws thus introduced are recognized in the subscription, where they occur mainly in the same order. This passage, how- ever, forms the conclusion of the whole law of the offerings. III. The consecration of the priests, AND THEIR SOLEMN ENTRY UPON OFFICE, chap. 8 to 10. Chap. 8. 1-4. 1. The preparation. This account of the consecration of Aaron and his sons, which is the only narrative portion of the book with the exception of the short account of the stoning of the blasphemer (24 : 10-23)^ follows closely the directions given to Moses in Exod. 29 : 1-37; 40 : 12-15. "The" bullock and "the" rams and "the" basket of unleavened (see R. v.), were the ones prescribed in that pas- sage. The basket contained loaves, i. e., flat circular cakes (ver. 26; Exod. 29 : 23) of unleavened bread, also cakes kneaded with oil and cakes anointed with oil (see Exod 29 : 2), The whole congregation was assembled In the court of the tabernacle near the altar. 5-13, 2. The washing, clothing, and anoint- ing. After premising that what was immedi- ately to take place before their eyes was accord- ing to the explicit command of Jehovah, Moses brought Aaron and his sons near before the con- gregation and washed them with water. He then clothed Aaron with the ©fficial garments prescribed in Exod. 28, putting on him first the tunic or shirt of checker-work of linen (Exod. 28 : 39), girding it with its girdle or sash, then the one-piece robe (ibid., 31-35) on the skirt of which were the bells and pomegranates, then the ephod (ibid., 6-14) of two picccs, frout aiid back, held to- gether at the shoulders by the jeweled clasps on which the names of the tribes were engraved, and bound to the wearer by its curious girdle. Upon this he put the breastplate (ibid., 15-30) in- side of which were the Urim and Thummim or instruments for sacred divination. Then upon his head he put the mitre or turban (ibid., 39) with its engraved gold plate or diadem of holi- ness (Ibid., 36-38). With the anointing oil, whose composition is given in Exod. 30 : 22, seq., Moses anointed first the tabernacle with its furniture, including the altar and the laver, and then poured the oil on the head of Aaron. The anointing of the sons, while not directly asserted here, is com- manded in Exod, 28 : 41 ; 40 : 15, and implied in 42 LEVITICUS [Ch. VIII. 13 And Moses brought Aaron's sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them with girdles, and put bonnets upon tiiem ; as the Lord com- manded Moses. 14 And he brought the bullock for the sin offer- ing : and Aaron and his sous laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin offering. 15 And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and Eut it upon the horns of the altar round about with is finger, and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it. It) And he took all the fat that was upon the in- wards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and Moses burned it upon the altar. 17 But the bullock, and his hide, his flesh, and his dung, he burnt with fire without the camp ; as the Lord commanded Moses. 18 And he brought the ram for the burnt offer- ing : and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. 19 And he killed it ; and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. 20 And he cut the ram into pieces ; and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat. 13 tify him. And Moses brought Aaron's sons, and clothed them with coats, and girded them with girdles, and bound head tires upon them ; as the 14 Lord commanded Moses. And he brought the bullock of the sin offering : and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bul- 15 lock of the sin offering. And he slew it : and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make 16 atonement for it. And he took all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and Moses 17 burned it upon the altar. But the bullock, and its skin, and its flesh, and its dung, he burnt with fire without the camp ; as the Lord com- 18 manded Moses. And he presented the ram of the burnt offering : and Aaron and his sons laid 19 their hands upon the head of the ram. And he killed it: ancf Moses sprinkled the blood upon 20 the altar round about. And he cut the ram into its pieces ; and Moses burnt the head, and the 7 : 36 and 10 : 7. They are said also (ver. no) to have been sprinkled with mingled blood and oil along with their father. From the fact that the high priest is distinguished as the anointed priest in 4 : 3, and from some other indications, Driver is inclined to regard those passages com- manding or implying an anointing of the inferior priests, beyond this sprinkling with blood and oil (ver. 30) J as glosses of doubtful authenticity. Moses also clothed the sons, according to the directions in Exod. 28 : 40, with body-coats of common woven work (Kxod. 39 : 27)^ girdles, and head tires. 14-17. 3. The sin offering. The sin offering prescribed in chap. 4 is an offering for actual sin committed through error and subsequently brought to the attention of the transgressor. Here we have a sin offering prescribed for a hitherto innocent person as a preparation for a life of higher consecration, a sort of general clearing up of any possible defilements, even though conscious transgression has not occurred. A similar association of the sin offering with a voluntary life of higher devotion is seen in the case of the vow of the Nazarite (Num. e-.u). This points to the conception of sin as a state or level of life, rather than simply an act or series of acts that could be brought to mind or checked off in an index of prohibited indulgences. As compared with a state of higher .sanctity the ordinary life is a state of sin, innocent enough when not viewed from the level of the purer and more scrupulous life, but needing a sin offering as soon as the person passes to a higher ethical standpoint. This offering is the act of one who has acquired the insight to say. Who can discern his errors ? Clear thou me from hidden faults, (pg. 19 : 12.) The conception of sin may not have widened beyond the old primitive idea of a de- filement or a contagion ; but it is already at least thought of, in some of its aspects, as a de- filement so inward that it may not be discerned, so intimately blended with the positive con- science that it increases on the adoption of a preferred purity — the condemnation, indeed, not of a fall but of an obligation to rise, the faint foreshadowing of that arduous morality whose final standard and instrument of self-condemna- tion is, " Be ye perfect." The victim employed for this sin offering was a bullock, and the manner of offering was mainly according to the directions given for the sin offering for the anointed priest in 4 : 3-12. An important divergence, however, is seen in the disposal of the blood. This was not sprin- kled seven times before the veil, as there di- rected, nor was it brought into the holy place and smeared on the horns of the altar of incense. At the same time its flesh was not eaten accord- ing to the general regulation for sin offerings whose blood was not brought into the sanctu- ary, but burned according to the law for those whose blood was brought into the holy place (6 : 30; 10 : 18 : Heb. 13 : ii). This may be because the directions given here represent a less ad- vanced stage in the growth of the sacrificial sys- tem than chap 4 (see on 4 : 22-26) ; but it may also be because, neither Moses nor Aaron being yet consecrated as priests, the blood was treated as in the case of the sin offering of the ruler (* = 25) or one of the common people (ibid., 30), and yet the flesh was not eaten because only priests had a right to eat the sin offering (6 : 25, 26). 18-21. 4. The burnt offering. The first ram with whieh Moses was commanded to provide Ch. VIII.] LEVITICUS 43 21 And he washed the inwards and the legs in water ; and Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar: it was a burnt sacrihce for a sweet savour, and an offering made by fire unto the Lord ; as the Lord commanded Moses. 22 And he brought the other ram, the ram ot consecration : and Aaron and his sous laid their hands upon the head of the ram. 23 And he slew it ; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. 24 And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet : and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. 25 And he took the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right shoulder : 26 And out of the basket of unleavened bread, that was before the Lord, he took one unleavened cake, and a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and put them on the fat, and upon the right shoulder : 27 And he put all upon Aaron's bauds, and upon his sons' hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the Lord. 28 And Moses took them from off their hands, and burnt thein on the altar upon the burnt offer- ing : they were consecrations for a sweet savour : it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord. 29 And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the Lord : for of the ram of consecration it was Moses' part ; as the Lord commanded Moses. 30 And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him ; and sanctified Aaron, aiid his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him. 31 And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons. Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of the 21 pieces, and the fat. And he washed the inwards and the legs with water ; and Moses burnt the whole raui upon the altar : it was a burnt offer- ing for a sweet savour : it was an offering made by fire unto the Lord ; as the Lord commanded 22 Moses. And he presented the other ram, the ram of consecration : and Aaron and his sons 23 laid their liaiids upon the head of the ram. And he slew it ; and Moses took of the blood thereof, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thuuib of his right hand, and upontiie 24 great toe of his right f(K)t. And he brought Aa- ron's sons, and Moses put of the blood ui>on tlie tip of their right ear, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon tlie great toe of their right foot : and Moses sprinkled the blood upon 25 the altar round about. And he took the fat,and the fat tail, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul of the liver, and the two 26 kidneys, and their fat, and the right thigh : and out of the basket of unleavened bread, that was before tiie Lord, he took one unleavened cake, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat, and upon the 27 right tliigh : and he put the whole upon the hands of Aaron, and upon the hands of his sons, and waved them for a wave offering before the 28 Lord. And Moses took them from off their hands, and burnt them on the altar upon the burnt offering : they were a ctjnsecration for a sweet savour : it was an offering made by lire 29 unto the Lord. And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the Lord : it was Moses' portion of the ram of consecration ; 30 as the Lord commanded Moses. And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him ; and sanctified Aaron, his garments, and 'is sons, and his sons' 31 garments with him. And Moses said unto Aar- on and to his sons, Boil the flesh at the door of himself (ver. 2) was offered as a burnt offering according to the ritual laid down in chap. 1. Thus Aaron and his sons, who laid their hands on the head of the victim, expressed their pur- posed sanctification, body and soul, to the service of Jehovah, 22-30. 5. The ram of consecration. The second, the ram of consecration or installation, was treated as a peace offering, of which, how- ever, unlike ordinary peace offerings, only the priests could eat (Exod. 29 : 33). It was called the ram of consecration, literally the ram of fillings, perhaps from the ceremony of filling the hands of Aaron and of his sons with selected portions of it, as described in ver. 27. To fill the hands came ultimately to mean simply to consecrate, so that Ezekiel uses the term even of the con- secration of an altar (Ezek. 43 : 26). The peculiar feature of the sacrificing of this ram was, first the disposal of the blood, and then the waving or filling ceremony connected with the portions to be sacrificed. A bit of blood was put upon the right ear of Aaron and of his sons, and upon the thumb of the right hand, and upon the great toe of the right foot, doubtless to express, not the ckari^sing of the natural powers as in the putting of the blood of the guilt offering on the same parts of the cured leper {^i ■ i*-!"?), but the consecration of the powers to the service of Jehovah. Then taking the fat portions which were always claimed from the peace offerings for the altar, together with the right thigh and one of each species of cake in the basket before Jehovah, Moses placed them upon the hands of Aaron and of his sons and Avaved them before Jehovah, thus offering them to Jehovah for the use of the sanctuary (see on 7 : 28-:u)^ and then took them from their hands and burned them on the altar ; so that in their initial consecra- tion even that which belonged exclusively to the priests {^ ■ 34) w-as sacrificed to Jehovah. One reserve of the priest's portion, however, was made in this consecration act : the w^ave breast became the portion of Moses, the specially commissioned mediator of the law. Finally Moses took some of the blood of the sacrificed ram, along with some of the anointing oil, and sprinkled upon Aaron and his sons and upon their garments to sanctify them. 31-36. 6. Remaining ceremonial for the seven days. This ceremonial consisted of the conse- cration feast at the completion of the first day's 44 LEVITICUS LCh. IX. congregation : and there eat it with the bread that is in tlie basket of consecrations, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it. 32 And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire. 33 And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation in seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end : for seven days shall he consecrate you. 34 As he hath done this daj^ so the Lord hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you. 85 Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the Lord, that ye die not : for so I am commanded. 36 So Aaron and his sons did all things which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses. the tent of meeting: and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of consecration, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall 32 eat it. And that which remaineth of the flesh 33 and of the bread shall ye burn with fire. And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting seven days, until the days of your con- secration be fulfilled: for he shall consecrate 34 you seven days. As hath been done tiiisday, so the Lord hath commanded to do, to make atone- 35 ment for you. And at the door of the tent of meeting shall ye abide dav and night seven days, and keep the charge of the Lord, that ve 36 die not: for so I am commanded. And Aaron and his sons did all the things which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses. CHAPTER IX 1 AND it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel ; 2 And he said unto Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offer- ing, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. 3 And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin offering ; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering ; 4 Also a bullock and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord ; and a meatoffering min- gled with oil : for to day the Lord will appear unto you. 5 And they brought that which Moses com- manded befoi'e the tabernacle of the congregation : and all the congregation drew near and stood before the Lord. 6 And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commanded that ye should do : and the glory of the Lord shall appear unto you. 7 And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer thy sin offering, and thy burnt offering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the people : and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for them ; as the Lord com- manded. 8 Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. 9 And the sons of Aaron brought the blood unto him : and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar : 10 But the fat, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver of the sin offering, he burnt upon the altar ; as the Lord commanded Moses. 11 And the flesh and the hide he burnt with fire without the camp. 12 And he slew the burnt offering ; and Aaron's sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled round about upon the altar. 13 And they presented the burnt offering unto him, with the pieces thereof, and the head : and he burnt thnn upon the altar. 14 And he did wash the inwards and the legs, and burnt thejii upon the burnt offering on the altar. 1 AND it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders 2 of Israel ; and he said unto Aaron, Take thee a bull calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before 3 the Lord. And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying. Take ye a he-goat for a sin offering ; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering ; 4 and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sac- rifice before the Lord ; and a meal offering min- gled with oil : for to-day the Lord appeareth 5 unto you. And they brought that which Moses commanded before the tent of meeting : and all the congregation drew near and stood before the 6 Lord. And Moses said. This is the thing which the Lord commanded that ye should do : and the glory of the Lord shall appear unto you. 7 And Moses said unto Aaron, Draw near unto the altar, and offer thy sin offering, and thy burnt offering, and make atonement ifor thyself, and for the people: and offer the oblation of the people, and make atonement for them ; as the 8 Lord commanded. So Aaron drew near unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin offering, 9 which was for himself. And the sons of Aaron presented the blood unto him : and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at 10 the base of the altar: but the fat, and the kid- neys, and the caul from the liver of the sin offering, he burnt upon the altar ; as the Lord 11 commanded Moses. And the flesh and the skin 12 he burnt with fire without the camp. And he slew the burnt offering; and Aaron's sons de- livered unto him the blood, and he sprinkled it 13 upon the altar round about. And they delivered the burnt offering unto him, piece by piece, and the head : and he burnt them upon the altar. 14 And he washed the inwards and the legs, and burnt them upon the burnt offering on the altar. ritual, and the repetition through the seven days of all the ritual of the first. The feast dif- fered from the ordinary peace offering feast in being restricted to the priests and in allowing none except unleavened bread. It was accord- ing to the command in Exod. 29 : 35-37 that this solemn ceremony was repeated for seven days. During all this time Aaron and his sons did not depart from the door of the tent of meeting to engage in any secular employment. Chap. 9. 1-24. Aaron and his sons solemnly enter upo7i office. Having gone through the eight days of consecration, they are now to begin form- ally the routine duties of the priesthood. Always first comes the offering for himself, beginning with the sin offering, thus acknowledging before the people his own infirmity. His own victim was a bull calf, an offering of less dignity than the bullock (s : i4), which he had offered every day for a sin offering during his consecration, Ch. IX.] LEVITICUS 45 15 And he brought the people's offering, and took the goat, wliicli ^vas the sin oft'ering for tlie people, and slew it, and otiered it for sin, us the first. 16 And he brought the burnt offering, and olYered it according to the manner. 17 And he brought the meat offering, and took an handful thereof, and burnt it upon the altar, beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning. 18 He slew also the bullock and the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings, which was for the peo- ple : and Aaron's sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled upon the altar round about, 19 And the fat of the bullock and of the ram, the rump, and that which covereth the inwards, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver : 20 And "they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burnt the fat upon the altar : 21 And the breasts and the right shoulder Aaron waved for a wave offering before the Lord ; as Moses commanded. 22 And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the peo- ple, and blessed them, and came down from olTer- ing of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings. 23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out and blessed the people : and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. 24 And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offer- ing and the fat: luhich when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces. 15 And hepresented the people's oblation, and took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as ilie 16 hrst. And he presented the burnt offering, and 17 offered it accortling to the ordinance. And he presented the meal offering, and filled his hand therefrom, and burnt it upon the altar, besides 18 the burnt offering of the morning. He slew also the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offer- ings, which was for the people: and Aaron's sons delivered unto him the blood, and hesprin- 19 kled it upon the altar round about, and the fat of the ox ; and of the ram, the fat tail, and that which covereth the inwards, and the kidnevs, 20 and the caul of the liver: and they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burnt the'fat upon tlie 21 altar: and the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved for a wave offering before the Lord ; as 22 Moses commanded. And Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people, and blessed them ; and he came down from offering the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings. 23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and came out, and blessed the people : and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the 24 people. And there came f(jrth fire from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. or than the young bullock (* : 3) which was le- quired of the anointed priest for a sin ofi'ering in the case of specific transgression. It served, however, to keep up the indispensable habit of always acknowledging the priest's own sins ; and this habit impressed the author of the Epis- tle to the Hebrews with the contrast of the im- perfect human priest to the Christ who offered himself once for all (Heb. 5 : 3 ; 7 : 27, 28). He was also to sacrifice a ram for a burnt offering, while of the people he was to require a shaggy he-goat for a sin offering, the same kind of victim as was required of a ruler (* = 23) in the ease of specific transgression, and a calf and a lamb for burnt offerings. For the people he was also to sacrifice an ox and a ram for peace offerings, the peace offerings for himself being omitted, as his whole seven days' service of filling or conse- cration had been of the nature of a peace offering. When the priest was once consecrated, indeed, we should hardly look for public peace offer- ings on his part, as these were more properly offerings of the people for the use of the priests ; and the consecration of these ofierings to God for the use of his representatives was indicated by the ceremony of waving (see ver. 21 ; auo on 7 : 28-34). The people were also to provide a rmn- chah or meal offering mingled with oil. By the announcement of Moses the people Avere led to expect some appearance of the glory of Jehovah. The offerings were made, in their order, according to the ritual already i^rescribed, the sons of Aaron performing only the part of at- tendants to deliver to their father the blood (ver. 9, 12, 18) and the pieces of the burnt offering (ver. 13). It is to be obscrvcd (ver. 9) that Aaron only put the blood on the brazen altar and did not carry it into the inner sanctuary according to the ordinary directions for the sin offering for the higli priest and for the people (* : 5-7, 16-18). This was perhaps because he had never yet entered the sanctuarj^ as consecrated high priest. At the conclusion of the sacrifice Aaron per- formed the act of a fully consecrated priest in blessing the people. This act, which in Deu- teronomy and the priest code appears to be the characteristic prerogative of the priest (Deut. 10 : 8 ; Num. 6 : 23), was performed by David (2 Sam. 6:18) and Solomon (1 Kings 8 : 55). As Aaron came down from the high platform of the brazen altar he and Moses for the first time entered the tent of meeting, and as they came out the glory of Jehovah appeared to the congregation. The issue of fire from Jehovah (ver. 24) to consume the sacrifice can hardly have been the first kin- dling of the sacred fire which, according to Jewish tradition, was never allowed to go out until the captivity, for there had been sacrifices offered all through the seven days of the conse- cration. It was pro])ably a special manifes- tation of the glory of .Tehovah, not in that it now appeared for the first time, but in that it 46 LEVITICUS [Ch. X. CHAPTER X 1 AND Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of ttiein his censer, and put tire therein, and put incense thereon, and olYered strange tire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. 2 And there went out lire from the Lord, and devoured them, and tiiey died before the Lord. 3 Tlien Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spiilie, saying, 1 will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people 1 will beglorilied. And Aaron held his peace. 4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them. Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. 5 So they went near, and carried them iu their coats out of the camp ; as Moses had said. 6 And Moses said unto Aanni, and unto Eleazar and unto Itliamar, his sons. Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes ; lest ye die, and 1 AND Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he had not com- 2 mauded them. And there came foith fire from before the Lord, and devoured them, and they 3 died before the Lord. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. 4 And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them. Draw near, carry your brethren fvoui before the sanctuary 5 out of the camp. So they drew near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp ; as Moses 6 had said. And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and untolthamar, his sons, I>et not the liair of your heads go loose, neither rend suddenly consumed the victim, as on other oc- casions when the divine favor was manifested (see Judg. 6 : 21 ; 13 : 19, 20 ; 1 Kiugs 18 : 38 ; 1 Chrou. 21 : 26). Chap. 10. 1-7. Nadab and Abihu pun- ished for offering strange fire — the priests for- bidden to 7nournfor them. 1. We have not the data for knowing exactly what was the act which is here termed ottered strange fire, but a grouping of the suggestive circum- stances accompanying the event may help us to conjecture something of the mental state of the young men and of the form which their rash act would be likely to take. They were the elder sons of Aaron (Exod. e : 23) and had been specially privileged when Moses went up into the mount (Exod. 24 : 1, 2)^ though, as they were commanded on that occasion to "wor- ship afar off,'' ^^^ey may have been exalted in- to a feeling of exceptional familiarity with divine things without that full awe and humility of the divine fellowship which was vouchsafed to Moses. Of this strange fire the first mention indicates that it is not so much forbidden as tinaufhorized, or not commanded (ver. 1). The account is followed by a prohibition of the use of intoxicants by the priests when on duty (ver. 8, 9)j froui wliicli the inference is not impos- sible that the young men may have been at least in that excitable and animated state which follows even the moderate use of wine. It is to be observed too, that the legislation regarding the Day of Atonement in which the privilege of entering the holy place is restricted to the high priest once a year follows as an immediate sequence upon their death, as if on that occasion some of the sanctities had been invaded (16 : 1, 2). 3. But tlie most suggestive passage is Moses' ex- planation of this act of judgment (^er. 3)^ in wliich he asserts that the Lord said, I will be sanctified in tliem that come nigh me, and before all the people I Avill be glo- rified, as if the glory of Jehovah had not been made sufticiently prominent in the young men's conduct. From all of which we may gather that when the young men sjiw the glory which was the climax of their days of consecra- tion (9 : 23, 24) they became intensely excited, being assisted perhaps by the wine in which they had indulged, and thought to enhance the glory of the occasion by appearing as chief hierophants in a spectacular scene in which the Lord would be honored with incense, thus mis- taking the proud and meaningless functioning in a solemn display for a genuine act of worship to Jehovah. In their eagerness they had per- haps become irreverent and approached too near the awful holiness of the inner sanctuary ; they had oflered their incense at a time and in a manner unknown to the careful regulations of the law, and it is possible that the fire may have been "strange" in that it was not taken from the altar where it had so recently been lighted directly from Jehovah, but had been taken from some of the fires used for boiling the sacrificial flesh. The act therefore so signally punislied was not simply an ignorant overstepping of regulations in an excess of zeal, but an act of presumptuous fiimiliarity and proud self- exaltation. The relationship of Uzziel and of Mishael and Elzaphan to Aaron is also given in Exod. 6: 18, 22. They were perhaps the nearest relatives of the stricken men who were not priests. It has been conjectured that these were the men who were incapacitated bj'^ contact with a dead body for keeping the Passover on the fourteenth day of Nisan, in the second year of the exodus, and for whose benefit the so-called " Little Passover " was instituted (see Num. 9 : 6, 9-14). As for Aaron and his sons, they were not to let the hair of their heads go loose nor to rend their clothes Ch. X.] LEVITICUS 47 lest wrath come upon all the people : but let your brethren, the whole htHise of Ihruel, bewail the burning whieli the Lord hath kindled. 7 And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die : for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses. 8 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, saying, 9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor tliy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle nf "the congregation, lest ye die : it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations : 10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean ; your clothes; that ye die not, and that he be not wroth with all the congregation : but let your Ijrethren, the wiiole house of Israel, bewail' the 7 burning which the Lord hath kindled. And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting, lest ye die : for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses. 8 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, saying, 9 Drink no wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tent of meeting, that ye die not : it shall be a statute for 10 ever throughout your generations : and that ye may put difference between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and tlie lest they should seem rebellious against the dealings of Jehovah. As priests they were to maintain the honor of Jehovah in all his ways and so always to be found ranged on his side. The people, however, were permitted to bewail the burning which Jehovah had kindled. 8-11. Priests forbidden to drink ivine while officiating. Observe that the legislation of this paragraph is represented as given by Jehovah directly to Aaron. The term strong drink is used to designate any kind of strong beverage except wine made from the grape. The Hebrews applied the term to any drink prepared from wheat, barley, millet, the juice of apples or dates. There is no direct evidence that the process of distillation was known among the Hebrews. There are in other parts of Scripture occa- sional mentions of religious feeling in connec- tion with that of intoxication so suggestively introduced that it seems not altogether fanciful to note that perhaps the same juxtaposition occurs here. When the apostles after a pro- longed period of prayer suddenly and for the first time experienced the ecstatic gift of tongues their mental exaltation was ascribed by some to drunkenness (Acta 2 13), as if there were some similarity on which to base the comparison. Paul exhorts the Ephesians to "be not drunk with wine . . . but be filled with the Spirit " (Eph. 5 : i8)j as if at least the one suggested the other to his mind. The sons of Aaron are pun- i.shed for offering strange fire, and in immediate connection with the act of divine judgment is given an interdiction of wine to priests on duty. Note too, that an object of the prohibition is that the distinction between the sacred and the secular may be kept clear. It seems as if the ci-ime of the young men so signally punished must have been something more than a mere technical lapse in correctness of procedure. The strange fire was at least typical of, if not actually associated with, spurious religious feeling. Men- tal exaltation amounting to ecstasy has always been, valued in religion, and if these rash cele- brants had a sufficiently unethical conception of religion to think that such ecstasy, even when produced by wine, was pleasing to God, they were only on the same plane of thought with those conceptions which produced the rites of Dionysus and of corresponding deities in other nations. If the origin of their excitement was so palpable to the people that the influence of the whole scene would be, as in heathen re- ligions, to exalt drunkenness as an ally to relig- ion, the stern lesson was not incommensurate with the importance of the issue. The men were confusing the sacred and the profane. They were interposing a fatal hindrance to that emphasis of the ethical nature of religion which it was the genius of Hebrew cultus as well as prophecy to guard and foster. The dignity and decorum of the priesthood which their sobriety was to help to preserve, was to seek, for its cherished effect on the peo- ple, the maintaining of the distinction between holy and common, between unclean and clean. This separating of the sacred from the secular is what determines the whole spirit and motive of ceremonial religion. It is given as a reason for the distinction of animals allowed for food (n = 4T), and it is frequently urged in the teaching of Ezekiel, whose spirit has so much in common with this priestly legislation (Ezek. 22 : 26; 42 : 20 ; 44 .- 23). That prophet, indeed, with this motive, makes this same prohibition of wine for priests (Ezek 44 : 21, 23). This characteristic of cere- monial religion has been referred to in the comments on chap. 1. It is the function of the priest to elaborate religion as a distinctive thing, and to keep it pure and conspicuous by its isolation from common life. His religion is not the whole of life, nor does it seek to be ; it is the sacred side of life. Hence it develops its sacred places, sacred days, sacred observances, sacred objects. One who is penetrated with the feeling of this aspect of religion is rightly shocked at all careless invasion of the domain of the holy by temporal interests and strivings. Such a feeling made our Lord indignant when he found the temple area crowded with the 48 LEVITICUS [Ch. X. 11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses. 12 And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat offering that remalneth of the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar : for it is most holy : 13 And ye shall eat it in the holy place, because it is thy due, and thy sons' due, of the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire: for so I am commanded. 11 clean ; and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses. 12 And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Elea- zar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meal offering that remaineth of the ort'erings of the Lord made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar : for it is most 13 holy : and ye shall eat it in a holy place, be- cause it is thy due, and thy sons' due, of tlie offerings of the Lord made by fire : for so 1 am activities of commerce. It is necessary that re- ligion sho-uld thus have its separate places and times and solemn practices, that it may have a footing in the world, a fulcrum on which to rest its lever for the uplifting of humanity. But when this side of religion is cultivated exclu- sively, its isolation and orderly performance be- comes an end in itself. Religion becomes the separate calling of the clergy, rather than a life for every one, and the man of worldly oc- cupation gets the benefit of it only through the momentary magic of its sacraments. When men have performed their church duties they hav^e discharged their obligations toward God, and the secular life is simply unrelated to him. This is the danger of religion founded solely on worship. On the other hand the function of the proi^het is to seek to make the motive and the strength of religion pervade all life. Besides elaborating itself and guarding its purity as a system of wor- ship, religion must also enter the world as a system of righteousness. The sacred must per- vade the secular. This was the aim of the prophets; they desired to make religion not only a sacred thing but a leaven. This aim was carried out still more extensively by Christian- ity, for Christianity was the culmination of He- brew prophecy rather than of the Hebrew cul- tus. It was this tendency to diffuse and even dissipate the sacred in the interest of its effect- iveness — to put it into the ground to die like a seed that it might bring forth fruit — which made the priestly interest and the temple interest in- stinctively feel that Christianity was its enemy (Matt. 26 : 61 ; Acts 6 : 13, U). It is bccaUSC the Judaism of the present time is not sufficiently in touch witli the prophetic side of religion that it still lingers in the sej)arations and exclusions of the spiritual life, even though its temple rit- ual has passed away. A rabbi of the last end of the nineteenth century recently summarized the moderji Jewisli belief in a creed of ten articles, the third of which is: "I believe in separating the sacred from the secular." The teachings of Jesus and of the apostles, as already said, seem to indicate that the distinction of sacred and secular is not eternal. John saw no temple in heaven. But this necessity for the separation of religion from common life, like the rest of the law, will not pass away till all be fulfilled. While we are hedged about by the earthly necessity of labor, we must strenuously rescue and preserve one-seventh of our time for sacred rest. Wliile the activities of this world are still so unpervaded with divine motive that they press upon us to make us forget God, there must be some special divine service so separate from the world as to keep us reminded of his holiness. The world cannot dispense wuth a re- ligion of high enough unworldliness to make it conspicuous until that perfect time when all the common activity shall be pervaded with the Spirit of God, and the sacrednessof the regener- ate secular life shall be wholly manifest in its spirit and motive rather than in its form. 12-20. The eating part of the consecraiion ceremonial. The part of this consecration cere- monial which was likely to come up to the pre- scribed mark with most difficulty was the priests' partaking of the portions of the sacrifice which were to be eaten ; and that because in the dreadful judgment upon Nadab and Abihu the man and father in Aaron, underneath the priest, had experienced a great shock ; and there would not be much zest for eating. The austere Moses, who would elevate the priesthood above all natural weakness, was especially active as soon as that judgment had fallen, to prevent any letting down from the high key in which the priests' dignity and duty had been set. He was very prompt to forbid any outward manifestation of grief (ver. 6), and now he is particularly watch- ful that Aaron and his sons shall by actual eating form the precedent of claiming their perquisites (ver. 12-15), and fulfill to the letter their duties (ver. 16-18), They must not only subsist by the altar, but they must eat, whether they liave any appetite or not. A higher degree of sanctity seems to be given to the meal offering than to the people's peace offerings. What remains of the meal offering from the fire offerings of Je- hovah is called holy of holies, or most holy (ver. 12), and it is to be eaten by Aaron and his sons in a holy place ; while the priests' portion of the peace offerings was to be eaten by Aaron and Ch. xi] LEVITICUb 49 14 And the wave breast and heave shoulder shall ye eat in a clean place ; tliou, and thy sous, and thy daughters with tliee : for they he tliy due, and thy sons' due, which are given out of the sacrifices of peace offerings of the cliildren of Israel. 15 The heave shoulder and the wave breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave ofTering before the Lord ; and it shall be thine, and thy sons' with thee, by a statute for ever ; as the Lord hath commanded. 16 And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burnt : and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sous of Aaron which xoere left alive, saying, 17 Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the con- gregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? 18 Behold, the blood of it was not brought in within the holy ptace.- ye should indeed have eaten it in the holy place, as I commanded. 19 And Aaron said unto Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord ; and such things have befallen me : and if I had eaten the sin offering to day, should it have been accepted in the sight of the Lord ? 20 And when Moses heard that, he was content. 14 commanded. And the wave breast and the heave thigh shall ye eat in a clean place ; thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee : for they are given as thy due, and thy sons' due, out of the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the 15 children of Israel. The heave thigh and the wave breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave offering before the Lord : and it shall be thine, and thy sous' with thee, as a due for ever ; as the Lord hath commanded. 16 And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burnt : and lie was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons 17 of Aaron that were left, saying. Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, seeing it is most holy, and he hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congre- gation, to make atonement for them before the 18 Lord? Behold, the blood of it was not brought into the sanctuary within : ye should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded. 19 And Aaron spake unto Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord ; and there have befallen me such things as these : and if I had eaten the sin offering to-day, would it have been 20 well-pleasing in the sight of the Lord? And when Moses heard that, it was well-pleasing in his sight. his sons and his daughters in a clean place (ver. 14). The rule had been made that no sin offering of which any of the blood had been brought into the sanctuary to make atonement in the holy place should be eaten (6 : so) ; now the con- verse is insisted upon by the lawgiver, so solic- itous for the integrity of his system and so jeal- ous of natural weakness, that where the blood is not brought into the sanctuary the sin offering shall be eaten. But on looking for the hairy- goat of the people's sin offering Moses finds it to have been burnt; and he is angry with Eleazar and Ithamar for not eating it in the holy place. The theory of the matter was, as Moses felt commanded, that such sin offerings by being officially eaten formally incorporated the sins of the people into the representatives of God, who thus bore their iniquities. But Aaron, who had been silent throughout all Moses' stern moralizing (ver. 3) and rigid conducting, now came to the defense of his own and his sons' moderate yielding to natural affection. After what had befallen them they felt hardly worthy to assume the people's sins as immaculate me- diators. Despite the rigid letter of the law, would there have been heart enough in such a performance to be well-pleasing in the sight of Jehovah? Is not the mental preparation and sincerity of the worshiper of some consequence as well as the integrity of an ordinance ? This little touch of the human in Aaron, just entering on his training for the stern self-repressions of the priesthood, was sufficient to give Moses the hint that sometimes the man may be above the law. IV. Laws of purification and atone- ment, chap. 11 to 16. We come now to the part of the Jewish cere- monial regulations which has had probably more influence on the national psychology and con- science than any other. This is the matter of uncleanness and purification. Beginning with the classification of animals not allowed as food, the legislation goes on to the subject of purifica- tion after childbirth and of impurity from secre- tions, to the exceptionally serious uncleanness of leprosy, with its diagnosis, its treatment, the pro- cedure in reference to its analogue in garments and houses, and the rites connected with the res- toration to sanctuary privileges of the patient who has recovered ; and finally culminates with the great annual Day of Atonement, in which the whole sanctuary with its furniture is cere- monially cleansed from the imperceptible defile- ment which it has contracted by the services of the year. In this section the regulations in regard to uncleanness are made tlie more special topic of discussion, but this is far from containing the whole treatment of the subject. It is repeatedly mentioned all through the priestly legislation. The thought of defilement and contamination from without seemed to dominate the whole Jew- ish religious consciousness, and it has had more influence than any other in making and keeping the Jews the exceptional and separate race which they are to this day. Sin, so far as it could come within the benefit of expiation at all, was treated as a defilement ; and this aspect of it was necessarily more physical than ethical. Perhaps this conception of sin as D 50 LEVITICUS [Ch. XL a defilement was the only one which could make the efficacy of the expiatory rites thinkable at all. The semi-physical and expiable class of sins, thus brought under the cognizance of the priest, came to have an enhanced influence in determining men's notions of the relative im- ]>c)rtance of transgressions. Under the influence uf the moral law and of growingly spiritual conceptions of God, religion was bound to grow more ethical, but its ethics would have, so to speak, a physical cast, and would cause that evil which consisted in physical defilement to have a somewhat overbalanced importance. The purely physical and instinctive aversions with regard to food which had grown with the people from the earliest times were formulated as a part of religion, and thus were put in the way of increasing in ethical estimation as the religion to which they were attached grew more ethical. The Jew was not only defiled but made guilty by accidental contacts and lapses which origi- nally had only a physical significance. A main consideration which made the Jews especially sensitive to the dread of defilement was their consciousness of their dignity as a holy and separate people. Their world mission to be holy unto Jehovah was given in the earliest extant legislation as the motive for not eating that which had been torn by beasts (Exod. 22 : 3x). It was emphatically urged in the priest code, especially in the so-called law of holiness, as the incentive, not only for ethical uprightness (i9 : 2, 3; 20 : 6, 7), but for such strictucss with regard to physical uncleanness as is contemplated in this section (n : 44, 45; 20 : 25, 26). They were taught that they were to be a nation of priests, and this consciousness of a priestly dignity engen- dered the obligation to be patterns to the world of a priestly immaculateness. A passion for external purity was thus not only a cause but a consequence of their separateness as a nation ; and when through their extraordinary political vicissitudes they were singled out from the nations and thrown in more and more upon themselves, the purificatory side of religion and morals seemed to dominate their enthusiasm more and more, until under rabbinic influence it seemed as if almost the whole of religious thought summed itself up in the consideration of what was defiling and what was not. By the time of Christ the laborious washings and purifications had become so exacting and characteristic as to obtrude themselves on the attention in every picture of Jewish domestic or religious life. Our Lord's first miracle was wrought on material that chanced to be at hand " after the manner of the purifying of the Jews " (John 2:6). The attempt to draw John the Bap- tist into a rivalry with his ]\Iaster grew out of a dispute which arose between some of his disci- ples and a Jew about purifying (Joim 3 : 25). The first whispers of antagonism to the Saviour's work in Galilee were set in motion because the disciples ate their food with "common" hands (Mark 7 : 2, 5). Mark especially sets forth the laboriousness of Pharisaic customs in regard to ablutions (Mark 7 : 3, 4). A note of the temporariness of Jewish religion, to New Testament writers, was its slavery to " meats and drinks and divers washings" (Heb. 9:io), Paul labored to free his disciples from the "touch not, taste not, handle not" of ceremonial slavery (Coi. 2 : 21)^ and em- phasized the spirituality of the kingdom of God by insisting that it is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost (Rom. 14 : 17). Evcu Peter, when God would teach him that tlie old national exelusiveness must be broken di>wn if he would follow the leadings of aggressive Christianity, had to be conquered by a direct attack on those scruples with regard to clean and unclean animals in which his prejudices no doubt had their strong- hold (Acts 10 : 12, seq ). In dealing with that universal defect of the Judaism of his day our Lord implied that the whole conception of defilement had built itself up on a fundamentally erroneous principle. The Jewish conscience had become almost exclusively sensitive to contamination from outside. The primary conception of moral peril was that it is the world around which makes men evil. But Jesus set forth the antagonistic principle in a universal thesis which is no less than revolu- tionary: "Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man ; but that which pro- ceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth the man. . . . The things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart ; and they defile the man " (Matt. 15 : 11, is). Here is a principle worthy of Him who contracted not defilement from touching the leper, but communicated purity. Life and purity work from within outward. Saving religion is not a defensive but an aggres- sive attitude. It is not the business of the god- like to stand still and keep out the evil by contamination-proof precautions, but to go forth into the world with an abounding life which shall touch but expel the evil. A wonderful principle this, and one which, in the face of centuries of the opposite way of thinking, no one but a divine being could have had the strength to assert; though when once the principle was Ch. XL] LEVITICUS 51 CHAPTER XI. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Mosgs and to Aaron, saving unto them, i Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, these are the beasts wliicli ye sliall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. 3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is cloven- footed, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, tliat shall ye eat. 4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them tluit chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: OS the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof ; he is unclean unto you. .') And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof ; he is unclean unto you. (> And the liare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. 7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven footed, yet he cheweth not the cud ; he is unclean to you. 8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch ; they are unclean to you. 9 These shall ye eat of all that are m the waters : 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aar- 2 on, saying unto them, Spuak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the living things which ye sliall eat among all the beasts that are on the 3 earth. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the 4 beasts, that shall ye eat. Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that part the hoof : the camel, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he 6 is unclean unto you. And the coney, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, 6 he is unclean unto you. And the hare, because she cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, 7 she is unclean unto you. And the swine, i)e- cause he parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto 8 you. Of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcases ye shall not touch ; they are unclean unto you. 9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters : announced an enlightened and broad-minded Paul could so far follow his Lord out of the bondage of mere defensive scruple into the aggressive freedom of a conquering gospel as to teach that "every creature of God is good, and nothing to be rejected, if it be received with thanksgiving " (i Tim. i -. i). That the Jev.s of the New Testament time, taking their start from these priestly regula- tions, came gradually to form their religious life on the very opposite of the true principle, how- ever, does not prove that the ceremonial laws enjoining purity were merely human and mis- leading. They were divine and right in their sphere. They were the most effective possible hold on the conscience of their time — a con- science which could not rise above the defilement conception of sin. They engendered a careful- ness about contracting uncleanness from without which is an indispensable element of religion at its defensive stage. This carefulness, merely physical at fir.st, was a parable of and a prepa- ration for a similar carefulness in the spiritual realm. In spiritual things it is as important that we keep evil influences from invading us from without as that we mortify the impulses to evil which proceed from within. The defensive duty belongs to true religion, even though it be true religion of lower intensity than the life- imparting aggressiveness of Christian love. The miscarriage of the law was due to the mechanical lifelessness of Jewish thought. The fault of the Jews was over estimation and idolatry of nega- tive purity. Freedom from defilement is good and needful, worthy indeed of divine legislation, !)ut it cannot impart positive life. The cere- monially clean man is not thereby constituted a good man — he is only a man who is not infected with a particular kind of badness. The only possible positive goodness flows from a heart of love within. It was because the Jews, immured in their proud and separate defensiveness, were seeking to derive all their goodness from personal purity that they fell into disparagement before the might of our Lord's positive principle of life. Chap. 11, Clean and unclean animals. This is one of the places in Leviticus where Jehovah speaks to Moses and Aaron jointly. The others are 13 : 1 ; 15 : 1. 1-8. Qiiadnipeds. A very ready general rule for distinguishing clean and unclean quadru- peds is given. Only those that part the hoof, so as to be completely cloven-footed, and chew the cud are to be eaten. An animal with one of these characteristics without the other could not be allow^ed as food, as, for instance, the camel, who.se foot is only imperfectly cleft though he is a ruminant; the coney, or, rather, hyrax Syriacus, and the hare, which are here stated to be ruminants, and aLso the swine, which parts the hoof but does not bring up the cud. The hyrax is a very timid gregarious pachyderm living among the rocks (ps. io4 : is; Prov. 30 : 2fi), It is uot a rumiuaut, nor is the hare, but these animals have a habit of moving the jaws when at rest as if chewing, and so might easily be mistaken for ruminants. Moses is not giving a scientific description of these animals, but identifying them by characteristics familiar to the common people. The pig is probably pro- hibited on account of its dirty habits and be- cause its flesh, particularly in warm climates, is very generally regarded as unwholesome. The law regarding quadrupeds is given in Deu- teronomy in a somewhat more detailed form (Deut. U : 4-8). 9-12. Aquatic creatures. In regard to these creatures also a very distinct general principle 52 LEVITICUS [Ch. XI. whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in ihe rivers, them sliall ye eat. 10 And all that liave not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you : 11 They shall be even an abomination unto you ; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. 12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you. 13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls ; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination : the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, 14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind ; 15 Every raven after his kind ; 16 And the owl, and the nighthawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, 17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, 18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, 19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. 20 All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you. 21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth ; 22 Eren these of tliem ye may eat ; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. 23 But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you. 24 And for these ye shall be unclean : whosoever touches the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even. 25 And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. 10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of all the living creatures that are in tlie 11 waters, they are an abomination unto you, and they shall be an abomination unto you ; ye shall n(jt eat of their flesh, and their carcases ye shall 12 have in abomination. Whatsoever hath no tins nor scales in the waters, that is an abomination unto you. 13 And these ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination : the eagle, and the gier eagle, 14 and the ospray; and the kite, and the falcon 15 after its kind; every raven alter its kind; 16 and the ostrich, and the night hawk, and the 17 seamew, and the hawk after its kind ; and the little owl, and the cormorant, and thegreatowl ; 18 and the horned owl, and the pelican, and the 19 vulture ; and the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and tlie bat. 20 All winged creeping things that go upon all 21 four are an abomination unto you. Yet these may ye eat of all winged creeping things that go upon all four, which have legs above their 22 feet, to leap withal upon the earth ; even these of them ye may eat; the locust after its kind, and the bald locust its kind, and tlie cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its 23 kind. But all winged creeping things, which have four feet, are an abomination unto you. 24 And by these ye shall become unclean : who- soever toucheth the carcase of them shall be un- 25 clean until the even : and whosoever beareth aught of the carcase of them shall wash his of classification is possible. Only those aquatic animals which have fins and scales are allowed as food. 13-19. Flyinq creatures. (1) Birds. No general rule for distinguishing unclean from clean birds is given, but only a list of twenty kinds of birds that are not to be eaten. So far as identified, these are all birds that live on animal food. In the extreme difiiculty of iden- tifying the species that are designated by the Hebrew names some hesitation is felt in append- ing a revised translation of the list as found in our version : " The gritfin vulture, and the bearded vulture, and the osprey ; and the kite, and the falcon after its kind ; every raven after its kind ; and the ostrich, and the screech-owl, and the sea-mew, and the haAvk after its kind ; and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl ; and the ibis, and the pelican, and the carrion vulture ; and the stork, and the great plover after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat." In calling the bat a bird of course the popular notion is followed. 20-23. (2) Flying insects. The Hebrew expression is, "all swarming things with wings," the word, |*")K^, sMrHz, translated in our English version, creeping things, referring to their swarming or breeding in immense numbers rather than to their mode of locomotion. " Going upon all four" probably means going with the body in a horizontal position like a quadruped, the phrase not being intended, even in ver, 23, to limit strictly the number of feet, which with many flying insects is more than four. Permission is given to eat such flying insects as have distinctly defined legs for leaping, and four kinds of locusts are specified. We have no means for identify- ing these species, and the English translation is pure guesswork. Locusts are still eaten by the poor among many Arab tribes. Along with wild honey they constituted the food of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:4). 24-40. On the pollution caused by contact with the carcases of certain animals. This sec- tion appears to be of a difi'erent order from the rest of the chapter in that it describes the crea- tures which are not only not to be eaten but whose carcases are not to be touched, and also defines the purification rendered necessary by defilement. It may possibly not be a part of the original draft of the chapter, as its peculiar con- tents are ignored by the subscription (ver. 46, 47). 24-28. Recapitulation, Recapitulating first the quadrupeds already designated as not to be Ch. XL] LEVITICUS 53 26 The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, aud is uut cloveiifooted, iiorcheweth thecud, are unclean unto you : every one that toucheth them shall be unclean. 27 And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you : whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even. 28 And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even : they are unclean unto you. 29 These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth ; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise alter his kind, 30 And the ferret, and the chameleon, and tlie lizard, and tlie snail, and the mole. 31 These are unclean to you among all that creep : whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, sliall be unclean until the even. 32 And upon whatsoever aiiy of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean ; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be. wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even ; so it shall be cleansed. 33 And every earthen vessel, whereinto aiiy of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean ; and ye shall break it. 34 Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean : and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean. 35 And every thing whereupon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean ; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down : for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you. 36 Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean : but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean. 37 And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean. 38 But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you. 39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die ; he that touches the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even. 40 And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even : he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 26 clothes, and be unclean until the even. Every beast which parteth the hoof, and is not cloven- footed, nor cheweth the cud, is unclean unto you : every one that toucheth them shall be un- 27 clean. And whatsoever goetli upon its paws, among ail beasts that go on all four, they are unclean unto you : whoso toucheth their car- 28 case shall be unclean until the even. And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you. 29 And these are they which are unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, ana the mouse, and 30 the great lizard after its kind, and the gecko, and the land crocodile, and the lizard, and the 31 sand-lizard, and the chameleon. These are they which are unclean to you among all that creep : whosoever doth touch them, when they 32 are dead, shall be unclean until the even. And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean ; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherewith any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even ; then shall it 33 be clean. And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be 34 unclean, and it ye shall break. All food therein which may be eaten, that on which water com- eth, shall be unclean . and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean. 35 And every thing whereupon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean ; whether oven, or range for pots, it shall be broken in pieces : they are unclean, aud shall be unclean unto 36 you. Nevertheless a fountain or a pit wherein is a gathering of water shall be clean : but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean. 37 And if aught of their carcase fall upon any sow- 38 ing seed which is to be sown, it is clean. But if water be put upon the seed, and aught of their carcase fall thereon, it is unclean unto you. 39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die ; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be 40 unclean until the even. And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even : he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. eaten, the lawgiver goes on to make the regula- tion that whoever touches their carcases shall be unclean for the rest of the day, and the one who carries the dead body shall also wash his clothes. 29-38. Then some of the smaller animals, whether quadrupeds or reptiles, such as are most likely to come in contact with food or domestic utensils in the houses are specified, and the treat- ment of the defilement which may be acci- dentally caused by them indicated. These animals are roughly classed as creeping or swarming things. The meaning of the Hebrew terms designating these animals is for the most part obscure, but the Revised version represents perhaps as high a degree of exactness as is at present attainable. The person who touched their dead bodies was to be unclean for the re- mainder of the day ; any garment or vessel of wood, or skin or sack, on which they were found was to be soaked in water and withheld from use as unclean for the day, while an earthen vessel was to be broken. A fountain or cistern in which a considerable quantity of water was stored could hardly be subjected as a constant practice to the minute inspection necessary to keep it rid of every small dead thing, and so was presumed in ordinary circumstances to be clean. Seed, except when saturated with defiled water, was considered clean. 39, 40. Finally it is specified that the person who touched the carcase — i. e., perhaps the body when not prop- erly slaughtered (see n : is) — even of an animal which was allowed as food was to be unclean until evening, and if he had eaten of it or had carried it away he was in addition to wash his clothes. The regulation was made in the earlier part of the book (5 = 2) that these defilements, if inadvertent and so not followed by the guarded deportment of one consciously polluted, were on their discovery to be expiated by a sin ofiering. 54 LEVITICUS [Ch. XII. 41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shaU he au aboiuiuatioa ; it siiull not be eaten. 42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and what- soever goeth upon ail four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat ; for Lhey are au abomination. 43 Ye shall not make your selves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be de'liled thereby. 44 Fov I am the Lord your God : ye shall there- fore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be lioly ; for lam holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upou the earth. 45 For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God : ye shall there- fore be holy, for I am holy. 46 This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth : 47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten. 41 And every creeping thing that creepeth u] on the earth is an aijomination ; it shall not be 42 eaten. Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath many feet, even all creeping things iliat creep tipon tlie eanli, them ye shall not eat; for 43 they are an abomination. Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, )ieither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled 44 thereby. For 1 am the Lord your God : sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy ; for I am holy: neither sliall ye defile yourselves witli any manner of creeping thing that moveth 45 upon the earth. For 1 am the Lord that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God : ye shall theielore be holy, lor 1 am holy. 46 'ihis is the law of the beast, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that cretpeih 47 upon the earth: to make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may Ijc eaten and the liviLg thing that may not be eaten. 41-47. Creeping insects and reptiles; Sub- scription. The legislation now returns to the consideration of animals that are not to be eaten at all. Creeping insects and reptiles are called in the Hebrew, "swarming things that swarm upon the earth," and are thus distinguished from "swarming things of wing" considered in ver. 20-23. 42. These animals are totally pro- hibited as food, the legal and explicit descrip- tion of the prohibited kinds being whatsoever goeth upon the belly, as snakes and worms, whatsoever goeth on all four, i. e., prob- ably small quadrupeds like weasels and mice (see ver. 29) which are considered as vermin, and whatsover hath more, many, feet, like centipedes and caterpillars. The spiritual ground or motive of these dis- tinctions between clean and unclean was the general obligation of being holy as God is holy. The carefully cultivated abhorrence, particu- larly of slimy, swarming things, in the nation connected itself intimately with their notion of the divine purity. It gave them a conception of God's holiness which derived its point and vividness from antagonism with all that is physically abominable. Their intense abhor- rence of the practices of surrounding nations in this regard (see isa. 65 : 4; 66 : 17) rendered their sense of the divine holiness also a sense of their own separateness from the other peoples of the earth, a separateness which these carefully guarded distinctions in food were intended to maintain (cf. lo : le; 20 : 25, 26). The act of God in bringing them out of the land of Egypt — separating them from the nations (ver. 45) — is therefore cited as a prime motive for maintaining these distinctions. 44, 45. These solemn sanctions, I am the Lord, . . be ye holy; for I am holy, are among the most characteristic marks of the law of holiness, that distinct and perhaps earlier stratum of the priest code beginning atchap. 17. These marks, with others which to trained ob- servation are hardly less distinctive, have led modern critics to regard this whole chapter, with the exception of the interpolated verses (24-40) J as incorporated from that particular documentary source. It will be observed that the subscription or appended title strictly covers only the four classes of creatures that may not be eaten and ignores the contents of the inserted verses (24-40) ^ wdiich relate to creatures whose carcases are not to be touched. Chap. 12. PUEIFICATION AFTER CHILD- BIRTH. This chapter would more naturally follow chap. 15, with which it is connected in subject. The latter chapter as it now stands has no connection either with the preceding or following chapter, and if it were removed from its present position and placed before this chap- ter it would keep the three great classes of un- cleanness treated of in the priestly law grouped each by itself. Those three classes of unclean- ness are: (1) defilement from secretions, par- ticularly from the organs of generation (chap. 12, 15) ; (2) uncleanness from leprosy (chap. 13, 14) ^ and (3) pollution from contact with a dead body. The last species of defilement is con- sidered in Num. 19. Those who w^ould reduce the whole Hebrew idea of defilement to some connection with death and decomposition as repugnant to the Deity, Ch. XIL] LEVITICUS 55 just as holiness in an object results from some contact or union with the Deity, find a great deal of difficulty in bringing the impurity from childbirth under their category. This form of impurity connects itself with reproduction and life rather than with death. What there should be repugnant to Deity, as the source of life, in this natural process it is hard to see. But as a matter of fact, must we not find more in the Hebrew idea of death as opposed to God, than simply the thought of dissolution ? May it not be an idea which includes all that is made nec- essary in the world by reason of the reign of death ? We have already seen that sin as an expia])le condition was to the Hebrew mind a defilement hardly distinguished from a physical state. Moreover, to the one contemplating a higher de- gree of consecration as his chosen form of life, the merely natural state becomes sinful. " Crea- tural unsanctification and moral imperfection are not clearly separated. The heavens are not clean before God ; he findeth fault with his holy ones (Job 4 : is, seq.). In the liturgical sphere of worship, indeed, the idea of creatural un- sanctification, of distance between Creator and creature, is the prevailing one" (Schultz). Now that this unsanctification, or impurity in the presence of ineffable holiness, connected it- self with the thought of death is undoubtedly true ; but the death thought of is death in the widest sense — the whole condition of being mortal. That condition was characterized just as much by the reproduction through which the fleeting generations were replaced, as by the dis- solution which removed them. To the poetic mind the intensest feeling of the divine dis- pleasure arose in connection with the thought of the contrast between the creatures of a day and the unchanging One who was their dwell- ing-place " in generation and generation." The author of the ninetieth Psalm can find but one meaning in the brevity of life, and that is the divine indignation. "All our days are passed away in thy wrath : we finish our years like a sigh" (Ps. 90:9). In all this psalm, which is one prolonged breathing of tender penitence, there is but the slightest mention of personal iniquity, and that only as the concrete object of the divine omniscience. It is throughout a confession of transitoriness as subject to God's anger; and it ends in the prayer for such per- manence as comes through what the ages ac- complish (ver. 17), if not through individual im- mortality. To the Hebrew thus imbued, in his inspired moments, with the thought of his crea- tural changeableness as hateful to God, the events of birth and death, and all connected with a mortal state, might equally be a reminder of that separation from God which is the penalty of sin, and might well become the occasion of ceremonial precautions and lustrations until the sense of cleanness before God should be restored. In that account of the origin of human sin which became incorporated into Hebrew belief as a part of primeval history (Gen. 3), the state of guilt and shame following on the disobedience of the first pair is mysteriously and significantly connected with their sexual nature. They are threatened with death as the penalty of eating the fruit, and yet when they have transgressed they do not literally die but become sexually self-conscious. The sentence pronounced on the Avoman too, is a dooming to that pain in con- nection with childbirth which ever reminds the sutfering mother that there is something abnor- mal and opposed to blessedness even in the act of bringing a new life into the world. The sen- tence, " Thou shalt surely die," must have meant, even to the remote author who could let it stand in his account without sense of contra- diction, " Thou shalt surely become mortal, sub- ject to the restless round of birth, change, and death, a petty contrast and abhorrence to the blessed life of the Eternal." Sin as death meant sin as mortality. That " creatural unsanctifica- tion " which was the basis of the sense of un- cleanness arose to consciousness not only through contact with death, or disease which might be taken as death in its inception, but through the natural operation, at least in the woman, of those laws of reproduction which are the con- comitant of human change. Hence the woman, on the occasion of childbirth, becomes subject to an uncleanness which requires lustration and sacrifice. " Uncleanness was generally ascribed to child- birth, according to the usages of the most an- cient nations." The Hindus, Parsees, Arabs, Greeks, and Romans had regulations requiring purification on the part of the mother, and the imputation of impurity sometimes extended to the whole family. In almost all cases too, the period of forty days was regarded as a critical interval (cf. ver. 2, 4) in connection with the event. The impurity from secretions which attached to the male (see chap. 15) was reckoned only in connection with an accidental or morbid dis- charge, and the feeling of uncleanness could perhaps be accounted for by the natural disgust at having the substance in contact with the 56 LEVITICUS [Ch. XIII. CHAPTER XII. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child : then she shall be unclean seven days ; ac- cording to the days of the separation for her in- firmity shall she be unclean. 3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circximcised. 4 And she shall tlien continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days ; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanc- tuary, until the days of her purifying be fullilled. 5 But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation : and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying three- score and six days. 6 And w^hen the days of her purifying are ful- filled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest : 7 Who shall offer it before the Lord, and make an atonement for her ; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female. & And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons ; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering : and the priest shall make an atone- ment for her, and she shall be clean. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying. 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman conceive seed, and bear a man child, then she shall be unclean seven days ; as in the days of the impurity of her sickness shall she 3 be unclean. And in the eighth day the flesh of 4 his foreskin shall be circumcised. And she shall continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days ; she shall touch no hal- lowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until 5 the days of her purifying be fulfilled. But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be un- clean two weeks, as in her impurity : and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying 6 threescore and six days. And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offeiing, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tent of meeting, unto the priest : and 7 he shall offer it before the Lord, and make atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the fountain of her blood. This is the law for her that beareth, whether a male or a female. 8 And if her means suffice not for a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves, or two young pigeons ; the one for a burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering : and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean. skin or clothing ; but the woman was made un- clean by the natural infirmity of her sex and by the normal function of motherhood, as if her act of visibly producing new life were second only to death and decay as a reminder of that mortality which is the greatest contrast to the God who ever lives. 1. Unto Moses, instead of to Moses and Aaron as in the preceding and following chap- ters. 2. According to the days of the separation for her infirmity presupposes a knowledge of the regulation in 15 : 19. For seven days, in the case of a boy baby, the woman was "unclean," i. e., in such a state as to communicate defilement to Avhatever she touched. 4, For thirty-three days thereafter she was in the blood of her purifying, and was debarred from touching any sanctified thing or coming into the sanctuary. The boundary between the period of uncleanness and that of purifying was marked by the circumcision of the child on the eighth day (see Gen. n : lo, is). In the case of a female child the period of "un- cleanness" and of the "blood of purifying" was doubled. The notion seems to have been common in ancient times that a woman suffered longer after the birth of a girl than after that of a boy. On the completion of the days of puri- fying, whether for a boy or a girl, a sacrifice was to be brought consisting of a lamb, a son of his year, for a burnt offering, and a youn-g pigeon or a turtle-dove for a sin offering. The degree of sinfulness implied seems to be light. In the case of poverty even the lamb might be replaced by another turtle-dove or young pigeon. In the time of Christ it was either customary to dispense with the lamb of the burnt offering, or else the mother of our Lord was compelled by her poverty to content herself with the less expensive sacrifice (see Luke 2 : 24). Chap. 13. Leprosy. 1-46. Diagnosis of leprosy in man. " The leprosy is the most ter- rible of all the disorders to which the body of man is subject. There is no disease in which hope of recovery is so nearly extinguished. From a commencement slight in appearance, with but little pain or inconvenience, often in its earlier stage insidiously disappearing and reappearing, it goes on in its strong but sluggish course, generally in defiance of the efforts of medical skill, until it reduces the patient to a mutilated cripple with dulled or obliterated senses, the voice turned to a croak, and ghastly deformity of features. When it reaches some vital part it generally occasions what seem like the symptoms of a distinct disease (most often dysentery), and so puts an end to the life of the sufierer." The Hebrew term, H^'l^, tsaraath, used in this chapter, is considered by the best authori- ties to refer not to common leprosy {lepra vul- garis), which is a different and far more super- ficial disease, as indicated in ver. 12, 13, but to what is known to physicians as elephantiasis. Of this two forms are distinguished, the tuber- Ch. XIII.] LEVITICUS 57 CHAPTER XIII 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy ; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests : 3 And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh : and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of lepro.sy : and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean. 4 If the bright spot be wliite in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white ; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days: .') And the priest shall look on him the seventh day : and, behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skin ; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more : 6 And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day : and, behold, if the plague be some- what dark, "arid the plague spread not in tlie skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean : it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 7 But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again : 8 And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall pro- nounce him unclean : it is a leprosy. 9 When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest ; 10 And the priest shall see him : and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there he quick raw flesh in the rising ; 11 It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is uncleun. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses and unto 2 Aaron, saying. When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it become in the skin of his flesh the plague of leprosy, then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the 3 priests : and the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh : and if the hair in the plague be turned white, and the appearance of the plague be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is the plague of leprosy : and the priest shall 4 look on liim, and pronounce him unclean. And if the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and tlie appearance thereof be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white, then the priest shall shut up him that hath 5 the plague seven days : and the priest shall look on him the seventh day : and, behold, if in his eyes the plague be at a stay, and the plague be not spread in the skin, then the prie-^^t -shall shut 6 him up seven days more : and the priest shall look on him again the seventh day : and, be- hold, if the plague be dim, and the plague be not spread in the skin, then the priest shall pro- nounce him clean : it is a scab : and he shall 7 wash his clothes, and be clean. But if the scab spread abroad in the skin, after that he hath shewn himself to the priest for his cleansing, he 8 shall shew himself to the priest again : and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the scab be spread in the skin, then the priest shall pro- nounce him unclean : it is leprosy. 9 When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then 10 he shall be brought unto the priest; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if there be a white rising in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the 11 rising, it is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him un- clean : he shall not shut him up ; for he is culated elephantiasis, and the ansesthetic or non- tuberculated elephantiasis, the former being characterized by the formation of tubercles in the face or other parts of the body, and later by a swollen and horribly deformed appearance of the face with its livid, encrusted, and ulcerated tubercles, and the latter by often breaking out in shining hulke in the forehead (2 Chron. 26 : 19, 20) and afterward' attacking the joints and making them devoid of sensation, and finally causing fingers and toes and even limbs gradually to drop off. The former is sometimes called humid or black leprosy, and the latter dry or white leprosy. The tuberculated form is at the present day the most common in Egypt and Syria, though the two in many cases work together. 1-8. First marks of leprosy . The features of the disease described here in Leviticus are not the advanced and developed characteristics, but the symptoms belonging to its earlier stages, and while its presence is a matter of doubt. 2. The first appearance which calls for the at- tention of the priest is a rising, i. e., inflamed patch, or a scab or cicatrix, or a bright, or, glossy, spot. If on examination the priest finds the hair on this spot to have turned white and its appearance to be deeper than the surface or scarf skin, the case is at once decided ; the priest is to pronounce him unclean. If, however, these two decisive marks are wanting, it is a case of doubt, and the priest is to shut up the patient for seven days. If at the end of that time the disease does not seem to have advanced, the priest is required to shut him up seven days more. If on the second examination the plague has grown somewhat faint or dim the priest pronounces the person clean ; it is only a com- mon scab ; but if the disease has advanced much in the skin it is leprosy. 9-11. Confirmed lejyrosy. The case here contemplated seems to be that of a person who has deferred showing himself to the priest until the disease has reached a more advanced stage. 10. The decisive mark is quick raw flesh, lit., the quickening of living flesh, in the rising. This may refer to an ulcer or open sore with "proud flesh" in it, or it may refer to the ex- cessive tenderness of the bulla in ansesthetic elephantiasis before it becomes insensible. 11. Shall not shut him up, i. e., shall not sub- ject hira to the periods of quarantine for purposes of examination. 58 LEVITICUS [Ch. XIII. 12 And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and tlie leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, where- soever the priest looketli ; 13 Then the priest shall consider : and, behold, if the leprosy have covered aJl his flesh, he shall pronounce hun clean that hath the plague : it is all turned white : he is clean. 14 But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean. 15 And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pro- nounce him to be unclean : fur the raw flesh is un- clean : it is a leprosy. 16 Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest ; 17 And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white ; then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague : he is clean. 18 The fle-sh also, in which, even in the skin there- of, was a boil, and is healed, 19 Aud in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be shewed to the priest ; 20 And if, when the priest seeth it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white ; the priest shall pronounce him unclean : it is a plague of leprosy broken out of the boil. 21 But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and if it be not lower than the skin, but be somewhat dark ; then the priest shall shut him up seven days : 22 And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean : it is a plague. 2'd But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning boil ; and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 24 Or if there be aiiy flesh, in the skin whereof there is a hot burning, and the quick flesh that burneth have a white bright spot, somewhat red- dish, or white ; 25 Then the priest shall look upon it : and, be- hold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it bein sight deeper than the skin ; it is a lep- ro.sy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean : it is the plague of leprosy. 26 But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the other skin, but be somewhat dark ; then the priest shall shut him up seven days : 27 And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day : and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean : it is the plague of leprosy. 28 And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat dark ; it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean : for it is an inflammation of the burning. 12-17. Common leprosy. An eruption which has so spread as to cover the whole body, turn- ing it white, and yet without any raw flesh or ulcers appearing anywhere on the surface, can- not be true elephantiasis. It is only a ease of lepra vulgaris, or dry tetter, "which, although an affection often of long duration, frequently disappears spontaneously, and is never malig- nant." If, however, the ulcers at any time ap- pear, unless they prove only temporary, they are to be taken as indications of true leprosy, thus rendering the patient unclean. 18-28. Special cases of leprosy. The first case noticed in this passage is where an ulcer 12 unclean. And if the leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to 13 his feet, as far as appeareth to the priest ; then the priest shall look : and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce hirn clean that hath the plague : it is all turned 14 white : he is clean. But whensoever raw flesh 15 appeareth in him, he shall be unclean. And the priest shall look on the raw flesh, and pronounce him unclean : the raw flesh is unclean : it is 16 leprosy. Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, then he shall come unto 17 the priest, and the priest shall look on him : and, behold, if the plague be turned into white, then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague : he is clean. 18 And when the flesh hath in the skin thereof a 19 boil, aud it is healed, and in the place of the boil there is a white rising, or a bright spot, red- dish-white, then it shall be shewed to theprie.st ; 20 and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the ap- pearance thereof be lower than the skin, and the hair theieof be turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean : it is the plague 21 of leprosy, it hath broken out in the boil. But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and it be not lower than the skin, but be dim, then the priest shall shut 22 him up seven days : and if it spread abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him 23 unclean : it is a plague. But if the bright spot stay in its place, and be not spread, it is the scar of the boil ; and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 24 Or when the flesh hath in the skin thereof a burning by fire, and the quick flesh of the burn- ing become a bright spot, reddish-while, or 25 white ; then the priest shall look upon it : and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and the appearance thereof be deeper than the skin ; it is leprosy, it hath broken out in the burning : and the priest shall pronounce 26 him unclean : it is the plague of leprosy. But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the skin, but be dim ; then the priest shall 27 shut him up seven days: and the priest shall look upon him the seventh day : if it spread abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pro- nounce him unclean : it is the plague of leprosy. 28 And if the bright spot stay in its place, and be not spread in the skin, but be dim ; it is the lis- ing of the burning, and the priest shall pro- nounce him clean : for it is the scar of the burning. has healed leaving a scar ; or perhaps where, as sometimes happens, the tubercles or bullce of elephantiasis itself seem to subside and leave a scar, and in the scar appears a rising or white or reddish spot. The decisive mark in this, as in all other cases, is the presence of white hairs in the rising or spot and its appearing deeper than the scarf skin. This at once decides it as leprosy. Where this mark does not occur an- other sign is looked for after the patient has been secluded for seven days, namely, whether the disease advances. If not, the priest is to consider it simply the scar of the ulcer ; but if it does, the patient is pronounced unclean. Ch. XIIL] LEVITICUS 59 29 If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard ; 30 Then the priest shall see the plague : and, be- hold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin ; a)ul there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry acaii., even a leprosy upon the head or beard. 31 And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, it be not in the sight deeper than the skin, and that there is no black hair in it ; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days : 32 And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague : and, behold, if the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin ; 33 He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave ; and the priest shall shut up hun that hath the scall seven days more : 34 And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall : and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin ; then the priest shall pronounce him clean : and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 35 But if the scall spread much in the skin after his cleansing ; 36 Then the priest shall look on him : and, be- hold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair ; he is unclean. 37 But if the scall be in his sight at a stay, and that there is black hair grown up therein ; the scall is healed, he is clean : and the priest shall pro- nounce him clean. 38 If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, eveii white bright spots ; 39 Then the priest shall look : and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white ; it is a freckled spot that growetli in the skin ; he is clean. 40 And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he IS bald ; yet is he clean. 41 And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald : yet is he clean. 42 And if there be in the bald head, or bald fore- head, a white reddish sore ; it is a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead. 43 Then the priest shall look upon it : and, be- hold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the lep- rosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh ; 29 And when a man or woman hath a plague 30 upon the liead or upon the beard, tlien the priest sliall look on the plague: and, beh(jld, if the appearance thereof be deeper than the skin, and there be in it yellow thin hair, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean : it is a scall, it is 31 leprosy of the head or of the beard. And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, be- hold, the appearance thereof be not deeper than the skin, and there be no black hair in it, then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the 32 scall seven days: and in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague: and, behold, if the scall be not spread, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the appearance of the scall be 33 not deeper tlian the skni, then he shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall 34 seven days more: and in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, and the ap- pearance thereof be not deeper than the skin ; then the priest shall pronounce him clean : and 35 he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. But if the scall spread abroad in the skin after his 36 cleansing ; then the priest shall look on him : and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for the yellow hair ; he 37 is unclean. But if in his eyes the scall be at a stay, and black hair be grown up therein ; the scall is healed, he is clean : and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 38 And when a man or a woman hath in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright 39 spots; then tlie priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be of a dull white; it is a tetter, it hath broken out in the skin ; he is clean. 40 And if a man's hair be fallen off his head, he 41 is bald ; yet is he clean. And if his hair be fallen off from the front part of his head, he is forehead 42 bald ; yet is he clean. But if there be in the bald head, or the bald forehead, a reddish-white plague; it is leprosy breaking out in his bald 43 head, or his bald forehead. Then the priest shall look upon him : and, behold, if the rising of the plague be reddish-white in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the appearance of The second case is that of a rising or white or reddish spot appearing in a simple burn, or per- haps in a spot affected by inflammation result- ing from disease or injury. The diagnosis is made precisely as in the other case ; it being noticeable that in both of the eases mentioned here only a single period of quarantine is appointed instead of two. 29-37. Leprosy upon the head or chin. This form of leprosy was distinguished from leprosy in other parts of the body under the name, pr\J, neth?g, somewhat inexactly trans- lated in our version scall. Its chief features are like those of ordinary elephantiasis, the morbid affection of the whole depth of the skin and the yellow or whitish hairs. It is recognized by modern writers under the name of fox mange. It seems somewhat less formidable than ordi- nary elephantiasis, because it not infrequently passes away after a period of months or years. In making his diagnosis the priest, as in ordi- nary cases, was to look for an affection deeper than the skin and for yellowish or whitish hairs. If these did not appear the person was to be isolated for seven days, and if at the end of that time the spot still remained without those de- cisive signs he was to be shaven without shaving the nHheq. At the end of this second perit)d, if the decisive marks were still absent, he might be definitel}^ pronounced clean; but if the plague spread in the skin the patient was to be pronounced unclean even without the search for yellow hairs. In ver, 31 it is probal)le that the reading ought to be corrected to yellow hair, as in the Septuagint. 38, 39. Tetter. In these verses is described the harmless pn.3, hohdq, still called by the same name among the modern Arabs, and by them considered harmless. It is a kind of ec- zema, which causes little or no inconvenience and lasts from two months to two years, 40-44, Leprosy in the bald head. This 60 LEVITICUS [Ch. XIII. 44 He is a leprous man, he is unclean : the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean ; his plague is in his head. 45 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry. Unclean, unclean. 4«5 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled ; he is unclean : he shall dwell alone ; without the camp shall his habitation be. 47 The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen gar- ment ; 48 Whether it be in the warp, or woof ; of linen, or of woollen ; whether in a skin, or in any thing made of skin ; 49 And if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in tlie woof, or in any thing of skin ; it is a plague of leprosy, and shall be shewed unto the priest : 50 And the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up it that hath the plague seven days : 51 And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day : if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, oi- in any work that is made of skin ; the plague is a fretting leprosy ; it is unclean. 44 leprosy in the skin of the flesh ; he is a leprous man, he is uncleiin : the priest shall surely pro- nounce him unclean ; his plague is in his head. 45 And the leper in whom tne plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and the hair of his head shall go loose, and he shall cover his upper lip, 46 and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague is in him he shall be un- clean ; he is unclean : he shall dwell alone ; without the camp shall his dwelling be. 47 The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen 48 garment; whether it be in warp, or woof; of linen, or of woollen; whether in a skin, or in 49 any thing made of skin ; if the plague be green- ish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin ; it is the plague of leprosy, and shall be 50 shewed unto the priest : and the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up that which 51 hath the plague seven days: and he shall look on the plague on the seventh day : if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in the skin, whatever service skin is used for ; the plague is a fretting leprosy ; introduction of leprosy of the bald head or the bald forehead as a separate case occurs appar- ently in order to give the assurance that bald- ness in itself is not a mark of unclean disease, but that the appearance of leprosy in the bald head or the bald forehead will be treated as in ordinary cases. 45, 46. The laio for the confirmed leper. The leper seems to have been considered as one upon whom death had got hold, and he therefore bore the usual marks of mourning for the dead (see Ezek. 24 : 17). " Let her not be as one dead," cried Aaron to the Lord regarding his leprous sister Miriam (Num. 12:12). The object of the separation of the leper from the common inter- course of life, which has been a practice com- mon to nearly all nations and ages, does not seem to have been primarily sanitary. Leprosy is only very slightly contagious, if at all. But the leper, especially as his disease advanced, became a loathsome and hideous sight — a living example of death in life. The stroke was looked upon as a direct visitation of God. It was be- cause Job regarded his sudden affliction of ele- phantiasis as God directly punishing him that the visitation seemed ethically so monstrous. It Avas because his friends felt him to be an object of divine resentment that they so zealously urged him to repent and make his peace with God. The hideousness and loathsomeness of the disease was a sort of symbol of the loathsomeness of moral depravity. The affliction was regarded by the Jews as distinctively an uncleanness rather than a disease — a polluting thing like death. Lepers were counted as rendering everything unclean by contact. In their isolated life in modern Syria the lepers form communities (comp. 2 Kings 7:3; Luke 17 : 12)^ often witli a simple form of organiza- tion; and their participation in dreadful mis- fortune swallows up all differences as between Moslem and Christian (comp. Luke 17 : 16). 47-59. Leprosy in clothing and leather. Wool and flax were the most common materials for garments among the Hebrews (Hosea 2:9; Prov. SI: 13). As to the warp and woof being distin- guishable in any spot which might appear in a garment (seever. 48) the following note from the Polychrome Bible seems reasonable: "It has been objected that there was no reason why the warp and the woof should be distinguished here, and that one could not be affected without the other. But it is a very common thing for the woof of cloth to be so thick, that a spot on it would not touch the warp-thread at all, and vice versa. Or the direction in which the spot seemed to run, would be taken as indicating that the evil was in the warp or in the woof, as the case might be." A greenish or reddish plague in clothing or leather was to be shown to the priest. The priest shut it up seven days, and if at the end of that period the plague was found to have spread, the article was at once to be burned. If it had not spread, the suspected article, after washing, was to be shut up seven days more. At the end of that time if the plague appeared faint the priest was to tear it out of the garment, but if it still presented its original appeai-ance the article was to be burned. If, on the other hand, the plague had entirely disappeared the article was to be thoroughly washed the second time and pronounced clean. This form of plague in clothing when it was confirmed was called a malignant or fretting lep- rosy (ver. 51, 52). "What was its nature cannot be Ch. XIV.] LEVITICUS 61 52 He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any tiling of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy ; it shall be burnt in the fire. 53 And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the waip. or in the woof, or in any thing of skin ; 54 Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut It up seven days more : 55 And the priest shall look on the plague, after tliat it is washed : and, behold, if the plague have not changed his colour, and the plague be noc spread ; it is unclean ; thou shalt burn it in the fire ; it is fret inward, whether it be bare within or without. 56 And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be somewhat dark after the washing of it ; then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof : 57 And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin ; it is a spreading plague: thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire. 58 And the garment, either warp, or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean. 59 This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or vvoof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean. 52 it is unclean. And he shall burn the garment, whether the warp or tlie woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is : for it is a fretting leprosy ; it shall be 53 burnt in the fire. And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the plague be not spread in the gar- ment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in 54 any thing of skin ; then the priest shall com- mand that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more: 55 and the priest shall look, after that the plague is washed : and, behold, if the plague have not changed its colour, and the plague be not spread, it is unclean ; thou shalt burn it in the fire : it is a fret, whether the bareness be within or with- 56 out. And if the priest look, and, belKjld, the plague be dim after the washing thereof, then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the 57 skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof : and if it appear still in the garment, either in tlie warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin, it is breaking out : thou shalt burn that wherein 58 the plague is with fire. And the garment, either the warp, or the woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed 59 the second time, and shall be clean. This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or the woof, or anything of skin, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it uncleau. precisely determined, but it was probably some kind, or perhaps more than one kind, of destruc- tive mildew. There is nothing said about its causing any contagion of leprosy to the person wearing the garment, and the reason for such solemn and severe treatment of a mere article of clothing, and indeed the whole subject, is ob- scure. It is to be observed that no religious or symbolical rite is prescribed in connection with leprosy in clothing, as in the case of persons, and even houses (i* = 49-53). Chap. 14. The pfeification of the LEPER. If we may gauge the importance of the uncleanness by the minuteness of the rites which follow restoration, we should estimate that leprosy was regarded as the most momen- tous of all defilements. Perhaps some of this minuteness of ceremonial may be due to the ex- treme rarity of a case of restoration. That a special signification was attached to this par- ticular form of uncleanness is evident not only from the rigid exclusion and funereal behavior of the patient, suggestive of death, but from the peculiar nature of the cerenaonies connected with recovery. That the person was regarded as having been under the direct judgment and in- dignation of God is indicated by the guilt offer- ing which was prescribed, as if for crime or de- linquency. That the diseased state was thought of as having a special effect on the ecclesiastical or priestly standing of the person as a member of the sanctified nation is suggested by the cere- mony of convsecration with blood applied to ear, hand, and foot, like that of the priests. Or possibly such a priestly form of consecration may suggest the special gratitude of one who, in being restored from leprosy, has been virtually raised from the dead, and thus bound by incredi- ble divine mercy to a life of the highest sanctity. The use of two victims, also, a dead and a living one, to suggest the cleansing and the carrying away of the uncleanness, was a ceremony of special solemnity only paralleled by the scape- goat ceremony of the great Day of Atonement. No other form of sin or uncleanness re- quired purificatory rites in any way approach- ing these in elaborateness and variety of sug- gested meanings. The later rabbinical refinements on these regulations placed especial restrictions on the priest in his examination of the restored person preparatory to pronouncing him clean. The examination was not to take place on the Sab- bath, nor in the early morning, nor in the late afternoon, nor inside a house, nor on a cloudy day, nor in the glare of midday ; and the priest must have good eyesight and only determine one case at a time, and he was not allowed to pass judgment on one of his own kindred. Such evident fear of the possibility of admitting a man to the privileges of ordinary life who was not worthy of them shows that the development of the Jewish conscience, under the influence of ceremonialism, was predominantly in the direc- tion of intolerance of defilement, rather than in 62 LEVITICUS CHAPTER XIV. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 This shall be the law of the leper in tlie day of his cleansing : He shall be brought unto the priest : 3 And the priest shall go forth out of the camp ; and the priest shall look, and, behold, // the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper ; 4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive cmd clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: 5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: 6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water : 7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. 8 And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash him- self in water, that he may be clean : and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days. 9 But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean. 10 And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour /or a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: he shall be brought unto the 3 priest : and the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper ; 4 then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and 5 cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: and the priest shall command to kill one of the birds in 6 an earthen vessel over running water : as for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: 7 and he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let go the living 8 bird into the open field. And he that is to be cleansed shall wasli his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean : and after that he shall come into the camp, but shall dwell outside his tent seven 9 days. And it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off : and he shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and he 10 shall be clean. And on the eighth day he shall take two he-lambs without blemish, and one ewe-lamb of the flrst year without blemish, and three tenth parts of an epfiah of fine flour for a meal offering, mingled with oil, and one log of the more positive direction of encouragement to sanctity. 1-3. This seems to be addressed to Moses alone. 2. Brought unto the priest, i. e., to a rendezvous without the camp wliere the priest could meet and examine him. The cere- mony of cleansing was two-fold, the one part be- ing without the camp and qualifying the re- stored man to come within the camp and mingle Willi his brethren, while the second part, per- formed in the court of the tabernacle, restored the man to sanctuary privileges. 4-8. The rites performed without the camp. The two birds — D'"13V, tsipporim, a terra cover- ing any of the smaller birds — were provided by the priest and were not a sacrifice in the strict sense of the word, as they were not brought to the altar. The water and scarlet and hyssop are mentioned by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb. 9 : i9, 20) in describing the rite spoken of in Exod. 24 : 6, and the three sub- stances here named seemed to have been much used in rites of purification. The scarlet was probably a band of wool dyed with "worm- crimson," with which the cedar and the hyssop were tied together. There is much diiference of opinion as to what plant is meant by the He- brew word !3T^?, 'ezdbh, Greek, vo-o-ujTro?, or hyssop. It was the plant with which the blood of the paschal lamb was sprinkled on the door-post (Exod. 12 : 22) ; it was a plant of low growth, furnishing a contrast to the cedar of Lebanon, and it grew on walls (1 Kings 4 :33), and yet ac- cording to John 19 : 29 its stem might be a stick of considerable length. It was probably either the caper plant, or still more likely, the plant found in Syria classified as origanum maru. The two birds perhaps symbolized the leper in his state of defilement, or constructive death, and in his restoration ; or, more likely, they may have been the double means of enacting the cleansing of the leper and the carrying away of the divine displeasure. There is only one other ceremony mentioned in the law where two creatures, a slain and a living one, go to make up a single type, and that is the ceremony of the two sacrificial goats on the Day of Atone- ment (see 16 : 5, 7-10). 9-32. The rites in the court of the taber- nacle. The restored man prepared himself for these rites by shaving all the hair off from his body and washing himself and his garments, after having been in the camp seven days. The three-tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour amounted to something over ten pints and a half. The term log as a measure occurs only in tills chapter in the Old Testament. The log " is said to have been the twelfth part of a hin, and was computed by the rabbis to be the size of six eggs, about five-sixths of a pint." The three Ch. XIV.] LEVITICUS 63 11 And the priest that maketh Imn clean shall present the mun that is to be made clean, and those things, before the Lurd, at the door of the taber- nacle of the congregation : 12 And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them /or a wave oft'ering before the Lord : 13 And he shall slay the lamb in tlie place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the trespass offering : it is most holy : 14 And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the rightear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: 15 And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand : 16 And the priest shall dip his right linger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord : 17 And of the rest of tlie oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering : 18 And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed : and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord, 19 And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness ; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering : 20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon tlie altar : and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean. 21 And if he be poor, and cannot get so much ; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil ; 22 And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get ; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering. 23 And he shall bring them on the eighth day for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the Lord. 24 And the priest shall take the lamb of the tres- pass offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them /or a wave offering before the Lord : 25 And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot : 11 oil. And the priest that cleanseth him shall set the man that is to be cleansed, and those things, before the Lord, at the door of the tent of meet- 12 ing : and the priest shall take one of the he- lambs, and offer him for a guilt ott'ering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave ottering 13 before the Lord : and lie shall kill the he-lamb in the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary : for as the sin olfering is the priest's, so is the 14 guilt offering : it is most holy : and the priest shall take of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe 15 of his right foot : and the priest shall take of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own 16 left hand : and the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his hnger seven times 17 before the Lord : and of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put up(^n the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of 18 the guilt offering : and the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be clean.sed : and the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord. 19 And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make atonement for him that is to be cleansed because of his uncleanness ; and afterward he 20 shall kill the burnt offering : and the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meal otter- ing upon the altar: and the priest shall make atonement lor him, and he shall be clean. 21 And if he be poor, and cannot get so much, then he shall take one he-lamb for a guilt offer- ing to be waved, to make atonement for him, and one tenth part of an ephah of tine flour mingled with oil for a meal offering, and a log of oil ; 22 and two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get: and the one shall be a sin 23 offering, and the other a burnt offeri ng. And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleans- ing unto the priest, unto the door of the tent of 24 meeting, before the Lord. And the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave 25 offering before the Lord: and he shall kill the lamb of the guilt offering, and the priest shall take of the blood of the guilt offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot : victims provided (ver. lo) were for a guilt offer- ing, a sin offering, and a burnt offering. Tliat a guilt offering should be waved (ver. 12) in token of consecration (see on 7:28-34) is explained in ver. 13 by the fact that it was sacred to the priest's use. The guilt offering was required when the rights of others, whether of Jehovah or of a fellow-man, had been violated, and was usually accompanied by restitution (see5:i4-i6 and note). It is somewhat diffirult to see exactly how a guilt offering could be required in this case. The leper could hardly be held responsi- ble for the services and offerings withheld from a sanctuary to which he was incapalile of hold- ing any relation. For a similar protracted ex- clusion from the temple services in the case of the one unclean on account of secretions no guilt offering is prescribed. From the fact that the leper on his recovery had to be restored to the sanctuary in a manner similar to the con- secration of a priest, it seems likely that his affliction, as a direct mark of God's anger, was felt somehow to he a matter requiring to be dealt with throughout on a higher or more sacred level than ordinary uncleanness. The lej)er was the direct object of Jehovah's atten- tion, and so his case fell specifically within the sphere of the sanctuary. His sacred character was entirely destroyed by the divine blow, so that a satisfaction must be made to Jehovah by a guilt offering, as if for violation or damage to the sanctuary. The Nazarite was also directly 64 LEVITICUS [Ch. XIV. 26 And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own k-t't hand : 27 And the priest sliall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the Lord : 28 And the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the trespass offering : 29 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for iiim before the Lord. 30 And he sliall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get ; 31 Eren such as he is able to get, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meat offering : and the priest shall make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the Lord. 32 This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing. 33 And tlie Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 34 When ye be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession ; 35 And he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house : 36 Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean : and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house : 37 And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hol- low strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall ; 38 Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days : 39 And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house ; '26 and the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm 27 of his own left hand : and the priest shall sprin- kle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the Lord : 28 and the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the guilt 29 offering: and the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make atonement for 30 him before the Lord. And he shall offer one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as 31 he is able to get ; even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meal offering : aiid the priest shall make atonement for him that is to 32 be cleansed before the Lord. This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, who is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing. 33 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto 34 Aaron, saying, When ye be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the 35 land of your possession ; then he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, There seemeth to me to be as it were a plague in 36 the house : and the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go in to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean : and afterward the priest 37 shall go in to see the house : and he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, green- ish or reddish, and the appearance thereof be 38 lower than the wall ; then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut 39 up the house seven days : and the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look : and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls under Jehovah's attention, through his special consecration, and his character and sliortcom- ings were in a similar way estimated from the sanctuary level. We have already seen that the common level of life, which was for ordinary persons entirely innocent, was for him or for the intending priest sinful and needed a sin offering. A Nazarite who had been defiled by the dead was, like the restored leper, required to present a guilt offering (see Num. 6 : 11, 12), This ceremony, particularly in the application of the blood and the oil to the ear, the thumb, and the toe, resembled the disposal of the blood of tlie ram of consecration in the case of Aaron and his sons on their induction into ofiice (see 8 : 23, 24) and may possibly point to the restored , leper's reinstatement as a member of the priestly nation. In the case of the person who was too poor to afford these sacrifices only the he-lamb for the guilt offering was required, while the sin and burnt offerings might be of turtle-doves or young pigeons. The meal offering of fine flour was only one-third the usual quant' ty for such cases, though the quantity of oil remained unchanged. 33-53. Leprosy in a house. This part is ad- dressed to both Moses and Aaron. It is dis- tinguished from the rest of the section on leprosy in that it is wholly prospective, i. e., adapted to the time when the children of Israel should have settled dwellings in the Promised Land. The sub- ject-matter of this section would come in more naturally at the close of the last chapter. What the plague of leprosy in a house was is not known, and any assertion with regard to it is pure conjec- ture. It was evidently not anything which could infect persons with leprosy, since those who went into the house (ver. 46) or ate or slept in it (^er. 47) simply contracted an ordinary ceremonial un- cleanness which passed away that night on their washing themselves or their clothes. The fur- niture, moreover, was not rendered unclean by the house leprosy unless it remained in the house after the priest had inspected it (ver. sr). It was perhaps some form of decay, or some parasitic growth that was familiarly known. Ch. XV.] LEVITICUS 65 40 Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city: 41 And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place: 42 And they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones ; and he shall take other morter, and shall plaister the house. 43 And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he hath taken away the stones, and after he hath scraped the house, and after it is plaistered ; 44 Then the priest shall come and look, and, be- hold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house : it is unclean. 45 And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the morter of the house ; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place. 46 Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even. 47 And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes ; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes. 48 And if the priest shall come in, and look?!5ession. 2a And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it IS sold ; within a full year may he redeem it. 30 And if it be not redeeuied within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be established forever to Ijim that bought it throughout his generations: it shall n t go out in the jubile. 20 eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety. And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in 21 our increase : then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring 22 forth fruit for the three years. And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat of the fruits, the old store ; until the ninth year, until her fruits come 23 in, ye shall eat the old store. And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity • for the land is mine : for ye are strangers ana sojourners with 24 me. And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land. 25 If thy brother be waxen poor, and sell some of his possession, then shall his kinsman that is next unto him come, and shall redeem that 26 which his brother hath sold. And if a man have no one to redeem it, and he be waxen 27 rich and find sufficient to redeem it ; then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and re- store the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it ; and he shall return unto his possession. 28 But if he be not able to get it back for himself, then that which he hath sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubile : and in the jubile it shall go out, and he shall leturn unto his possession. 29 And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold ; for a full year shall he have the 30 right of redemption. And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be made sure in perpetuity to him that bought it, throughout his generations: it shall not go out in the jubile. that the tenure of land was only a life tenancy with Jehovah as owner (ver. 23) and therefore the land could not be sold in perpetuity. At the end of every Jubilee period the land was to revert to the families among whom it was originally divided by lot (nu™. 26 : 52-56; 33 : 54). " The comparative study of institutions shows what very different systems of land tenure exist in different ages and in different countries. Rights of individual ownership are sometimes not recognized at all, sometimes recognized only with limitations. Often the periodical redistri- bution of the land of a community is an imme- morial custom. . . Aristotle mentions a law among the Locrians restraining the sale of land and tending to keep the lots of land of equal size (Pol., 2 : 7; qf. 2 : 9 for Philolaus and the Tliebans). According to Strabo, among the Dal- matians a fresh distribution of land took place every eight years. We may compare also the early system of land tenure known as the shift- ing severalty , of which traces are found in many Aryan nations (Maine, 'Village Communities,' p. 81, seq.). Under this system the communal land was periodically redistributed in equal por- tions among the heads of families of a tribe or a township" (Driver). 25-28. The privilege of redemption. It is noticeable tliat no one appears to have been expected to part with his land except under the pressure of poverty. It was no doubt a matter of sentiment to keep the inheritance intact if possible (cf. 1 Kings 21 : 3). All land seems to have been bought subject to the right of redemp- tion ; the buyer was apparently obliged to sell, however much he might wish to retain the land till the Jubilee, if the price of redemption was tendered him. This is probably the mean- ing of ver. 24. The phrase any of his kin (ver. 25) is ouly a derived meaning of the Hebrew word. The primary meaning is /^JJ, go'el, or re- deemer. The go'el was the one to whom per- tained the right of delivering, or ransoming, the person, or perpetuating his family by marrying the widow. In the case of homicide the mur- dered person's go^el was called the DTH /XJ, go'el haddam, or avenger of blood, and it w^as his duty to demand hack the blood of the person, or vindicate him. It is this term that Job uses when he says, " I know that my Eedeemer liv- eth" (Job 19 : 25). Of coursc, as this right pri- marily inhered in the next of kin, the term came to have the derived signification of the nearest relative. 29-34. Its application to cities and villages. Houses that were sold in walled cities remained subject to the right of redemption for a full year ; after that not even the Jubilee could re- store them to their original possessor. This is the only case of perpetual possession that is possible under the terms of this chapter. 30. The word translated for ever, or inperpetuity, Ch. XXV.] LEVITICUS 99 31 But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of the country : they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubile. 32 Notwithstanding the cities of the Levites, and the houses of the cities of their possession, may tlie Levites redeem at any time. 33 And if a man purchase of the Levites, then the house that was sold, and the city of his posses- sion, shall go out in i/te year o/ jubile : for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. 34 But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold ; for it in their perpetual possession. 35 And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then tliou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner ; tliat he may live with thee. 3G Take thou no usury of him, or increase : but fear thy God ; tliat thy brother may live with thee. 37 Tliou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase. 38 I a»i tlie Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, a)ui to be your God. 39 And if thy l:)rother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee ; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant; 40 But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile : 41 And i/ie?i shall he depart from thee, both he and his cluldren with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his lathers shall he return. 31 But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be reckoned with the fields of the country : they may be redeemed, 32 and they shall go out in the jubile. Neverthe- less the cities of the Levites, the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Levites re- 33 deem at any time. And if one of the Levites redeem, tlien the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in the jubile : for tlie houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. 34 But tlie field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold ; for it is their perpetual possession. 35 And if thy brother be waxen poor, and his hand fail with thee ; then tliou shalt uphold him : as a stranger and a sojourner shall lie live 36 with thee. Take thou no usury of him or in- crease ; but fear thy God : that thy brother may 37 live with thee. Thou shalt not give him tliy money upon usury, nur give him thy victuals for 38 increase. I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be your God. 39 And if thy brother be waxen poor with tliee, and .sell himself unto thee ; thou shalt not make 40 him to serve as a bondservant : as an hired serv- ant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee ; he shall serve with thee until the year of jubile : 41 then shall he go out from thee, he and his chil- dren with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers occurs only in that verse and in ver. 23, where the right is denied. Tlie villages were aggre- gations of farm buildings and cottages attached to contiguous estates and grouped together for greater security. These were, therefore, under the same conditions of redemption as the farms themselves. The Levitical cities enjoyed a per- petual right of redemption (see ver. 32) like the allotted estates of the tribes. 33. And if a man purchase of the Levites, rather, if one of the Levites redeem, as in R. V. Even this ren- dering represents an imperfect text ; probably a not ought to be inserted after the word ' ' redeem," as is done in the Vulgate (see Margin, R. V.). The house . . . and the city of his posses- sion appears to be a hendiadys for the house in the city of his possession, the meaning being that if the house sold belonged to one of the Levitical cities, and was not a house that the Levite pos- sessed in some other place, it should return to him without compensation at the Jubilee. As to the pastures about the Levitical cities and belonging to them (ver. 34), these could not be alienated at all. For the legislation regarding the institution of Levitical cities, see Num. 35. It is to be observed that the term Levites used in this section (ver. 32, 33) has not before been used or defined in the book, a fact which some critics take as evidence of a later insertion. 35-38. Warning against oppression. The construction of the latter part of ver. 35 in the Hebrew is somewhat awkward. It literally reads. Thou shalt lay hold of him a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with thee. The Revised version probably comes as near as practicable to the sense. The purport of the regulation appears to be, that the Israelite who had become so poor as to sell his land was not to be treated as an outcast ; he was rather to be considered as having the same standing and consideration as a resident foreigner, who was also debarred from holding land. The practice of taking advantage of the brother's necessity to exact usury or increase is strongly condemned. Deuteronomy also forbids the lending upon usury to one of the Israelitish nation, but per- mits it in dealing with foreigners (Deut. 23 : 19, 20). It was the well-nigh universal habit in ancient times to look upon a loan as an act of help or relief, rather than as a commercial transaction, and hence usury or interest appeared as oppres- sion or illegitimate gain (cf. Ps. 15 : 5; Kzek. 18 : 8). 39-46. Of the holdirig of hondmen by Hebrews. This law with reference to the hold- ing of slaves differs very materially from that given in the earlier book of the Covenant (Kxod. 21 : 2, seq.) and also from the legislation in Deuteronomy (Deut. 15 : 12, seq.). According to those passages the Hebrew bondman (Exod.) or bondwoman (Deut.) was to be released after seven years of service unless he or she expressed a preference for a perpetual servitude, for which a special legal form was provided. By the law in this place an Israelite who is so impoverished 100 LEVITICUS [Ch. XXV. 42 For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt : they shall not be sold as boudmen. 43 Thou Shalt not rule over him with rigour ; but Shalt fear thy God. , , ^ ^ ■ ^ i • u 44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou Shalt liave, skull be of the heathen that are round about you ; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. . , , ^, i. 45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land : and they shall be your posses- 4G And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a pos- session ; they shall be your bondmen for ever : but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour. 42 shall he return. For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: 43 they .shall not be sold as bondmen. Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour ; but shalt fear 44 thy God. And as for thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have ; of the na- tions that are round about you, of them shall ye 45 buy bondmen and bondmaids. Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they have begotten in your land : and they shall be your possession. 46 And ye shall make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession ; of them shall ye take your bondmen for ever : but over your brethren the children of Israel ye shall not rule, one over another, with rigour. as to sell himself into slavery is to be treated humanely as a hired servant, and is to be re- leased at the Jubilee ; while perpetual bondmen or bondwomen may be had only of foreigners. The mitigation here prescribed of the harshness attending bond-service consists therefore only in humane treatment rather than in the brevity of the term, while the period of servitude may ex- tend to fifty years. The method of harmonizing this law with the earlier ones has been to make this Jubilee law presuppose the system of release every seven years, and mean that the Hebrew slave could claim his freedom at the year of Jubilee even though it happened to fall in an uncompleted septennial term of service. But the legislation neither in Exodus nor in Deut- eronomy betrays any knowledge on the law- giver's part of the existence of this Jubilee, and it is difficult to see how the divergent laws could all have been in operation at the same time. Experience at the time of Zedekiah (Jer. 34 : s-ie) showed that the Deuteronomic law could not easily be enforced, and modern critics have reasoned that this system of manumission of slaves at the Jubilee, now appearing in Leviticus, was instituted after that difficulty had become apparent. While the Jubilee, so far as concerned the ownership of land, may not have been a mere paper law or theoretical completion of the system of seven, as some have maintained, yet its extension to the manumission of slaves may liave dated from a time subsequent to the dis- covery that, as Hebrew society advanced, the law enjoining only a short term of enslavement was found impracticable. To say that the institution of slavery was recognized and used by the ancient people of Israel is but to say that the nation was not wholly detached from the universal ideals and social canons of their time. They found the practice of holding slaves as a part of the uni- versal industrial system, coming down unques- tioned from the remotest antiquity, and their institutions were so framed as to afibrd the wisest mitigation of the practice. To have put a stop to the immemorial custom at a given signal, and without preparation and education, would have been contrary to all the methods by wdiich suc- cessful changes have been produced in society. As it was, it seems that legislation outstripped the possible pace of the people, so that a modi- fication was found necessary by the time the priestly legislation was codified. The two great motives which were found workable for mitiga- ting the harshness of slavery wxre brotherhood in an exalted nationality and memory of past bondage as a personal experience. The Hebrew was not remanded to slavery except as a resource to which he was willing to resort in order to fulfill his obligations. No doubt in the imper- fect state of Jewish society the poor were often forced into this condition by harsh creditors (see 2 Kings 4:1; Neh. 5 : 3-5), but tliis was far different from systematically constituting a market of Hebrew slaves and drawing on it for the labor supply. This was forbidden, and no doubt the prohibition was measurably successful. At the same time the term of bondage was limited, so that a hereditary slave class became impossible. Then underlying all the prescribed treatment of the Hebrew servant, as a motive for forbearance from unduly degrading or abusing him, and for extending to him the benefit of the sabbath rest, w^as the consideration, " He is thy brother," and "Thou wast a slave in the land of Egypt." There was thus a constant appeal to tlie higher nature, and a bringing to bear of the most humanizing motives possible under the circum- stances. All this tended to make slavery in Israel far different from the helpless and hoj)e- less condition which it was in Roman society, or even in more modern times among the Negroes of North America. While these humanizing motives in ancient Ch. XXVI.] LEVITICUS 101 47 And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brotlier that dwelleth by liim wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or .sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family : 48 After that he is sold he may be redeemed again ; one of his brethren may redeem him : 49 Either his unele, or his uncle's son, may re- deem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him ; or if he be able, he may redeem himself. 50 And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold to him unto the year of jubile: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years, according to the time of an hired servant shall it be with him. 51 If there be yet many years behind, according unto them he shall give again the price of his re- demption out of the money that he was bought for. 52 And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubile, then he shall count with him, and according unto his years shall he give him again the price of his redemption. 53 And as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him: and the other shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight. 54 And if he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall go out in the year of jubile, both he, and his children with him. 55 For unto me the children of Israel are serv- ants ; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the laud of Egypt : I am the Lord your God. 47 And if a stranger or sojourner with thee be waxen rich, and thy brother be waxen poor be- side him, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner with thee, or to the stock of the stran- 48 ger's family : after that he is sold he may be re- deemed ; one of his brethren may redeem him : 49 or his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him ; or if he be waxen rich, he 50 may redeem himself. And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he sold himself to him unto the year of jubile : and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years; according to the time of an 51 hired servant shall he be with him. If there be yet many years, according unto them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the 52 money that he was bought for. And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubile, then he shall reckon with him ; according unto his years shall he give back the price of his re- 53 demption. As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him : he shall not rule with rigour 54 over him in thy sight. And if he be not re- deemed by these means, then he shall go out in the year of jubile, he, and his children with him. 55 For unto me the children of Israel are servants ; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt : 1 am the Lord your God. times were operative only in the Hebrew's deal- ings with his brethren, and did not inure to the benefit of foreign slaves, they are nevertheless the same motives which, extended and spiritual- ized, have after long ages of silent working finally prevailed to banish slavery as an institu- tion from Christian society. They must first become strong enough to affect human selfish- ness on the limited stage of a chosen nation before they could attack the entrenched wrong on the wider field of humanity. The old Hebrew brotherhood in a common nationality has under the working of the spirit of Christ broadened into the brotherhood of humanity ; and the emancipation from bitter bondage which now serves even more efficiently as a humanizing in- spiration than did the memory of the deliverance from Egypt is the common salvation in Jesus Christ which is the hope of the world. No man in whom the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ has had its legitimate effect can any longer find it in his heart to oppress his brother, of whatever race, or deprive him of that gift Avhich a com- mon consciousness of a divine sonship has caused to be preeminently valued in modern times — the gift of liberty. 47-55. On the holding of bondmen by for- eigners. In the case of bondage to a resident foreigner emphasis is placed on the principle that through all the period of servitude the right of redemption is in existence, and must be al- lowed if the slave finds a kinsman who will re- deem him or comes into the possession of prop- erty for hi^ own redemption. The price is to be regulated according to the time, reckoned at the current wages of hired labor, still to elapse before the Jubilee. The Hebrew must not allow his kinsman to be harshly enslaved and cruelly worked in his sight. If none of the prescribed means of redemption are found, the bondman becomes free w'ithout compensation in the Jubi- lee. The general basis for all these laws of free- dom is the inspiring truth that, as the land is Jehovah's (ver. 23) ^ so also the children of Israel are Jehovah's own servants and therefore can- not pass into the absolute control of any other owner. The influence of this feeling on the Jewish Christian consciousness is seen in Eom. 14:4. " So much for the Levitical law ; as regards its observance the evidence of history is not voluminous, but Jer. 34 : 14 seems to show con- clusively that in his time at least the law acknowledged by the prophets was that de- scribed in Deut. 15, according to which the rights of Hebrew slaveholders over their com- patriots were invariably to cease seven years after they had been acquired. After the exile the law of Lev. 25 was also certainly disre- garded ; the Talmudists and rabbins are unan- imous that although the Jubilee years were 'reckoned' they were not observed" ("Encyc. Brit.," XIIL, 759). Chap. 26. Hortatory conclusion. 1, 2. Prohibition of idolatry and injunction to keep the Sabbath. These verses are connected with the preceding chapter in the Hebrew Bible, 102 LEVITICUS [Ch. XXVI. CHAPTER XXVI. 1 YE shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it : for I am the Lord your God. 2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary : I am the Lord. 3 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my com- mandments, and do them ; 4 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vin- tage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time : and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. C And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid : and I will rid evil beasts out of the laud, neither shall the sword go through your land. 7 And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. 9 Kor I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. 10 And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new. 11 And I will set my tabernacle among you : and my soul shall not abhor you. i2 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. 13 I ain the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be tlieir bondmen ; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright. 14 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments ; 15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant : 1 YE shall make you no idols, neither shall ye rear you up a graven image, or a pillar, neither shall ye place any figured stone in your land, to bow down unto it : for I am the Lord your God. 2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary : I am the Lord. 3 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my com- 4 mandments, and do them ; then I will give your rains in their season, and the land shall yield, her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield. 5 their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time : and ye shall eat your bread to 6 the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid : and I will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. 7 And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall 8 fall before you by the sword. And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall chase ten thousand : and your enemies 9 shall fall before you by the sword. And I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you ; and will establish my cove- 10 nant with you. And ye shall eat old store long kept, and ye shall bring forth the old because 11 of the new. And I will set my tabernacle among 12 you : and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and 13 ye shall be my people. I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen ; and I have broken the bars of your yoke, and made you go upright. 14 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will 16 not do all these commandments ; and if ye shall reject my statutes, and if your soul abhor my judgements, so that ye will not do all my com- but they do not form a very close connection either with that or with the present chapter. They form a section by themselves. 1. Idols, lit., things of nought (cf. i Cor. 8 : i). Standing image, rather, pillar, as in E,. V., and image of stone, or rsither, figured stone (R. v.), i-efer to obelisks or symbolical monu- ments which might in any way minister to the ever-besetting temptation in Palestine to the worship of idols. The latter term is found only bore. To bow doAvn unto it restricts the prohibition. Do not erect these memorials for idolatrous purposes. Ver. 2 is repeated from 19 : 30. 3-13. Hortatory conclusion to the Law of Holiness : Blessings promised for obedience. These promises and threatenings are to be com- pared with those at the conclusion of the book of the Covenant (Exod. 23 : 20-33) and of the Deu- teronomic code (neut. 28). As is characteristic of the Law of Holiness, the blessings upon the land and agriculture are mode emphatic as a religious incentive. For faithfulness in keep- ing Jehovah's statutes and commandments there are promised abundant seasons with continuous ingathering (ver. 4, 5), peace and security (ver. 5, 6), prowess in war (ver. 7, 8), populousness, and abundance of provision (ver. 9, 10) ^ God's .sanctu- ary among them and the continuance of his favor (ver. 11, 12). The whole concludes with the ex- pression characteristic of the Law of Holiness, "I am Jehovah your God," and with a refer- ence to the deliverance from Egypt and its bondage. There are many striking resemblances in this passage to Ezekiel — too striking to be altogether accidental (comp. ver. 4 with Ezek. 34 : 26, 27 ; ver. 6 with Ezek. 34 : 25 ; ver. 11 with Ezek. 37 : 26, 27), but which is the superior in point of originality it is impos- sible to determine. Somewhat striking simi- larities between Joel 2 : 22-27 and this section have also been noted. My tabernacle (ver. ii) should rather be, my sanctuary, or divelling- place, whether a tent or a temple. 14-33. The five warnings for disobedience. The first warning (ver. 14-18) threatens a phys- ical debility that shall break their spirit and bring them under the fear and oppression of Ch. XXVI.] LEVITICUS 103 16 I also will do this unto you ; I will even ap- point over you terror, consumption, and the burn- ing ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart : and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you ; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. 18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19 And I will break the pride of your power ; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass : 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain : for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits. 21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me ; I will bring seven times m.ore plagues upon you according to your sins. 22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your higk ways shall be desolate. 23 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me ; 24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant : and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you ; and ye shall be deliv- ered into the hand of the enemy. 26 And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight : and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied. 27 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me ; 28 Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury ; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. 30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. 31 And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. 16 mandments, but break my covenant; I also will do this unto you ; I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to pine away : and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies 17 shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be smitten before your enemies : they that hate you shall rule over you ; and ye 18 shall flee when none pursueth you. And if ye will not yet for these things hearken unto me, then I will chastise you seven times more for 19 your sins. And I will break the pride of your power ; and I will make your heaven as iron, 20 and your earth as brass : and your strength shall be spent in vain : for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land 21 yield their fruit. And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me ; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according 22 to your sins. And I will send the beast of the held among you, which shall rob you of j^our children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your ways shall become 23 desolate. And if by these things ye will not be reformed unto me, but will walk contrary unto 24 me ; then wiil I also walk contrary unto you ; and I will smite you, even I, seven times for 25 your sins. And I will bring a sword up>on you, that shall execute the vengeance of the cove- nant ; and ye shall be gathered together within your cities : and I will send the pestilence among you ; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of 26 the enemy. When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight : and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied. 27 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto 28 me, but walk contrary unto me ; then I will walk contrary unto you in fury ; and I also will chas- 29 tise you seven times for your sins. And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your 30 daughters shall ye eat. And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your sun-images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your 31 idols ; and my soul shall abhor you. And I will make your cities a waste, and will bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell their enemies. 16. Consumption and the burning ague, or rather, consumption and fever, are perhaps general terms for wasting disease and inflammatory disease. To con- sume the eyes and to make the life waste away is a form of speech that often recurs in prophetic threatenings (cf. i Sam. 2 : 33; oeut. 28 : 65). In the second warning (ver. 18-20) an aggra- vated or " seven-fold " punishment is threatened through drought. 19. The peculiar expres- sion, to break the pride of your power occurs elsewhere only in Ezekiel where it is characteristic (see Ezek. 24 : 21 ; 30 : 6; 33 : 28), The third warning (ver. 21, 22) sets forth as a " seven-fold " visitation the reducing of the pop- ulation by wild beasts until the roads become desolate. According to the fourth warning (ver. 23-26) the rebellious people shall be crowded by war into their cities where pestilence shall break out and scarcity of food shall reduce them to the scantiest rations. 26. To break the staff of your bread is another Ezekiel expression (Ezek. 4: 16; 6 : 16 ; u : 13), though Something like it is also used by Isaiah (s : i). The fifth warning (ver. 27-33) is the most severe. It threatens the most dreadful destitu- tion for the people, the destruction of their idolatrous symbols, the laying waste of their cities, the rejection of their sacrifices, an aston- ishing desolation of the land, and captivity among the nations. The eating of the flesh of their offspring (ver. 29) actually occurred at the siege of Samaria by the Syrians (^ Kings 6 : 28, 29) and in Jerusalem at the time of Nebuchadnez- zar's siege (Lam. 4 : 10), and also at its final de- struction under Titus (see jos., Beii. Jud., v., 10 : 3). 30. The images are pillars or images dedi- cated to the sun, as indicated in R. V. Idols, lit., clods, or what can be rolled about, is probably a contemptuous designation. The Poly- 104 LEVITICUS [Ch. XXVI. 32 And I will bring the land into desolation : and your enemies which dwell therein shall be aston- ished ut it. 33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. 34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land ; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her 35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest ; be- cause it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. 36 And upon them that are lefta^ireof you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them ; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword ; and they shall fall when none pur- sueth, 37 And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth : and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. 3y And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands ; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them. 4o"lf they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me ; 41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies ; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity : 42 Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remenilier the land. 43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate with- out them : and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity*: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my stntutes. 44 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them : for I am the Lord their God. 32 the savour of your sweet odours. And I will bring the land into desolation : and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. 33 And you will I scatter among the nations, and I will draw out the sword after you : and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall 34 be a waste. Then shall the land enjoy her sab- baths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land ; even then shall the land 35 rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. As long as it lieth desolate it shall have rest ; even the rest which it had not in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon 36 it. And as for them that are left of you, I will send a faintness into their heart in the lands of their enemies: and the sound of a driven leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, asouefleeth from the sword ; and they shall fall when none 37 pursueth. And they shall stumble one upon another, as it were before the sword, when none pursueth : and ye shall have no power to stand 38 before your enemies. And ye shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall 39 eat you up. And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands ; and also in the iniquities of their fathers 40 shall they pine away with them. And they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, in their trespass which they tres- Eassod against me, and also that because they ave walked contrary unto me, I also walked contrary unto them, and brought them into the land of their enemies : if then their uncircum- cised heart be humbled, and they then accept 42 of the punishment of their iniquity ; then will I remember my covenant with Jacob ; and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will re- 43 member the land. The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbath, while she lieth desolate without them ; and they shall ac- cept of the punishment of their iniquity : be- cause, even because they rejected my judge- ments, and their soul abhorred my statutes. 44 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them : for I am the chrome Bible preserves the contemptuous im- plication by the rendering fetishes. 33. To draw out a sword after any one is another of Ezekiel's characteristic expressions (cf. Ezck. 5 : 2, 12 ; 12 : 14). 34-45. ResxtUs of the visitation upon the land and upon the jx-opile. A prominent result of which the author makes great account is that the land shall enjoy a rest as a satisfaction for the long neglect of the sabbatic year. This was the interpretation put upon the captivity by the autlior of Chronicles (see 2 ciuon. 36 : 21). The land shall literally accept her sabbaths (ver. 34)^ i. e., perhaps be paid them as her due. The term appears to be the technical term for being satisfied by the settlement of an account. With tlie same signification the children of Israel are said in ver. 41 to accept or he paid the punish- ment of their iniquity. This important rest of the land, as the triumphant result of the diviue visitations, is again recurred to in ver. 43. The writer evidently had strong feelings regarding the sabbatic year, and talks like one who knew that it had not been observed. The results upon the nation are, first, an ex- traordinary nervelessness and timidity, so that they pine or consume away and perish in their enemies' land. It is said (ver. 38) that the land of their enemies shall eat them up, a peculiar expression used also by the timid spies regarding the Promised Land (see Num. 13 : 32)^ though pos- sibly with not exactly the same meaning. Here it probably means that they shall so lose their national identity in the strange land that they shall never come forth as a distinct body, and it shall be as if the land had devoured them. Another result will be that the nation will con- fess their iniquities and those of their fathers; and the gracious assurance is given tliat if their uncircumcised, i. e., stupid, heart (cf. Jer. ■» 4; Ch. XXVII.] LEVITICUS 105 45 But I will for their sakcs remember the cove- nant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the laud of Egypt in tlie sight of the heathen, that I might be tlieir God : I am the Lord. 46 These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the Lord made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses. 45 Lord their God : but I will for their sakes re- member the covenant of their ancestors, whom 1 brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God : I am the Lord. 46 These are the statutes and judgements and laws, wliich the Lord made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses. CHAPTER XXVII 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the Lord by thy estimation. 3 And thy estimation shall" be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4 And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels. 5 And it be fz'ora five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 6 And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy esti- mation shall be three shekels of silver. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them. When a man shall accomplish a vow, the persons shall be for the Lord by thy estimation. 3 And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, 4 after the shekel of the sanctuary. And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty 5 shekels. And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the 6 female ten shekels. And if it be from a mouth old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three 9 : 26 ; Deut. 10 : 16 ; 30 ; 6) is humblcd SO RS to aCCept the punishment, God will remember his cove- nant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In the land of their enemies the covenant will be in abeyance, not destroyed utterly, and therefore their punishment shall be the salutary chasten- ing of one who is still their God. 46. Subscription to the Laxv of Holiness. A subscription is appended here as if this marked the end of the Sinai legislation. This may be because the following chapter is of the nature of an appendix, and therefore the law is regarded as strictly completed here ; but more probably the subscription here marks the end of that dis- tinct stratum of the documentary material which has been denominated the Law of Holiness. Chap. 27. On the commutation of vows and dues. After the distinct section, chaps. 17-26, this supplementary chapter re- verts to the characteristics of P. We note at once an instance in the form, "a man if" (ver. 2)^ noticed as a characteristic of P, in the note on 1 : 2. In its reference to the year of Jubilee, however, and in some of its literary marks, this chapter shows affinities with chap. 25, and probably owes its present position to the redactor who brought the whole together into one book. 1-25. The commutation of vows. The vow was a voluntary dedicating of persons or prop- erty to Jehovah. In fixing the scale of estima- tions, vows of persons (ver. 2-8) ^ of animals, clean or unclean (ver. 9-13)^ of houses (ver. u, 15), and of fields, belonging to one's hereditary possession or acquired by purchase (ver. 16-25), are men- tioned. No one was obliged to make a vow, but once made the vow became an obligation which must be performed (see Deut. 23 : 21-23 ; cf. Num. 30 : 2 ; Ps. 15 : 4 ; Prov. 20 : 25 ; Eccl. 5 : 4, 5). It is the substance of this legislation to which Jesus re- fers in his teaching regarding the oath (Matt. 5 : 33-37). Perhaps in the earlier times the vow was regarded as so literally obligatory as to know no possibility of commutation or mitigation, as in the case of Jephthah (Judg. ii:3o, seq.), while by the time the priestly legislation had assumed its final shape the custom of vowing was becoming conventionalized, so that the act of dedicating a person implied that he was to be redeemed ac- cording to a fixed tariff. It had become the act of giving money under the form of a dedication of persons or property in kind. The dedicating of a person to the sanctuary was not improbably regarded as a more solemn act than the simple promising of so much money. This custom is alluded to in 2 Kings 12 : 4. When a man shall make a singular vow, etc. (ver. 2)^ rather, as more literally ren- dered, If a man shall set apart a vow, in thy valu- ation, of persons. The case contemplated is that of a man's setting apart a person by vow, either himself, or some of his family or dependents. A fixed tariff of valuations follows, according to which the person's dedication to the sanctuary might be commuted for money. The valuation was perhaps based on the average vahie of one's services as a laborer for the period mentioned, or the excess of that value over the cost of his maintenance. Thus the age from twenty to 106 LEVITICUS [Ch. XXVIl. 7 And U U be from sixty years old and above ; if it be a. male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 8 But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him ; according to his ability that vowed shall the priest value him. 9 And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offer- ing unto the Lord, all that any man giveth of such unto the Lord shall be holy. 10 ile shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good : and if he shall at all change beast for beast, then it and the exchange thereof shall be holy. 11 And if it be any unclean beast, of which they do not offer a sacrifice unto the Lord, then he shall present the beast before the priest : 12 And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad : as thou valuest it, who art the priest, so shall it be. IH But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation. 14 And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the Lord, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad : as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand. 15 And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth par/ of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his. 16 And if a man shall sanctify unto the Lord some part of a field of his possession, then thy esti- mation shall be according to the seed thereof : an homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 17 If he sanctify his field from the year of jubile, according to thy estimation it shall stand. 18 But if he sanctify his field after the jubile, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain, even unto the year of the jubile, and it shall be abated from thy estimation. 7 shekels of silver. And if it be from sixty years old and upward ; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for 8 the female ten shekels. But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall be set before the priest, and the priest shall value him ; ac- cording to the ability of him that vowed shall the priest value him. 9 And if it be a beast, whereof men offer an ob- lation unto the Lord, all that any man giveth of 10 such unto the Lord shall be holy. He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good : and if he shall at all change beast for beast, then both it and that for which 11 it is changed shall be holy. And if it be any un- clean beast, of which they do not offer an obla- tion unto the Lord, then he shall set the beast 12 before the priest : and the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad : as thou the priest 13 valuest it, so shall it be. But if he will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part thereof unto thy estimation. 14 And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the Lord, then the priest shall esti- mate it, whether it be good or bad : as the priest 15 shall estimate it, so shall itstand. And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his. 16 And if a man shall sanctify unto the Lord part of the field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to the sowing thereof: the sowing of a homer of barley shall be valued at fifty 17 shekels of silver. If he sanctify his field from the year of jubile, according to thy estimation it shall 18 stand. But if he sanctify his field after the jubile, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain unto the year of jubile, and an abatement shall be made from sixty commands the highest valuation, and that from five to twenty next, while the tender age from infancy to childhood is valued low, and the i>eriod of old age is, for the male at least, rated at a price a little below that of the period of youth. The shekel of the sanctuary is pro- bably the official shekel (see on 5 : i5). This valuation of Moses was not a rigid rule ; in case the person making the vow was too poor to meet it, the fixing of the sum was left to the discre- tion of the priest (Ter. 8). In the case of beasts of such kinds as are offered in sacrifice being vowed (ver. 9) there seems to be no provision made for commuting the vow in money. It is taken for granted that the beast will be offered, the only provision that is insisted on being that there shall be no chang- ing of good for bad, or bad for good. If this is attempted, both the animal on which the lot fell and its chosen substitute are to be taken to satisfy the vow. If the vow was of an unclean beast (vcr. 11)^ unadapted to the uses of the sanc- tuary, then the priest on inspection was to value it "between good and bad," i. e., as to how good or bad it was, and then it was to be sold at that valuation (cf. ver. 27) ; or if the owner wi.shed to retain it he might do so by adding a fifth to the price. Houses (ver. 14, 15) when vowed were subject to the same rule as unclean beasts, i. e., sold at the priest's valuation and the money turned into the sacred treasury, or redeemed by the addi- tion of one-fifth to the price. It is to be re- membered that if houses were in the country they were subject to the same right of redemp- tion at the Jubilee as the fields (25 : 31)^ w^hile in walled towns that right lapsed at the end of one year (25 : 29). This was no doubt taken into the account by the priest in his fixing of the valuation. The value of a field belonging to the vower's hereditary possession (ver. 16, acq.) was reckoned according to the amount of seed required to sow it properly. A field requiring a homer of barley, ^. e., ten ephahs (Ezek. 45 : 11) containing a little over five and a half bushels (see on Lev. 19 : 36), was valued at fifty shekels. This was evidently the estimated worth of the crops of such a field for the whole Jubilee period. If the Jubilee period had partly elapsed at the time the vow was made, the priest allowed an abatement ac- cording to the time still remaining (see ver. le). Apparently the owner after paying his valua- tion continued to hold the field, but without the right of selling it. If he washed to redeem it outright he could do so by adding a fifth to the Ch. XXVII.] LEVITICUS 107 19 And if he that saiictilied the field will in any wise redeem it, then lie shall add the fifth pari of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him. 20 And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more. 21 But the field, when it goeth out in the jubile, ?hall be holy unto the Lord, as a field devoted ; the possession thereof shall be the priest's. 22 And if a man sanctify unto the Lord a field which he hath bought, which is not of the fields of his possession ; 23 Then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation, even unto the year of the jubile: and he shall give thine estimation in that day, as a holy thing unto the Lord. 24 In the year of the jubile the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land did belong. 25 And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary : twenty gerahs shall be the shekel. 26 On ly the firstling of the beasts, which should be the Lord's firstling, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox, or sheep : it is the Lord's. 27 And if zY be of an unclean beast, then he shall redeem it according to thine estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it thereto : or if it be not re- aeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation. 28 Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the Lord of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his pos- session, shall be sold or redeemed : every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord. 29 None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed ; but shall surely be put to death. 19 thy estimation. And if he that sanctified the field will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation 20 unto it, and it shall be assured to him. And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it sliall not be redeemed 21 any more : but the field, when it goeth out in the jubile, shall be holy unto the Lord, as a field devoted ; the possession thereof shall be the 22 priest's. And if he sanctify unto the Lord a field vvhich he hath bought, which is not of the field of 23 his possession ; then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation unto the year of jubile : and he shall give thine estimation in 24 that day, as a holy thing unto the Lord. In the year of jubile the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the 25 possession of the land belongeth. And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary : twenty gerahs shall be the shekel. 26 Only the firstling among beasts, which is made a firstling to the Lord, no man shall sanc- tify it ; whether it be ox or sheep, it is the Lord's. 27 And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall ransom it according to thine estimation, and shall add unto it the fifth part thereof : or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation. 28 Notwithstanding, no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the Lord of all that he hath, whether of man or beast, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed : every 29 devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord. None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be ransomed ; he shall surely be put to death. valuation. Indeed, if he did not pay this addi- tional fifth, and so bring the field back into his absolute possession before the Jubilee, he lost all right of redemption at the Jubilee and the field became a priestly possession like a devoted field (ver. 21). Or if, again, he sold his interest to another man during the time of his occupancy as tenant of a vowed field, he forfeited the right of redemption at the Jubilee in the same way. In the case of vowing a field which the per- son had bought (ver. 22) the estimating must be completed and the whole price must be paid at once (in that day, ver. 23)^ so as not to impair the original owner's right to redeem his hered- itary possession at any time. At the Jubilee the field would revert to the original owner as in 25 : 28. All these estimations were to be in the official or sanctuary shekel, which was probably worth about sixty cents. 26, 37. Of firstlings. The firstlings of cattle could not be vowed, as these already be- longed to Jehovah (Exod. 13 : 2 ; 22 : 30). An un- clean beast might be redeemed, if so desired, at the priest's valuation with the addition of a fifth to the price. Thy estimation (ver. 27) — second person singular— is no doubt subject to the same explanation as is given it in ver. 12. If not redeemed it was to be sold. This, so far as related to the firstborn of an ass, was a modifi- cation of the earlier law (Exod. is : is ; S4 : 20) ac- cording to which the animal was to be redeemed with a lamb, or if not redeemed, to have its neck broken. 28, 29. Of things devoted under a han. Things devoted under a ban were originally to be destroyed utterly (Num. 21 : 1-3 ; josh. 6 : 17-24; 1 Sam. 15 : 1-21). The cherem, or ban, was a sen- tence of utter devotion to God ; and to make the thing banned subject to a privilege of redemp- tion would be to frustrate the object of the ban. From the word D'^n, cherem, was derived the proper name HD'^n, Charmah (see Num. 21 : s), a memorial of the circumstance that that place, and the whole region, on being taken by the Israelites, was " utterly devoted." According to Num. 18 : 14 (of. Ezek. u -. 29) everything banned in Israel was to be the perquisite of the priest. Here evidently to "devote" or ban meant to dedicate to the sanctuary in an espe- cially strict way. As to the case of persons placed under the ban, ver, 29 is not to be taken as meaning that any one could arbitrarily de- vote one of his children or slaves to death, and in that case must at whatever cost perform his vow. Note the passive construction shall be devoted (ver. 29), as if by some higher au- thority, and also the absence of the phrase "to Jehovah." The verse rather means that the older law devoting idolaters to death (Exod. 22 ; 108 LEVITICUS [Ch. XXVII. 30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fiuitof the tree, is the Lord's : it is holy unto the Lord. 31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, evenoi whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. 3;i He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it : and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy ; it shall not be redeemed. 34 These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai. 30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is 31 the Lord's : it is holy unto the Lord. And if a man will redeem aught of his tithe, he shall add 32 unto it the fifth part thereof. And all the tithe of the herd or the flock, whatsoever passeth un- der the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the 33 Lord. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy ; it shall not be re- deemed. 34 These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel iu mount Sinai. 20; Deut. 13 : 12, seq.) was to be interpreted strictly and literally. 30-33. The redemption of tithes. The tithes belonged to Jehovah, and were subject to the same rule as regards redemption as the clean beasts that had been vowed. The tithe of cattle, with the exception of the secular tithe appre- hended as one of the burdens of the monarchy (1 Sam. 8 : 17), is Only mentioned in a late passage (2 chron. 31 : 5, 6), though there is no antecedent reason for supposing that it was not an early in- stitution. The expression passeth under tlie rod (ver. 32) rcfcrs to the manner of counting animals, which was by causing them to pass one by one out of an enclosure while a rod dipped in some pigment was held over them and made to touch and mark each tenth one. 34. Subscription. This verse is added as a conclusion to this supplementary chapter (comp. 26 : 46). The Book of Numbers BY GEORGE F. GENUNG, D. D. Copyright 1906 by the Ameeican Baptist Publication Society Published March, 1906 3From tbc Society's own ipreso INTKODUCTION The name Numbers, by which this fourth book of the Pentateuch is generally known, is the title given to it in the Septuagint and Vulgate versions. This name was no doubt applied to the book on account of the two numberings of the people narrated in the first and twenty-sixth chapters, and on account of the matter of a statistical nature with which the book abounds. In the Hebrew Bibles it generally goes by its first distinctive word, '^57'?"?> B'midhbar, "in the wilderness." The book is the history of the children of Israel from just before their departure from Sinai, through the period covered by their forty years' wandering in the desert, and to the time when, encamped in the plains of Moab opposite Jericho, with the country to the east of the Jordan subdued, they were ready to cross the river and undertake the conquest of Western Palestine. According to its subject-matter the book naturally divides itself into three parts. The first part, extending from the beginning to the tenth verse of the tenth chapter, might be entitled, Preparations for the Departure from Sinai ; the second part, from 10 : 11 to 22 : 1, relates various incidents of the journey from Sinai to the Steppes of Moab ; while part third is taken up with the occurrences and divine instructions during the sojourn in the Steppes of Moab. Part first is largel}^ of a statistical and Levitical character. The first chapter gives an account of the census of the twelve tribes exclusive of the tribe of Levi ; while the second goes on to regulate their order in the camp and on the march. In chapter three, after a brief genealogy of Aaron, is registered the divine direc- tion to take the tribe of Levi for the service of the sanctuary in lieu of the first- born whom Jehovah claims for himself; while chapter four presents the duties of the Levites in detail and gives the number of those qualified for service. Chapter five contains laws on various subjects : a regulation excluding the leprous and un- clean from the camp ; a pendant to the legislation in Lev. 5 : 14, seq., defining the law of compensation for fraud in case the injured person is dead and has no go' el ; and finally an interesting ordinance prescribing the ordeal for the woman suspected by her husband of unfaithfulness. The sixth chapter gives the regulations for as- suming and completing the Nazarite vow, and ends with the formula for the priestly benediction. In the seventh chapter the exactly similar offerings of the twelve princes of the tribes at the consecration of the tent of meeting and of the altar are marshaled at length in twelve identical descriptions, and at the end an isolated verse is inserted describing Moses' habitual communication with Jehovah in the tent of meeting. Chapter eight opens with an item of directions regarding the golden candlestick, and then narrates the consecration of the Levites, with the divine regulation as to their term of service. In the ninth chapter is given an account of the observance of the Passover at Sinai, with the provision, growing out of an actual case, for a supplemental ordinance a month later for the benefit of iii IV INTRODUCTION those ceremonially incapacitated to observe the festival at the proper time, and finally an account of the behavior of the cloud which rested over the sanctuary and the signals which it gave for encamping or breaking camp. The first ten verses of the tenth chapter bring the history and legislation at Sinai to a close by an ordinance regarding the construction and use of the silver trumpets employed by the priests for the sacred calls and alarms. The second part, covering a period of nearly forty years, begins at 10 : 11 with an account of the departure of the people from Mount Sinai, the securing of Hobab as a guide, and the habit of the ark and of Moses, who recognized it as the seat of Jehovah, in directing the movements of the host. In the interesting eleventh chapter is narrated the murmuring of the people at Taberah and Kibroth- Hattaawah, the appointment of seventy elders to assist Moses, accompanied by the outbreak of prophecy as a symptom of awakening religious life in Israel, and finally the miraculous sending of quails to satisfy the people. Chapter twelve gives an account of the rebellion of Miriam and Aaron against Moses as Jehovah's prophet, with Miriam's punishment of leprosy. In the thirteenth chapter is given the his- tory of the despatch of the spies from Kadesh and their report, while the fourteenth records the rebellion of the people and their sentence to forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Chapter fifteen inserts from the priestly source a series of laws regarding various offerings, the account of the Sabbath-breaker and his sentence, and the regulation regarding memorial fringes to be worn on the garments. In the sixteenth chapter is narrated the formidable rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abi- ram ; and in chapter seventeen the subject-matter of the dispute is set at rest by the miraculous confirmation of the priestly prerogatives in the tribe of Levi. An- other insertion of priestly laws in chapter eighteen gives the duties, relative jDOsi- tion, and revenues of the priests and Levites, while the nineteenth chapter de- scribes the preparation and use of a water of purification for those defiled by con- tact with the dead. The twentieth chapter finds the new generation reassembled at Kadesh and relates the death of Miriam, the sentence of Moses and Aaron at the Waters of Strife, the refusal of a passage through Edom, and the death of Aaron at Mount Hor. Chapter 21 to 22 : 1, with various embellishments from ancient song, narrates the campaigns and journeyings from Mount Hor to the Steppes of Moab. Part third begins with the three chapters devoted to the interesting episode of Balaam ; the first of these, chapter twenty-two, narrating Balaam's summons to curse Israel and his journey to Moab, the twenty-third giving the soothsayer's first two discourses from the top of the rocks, and the twenty-fourth reproducing what might be distinctively called his prophecies under the influence of the Spirit of God. In the twenty-fifth chapter is narrated the idolatry and immorality of the people at Shittim under the enticements of the women of Moab and Midian, and Jehovah's promise to Phinehas, who executed his vengeance. Chapter twenty-six is occupied with the second census of Israel, while in the twenty-seventh the daughters of Zelophehad secure an inheritance among their father's brethren, and Moses is warned of his death and directed to appoint Joshua as his successor. The twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth chapters are taken up with a list and rubric of the public sacrifices for the sacred year, while the thirtieth gives the law regard- ing the validity of vows. In chapter thirty-one is an account of the war of INTRODUCTION vengeance against Midian with the regulation in regard to the dividing of the spoil. The thirty-second chapter contains an account of the allotment to the two tribes and a half of the territory to the east of the Jordan. In chapter thirty-three is inserted from a very ancient source a list of the camping-places of Israel from Rameses to the plains of Moab, with directions respecting the occupation of Canaan. The boundaries of the territory west of the Jordan are delimited in the thirty-fourth chapter, and the names of the men who are to divide the land are given. Chapter thirty-five registers the appointment of cities for the Levites and cities of refuge ; and finally, the short thirty-sixth chapter closes the book with an ordinance, growing out of the case of the daughters of Zelophehad, in regard to the marriage of heiresses. The problems regarding the date and authorship of the book of Numbers are problems that belong to it in common with the books of Exodus and Leviticus, and their discussion is simply that of the distinctive strata or aspects of legislation and narrative appearing in the texture of the middle books of the Pentateuch. As a separate book. Numbers does not stand out critically from the mass of legislation and narrative of which these middle books are composed. It simply goes on from Leviticus with little change of subject, as Leviticus goes on from Exodus. Like Leviticus, or for that matter all the historical books of the Old Testament, it ap- pears anonymously in the Hebrew, the only part of it which makes any profession of coming from documents written by Moses being the itinerary in chapter thirty- three. It lends itself to consideration simply as so much priestly legislation and so much historical narrative placed side by side in a connection which is not always logically obvious, and bounded on the one side by the first numbering of Israel and on the other by the legislative readiness to cross the Jordan and enter on the conquest of Western Palestine. Perhaps nothing needs to be said regarding the improbability that Moses pro- duced these books of the Pentateuch in substantially their present form that has not already been said in the introduction to the book of Leviticus, excepting that various features and peculiarities might be pointed out in the book of Numbers which seem to enhance that improbability still more. Apart from tradition, the natural and unforced impression which the reader derives from an attentive survey of the phenomena of statement and style is that the book is a compilation of laws and statistical records and ceremonial enactments very much of a piece with those in the latter part of Exodus and Leviticus, accompanied by a history of some out- standing crises and events in the wilderness life of Israel woven together from ma- terial derived from somewhat variant sources and wrought into its final shape long after the period of which it treats. How exactly these variant sources may be regained and mapped out by criticism may well be a matter of dispute ; but that there is a slow and apparently solid coming together into something like unanim- ity regarding the great general outlines of a documentary hypothesis of the origin of the Hexateuch is a fiict which cannot be ignored. The most distinctive legislation of the book of Numbers, whose effect we should expect to see apparent in subsequent history, is the systematic provision for the Levites and the rigid fixing of their status in relation to that of the priests. In this book we find the Levites organized as a temple-militia, ''wholly given," or ^ INTRODUCTION "joined " to the priests, claimed by Jehovah and " waved " as the offering of the children of Israel in lieu of their firstborn, and maintained by the tithes of the people from which in turn they pay a tithe for the maintenance of Aaron the priest. Their three families of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari are systematically designated to the duty of caring for and transporting the various parts of the tabernacle ; and this duty is rigidly differentiated from the function of the priest, which is that of atoning and blessing in the name of Jehovah. The heart-burnings and jealousies in connection with this differentiation are reflected in the history ; and in conse- quence of the Levite Korah's attempt to assert priestly prerogatives for his order a wholesale act of judgment is performed, and memorial plates for the altar are made out of the stricken rebels' censers to remind the children of Israel that no stranger not of the seed of Aaron may approach to burn incense before Jehovah. Now if all these definite ecclesiastical arrangements had been enforced by Moses and made the model to which the organized religious life of the nation con- formed from their earliest history in Canaan, we should expect to see some indica- tions of a history developing on that basis. But when we turn to the earlier historical books of the Bible we see no signs of such a religious establishment. There is only such rudimentary organization of worship as would naturally grow up in a new land without any such previous legislation as that of the Pentateuch. The Levites, while recognized in a way as a sacred caste, are nevertheless not system- atically provided for, but find their home and support as they may. They do not seem to be distinguished from the priests, nor is there any such developed establishment and ritual as calls for the specialization of functions prescribed in Numbers. The priests are the body of men who "bear the ark " ; and this is the typical function which is taken generically to characterize the priestly office (1 Kings 2 : 26). This lack of differentiation between priests and Levites also charac- terizes the book of Deuteronomy, where throughout the sacred tribe is designated as " the priests, the Levites" ; Aaron is never called a priest; the priests have the function of bearing the ark ; and on the other hand the Levites have the supreme sacerdotal privilege of blessing in the name of Jehovah. Such a radical difference in the point of view regarding the hierarchy between the history and Deuteronomy on the one hand, and the priestly legislation on the other, indicates not only that Numbers and Deuteronomy could hardly have originated at practi- cally the same time and from the same author, as the traditional view holds, but that all the earlier history of Israel developed in the ignorance or entire absence of any organic law embodying these arrangements of the Priest Code. This noticeable feature in Israelitish history needed to be taken account of here because it has had a large share in provoking the discussions and conjectures on which the belief in a late compilation of the Pentateuch is founded. In seek- ing for indications of the time when these Levitical regulations began to be en- forced in the nation's life, criticism has fixed upon the last nine mysterious chap- ters of the book of Ezekiel as very significant in the pedigree of the Priest Code. Among the innovations introduced by that prophet, who is regarded as the spirit- ual father of the Levitical tendency in Judaism, is the important enactment in 44 : 6, seq. According to this the priests of the high places and their descendants are henceforth to do the menial work of the sanctuary which has hitherto been INTRODUCTION vii done by uncircumcised strangers. They lose their priestly privileges, these hence- forth being reserved for the sons of Zadok, that is, the offspring of the priestly families of Jerusalem. This demand of Ezekiel's is thought to be the root of the distinction, which appears in full bloom in the Priest Code, between the priests and the Levites. While this exilic enactment makes the Levite genetically a degraded priest — and the non-Zadokites were so little inclined to take up the role assigned them by Ezekiel that only by special measures were any Levites at all induced to return with Ezra (Ezra 8 : 15, seq.) — the subsequent legislation, completely formu- lated in Numbers, finds other grounds for their position as temple-servants, and introduces them to their duties as to an honorable position to which they rise from private life. The probability emerging from the comparison of details which present them- selves from various parts of the Old Testament appears to be : that the completed temple organization and ritual, including the relegation of the Levites to the posi- tion of subordinate helpers in the temple, did not come into force until after the exile ; and that in the books of Leviticus and Numbers which, availing themselves of ancient materials, were put into shape after that period, these priestly arrange- ments were ascribed to Moses through a use of legal formulas or fictions which was a common literary procedure among the nations of antiquity. The really interesting part of the book of Numbers is its narrative portion ; and of this it may be said, that while criticism finds it more or less composite in its structure, criticism can scarcely presume, in the absence of contradictory data, to deny its historical credibility. On the other hand the value of those stories for inspiration and admonition and the higher knowledge of God and truth — which is really history's most worthy motive for getting itself written — is a value which is evinced in terms of usefulness for the common man, and which is not impaired by a neglect to raise the question whether all these statements exactly correspond to happenings in an otherwise unknown past. And this introduces us to the con- sideration of the worth of the book of Numbers to the readers of a completed Bible. Whatever critics may make of Jewish history through the careful analysis and re- piecing together of the elements of the old literature, for the common reader of later times the book of Numbers always remains a single whole, which produces its impression in its setting in the Bible. Not for these readers is the task of re- constructing Israel's history on the lines demanded by scientific analysis. They will ever take the book as it comes, and use it for its value in the common life of to-day. The chemist may laboriously analyze the most beneficent of heaven's gifts and label it II2O, but to the thirsty it always remains plain water. In the far past the streams of literary tendency now learnedly designated as J and E and P may have produced their results as separate currents of thought and expression, but in the providence of God these streams came together and were united into a whole which only the acutest scholarship can separate into its parts ; and together they will remain, and will produce their unified impression, not as fragments from the post-exilic period or from the period of the later monarchy, but as the accepted history of God's dealings with the children of Israel while they were on their way from Egypt to the Promised Land. If the book as we have it is composite, and if the mission which God has ordained for it is the de facto indication of his eternal viii INTRODUCTION purpose, then the divine inspiration by which it, wi'th all Scripture, is given must be taken as applying to the authors and redactors who have fitted it in its completed form to inspire and teach the world. While the great outstanding event of Exodus, after the deliverance from Egypt and the Red Sea, is the giving of the Law, and the local center of Israel's history is Sinai, here in Numbers the local center is Kadesh, and the pivotal event of the history is the refusal to enter the Promised Land, with the sentence to forty years' wandering in the wilderness. In Exodus the perversity of the nation was espe- cially manifested by their lapse into idolatry in making the golden calf, while in Numbers it is their unbelief in turning back from the borders of Canaan. Full of the impressions derived from the book of Exodus, Stephen sums up the sin and reprobation of Israel in that they "made a calf in those days" and were given over to serve the host of heaven ; the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, on the other hand, deriving spiritual admonition from the book of Numbers, reminds the Christian church of that whole generation who hardened their hearts in the day of provocation so that God swore in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest. That act of unbelief and its punishment bulks large in the memory of Israel's teachers. The one predominant spiritual lesson for which the history in the book of Numbers stands in the consciousness of psalmist and apostle is that a nation may be undone through unbelief, even though it has been ushered on a career of promise with the most miraculous tokens of special divine favor. This critical event in Israel's history, with its spiritual lesson, may be taken as the great outstanding feature by which the book of Numbers is individualized. But merely to individualize the book and assign it to its place in the catalogue of les- sons which we credit God with having taught mankind, is but the beginning of that knowledge and profit which a reverent following of its utterances with a sympa- thetic attention and a quickened imagination may be expected to yield. If we accord to the book the simple treatment of reading it, in the true sense of that word, that is, committing ourselves to its current and sharing its point of view, as every author seeks to make his readers do — we shall find in the book of Numbers, after we have passed the rather forbidding statistical vestibule of its opening chap- ters, a wealth of instruction and a glow of human interest such as belongs to genuine biography. We have the story of a people wandering through a desert, thrown daily upon immediate divine guidance given in the pillar of cloud and of fire, and daily intro- duced to a widening knowledge of Jehovah their infinite Saviour. Their manifold benefits and glimpses of truth and perversities will catch the attention of readers with varying emphasis according to that phase of human life in which those read- ers are interested. To the prophet, deep in his controversy with the idolatry of his time, that history was a secret apostasy from Jehovah and a cherishing of images (Amos 5 : 25, seq.). To the psalmist it was a life-long tempting of God as at Mas- sah and Meribah, so that the divine estimate of them was of a people that do err in their heart and have not known Jehovah's ways (Ps. 95 : 8-11). The attention of Paul was held by their overthrow in the wilderness, by their greed at Kibroth- Hattaawah, by their idolatry at Sinai, by their impurity at Abel-Shittim, and by their experience with the fiery serpents (see 1 Cor. 10 : 5-9). To Jude, sorely vexed INTRODUCTION ix by ignorant railers, the venality of Balaam and the ambition of Korah furnish types of the evils of his time (Jude 11) ; while the Judaizing author of the Apocalypse finds in the liberal teachings of his region a resemblance to that counsel of Balaam by which the children of Israel were beguiled into eating things sacrificed to idols (Rev. 2 : 14). Our Lord, full of generous enthusiasm for the salvation of the lost, draws the most wonderful and effective of illustrations from the serpent lifted up in the wilderness (John 3 : 14, 15). So the long line of biblical teachers, casting their eye over Israel's past, find in this book of Numbers a veritable storehouse of sug- gestion and admonition as the interests of their respective circles fall to be consid- ered in the light of history. And we in our turn may learn still other lessons of intense interest to the student of human nature as we follow attentively the glow- ing anticipations, the misunderstandings and perversities of that people in those days of their discipline and spiritual awakening. We may take the course of the story, and even of the priest-legislation to some degree, as following the unfolding of the religious spirit in the nation as that re- sponded to the influences brought to bear upon it. While the children of Israel were in the camp, mainly subjected to regulations looking toward order and purity imposed upon them by superior authority, there was not naturally so much forth- putting of spontaneous religious enthusiasm on the part of the lay multitude. They were having everything thought out and planned for them. Such acts of leligious devotion and love as emanated from their own initiative were acts of loyalty evinced in offerings for the tabernacle and the altar, or vows expressive of the impulse for an extra sanctity such as might distinguish the devoted from the common life. The law of the Nazarite, while perhaps belonging to a later time, no doubt took cognizance of a practice that grew up with that impulse for purity and separateness which was the heart of the earlier Levitical religion. So even in the priest-legislation of the book of Numbers there is a certain congruity with the development of religion in the nation. While the people are lying at Sinai the regulations recorded are for the organization and policing of the camp, or for the fixing of the priest's share in unsatisfied claims, or defining his function as the censor of unfaithfulness in the family. Yet as the time grows riper the legis- lation and feeling grow more and more forward-looking ; the nation's anticipations are becoming more adjusted to the breaking up of the camp and the living on the road. Levites are organized principally to carry the tabernacle. By the Passover and its supplemental ordinance the congregation renews its consciousness as a sac- ramental host. The silver trumpets are fashioned, and their signals for raising the camp, section by section, to its feet are defined. The movements of the cloud be- come associated with Jehovah's will in regard to the people's advance, and antici- pation is eagerly fixed on the majestic lifting of that symbol of the divine presence which has so long overshadowed the tabernacle. Finally the glad sign of God's command to move was seen in the heavens ; the cloud was lifted up from over the sanctuary. Amid all the bustle of taking down the tabernacle and striking camp — men, women, and children falling into place in the line and catching wondering glimpses of the mysterious ark which seemed to be their palladium and guide — there are the signs running through the narrative of the gladdest, most expansive anticipations and the intensest feeling. Moses no INTRODUCTION doubt expressed the universal fervor and assurance when he said in recommending Israel's companionship to Hobab, "We will do thee good ; for Jehovah hath spoken good concerning Israel." It was a high pitch of religious elevation, a deep sense of communion with Jehovah, from which could come forth that majestic invoca- tion in the presence of the ark, ' ' Rise up, O Jehovah, and let thine enemies be scattered ; and let them that hate thee flee before thee " ; " Return, O Jehovah, unto the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel." The revulsion from the most joyous elation is the intensest disappointment and depression. The mixed multitude, unthrilled by the larger joys of the promised rest, soon found intolerable hardship in the deprivations of a roving life, and their blatant dissatisfaction ran like a contagion through the camp. It must have been a tense feeling, just ready to break, which at the first touch of disappointment shattered itself into a perfect tempest of hysterical grief, with every man weeping at the door of his tent. In close association with that high emotional tension came the appointment of the seventy elders to share Moses' spirit, and their ecstatic prophesying as the greatness and glory of God came before their clarified vision. Out of that fervency of widespread faith came the prophetic impulse that pene- trated to the camp and inspired Eldad and Medad with a power of utterance which Moses could wish universal. The being on the move — the being penetrated with the joys of the future — was bearing its fruit. It was a kind of pentecostal out- pouring in the Jewish church. In contrast to the life of law, which is yielding its legitimate fruit of restraint and loyalty and the passion for separateness, we begin to see something of the life of faith, which is already showing itself strong to awaken the spirit and call forth conquering enthusiasm. But the new life of the Spirit has its characteristic problems and set-backs ; and these are the same in kind as those which attend all outbreaking of spontane- ous spiritual power in the midst of a constituency too worldly to give it an intelli- gent reception. Prophetic power, which to the true insight of Moses was ideally an endowment for all, was apprehended by Joshua in his zeal for the official and me- chanical as a thing to be repressed or confined in tactical bounds ; just as the free apostolic Christianity, which at first blossomed out in gifts of the Spirit, was eventu- ally tamed down under the dogmatic regulation of the Catholic Church. To Miriam and Aaron that gift of rapturous speaking, valued for its distinction rather than for its realization of a higher life, presented itself as a thing which it was possible to make general through ambition and successful striving. To their imperfectly reverent contention Jehovah vouchsafes an answer, describing prophecy as a divine revela- tion, but implying that its highest manifestations, at present monopolized by Moses, are those which have most of the regulative and prosaically useful, and least of the ecstatic and uncontrollable and visionary. Thus from this early indication of atten- tion given to the nature of Israel's distinctive talent of prophecy we observe embedded deep in Hebrew thought the germ of that principle, so well fitted to curb extravagancies and keep inspired instruction sane and useful, that the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets. But not only is this fairest blossom of the religion of faith, this marvelous endowment of prophecy, made the object of attention and the subject of divine instruction, but there are evidences that thought has been expended and conclu- INTRODUCTION xi sions reached as to the ideal nature of the priesthood. We have already seen that Levitism did not succeed in confining the higher prerogatives of the priesthood, the privilege of drawing nigh to the immediate presence of God, to a narrow class without a considerable convulsion in the nation of Israel. But the principle which Korah found so widely accepted that he could make it a war-cry in his demagogic strike for his own advancement was that "all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and Jehovah is among them." Here we have the beginning of that con- sciousness in Israel, so uplifting for the spiritual, that they are a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exod. 19 : 6) ; but, like the gift of prophecy, we see this ideal priestly privilege taken in hand by unspiritual leaders and debased to a thing for the play of ambition and contention. It was not the principle of a universal access to God which was condemned in the divine judgment on Korah and his com- pany, but the impious employment of it as a pretext in that powerful leader's con- tention for his own selfish ends. As an ideal principle indeed, it was not yet ready to come forth and establish itself by a concrete and tangible molding of human institutions. This would be to sweep away all the barriers of the holy place and degrade the reverend sacredness of the temple to the common level. Korah him- self did not seriously contemplate any such outcome of his high assertions. Levit- ism, the narrow restriction of the priestly privilege, gained a momentous victory ; and no doubt it was better so, for God had his use for it in the safeguarding and development of religion in Israel. The distinction between the sacred and the secular cannot safely be obliterated until men are heavenly minded enough to level up into the sacred instead of leveling down into the secular. But the principle of a universal priesthood lay embedded in the religious consciousness as an ideal, now and then finding expression in the rapt utterance of psalmist or prophet, but awaiting its time to come to the birth in the working life of the church, when our Lord Jesus Christ, by his off'ering of himself once for all, and his eternal rending of the veil, pronounced the divine sentence on all human schemes for barring the common approach to the Infinite, and proclaimed immediate access to the holiest place for every one who will draw nigh to God. Now criticism will no doubt assert that these ideas regarding the nature of prophecy and priesthood belong to a far later and maturer epoch than the period of the journey through the wilderness, and will insist on stirring up the materials anew and concocting a religious history of Israel which shall be far other in its sequence than what it appears upon its face. With this assertion and demand we have no contention ; when our quest is for the same kind of knowledge for which these scholars are delving we shall no doubt consider and appraise their conclu- sions. But meanwhile we are pointing out what a lifelikeness and dramatic sequence the plain book of Numbers in its setting in a completed Bible exhibits. We are introducing the book to the common reader, and inviting him to see those things of eternal interest and value which that book has from time immemorial been placing within his reach. Let him insist on his right to read and enjoy and profit, undisturbed by the question whether he is reading contemporaneously written his- tory or not. He is at least reading a marvelous narration of a divine guidance of Israel through their forty years' wandering in the desert ; and no recasting of the his- tory or resetting as to its age can make the book any more inspiring or spiritually xii INTRODUCTION helpful. These things happened unto them as types, and they were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages are come. The Bible is a live book. That which is alive moves. To get the benefit of companionship with that which is alive and moving we must accompany it and move along with it. This is what true reading is — the entering into and moving with the mind of the author, who would transfer us to his point of view and place truth before us. We may dissect and learn the anatomy of the book also ; and this knowledge is interesting in its sphere. The commentary here placed before the reader is not without its exhibitions of the results of critical dissection. But we dissect only the dead body ; and we must not think that dissection of the dead can give the same results as communion with the living. May the day be far dis- tant when the Bible shall become for Western Christendom only a cadaver, the prey of dissection and analysis and criticism, a thing to be endlessly studied about, but never to be studied or communed with in its own living body and spirit. It will do the full good which its divine Inspirer intended only as it is a live book, a speaking companion, approached and appreciated through that naive power to merge the willing mind in its current of thought and imagery which the coldly critical habit can only do us infinite harm by taking away. Thus read and appre- ciated, not the least inspiring and vitally helpful of the sixty-six books in our canon will be found to be the divinely given book of Numbers. NUMBERS CHAPTER I 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilder- ness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls ; 3 From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel : thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies. 4 And with you there shall be a man of every tribe ; every one head of the house of his fathers. 5 And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you : of the tribe of Reuben ; Elizur the son of Shedeur. 6 Of Simeon ; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 7 Of Judah ; Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 8 Of Issachar ; Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 9 Of Zebulun : Eliab the son of Helon. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilder- ness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, 2 saying. Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number 3 of the names, every male, by their polls ; from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel, thou and Aaron 4 shall number them by their hosts. And with you there shall be a man of every tribe ; every 5 one head of his fathers' house. And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you : 6 of Reuben ; Elizur the son of Shedeur. Of Simeon ; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 7 Of Judah ; Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 8, 9 Of Issachar ; Nethanel the son of Zuar. Of PART FIRST. PREPARATIONS FOR THE DEPARTURE FROM SINAI, CHAPTERS 1 TO 10 : 10. The book of Numbers is more composite in its structure than the book of Leviticus, which ap- pears to be almost solely derived from the priest- legislation, including the distinct stratum known as the Law of Holiness. The structure of Num- bers more nearly resembles that of Exodus, having passages woven in from the JE docu- ment. The latter part of the book shows signs here and there of a still more composite struc- ture. Some brief passages are quoted from what is probably the very oldest Hebrew literature extant, as, for instance, the obscure fragment from the " Book of the "Wars of Jehovah," in 21 : 14, and perhaps also the " Well Song " and the taunting Proverb song in the same chapter (ver. 17, 18, 27-30). The Balaam discourses, on the other hand (23:7-10,18-24; 24:3-9,15-24), are quite generally regarded by critics as reflecting a national enthusiasm and sense of victorious greatness such as came to the nation later, say after the victories of David. All this first part, however, with the additional verses to 10 : 28, appears to be derived from P, and to have for its main topic the disposition of the camp and the duties of the Levites. The preparation for the journey from Sinai is represented as occu- pying twenty days (comp. 1 : iwuh 10 : 11), Chap. 1. The census op the twelve TRIBES EXCLUSIVE OF THE TRIBE OP LEVI. 1-19, The command to take the census is given in the tent of meeting. In like manner the commands of the book of Leviticus purport to have been spoken out of the tent of meeting (see Lev. 1:1). 1, The first day of the second month. It is now one month since the taber- nacle was set up (see Exod. 40 : 2, 17), and the revelation of the book of Leviticus is repre- sented as having been given in that time, that is, after the tent of meeting was completed and while the children of Israel were still at Sinai (see Lev. 1:1; 26 : 46 ; 27 : 34). This census appears to have been for civil and military purposes and to be little more than a registering according to tribes and families of results already obtained in connection with the levying of the half-shekel sanctuary tax nine months before (Exod. so : ll seq. ; 38:25-28). No change in the total number is noted (cf. ver. 46 with Exod. 38 : 26)^ though Considerable cliauges, by death and by coming of age, could not fail to have occurred in three-quarters of a year in a population of over six hundred thousand adult males. If no new enumeration was made but only the making out of a muster roll by tribes 13 14 NUMBERS [Ch. I. 10 Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim ; Elish- ama the son of Ammihud : of Manasseh ; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 11 Of Benjamin ; Abidan the son of Gideoni. 12 Of Dan ; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 13 Of Asher ; Pagiel the son of Ocrau. 14 Of Gad ; Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 15 Of Naphtali ; Ahira the son of Enan. 16 These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thou- sands in Israel. 17 And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names : 18 And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. 19 As the Lord commanded Moses, so he num- bered them in the wilderness of Sinai. 20 And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according lo 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 ; 21 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. 22 Of the children of Simeon, by their genera- tions, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, accord- ing 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, even of the tribe of Simeon, were 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, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hun- dred and fifty. 26 Of the children of Judah, by their genera- tions, 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 ; 27 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of .Tudah, were threescore and fourteen thou- sand and six hundred. 28 Of the children of Issachar, by their genera- tions, 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 ; 10 Zebulun ; Eliab the son of Helen. Of the chil- dren of Joseph : of Ephraim ; Elishama the son of Ammihud : of Manasseh ; Gamaliel the son 11 of Pedahzur. Of Benjamin ; Abidan the son of 12 Gideoni. Of Dan ; Ahiezer the son of Ammi- 13 shaddai. Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ochran. 14, 15 Of Gad ; Eliasaph the son of Deuel. Of 16 Naphtali ; Ahira the son of Enan. These are they that were called of the congregation, the princes of the tribes of their fathers ; they were 17 the heads of the thousands of Israel. And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed 18 by name : and they assembled all the congrega- tion together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by their fathers' nouses, accord- ing to the number of the names, from twenty 19 years old and upward, by their polls. As the Lord commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai. 20 And the children of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go 21 forth to war ; those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thou- sand and five hundred. 22 Of the children of Simeon, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, those that were numbered thereof, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were 23 able to go forth to war ; those that were num- bered of them, of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. 24 Of the children of Gad, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to 25 war ; those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty. 26 Of the children of Judah, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, accord- ing to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go 27 forth to war ; those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and four- teen thousand and six hundred. 28 Of the children of Issachar, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, accord- ing to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go and families, it may easily have been a matter of only a day's work, as seems to be implied in ver. 18, as the public part of this day's work would be only the "declaring" or reporting of data already made up in the tribal organizations. The matter is placed in the hands of tribal heads instead of in those of the Levites, under whom the hulf-shekel assessment was made. 10. The men who were employed by Moses and Aaron to assist in the census are desig- nated as called men of the congregation — ?'. e. men who were called to congregational assem- l)lios as representativesof their tribes — princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of the thousands in Israel. They may have been the rulers of thousands suggested by Jethro as associated judges with Moses in settling dis- putes (see Exod. 18 : 21 ). It is to be noted that the Deuteronomist represents the appointment of judges as taking place at this time, in connec- tion with the divine command to mobilize the nation, instead of at the previous time apparently indicated in Exodus (see oeut. i :9-i4). One of these men, Nahshon (ver. 7), was a brother-in-law of Aaron (Exod. 6 : 23) and ances- tor of David, and one, Elishama (ver. 10) ^ was grandfather of Joshua (1 Chron. 7 : 26, 27). 20-46. The numbering . In connection with the peculiar identity of numerical results, already noted, with those of the half-shekel Ch. I.] NUMBERS 15 29 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. 30 Of the children of Zebulun, by their genera- tions, 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 chil- dren of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the num'ber 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 genera- tions, 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 ; 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 genera- tions, 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, ivere 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, eveii of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 44 These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, 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. 29 forth to war ; those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. 30 Of the children of Zebulun, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, accord- ing to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go 31 forth to war ; those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. 32 Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the chil- dren of Ephraim, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to 33 war ; those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred. 34 Of the children of Manasseh, their genera- tions, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able 35 to go forth to war; those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. 36 Of the children of Benj amin, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, accord- ing to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go 37 forth to war ; those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. 38 Of the children of Dan, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, accord- ing to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go 39 forth to war ; those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. 40 Of the children of Asher, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, accord- ing to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go 41 forth to war; those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Asher. were forty and one thousand and five hundred. 42 Of the children of Naphtali, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, accord- ing to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go 43 forth to war ; those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 44 These are they that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twel ve men : they were each one for 45 his fathers' house. Po all they that were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers' houses, from twenty years old and upward, all that were 46 able to go forth to war in Israel ; even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. assessment, it is to be observed that minute exact- ness does not appear to be aimed at. The footing of each of the tribal enumerations is made up according to some system of round numbers which gives even hundreds for each of the tribes except the tribe of Gad (ver. 25) ^ and this tribe sums up even half-hundreds. Attempts to ac- count for this reckoning by round numbers as the result of the classification of the nation for the administration of justice into thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens (Exod. is -.25)^ or as a military enumeration by fifties, or as a neglect- ing of supernumerary units by way of allowing for shrinkage in the number of effectives for war through physical disability, are purely conjectural. 16 NUMBERS [Ch. II. 47 But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. 48 For the Lord had spoken unto Moses, saying, 49 Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children 50 But thou Shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimouy, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that helung to it : they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels there- of ; and they shall minister unto it, and shall eu- ciimp round about the tabernacle. 51 And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Leviies shall take it down: and when the taber- nacle 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 congiegatiou of the children of Israel: and the Levites siiall keep the charge of the taber- nacle of testimony. 54 And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they. 47 But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers 48 were not numbered among them. For the Lord 49 spake unto Moses, saying, Only the tribe of Levi thou shalt not number, neither shalt thou take the sum of them among the children of Israel : 50 but appoint thou the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all the furniture thereof, and over all that belongeth to it : they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the furniture thereof ; and they shall minister unto it, and 51 shall encamp round about the tabernacle. And 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 52 death. And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, according to 53 their hosts. But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of the testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the chil- dren of Israel : and the Levites shall keep the 54 charge of the tabernacle of the testimouy. Thus did the children of Israel ; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they. CHAPTER II. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 2 Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house : far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch. 3 And on the east side toward the rising of the 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses and unto 2 Aaron, saying. The children of Israel shall pitch every man by his own standard, with the en- signs of their fathers' houses : over against the tent of meeting shall they pitch round about. 3 And those that pitch on the east side toward the According to the usual proportion of adult males to the w'hole population, the total number of the children of Israel in the wilderness was something over two millions. 47-54. The Levites. The Levites here means the whole tribe, including the priests. The setting apart of the tribe of Levi for the care of the tabernacle and the specific duties of each of the three subdivisions of the tribe in connection with its taking down, its setting up, and its transportation, are related in chap. 3 and 4. It is usually the way of P to use the term "Levites" in the sense of these subordi- nate helpers in the sanctuary alone, exclusive of the priests, and this differentiation of Levites from priests is thought to mark a later arrange- ment than that of the times of Deuteronomy. Here, however, the whole tribe is obviously meant. The Levites are not mustered among those liable to military duty because they are devoted to the tabernacle, and their place in the camp is in its immediate vicinity. They are not only to have the exclusive right of handling the sacred things (ver. 5i) but by their proximity to the sanctuary they also act as a guard to pre- vent such careless profanations as might bring down the wrath of God on the congregation (ver. 53). Chap, 2. Order of the tribes in the CAMP AND ON THE MARCH. 1. The WOrd standard) 7J/T, degel, designates the conspicu- ous object, probably waving flag, to which each of the four camps was to rally, while the en- sign, or sign, filiX 'oth, was the distinguishing mark or badge of the tribe or family. The four standards, while each constituting the rallying sign for the three tribes composing its camp, were probably identical with the standards of the leading or naming tribes in their respective groups. Thus the camp of Judah would rally- around the standard of the tribe of Judah ; and so also for the camps of Eeuben, Ephraim, and Dan. Eabbinic tradition has associated these standards with the four cherubic forms of Eze- kiel's vision (Ezek. i = lo), making the emblem of Judah the lioyi in accordance with Gen. 49 : 9, that of Pv-euben the head of a man, because he was the firstborn or head, that of Ephraim the bull, as suggested by Deut. 33 : 17, and that of Dan the eagle as the greatest enemy of the ser- pent (cf. Gen. 49 : 17). 2. Far off, rather, over against, i. e., fronting the tabernacle, though at a sufiicient interval to allow of the camp of the Levites between it and the tent of meeting. In Joshua's line of march the interval between the nearest tribe and the ark was two thousand cubits (see Josh. 3:4). 3-34. The style of these first chapters is very diffuse. This second chapter repeats all the numbers given in chap. 1, and all the names of the tribal princes, these being first mentioned Ch. Ill] NUMBERS 17 sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Ju- dah pitch throughout their armies : and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the chil- dren of Judah. 4 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. 5 And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar. 6 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. 7 Then the tribe of Zebulun : and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun. 8 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. 9 All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth. 10 On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur. 11 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. 12 And those which pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon : and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 13 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. 14 Then the tribe of Gad : and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel. 15 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hun- dred and fifty. 16 All that were numbered in the camp of Reu- ben were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank. 17 Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards. 18 On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies : and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shallbe Elishama the son of Ammihud. 19 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred. 20 And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh : and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 21 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. 22 Then the tribe of Benjamin : and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidau the son of Gideoni. 23 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. 24 All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were an hundred thousand and eight thou- sand and an hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank. sunrising shall be they of the standard of the camp of Judah, according to their hosts : and the prince of the children of Judah shall be 4 Nahshon the son of Amminadab, And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six huu- 5 dred. And those that pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar : and the prince of the children of Issachar shall be Nethanel the son 6 of Zuar : and his host, and those that were num- bered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and 7 four hundred : and the tribe of Zebulun : and the prince of the children of Zebulun shall be 8 Eliab the son of Helon : and his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and 9 seven thousand and four hundred. All that were numbered of the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, according to their hosts. They shall set forth first. 10 On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their hosts : and the prince of the children of Reuben shall be 11 Elizur the son of Shedeur. And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty 12 and six thousand and five hundred. And those that pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Simeon : and the prince of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zuri- 13 shaddai : and his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thou- 14 sand and three hundred : and the tribe of Gad : and the prince of the children of Gad shall be 15 Eliasaph the son of Reuel : and his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty. 16 All that were numbered of the camp of Reuben were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, according to their hosts. And they shall set forth second. 17 Then the tent of meeting shall set forward, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps : as they encamp, so shall they set for- ward, every man in his place, by their standards. 18 On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their hosts : and the prince of the children of Ephraim shall be 19 Elishama the son of Ammihud. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were 20 forty thousand and five hundred. And next unto him shall be the tribe of Manasseh : and the prince of the children of Manasseh shall be 21 Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur : and his host, and those that were numbered of them, were 22 thirty and two thousand and two hundred : and the tribe of Benjamin: and the prince of the children of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of 23 Gideoni : and his host, and those that were num- bered of them, were thirty and five thousand 24 and four hundred. All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were an hundred thou- sand and eight thousand and an hundred, ac- cording to their hosts. And they shall set forth third. as the men chosen for each of the tribes to assist in the census. The only thing which this chap- ter adds to the information given in chap. 1 is the order in the camp and on the march. Judah, the largest tribe, with the other tribes forming his camp, takes the post of honor on the east or front of the tent of meeting, and the van on the march. The second and thi);d, or south and west camps, headed respectively by Reuben and Ephraim, are the smallest in number; while the rear is guarded on the march by the strong camp of Dan. In the order of the march the tabernacle with the priests and the attendant tribe of non-combatant Levites comes between the second and third camps. In the first camp Judah associates with himself 18 NUMBERS [Ch. III. 25 The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on tlie north side by their armies : and the captain of tlie children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the sou of Am- mishaddai. , ^ v, ^ 26 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were tlueescore and two thousand and seven hundred. ^ „ x. ^i, 27 And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher : and the captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the sou of Ocrau. 26 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. 29 Then the tribe of Naphtali : and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira tlie sou of Jiuaii. 30 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 31 All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hind- most with their standards. 82 These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers : all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. 33 But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel ; as the Lord commanded Moses. 34 And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses : so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers. 25 On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan according to their hosts : and the prince of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer 26 the son of Ammishaddai. And his host, and those that were numbered of tliem, were three- score and two thousand and seven hundred. 27 And those that pitch next unto hira shall be the tribe of Asher: and the prince of the children 28 of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ochran : and his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred : 29 and the tribe of Naphtali : and the prince of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of 30 Euan : and his host, and those that were num- bered of tliem, were fifty and three thousand 31 and four hundred. All that were numbered of the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall set forth hindmost by their standards. 32 These are they that were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers' houses: all that were numbered of the camps according to their hosts were six hundred thousand and three .33 thousand and five hundred and fifty. But the Levites were not numbered among the children 34 of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses. Thus did the children of Israel ; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one by their families, according to their fathers' houses. CHAPTER III. 1 THESE also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the Lord spake with Moses in mount Sinai. 2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron ; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office. 1 NOW these are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the Lord spake with Moses 2 in mount Sinai. And these are the names of the sons of Aaron ; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, 3 Eleazar, and Ithamar. These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom lie consecrated to minister in two other tribes which were descendants of Leah ; in the second Reuben the firstborn has with him the second son of Leah and Gad son of Zilpah, which tribe with Reuben chose its inheritance on the east of the Jordan. In the third camp the children of Rachel are all asso- ciated together; while the fourth comprises the remaining three sons of the handmaids, headed by the eldest, Dan. The order in which the Levites encamped and marched is described in the next chapter. The form of the camp, while ideally square, a favorite shape in Israelitish prophecy, ex- pressive of ideal completeness (see Ezek. 48 : 20 ; uev. 21 : 16), was ncccssarily often varied to adapt itself to the configuration of the wadies or plains where the tents were pitched. Chap. 3. The Levites taken for the SERVICE OF THE SANCTUARY IN LIEU OF THE FIRSTBORN. 1-4. The word generations, n'^7ir\, tol'dhofh, is used throughout the book of Genesis as a heading of the historical sections, and is taken by critics as a mark of the priestly document. It does not always signify gene- alogy, but is often used in the sense of history, or account, as in Gen. 2:4. In the Hebrew mind the whole conception of development formed or constituted itself from the idea of be- getting ; so that genealogy and history scarcely needed different words to designate them. The title seems to be used in this first verse as if the writer had started out with the intention of giving a fuller account of the families of Moses and Aaron at the epoch of Jehovah's revelation to Moses in Sinai. The title is superseded in the second verse by another restricting the genealogical list to the sons of Aaron, and leav- ing Moses with the bare mention of his name. The names given here are the names of the priests, and they are introduced in order to dis- tinguish them as a more sacred class from the Levites with whom the remainder of the chap- ter is concerned. Their superior sanctity is expressed by the form, whom he conse- crated, lit., ivhose hand he filled, to act the Ch. hi.] NUMBEKS 19 4 And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children : and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father. 5 And the Lord spalic unto Moses, saying, 6 Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. 7 And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle. 8 And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9 And thou Shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons : they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. 10 And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office : and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 12 And I, behold, 1 have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the first- born that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel : therefore the Levites shall be mine ; 13 Because all the firstborn are mine ; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Is- rael, both man and beast: mine shall they be : I am the Lord. 4 the priest's office. And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children : and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the presence of Aaron their father. 5 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 6 Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them be- fore Aaron the priest, that they may minister 7 unto him. And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tent of the meeting, to do the service of the 8 tabernacle. And they shall keep all the fur- niture of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the 9 tabernacle. And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him on the behalf of the children of 10 Israel. And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall keep their priesthood : and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saving, 12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the womb among the chil- dren of Israel ; and the Levites shall be mine: 13 for all the firstborn are mine ; on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the laud of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast : mine they shall be ; I am the Lord. jyriest. The story of their consecration or " fill- ing the hand " is given in Lev. 8. The children of Moses were reckoned among the common Levites (i Chron. 23 : 14), One branch of his de- scendants appears to have held a rival priest- hood, with a ritual embodying image-worship, in the northern city of Dan from the occupation of that city by the Dauites until the captivity (Judg. 18 : 30). 5-10, The Levites were to be brought near and caused to stand (ver. 6) before Aaron as his servants. The expression to stand before is often used of the position and attitude of a servant (see e. g., i Kings 18 : 15). According to 8 : 13 they were offered to the Lord as a wave offering, i. e., a gift that was solemnly given to Jehovah to be received back again for the uses of the sanctuary. On the wave offering see on Lev. 7 : 28-34. The Levites appear to have been regarded as fulfilling the people's respon- sibility for the adequate and orderly guardian- ship and administration of the service — they kept the charge of the whole congrega- tion before the tabernacle, tent of meet- ing. Hence they were counted as substitutes for the firstborn whom Jehovah claimed as his own ; and their office, as being virtually that of the people, was a sort of lay priesthood. The priests, as appointed to a service to which no "stranger" or layman was to come nigh, are therefore strongly contrasted with the Levites (see ver. lo). Thcse latter are "given given," i. e., wholly given (ver. 9) to Aaron on behalf of the children of Israel. These devoted, D'J=inj, nthimim, Israelites are to be distinguished from the D"'J"'nj, n'thinrm (Ezra 7 : 24; 8 : 2O; Neh. 11 : 21) who were of non-Israelitish descent and who were in their turn given to the Levites to do the most menial service (Josh. 9 : 27). In Deuteronomy this sharp distinction be- tween the priests and the Levites seems to be unknown. The functions of the Levites appear to be more distinctly priestly ; they stand be- fore the Lord to minister unto him and to Mess in his name (oeut. 10 : s), and indeed seem to be spoken of simply as the priestly tribe. In that book Aaron is not called a priest, and the priests are everywhere the sous of Levi, instead of more specifically the sons of Aaron. This difference of standpoint with regard to the priest's office seems to reflect different degrees of ecclesiastical development in the nation, and the more exact differentiation characteristic of the priest-legis- lation is thought to be later than that reflected in Deuteronomy. 11-13. These verses set forth the theory of the separation of the sons of Levi to the service of the sanctuary and their absolute ownership by Jehovah. These people are taken in lieu of the firstborn whom Jehovah consecrated to himself when he smote the firstborn of the Egyptians (see Exod. 13 : 1, 2 ; 12 : 13). This redemp- tion of the firstborn by the substitution of the Le- vites seems to be foreshadowed and provided for in the exj^ression (Exod. 13 .- 13) "all the firstborn of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem," 20 NUMBEKS [Ch. III. 14 And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilder- ness of Sinai, saying, . , ., ^ 15 Number the children of Levi after the house of their futliers, by their families : every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them. 16 And Mose.s numbered them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded. 17 And these were the sous of Levi by their names : Gershon, and Kohatli, and Merari. 18 And tliese are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families ; Libni, and Shimei. 19 And the sons of Kohath by their families ; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the liouse of their fathers. 21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites. 22 Those that were numbered of them according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of tliem ivere seven thousand and five hundred. 23 The families of the Gershonites shall pitch be- hind the tabernacle westward. 24 And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites ahall be Eliasaph the son of Lael. 25 And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the taber- nacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, 26 And the hangings of the court, and the cur- tain for the door of the court, which is by the taber- nacle, and by the altar round about, anh the cords of it for all the service thereof. 27 And of Kohath was the family of the Amram- ites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites : these are the families of the Kohathites. 28 In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, xvere eight thousand and six hun- dred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary. 29 The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward. 30 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the sou of Uzziel. 14 And the Lord spake unto Moses in thewilder- 15 ness of Sinai, saying. Number the children of Levi by their fathers' houses, by their families : every male from a month old and upward shalt 16 tliou number them. And Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord, as he was 17 commanded. And these were the sons of Levi by their names ; Gershon, and Kohath, and Me- 18 rari. And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families ; Libni and Shimei. 19 And the sons of Kohath by their families ; Am- 20 ram, and Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. And the sous of Merari by their families; Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' houses. 21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimeites : these are the 22 families of the Gershonites. Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were 23 seven thousand and five hundred. The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the taber- 24 nacle westward. And the prince of the fathers' house of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the 25 son of Lael. And the charge of the sons of Ger- shon in the tent of meeting shall be the taber- nacle, and the Tent, the covering thereof, and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting, 26 and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the court, which is by the taber- nacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof. 27 And of Kohath was the family of the Amram- ites, and the family of the Izharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites : these are the families of the Kohath- 28 ites. According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge 29 of the sanctuary. The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tik-bernacle 30 southward. And the prince of the father's house of the families of the Kohathites shall be 14-20. Ill the wilderness of Sinai. The pains taken to specify the place of the rev- elation (cf. Lev. 25 : 1) seems to indicate the intro- duction of a more broadly separated topic in the author's mind. The Levites are numbered from a month old and upward, as that was the age at which the firstborn were to be presented for re- demption (see 18 : 16). Of these Lcvitcs there are three branches: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the first and third being subdivided into two families each, and the second into four (comp. Exod. 6 : 16-19). 21-39. The Gershonites were to pitch their tents in the immediate vicinity of the tabernacle and on the west side. Their charge in general was the Avhole of the cloth work and tapestry of the sanctuary or tent of meeting and of the court which surrounded it, with the exception of the veil shutting off the most holy place. This they were not only to pack up and trans- port when the tabernacle moved, and to place in position when the tabernacle was set up, but to care for and regulate so far as it was employed in religious service. The cords of it (ver. 26)^ probably means the cords of the sanctuary rather than of the court, which latter appear to have been in charge of the sons of Merari (ver. 37). The Kohathites were the most numerous of the families of Levi and the branch from which, through Amram, came Moses and the priests. They were to pitch on the south side of the tabernacle, and their service was the most hon- orable and also hazardous, on account of the self- avenging sanctity of the sacred objects which they were to handle. They had to do with the ark and the table and the altars and all the most sacred vessels, and the great veil which separ- ated the holy place from the most holy — ob- jects which were too sacred to be transported in any way except on men's shoulders, or to be seen by any but the priests. These men, as well as the other two Levitical families with their princes, were to be under the command and oversight of Eleazar the son of Aaron. The ^Merarites were upon the north and had in general the charge of the heavy and solid Ch. III.] NUMBERS 21 31 And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the ves- sels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof. 32 And Eleuzar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary. 33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites : these are the families of Merari, 34 And those that were numbered of them, ac- cording to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred. 35 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the sou of Ab- ihail : these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward. 36 And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto, 37 And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords. 38 But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel ; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 39 All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the Lord, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand. 40 And the Lord said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. 31 Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candle- stick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewitli they minister, and the 32 screen, and all the service thereof. And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary. 33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites : these are the fami- 34 lies of Merari. And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a mouth old and upward, were six 35 thousand and two hundred. And the prince of the fathers' house of tlie families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail ; they shall pitch on 36 the side of the tabernacle northward. And the appointed charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the instruments thereof, and all the serv- 37 ice thereof ; and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their 38 cords. And those that pitch before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrising, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel ; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 39 All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the command- ment of the Lord, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand. 40 And the Lord said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number .work of the tabernacle and the court — the boards and bars and pillars and sockets. On the east or front side of the tabernacle were located Moses and Aaron and the priests, and their part of the camp was rigidly secluded from lay intrusion. The total number of the Levites is given (ver. 39) as twenty-two thousand, while the sum of the numbers of the three families, seven thousand five hundred, eight thousand six hundred, and six thousand two hundred, is twenty-two thou- sand three hundred. This erroneous footing is adopted without comment as the basis of the redemption of the overplus of the firstborn (ver. 46), an overplus which would not exist if the numbers were used as in the text and correctly added. "We can account for this arithmetical error only conjecturally. It is possible that an error in copying has crept into the text. The addition of a single letter in the word indicating the hundreds in the family of Kohath (ver. 28) would make it read eight thousand and three hundred, which would correct the error. It is to be noted that the tribe of Levi is very small in comparison with the other tribes, being ten thousand less than Manasseh the smallest of them, even though reckoned from a month old upward, while the other tribes are reckoned from twenty years up. Dillmann seems to have the suspicion, not that the tribe of Levi is reckoned too small, but that the numbers of the other tribes have been placed too high for the time of Moses. It is thought that many of alien or mixed birth who were adopted into the other tribes may have served to swell their numbers, while only those of pure descent would be counted qualified to serve the sanctuary in the tribe of Levi. 40-43. As the Levites are to be taken instead of the firstborn of the children of Israel it be- comes necessary to take a census of the first- born in order to verify the fairness of the ex- change. The number, twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three, bears a very small proportion to the six hundred and three thou- sand five hundred and fifty (1 = 46) males of twenty years old and upward. It is therefore believed that by the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel, here taken are meant simply those firstborn males who had come into the world since the command " Sanc- tify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the Avomb " (Exod. 13 : 2) had been given, thirteen months before. This is the most natural interpretation of a command which apparently for the first time takes account of the first- 22 NUMBERS [Ch. IV. 41 And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the Lord^ instead of ail the tirstboru among the children of Israel ; and the cattle of the Levites in- stead of all the firstlings among the cattle of tiie children of Israel. 42 And Moses numbered, as the Lord commanded him, all the hrstborn among the children of Israel. 4;i And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen. 44 And tlie Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 45 Take the Levites instead of all the hrstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of tlie Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine : I am the Lord. 413 And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites ; 47 Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them : (the shekel is twenty gerahs :) 48 And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons. 49 And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites: 50 Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money ; a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary : 51 And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses. 41 of their names. And thou shalt take the Le- vites for me (I am the Lord) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel ; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings 42 among the cattle of the children of Israel. And Moses numbered, as the Lord commanded him, all the hrstborn among the children of Israel. 43 And all the hrstborn males according to the number of names, from a month old and up- ward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and tliirteen. 44 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle : and the Le- 46 vites shall be mine ; I am the Lord. And for the redemption of the two hundred and three- score and thirteen of the firstborn of the chil- dren of Israel, which are over and above the 47 number o/the Levites, thou shalt take hve shek- els apiece by the poll ; after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them (the shekel is 48 twenty gerahs) : and thou shalt give the money wherewith the odd number of them is redeemed 49 unto Aaron and to his sons. And Moses took the redemption-money from them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the 50 Levites : from the hrstborn of the children of Israel took he the money ; a thousand three hundred and threescore and hve shekels, after 61 the shekel of the sanctuary : and Moses gave the redemption-money unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses. CHAPTER IV. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 2 Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers, 3 From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the" work in the tabernacle of the congregation. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses and unto 2 Aaron, saying. Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' houses, from thirty 3 years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter upon the service, to do born in reference to their uses for a sanctuary- yet to be built. "With this understanding, re- stricting the account to the firstborn males less than thirteen months old, the proportion to the total population is large as compared with the proportion prevailing among the less prolific races of modern times. It is very natural to suppose, however, that, after the cruel restric- tions and hardships of the bondage, the reac- tion and the immediate consummation of de- ferred marriages during the year of wilderness- freedom and hope would bring the number of births up to an exceptional proportion. It is certainly true that among all peoples the aver- age of births varies considerably according to the hardness or prosperity of the times. Added to tliis is the consideration that the proportion of male to female children is large among the Jews. 44-51. The cattle of the Levites (ver. «) are taken in the lump for this time in order to obviate the well-nigh impracticable search for firstlings among the numerous herds of the chil- dren of Israel ; while all firstlings born in the future are to be presented by their owners to Jehovah (Exod. is ; 12 ; Num. 18 : 17). Five shekels came to be the established sum required for the redemption of the firstborn (see 18 : 16). This was also the sum required for the commutation of a vow in the case of a male child from a month to five years old (see Lev. 27 : 6). This money was paid to the priests, as the firstborn were reckoned theirs (i8 : i5) ; and the Levites, also wholly given to them (3:9), did not satisfy all the claims of Aaron's family upon the children of Israel. Chap. 4. Duties of the Levites in de- tail AND number of THOSE QUALIFIED FOR SERVICE. 1-20, The Levites are thought of as a kind of sacred militia and therefore their service is often designated by the Avord loarfare, or military service (ver. 3, 35, 39. 43). The service of the Levites for the sanctuary expressly cor- responds to the service of the other tribes for war. It is with special reference to the mo- bilization of the tabernacle and its furniture Ch. IV.] NUMBERS 23 4 This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things : 5 And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony v?ith it: 6 And shall put thereon the covering of badgers' skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof. 7 And upon the table of shevvbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal : and the continual bread shall be thereon : 8 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. 9 And thev shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuffdishes, and all the oil ves- sels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it: 10 And they shall put it and all the vessels there- of within a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put it upon a bar. 11 And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put to the staves thereof : 12 And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctu- ary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put them on a bar : 13 And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon : 14 And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the flesh hooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the altar ; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skins, and put to the staves of it. 15 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: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation. 4 the work in the tent of meeting. This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of 5 meeting, about the most holy things: when tiie camp setteth forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the testimony with 6 it : and shall put thereon a covering of sealskin, and shall spread over it a cloth all of blue, and 7, shall put in the staves thereof. And upon the table of shew bread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls and the cups to pour out withal : 8 and the continual bread shall be thereon: and they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of sealskin, 9 and shall put in the staves thereof. And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candle- stick ot the light, and its lamps, and its tongs, and its snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels there- 10 of, wherewith they minister untx) it : and they shall put it and ail the vessels thereof within a covering of sealskin, and shall put it upon the 11 frame. And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a cov- ering of sealskin, and shall put in the staves 12 thereof : and they shall take all the vessels of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanc- tuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of sealskin, and 13 shall put them on the frame. And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread 14 a purple cloth thereon : and they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they min- ister about it, the lirepans, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering 15 of sealskin, and put in the staves thereof. And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward ; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it : but they shall not touch the sanctuary, lest they die. These things are the burden of that their duties are described, because it was when the holy things were being handled and transported that these were in special danger of profanation. The service of the Kohathites was the holiest, lit., "holy of holies" (ver. 4) ; they were to carry the ark and the table of shew- bread and the candlestick and the golden and brazen altars. These were first to be carefully covered and packed for transportation by the priests before the Levites came near to touch or even to see them. We may well suppose that the holiest things were the first to be packed before the removal of the curtains of the tent, which were in the charge of the Gershonites, and while the priests could work unseen in the sanctuary. The taking down of the great veil of partition (ver. 5) would open the most holy place, but its one inefiably sacred object of fur- niture, the ark, was immediately covered with that veil, so that no eye except that of the au- thorized priest ever beheld it. One of the wrappings of the ark, as also of each of the sacred articles in charge of the Kohathites, was a covering of sealskin ; then for an outer cover- ing the ark was to have a cloth wholly of dark blue or purple (ver. 6), and its poles which, though always kept in position (Exod. 25 : u, 15), would need to be disarranged in the process of packing, were to be adjusted. The table of shew-bread was to be spread with a cloth of blue on which were to be placed its utensils and the bread which was continu- ally to be kept in position (ver. 7), and its dis- tinctive covering was a cloth of "worm crimson " (ver. 8). The candlestick, which was without carrying poles, and also the small utensils per- taining to the care of it and to the service of the altar of incense were, carried on a frame or cra- dle (ver. 10, 12). The great altar of burnt offering was to be cleansed of its greasy ashes (ver. 13) and covered, along with its dishes and forks and shovels, with a cloth of purple. After ver. 14 the Septuagint and the Samaritan text insert directions for covering the brazen laver and putting it on a frame, but this is probably an unauthorized interpolation. It was not until the priests had completed the wrapping of the holy things that the sons of 24 NUMBERS [Ch. IV. 16 And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth the oil for the hght, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tab- ernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof. 17 And the Lord spake unto Moses ana unto Aaron, saying, ^ .. r m- t *u 18 Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites : 19 But thus do unto them, that they may Jive, 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 and to his burden : , - ,_ , 20 But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die. 21 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 22 Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families ; 23 From thirty years old and upward until fifty vears old shalt thou number them ; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation. 21 This is the service of the families of the Ger- shonites, to serve, and for burdens : 25 And they shall bear the curtains of the taber- nacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgers' skins that 16 above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, 26 And the hangings of the court, and the hang- ing for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, aiid their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them ; so shall they serve. 27 At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershon- ites, in all their burdens, and in all their service : and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens. 16 the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting. And the charge of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the light, and the sweet in- cense, and the continual meal offering, and the anointing oil, the charge of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, the sanctuary, and the furniture thereof. 17 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto 18 Aaron, saying. Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the 19 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 20 and to his burden : but they shall not go in to see the sanctuary even for a moment, lest they die. 21 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take 22 the sum of the sons of Gershon also, by their 23 fathers' houses, by their families ; from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them ; all that enter in to wait upon the service, to do the work in the tent of 24 meeting. This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in bearing 25 burdens : they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of meeting, its cover- ing, and the covering of sealskin that is above upon it, and the screen for the door of the tent 26 of meeting ; and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the in- struments of their service, and whatsoever shall be done with them, therein shall they serve. 27 At the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Ger- shonites, in all their burden, and in all their service : and ye shall appoint unto them in Kohath were to draw near to perform their serv- ice as bearers, lest the profane touch of their lay- hands should cause their death. According to the probably older legislation of Deuteronomy, which does not so clearly distinguish the priests from the Levites (see on s : s-io)^ the chief of the privileges of the whole priestly tribe of Levi is that of bearing the ark (see Deut. 3i : 9, 25), and this corresponds to the evidence of the older his- torical books, according to which the priests bear the ark (see Josh. 3:3; 6 : 6, 12 ; 8 : 33 ; 1 Kings 2 : 26 ; 8 : 3, 6), It appears that, in addition to the total charge of the Levitical service (3:32) and the more specific oversight of the Kohathites, Eleazar was to have for his special and personal duty the care of the holy oils and incense and of the constant minchah (see ver. le). A peculiar command is given to Aaron and his sons in ver. 18, seq. They are directed not to cut off the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites by neglecting to apprise them or keep them vividly sensible of the momen- tously solemn nature of their duties. Closely allied to the sense of sacredness is the sense of order, and a service so extra hazardous as that of the Kohathites would be guarded from the danger of falling into a perilous heedlessness by being carefully organized (ver. 19), so that every man had his well-understood share of the task. A very wholesome fear of making holy things common was fostered by warning these lay serv- ants that if they went in to see the " holy " even ** according to a swallowing," i. e. , for an instant (ver. 20 ; cf. Job 1 : 19) they should die. The inci- dent related in 1 Sam. 6 : 19 is a historical in- stance of the stern retribution visited upon such profane staring, and the fate of Uzzah (2 Sam. 6 : 6, 7) was a Warning of what might be feared if an unauthorized person, even with the best intention, touched the dreadful symbol of Jehovah's seat. 21-33. The service of the Gershonites, which is introduced, as was that of the Kohathites, by a command to number their effectives for the sanctuary — every one that gocth forth to war warfare, to serve service (ver. so) — is described substantially as in 3 : 25, 26 and in the same order, only in a little greater detail. 24. Their service, when the tabernacle was in use and their assignment for carrying when it was re- moved (to serve, and for burdens), was the whole cloth work of the sanctuary and the tent Ch. IV.] NUMBERS 25 28 This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation : and their cliarge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 29 As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers ; 30 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation. 31 And this is the charge of their burden, accord- ing to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation ; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sock- ets thereof, 32 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 ye shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden. 33 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. 34 And Moses and Aaron and the chief of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their families, and after the house of their fathers, 35 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation : 36 And those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 37 These were they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that might do serv- ice in the tabernacle of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses. 38 And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers, 39 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, 40 Even those that were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty. 41 These are they that were numbered 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. 42 And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, 28 charge all their burden. This is the service of the families of the sous of the Gershouites in the tent of meeting : and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 29 As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them by their families, by their fathers' houses ; 30 from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth upon the service, to do the 31 work of the tent of meeting. And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tent of meeting ; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars 32 thereof, and the sockets thereof ; and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instru- ments, and with all their service : and by name ye shall appoint the instruments of the charge 33 of their burden. This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tent of meeting, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 34 And Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation numbered the sons of the Ko- hathites by their families, and by their fathers' 35 houses, from thirty years old and upward even unto'fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of meeting : 36 and those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and 37 fifty. These are they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that did serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the command- ment of the Lord by the hand of ]\Ioses. 38 And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families, and by their fathers' 39 houses, from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of meeting, 40 even those that were numbered of them, by their families, by their fathers' houses, were two 41 thousand and six hundred and thirty. These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, all that did serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron num- bered according to the commandment of the Lord. 42 And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their of meeting and the court, with their coverings and their door screens, with all the cords and tools necessary for setting them up and keeping them in order. They were subject to the orders of the priests, their special superintendent being Ithamar, the second surviving son of Aaron. The Merarites, as in chap. 3 and in identical language, are assigned to the charge and service of the heavy and solid structural parts of the tabernacle and court — the boards and bars and pillars, with their bases. All the tools of their work were to be assigned in charge by name and Ithamar was to be their superintendent. It will be noted that for the heavy transportation that fell to the lot of the Gershonites and Mera- rites wagons were provided, the offerings of the princes of the tribes being turned over to that service (see 7 : 1-8). 34-49. The number of the Levites who were between thirty and fifty years of age bears a fair average proportion to that of those from a month old and upward (3 : 39)^ but the family of Merari, which presented the smallest total from a month old — six thousand two hundred as com- pared with the seven thousand five hundred and eight thousand six hundred of Gershon and Kohath respectively — has altogether the largest number of effectives from thirty to fifty years, having three thousand two hundred as against two thousand six hundred and thirty and two 26 NUMBERS [Ch. V. 43 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, ^ , . , 44 Even those that were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand and two hundred. , . , 45 These be those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the L(jrd by the hand of Moses. 4G All those that were numbered of the Levites, \vhom Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the house of their fathers, 47 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do the serv- ice of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation, 48 Even those that were numbered of them, were eight tliousand and five hundred and fourscore. 49 According to the commandment of the Lord they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden : thus were they numbered of him, as the Lord commanded Moses. 43 fathers' houses, from thirty years old and up- ward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for work in the tent of 44 meeting, even those that were numbered of them by their families, were three tliousand and two 45 hundred. These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses. 46 All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered, by their families, and by their 47 fathers' houses, from thirty years old and up- ward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered in to do the work of service, and the work of bearing burdens in the tent of meet- 48 ing, even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and 49 fourscore. According to the commandment of the Lord they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden : thus were they num- bered of him, as the Lord commanded Moses. CHAPTER V. 1 AND the Lord sprite unto Moses, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead : 3 Both male and female shall ye put out, with- out the camp shall ye put them ; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell. 4 And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the Lord spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel. 5 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is unclean by the 3 dead : both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them ; that they defile not their camp, in the midst whereof I 4 dwell. And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp : as the Lord spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel. 5 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying. thousand seven hundred and fifty in these other families. As to the age at which the Levites entered upon service, compare 8 : 24, which fixes it at twenty-five years. See note on that passage. Chap. 5. Laws on various subjects. The laws in this and the following chapter con- cern themselves with the sanctity of the congre- gation, and evidently sprang from exigencies which arose from time to time in the life of the nation calling for judicial ruling or legislation. It would perhaps be fanciful to call these chap- ters an account of the spiritual organization of the congregation of Israel, as chap. 1-4 relate the outward organization of the camp prepara- tory to its journey. 1-4. 1. Exclusion of the leprous and un- clean from the camp. This first regulation is more like a cleansing or preparation of the camp for the journey than the other laws in these chapters. It is legislation for the camp rather than for the individual, and is founded on a vivid sense of the presence of Jehovah in the camp (vtr. 3)^ and the consequent necessity that the camp should be healthful and pure. Ac- cording to the regulation in Leviticus confirmed lepers were to have their dwelling outside of the camp (Lev. is : 46), and the man or woman with an issue (iwd., chap. i5) was regarded as so potent to contribute defilement by the mere touch that the rigid isolation of such sufferers, especially on the march, was the only safeguard against their causing widespread inconvenience among their fellows. The third case is that of those who are unclean by the dead, or, accord- ing to the literal reading, by a soul, as if the animal soul in its escape from the body was regarded as diff"using a mysterious effluvium capable of defiling the whole atmosphere of the house or tent. Some passages like that in 19 : 13, where a person is spoken of as touching the soul (not dead body) of a man who is dead, or in Ps. 17 : 9 where in soul is used in the sense of "deadly," seem to indicate that the ancient Hebrew attributed the power of the dead to defile to the escaping soul or ghost. This passage relates how, in response to the command of God, the children of Israel took the definite step at this time of providing for those who were in constant danger of rendering their fellows unclean, places outside of the camp. 5-10, 2. Law of compensation for fraud in case the injured person is dead and has no next of kin. This passage is a repetition and sup- plement to the regulation with regard to the guilt otfering given in Lev. 5 : 14 to 6 : 7. The sin Ch. v.] NUMBEES 27 6 Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty ; 7 Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed. 8 But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the Lord, even to the priest ; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him. 9 And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his. 10 And every man's hallowed things shall be his : whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his. 11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him, 13 And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from tlie eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there he no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner ; 14 And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled : or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled : 15 Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal ; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon ; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. 6 Speak unto the children of Israel. When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men com- mit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that 7 soul be guilty ; then they shall confess their sin which they have done : and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him in 8 respect of whom he hath been guilty. But if the man have no kinsman to whom restitution may be made for the guilt, the restitution for guilt which is made unto the Lord shall be the priest's ; besides the ram of the atonement, whereby atonement shall be made for liim. 9 And every heave offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they present 10 unto the priest, shall be his. And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his. 11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them. If any man's wife go aside, and commit a 13 trespass against him, and a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her hus- band, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be 14 taken in the act; and the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled : or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, 15 and she be not defiled : then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and shall bring her oblation for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal ; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon ; for it is a meal offer- ing of jealousy, a meal offering of memorial, contemplated is a breach of faith with regard to the holy things of Jehovah, or some false dealing with one's neighbor regarding a deposit or pledge, or some matter of robbery or oppres- sion, perhaps in keeping back wages or lost property found — all of which is regarded as pri- marily a /J'.n, ma'al, or breach of faith against Jehovah. The original regulation is here re- peated, viz., that the person is to restore the value, with the addition of a fifth, to the person wronged. The supplementary regulation is, that in case the wronged person, who is sup- posed to be dead, has no 7N-1, go el, or nearest of kin, who may receive the restitution, this shall go to the priest, in addition to the ram, which was the uniformly required victim for the guilt offering. Such a regulation as this was needed to prevent the important disciplin- ary practice of making restitution from lapsing in case there was no obvious person to make the claim. At the same time it is a regulation wiiich would not very naturally be made along with the original draft of the law, but would be added as a supplement after the rather rare case had arisen of an unsatisfied claimant dying without any go' el. It seems, therefore, to be an instance of case law arising after the main precept had been in actual operation and its defects discovered. Ver. 9 and 10 also seem to reflect a condition of carelessness or reluctance on the part of the people to maintain a rigid and abundant faith- fulness with regard to the HID ^"1^1, t'rumoth, or heave offerings, which were the perquisite of the priests — a condition which the legislation sought to meet by impressing the people that this offering was not a mere gratuity to the priest, but a property right, the withholding of which would be a breach of faith. In ver. 10 the pronoun his means the pricsfs. 11-31. 3. Ordeal prescribed for the woman suspected by her husband of unfaithfulness. This is the only case of the employment of the ordeal as a means of testing the guilt of an accused person in the Mosaic law. And this, indeed, is not so much an ordeal applied as a test as it is an oath of purgation ; it is what an ordeal in its most solemn and dignified concep- tion has been defined to be — an oath in which the curse invoked is expected to follow imme- diately. As compared with many barbarous tests which were in use in Europe up to com- paratively recent times — tests in which escape from false accusation was next to impossible, or which gave to malice opportunities for judicial murder — this simple ordeal is remarkably hu- mane. For the innocent person it is entirely harmless. At the same time, with its solemn oath-taking and its threat of mysterious disease divinely inflicted, it is an ordeal which a guilty person would scarcely have the hardihood to 28 NUMBERS [Ch. V. 16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the Lord : . , ^ . 17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel ; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water : , , , ,^ 18 And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering : and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse : 19 And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to unclean- ness with a7iother instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse: 20 But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband : 21 Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman. The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell ; 22 And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen. 23 And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot theia out with the bitter water : 24 And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse : and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and 25 Then the priest shall take the jealousy offer- ing out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the offering before the Lord, and offer it upon the altar : 16 bringing iniquity to remembrance. And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before 17 the Lord : and the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel ; and of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, 18 and put it into the water : and the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and let the hair of the woman's head go loose, and put the meal offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal offering of jealousy : and the priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness 19 that causeth the curse: and the priest shall cause her to swear, and shall say unto the woman, If no man have lien with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness, being under thy husband, be thou free from this water 20 of bitterness that causeth the curse : but if thou hast gone aside, being under thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lien with 21 thee besides thine husband : then the priest shall cause the woman to swear witii the oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to fall away, and thy belly to 22 swell; and this water that causeth "the curse shall go into thy bowels, and make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to fall away: and the 23 woman shall say, Amen, Amen. And the priest shall write the^e curses in a book, and he shall 24 blot them out into the water of bitterness : and he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causeth the curse : and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her a?i(i 25 become bitter. And the priest shall take the meal offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the meal offering before brave. The suspected woman is brought by her husband to the priest with a nnjp, minchah, or meal offering, consisting of barley meal, a coarse, cheap food, unaccompanied by oil or incense, as it is a minchah not expressing fellowship, but bringing sin to remembrance. The priest sol- emnly places her before Jehovah and loosens the locks of her head. Then as she holds the minchah of memorial in her hand, the priest holding in his hands a "water of bitterness that causeth a curse," which he has prepared of holy water mingled with dust of the sanctuary floor, solemnly administers to her the "oath of cursing," bidding her be unharmed in case she is innocent, but imprecating the divine curse in case she is guilty, to which she responds, " Amen, amen." The curse is then written in a book and blotted into the water of bitterness ; the " memorial " of the meal offering is burned on the altar, and then the woman is made to drink the water impregnated with the ink of the written curse. The expectation of the law is that if the woman is guilty the consequences will miraculously follow as imprecated in the curse, and thus the truth will be brought to light. In common with the forms of ordeal appear- ing in the history of other nations, this test is an appeal to a miraculous interposition for the establishing of the person's guilt or innocence. But in the application of the test it is to be ob- served that it is not innocence which is to be established, but guilt which is to be brought to light, by supernatural agency. In other words, instead of a miracle of deliverance it is a mir- acle of judgment. To require a miracle of an innocent person is to throw the weight of chances overwhelmingly on the side of con- demnation, while to require the miracle on the side of guilt is to increase the chance of acquittal. This law, so far from being a mark of barbar- ism and the unfeeling degradation of woman, was rather a most beneficent means for estab- lishing the suspected wife's innocence and so preserving the integrity of the family. Among the Jews, especially under rabbinical teaching, divorces were very hasty and arbitrary. As the establishment of cities of refuge tended to miti- gate the evils of the practice of private ven- geance, so the use of this ordeal, just in propor- tion as husbands had faith in its verdict, would tend to lessen the frequency and injustice of that custom of divorce which the law was obliged to allow on account of the hardness of men's hearts. The punishment for adultery was death (Lev. 20 : lo) ; but without being able to prove the crime many a jealous husband would be content to put away his wife and so break up his family. Once fallen under her husband's Ch. VL] NUMBEES 29 26 And the priest shall take an handful of the ofifering, even the meuiorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water. 27 And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be de- filed, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people. 28 And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean ; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed. 29 This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled ; 30 Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law. 31 Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity. 26 the Lord, and bring it unto the altar: and the priest shall take an handful of the meal offer- ing, as the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall make the woman 27 drink the water. And when he hath made her drink the water, then it shall come to pass, if she be defiled, and have committed a trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away: and the woman shall be a curse among 28 her people. And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean ; then she shall be free, and shall 29 conceive seed. This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goeth 30 aside, and is defiled ; or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon a man, and he be jealous over his wife ; then shall he set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute 31 upon her all this law. And the man shall be free from iniquity, and that woman shall bear her iniquity. CHAPTER VI 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themseives to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the Lord : 3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them. When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate 3 himself unto the Lord: he shall separate him- self from wine and strong drink ; he shall drink suspicion, the woman would find it extremely difficult to prove her innocence. This ordeal simply leaves the fact to the verdict of God. By refusing to undergo the test the woman would virtually confess the crime ; while for the sake, if possible, of regaining her husband's confidence how many a faithful and heart-broken wife would welcome the opportunity of estab- lishing her innocence by the oath of purga- tion. In many cases, where the jealousy of the husband was not altogether senseless and wicked, it may be presumed that the peace and happi- ness of families w^as restored by this solemn test. In view of this obvious probability the law appears not degrading to womanhood, but humane and tending to the amelioration of the customs of the people. The consequence of the observance of this law, as given in ver. 31, is that the man shall be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity. The man is certainly kept guiltless from ini- quity if he is prevented from unjustly divorcing his wife ; and he is freed from doubtful self- accusation if he finds that he had indubitable reason for his jealousy. The Avoman "bears her iniquity," ^. e., she stands vindicated or con- demned according to her own divinely revealed desert, and not according to the doubtful suspi- cions or opinions of others. Chap. 6. The law of the Nazaeite, AND THE FORMULA FOR THE PRIESTLY BENE- DICTION. This is the only place in the law where the Nazarite is taken notice of. There are several examples mentioned in the Bible of vows more or less resembling the Nazarite vow, these vows being of two kinds, those taken for life and those taken for a temporary period. It is the latter kind alone that is considered here. 1-12. A Nazarite means one separated or con- secrated. The form in which the law of the Nazarite is introduced indicates that the law- giver is not creating or inculcating a custom, but recognizing an impulse in the religious mind which is often led to express itself in vows of special consecration, bringing these under the cognizance of the priest, and prescribing their orderly manner of fulfillment and completion. The disposition to make such vows is taken as a matter of course. " The law is simply an attempt at a late stage of Israel's history to regulate an institution that has grown up independently of it" (Hastings, "Bib. Diet."). There has in all ages existed among those of more enthusiastic temperament that species of religious feeling which could satisfy itself only in some voluntary self-dedication to God beyond the requirements of obligation, and beyond the everyday possibilities of secular life. Several instances are given in the Bible of the Nazarite vow, or a vow partaking of some of its features, as a life-vow, assumed indeed on behalf of the child by the parents before his birth, as in the case of Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist. In this place the vow is described only in its temporary and perhaps stricter form, and its termination is treated, not as its weak abandon- 80 NUMBERS [Ch. VI. driuk, and shall drink no vinegar of wnie, or vme- p ir of hiroug drink, neitlier sliall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat inoibb grapes or dried. 4 All the days of his separation shall he eat noth- ing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk. ^. ^u 5 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head : until the days be fullilled, in the which he separated himself unto tlie Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. All tiie days that he separateth himself unto the Lord he shall come at no dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, wlien they die : because the consecration of his God is upon his head. 8 All tlie days of his separation he is holy unto the Lord. 9 And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath dcliled the head of his consecration ; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it. 10 And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to tiie door of the tabernacle of the congregation ; 11 And the iiriest shall offer the one for a sin of- fering, and tlie other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day. 12 And he shall consecrate unto the Lord the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separa- tion was defiled. no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he driuk any liquor of grapes, nor 4 eat fresh grapes or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the grape-vine, from the kernels even to the 5 husk. All the days of his vow of separation there shall no razor come upon his head : until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long. 6 All the days that he separateth himself unto the Lord he shall not come near to a dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sis- ter, Avhen they die : because his separation unto 8 God is upon his head. All the days of his separa- 9 tion he is holy unto the Lord. And if any man die very suddenly beside him, and he defile the head of his separation ; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh 10 day shall he shave it. And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tent of 11 meeting: and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, for that he sinned by reason of the dead, and shall hallow his head 12 that same day. And he shall separate unto the Lord the days of his separation, and shall bring a he-lamb of the first year for a guilt offering: but the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled. ment, but as its natural culmination, or occasion for sacrifices as a part of the vow itself. Any form of sanctity adopted simply to sepa- rate or distinguish the person from other men is from a rational point of view more or less arbi- trary and artificial. The professionally holy man is by his very separateness robbed to some degree of his common usefulness and helpful sympathy with ordinary life. His influence as a consecrated person is that of a witness or re- minder of the claims of a higher life, rather than of a preeminent helper in the sphere of this life. Such schemes of voluntaiy holiness gen- erally embody as their distinctive features one or more of three essential elements : some form of abstinence from the pleasures of life, some distinctive mark or visible token of sanctity, and the strict avoidance of what is recognized as defiling. These three elements are embodied in the vow of the Nazarite. He is to abstain from the grape, the accepted symbol of pleasure and luxury — not only from its intoxicating wine but from the fresh or dried fruit, or anything prepared from the grape "from seeds to skin " (ver. 4). This element in the conception of supe- rior sanctity may be a reminiscence of the old nomadic life, thought of as a more " golden" or exemplary age than the later and more lux- urious times in Canaan which was characteris- tically a land of vines. All the days of his separation lie is to allow no razor to come upon his head, but is to make great the free growth of the hair of his head (ver. 5). The hair seems to be taken not only as the visible badge, but in a sense as the seat of the person's consecration ; his vow centers, so to speak, in his head. He is to abstain from defilement because "the separation of his God " (ver. i), or, as some would translate, the "diadem of his God," is on his head. The employment of the same Hebrew term in this connection as that used to designate the priest's diadem may possibly indicate that in the mind of the lawgiver there is a sort of identity between the two ; as the priest's diadem was the mark of " holiness to the Lord," so the Nazarite's diadem of unshorn locks was the badge of a similar consecration. An accidental death near him defiles the head of his separation (ver. 9), and when he renews his vow he is to " hallow his head " (ver. n). The symbolism of the uncut locks has received many conjectural explanations. I take it that as simple and obvious an impression as any produced by the Nazarite's personal appearance would be that he was honoring God and his work by letting himself be as near as possible as God made him. As abstinence from the grape was a witnessing against luxury, so letting the hair grow was a witnessing against artificiality and the modish interference with God's work. The third feature of the Nazarite vow was the rigid avoidance of defilement from the dead. The Nazarite was not to approach the " soul of one dead" (ver. 6), and his abstinence from the Ch. VI.] NUMBERS 31 13 And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separatiou are fultilled : he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation : 14 And he shall offer his offering unto the Lord, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings, 15 And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings. 16 And the priest shall bring them before the Lord, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering : 17 And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread : the priest shall offer also his meat offering, and his drink offering. 18 And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the con- gregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of tlie peace offerings. 19 And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven : 20 And the priest shall wave them for a wave of- fering before the Lord : this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder : and after that the Nazarite may drink wine. 13 And this is the law of the Nazirite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled : he shall be brought unto tiie door of the tent of meeting : 14 and lie shall offer his oblation unto the Lord, one he-lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe-lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings, 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their meal offering, and 16 their drink offerings. And the priest shall pre- sent them before the Lord, and shall offer his 17 sin offering, and his burnt offering : and he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread : the priest shall offer also the meal oft'er- 18 ing thereof, and the drink offering thereof. And the Nazirite shall shave the head of his separa- tion at the door of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of 19 peace offerings. And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazirite, after he hath shaven the head of his 20 separation : and tiie priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord ; this is holy for the priest, together with the wave breast and heave thigh: and after that the Nazirite may common service of making one's self unclean for members of the family when dead was to be like that of the high priest (Lev. 21 : ii). If a person should die suddenly near him he was to proceed as having broken his vow. On the seventh day, the day of his cleansing, he was to shave his head ; and the next day he was to bring to the priest two doves or two young pigeons, the one of which the priest would offer for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offer- ing, and was to reconsecrate his head that day. By a guilt offering of a male lamb he was to in- dicate that he had trespassed by "defiling his separation," and the time which had already elapsed in the fulfillment of his vow was to count for nothing. 13-21. The Nazarite vow was naturally taken for a given period, and the only mentions of it as a voluntary obligation are in connection with the ceremonies attending its termination. As assumed by parents for their children for the whole life the vow seems not to have embodied its most exacting feature, namely, the strict avoidance of contact with the dead. At least Samson in his free handling of lions' car- cases and jawbones ( Judg. 14 : s, 9 ; 15 : 15) seems to have shown the common indifference to such defilement, and perhaps Samuel also in his treatment of Agag (1 Sam. 15 : 33). Of the three offerings that are prescribed to be offered when the vow has matured, the sin offering is to be offered first, as paving the way by the removal of guilt for the self-consecration expressed by the burnt offering and the com- munion with Jehovah expressed by the peace offering. As prescribed in Lev. 4, the sin offering covers for the awakened conscience any possible cases of unintentional transgression. The Naz- arite vow as expressing a higher than usual grade of consecration would also indicate a more sensitive state of the conscience ; so that the completion and retrospect of the holiest j^e- riod would be the fullest of the sense of short- coming. The best men are the readiest to feel and acknowledge sin. Hence the sin offering is a very characteristic feature of the Nazarite vow. Having stilled the apprehensions of a sensi- tive conscience, the Nazarite by an offering still more characteristic of this period of completion expresses that happy sense of communion with God and enjoyment of his favor which accom- panies the feeling of having accomplished some- thing pleasing to him. The peace offering banquet with the priest is observed in its full elaborateness, not omitting the boiled shoulder consecrated to the use of the priest by waving, not, however, until the Nazarite has marked the termination'of his vow by shaving his head and offering the hair on the fire that consumes the "memorial " of the peace offerings. The offer- ings which were obligatory, besides any free- will offering which the zealous vower, accord- ing to his means, might be disposed to give — ' literally, what his hand attains (ver. 21) — were 32 NUMBERS [Ch. VII. 21 This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his otleiiHg unto the Lord for his separation, beside that tliat his hand shall get : ac- c(jrding to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of liis separation. 22 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2ii Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying. On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, 24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee : 25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee : 2t) The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 27 And they shall put my name upon the chil- dren of Israel ; and I will bless them. 21 drink wine. This is the law of the Nazirite who voweth, and of his oblation unto the Lord for his separation, beside that which he is able to get : according to his vow which he voweth, so he must do after the law of his separation. 22 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying. On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel ; ye shall say unto them, 24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee : 25 The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee : 26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 27 So shall they put my name upon the children of Israel ; and I will bless them. CHAPTER VII. 1 AND it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them ; 2 That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered : AND it came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end of setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it, and all the furniture thereof, and the altar, and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them and sanctified them ; that the princes of Is- rael, the heads of their fathers' houses, of- fered ; these were the princes of the tribes, these somewhat elaborate and expensive, and it was regarded as an act of piety and charity to help some poor man free himself from his vow by sharing his charges (cf. Acts 21 : 23, eeq. ; Josephus, Aut., XIX., 6 : 1 ; 1 Mace. 3 : 49). 22-27. The priestly benediction. The func- tion of blessing in the name of Jehovah was the distinctive point which marked the pre- rogative of the priest. This was the first priestly- act which Aaron performed when his consecra- tion was completed (Lev. 9 : 22). In Deuteronomy- it is named as the characteristic function of the priestly tribe of Levi (oeut. 10 : 8)„ Here the formula to be used in this solemn priestly serv- ice is prescribed ; and so strikingly beautiful and comprehensive is this unique form of blessing that it became for the devout a sort of compen- dium of all the good which could be desired of the Lord for his people (eccIus. 36 : it ; Ps. 4:6). It consists of three pairs of clauses, in each of which the second verb defines more closely the idea introduced by the first. There is the wish for a divine blessing which more specifically embodies itself in protection ; there is the wish for the shining of the divine countenance, or God's radiant smile, which issues in favor or grace ; and there is the wish for a lifting up of the face, or divine attention, which gives peace. This is so like the love of God, and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the communion — the distinctive feeling of the peace offering — of the Holy Spirit, expressed in the apostolic bene- diction (2 Cor. 13 : 14) that Christian writers have very generally felt that here was a sort of fore- shadowing of the distinct offices of the three persons of the Trinity, and so a sort of divine prophecy of that characteristic Christian doc- trine. Without exercising our ingenuity un- duly in finding curious coincidences between the germinal ideas of the Old Testament and the developed doctrines of the New, we may at least say this much : that when the right and sane religious instinct puts forth its wish it de- sires of God all the forms of good which we think of as coming from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit ; so that any comprehensive expression for the full prayer of humanity would be capable of analysis into something like a foregleam of the Trinity. The defined doc- trine of the Christian church, when rightly un- derstood, is but the crystallization of what exists in solution in all right religious feeling ; and prophecy as pointing forward to Christ is but the just disclosure of the eternal heart of humanity made vocal in the presence of God. The use of the prescribed benediction was the official putting of the name of Jehovah on the children of Israel which, when done according to its true intent, had the promise of his bless- ing (ver. 27). Chap. 7. The offerings of the twelve PRINCES OF THE TRIBES AT THE CONSECRA- TION OF THE TENT OF MEETING AND OF THE ALTAR. 1-11. This section relates to that part of the offering of the princes which was appar- ently presented together, or at least received col- lectively and placed at the disposal of the three families that carried the tabernacle. 1. On the day, i. e., at the time, the word "day" being used in its less strict meaning, as in Gen. 2 : 4. The actions of the princes in this chapter seem to presuppose what has been related in the first four chapters of this book— their appoint- Ch. VIL] NUMBERS 83 3 And they brought their offering before the Lord, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen ; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox : and they brought ttiem before the tabernacle. 4 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 5 Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation ; and thou Shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service. 6 And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites. 7 Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to their service : 8 And four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 9 But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders. 10 And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes offered their offering before the altar. 11 And the Lord said unto Moses, They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar. 12 And he that offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah : 13 And his offering was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 14 One spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of in- cense : 15 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt oft'ering : 16 One kid of the goats for a sin offering : 17 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, live lambs of the first year : this was the offering of Nahshon the son of Am- minadab. 18 On the second day Nethaneel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, did offer : are they that were over them that were num- 3 bered : and they brought their oblation before the Lord, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen ; a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox : and they presented them be- 4 fore the tabernacle. And the Lord spake unto 5 Moses, saying. Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tent of meeting ; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every 6 man according to his service. And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto 7 the Levites. Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to 8 their service : and four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son 9 of Aaron the priest. But unto the sons of Ko- hath he gave none : because the service of the sanctuary belonged unto them ; they bare it 10 upon their shoulders. And the princes offered for the dedication of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes offered their ob- 11 lation before the altar. And the Lord said unto Moses, They shall offer their oblation, each prince on his day, for the dedication of the altar. 12 And he that offered his oblation the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the 13 tribe of Judah : and his oblation was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shek- els, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a 14 meal offering ; one golden spoon of ten shekels, 15 full of incense ; one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt offer- 16 ing ; one male of the goats for a sin offering ; 17 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs of the first year : this was the oblation of Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 18 On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, ment as superintendents of the census (ver. 2 ; cf 1:5), the necessities attending the work of transporting the tabernacle (ver. 3, 6; cf. 4 : 24-26^ 31-33) — and yet their gifts purport to have been presented at the time of the dedication of the tabernacle, one month before the census was ordered, or the duties of the Levites assigned (see Exod. 40 : 17 ; Lev. 8 : 10, 11 ; cf. Num. 1:1). We Can only note this incongruity without, explaining its origin. Each two of the princes jointly gave a wagon, making six wagons in all ; and each prince gave an ox, making six yoke of oxen or teams to draw them. Because the word translated covered, in ver. 3, is used in Isa. 66 : 20 and rendered litters, it has been supposed by some that the vehicles were wheelless litters borne each by two oxen before and behind, but the more probable inference from the derivation of the word is that they were covered carts. Two of these vehicles with their complement of oxen were assigned to the family of Gershon for trans- porting the cloth work of the tabernacle, while double the number were given to the Merarites for transporting the heavy pillars and boards constituting its solid framework. The sacred articles of furniture which the Kohathites car- ried were furnished with rings and poles and were carried on the shoulders of men. The more solemn and specific gift of each prince for the dedication of the altar (ver. ii) was arranged to be offered each on its day during twelve days. The great number of oxen and sheep and goats constituting the total of their offerings could hardly have been disposed of in the limited area of the tabernacle court and on the one altar, if the attempt had been made to receive and sacrifice the burnt offerings and the " memorial " of the peace offerings all in one day. 12-83. The offerings of the preceding section were such as supplied a perceivable need in connection with the transportation of the sanc- tuary. These individual offerings, on the other hand, seem to be a purely gratuitous expression of loyalty and praise rather than the subserving of an obvious utility. They seem to be a shin- ing instance of unsolicited liberality, not unac- 34 NUMBERS [Ch. Vll. 19 He offered for his olferiiig one silver charger, the weight wheiLof wa.i an liuudred aud thirty shekels, one silver buvvl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 20 One spoon of gold of ten shekels, full of in- cense \ 21 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering : 22 One kid of the goats for a sin offering : 23 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year : this was the offering of Nethaueel the son of Zuar. 24 On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebuiun, did offer : 25 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of tine flour mingled witli oil for a meat offering : 2o One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense : 27 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first vear, for a burnt offering : 28 One kid of the goats for a sin offering : 29 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year : this was tlie offering of Eliab the son of Helon. 30 On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, did offer: 31 His offering wds one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 32 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense : 33 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering : 34 One kid of the goats for a sin offering : 35 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur. 36 On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zuri- shaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, did offer : 37 His offering ivas one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; botli of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 38 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense : 39 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering : 40 One kid of the goats fur a sin offering : 41 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year : this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 42 On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered : 43 His offering ivas one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, a silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the 19 prince of Issachar, did offer : he offered for his oblation one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; botliof them full of fine flour mingled 20 with oil for a meal offering ; one golden spoon 21 of ten shekels, full of incense ; one young bul- lock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for 22 a burnt offering ; one male of the goats for a sin 23 offering ; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs of the first year: this was the oblation of Ne- thanel the son of Zuar. 24 On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, 25 prince of the children of Zebuiun : his oblation was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy sliekels, after the shekel of the sanc- tuary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled 26 with oil for a meal offering ; one golden spoon 27 of ten shekels, full of incense ; one young bul- lock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for 28 a burnt offering ; one male of the goats for a sin 29 offering ; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs of the first year : this was the oblation of Eliab the son of Helon. 30 On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, 31 prince of the children of Reuben : his oblation was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanc- tuary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled 32 with oil for a meal offering ; one golden spoon 33 of ten shekels, full of incense ; one young bul- lock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for 34 a burnt offering ; one male of the goats for a sin 35 offering ; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs of the first year: this was the oblation of Elizur the son of shedeur. 36 On the fiftli day Shelumiel the son of Zurishad- 37 dai, prince of the children of Simeon : his obla- tion was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of fine flour min- 38 gled with oil for a meal offering ; one golden 39 spoon of ten shekels, full of incense ; one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, 40 for a burnt offering ; one male of the goats for a 41 sin offering ; and for the sacrifice of peace offer- ings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he- lambs of the first year : this was the oblation of Shelumiel tlie son of Zurishaddai. 42 On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, 43 prince of the children of Gad : his oblation was one silver charger, tne weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of companied with the religious feeling which realized the need of a sin offering and sought expression in the burnt and peace offerings. "Such forthputtings of grateful loyalty, like the offering of Mary in the Gospels (Mark i4 : 3-9), are among the choicest fruits of religion. Evidently there was some systematic understanding be- tween the princes, or the tribes which they rep- resented, so that all brought precisely similar gifts. The story of the offering is repeated twelve times in detail, in identical words — an unnecessary and yet stately repetition which no doubt was a grateful rhetorical help to the He- brew's imagination in parading the princely gifts before his thought for the exercise of his admiration, just as the printing, in Hebrew, of the names of Haman's sons in rows ( Esther 9 : 7-10) , as if hanged, in a similar w'ay furnished a sort of graphical satisfaction to his hatred. Each prince offered a silver charger of one hundred and thirty shekels' weight, worth about eighty-four dollars, and a silver bowl or sprinkling dish of seventy shekels' weight, worth something over forty-five dollars, each of Ch. VII. ] NUMBERS 35 sanctuary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 44 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense : 45 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering : 46 One kid of the goats for a sin offering : 47 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of tlie first year : this ivas the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 48 On the seventh day Elishama the son of Am- mihud, prince of the children of Ephraim, offered: 49 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof ivas an Hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of tine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 50 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense : 51 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering : 52 One kid of the goats for a sin offering : 53 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year : this was the offering of Elishama the son of Am- mihud. 54 On the eighth day offered Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh : 55 His offering ivas one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 56 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense : 57 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year," for a burnt offering : 58 One kid of the goats for a sin offering : 59 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year; this i«as the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 60 On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin, offered: 61 His offering ^uas one silver charger, the weight whereof ivas an hundred and thirty shekels, one sil- ver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 62 One g<^lden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense : 63 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering : 64 One kid of tlie goats for a sin offering : 65 And for a sacritice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year : this was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni. 66 On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammi- shaddai, prince of the children of Dan, offered : 67 His offering was one silver charger, tlie weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one sil- ver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 68 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of Incense : 69 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 70 One kid of the goats for a sin offering : 71 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year : this ivas the offering of Ahiezer, the sou of Ammishaddai. 72 On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ocran, prince of the children of Asher. offered : 73 His offering ivas one silver charger, the weight whereof luas an hundred and thirtv shekels, one sil- ver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 74 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense : seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanc- tuary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled 44 with oil for a meal offering ; one golden spoon 45 of ten shekels, full of incense ; one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a 46 burnt offering ; one male of the goats for a sin 47 offering ; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs of the first year: this was tlie oblation of Elia- saph the sou of Deuel. 48 On the seventh day Elishama the son of Am- 49 miliud, prince of the children of Ephraim : liis oblation was one silver charger, the weight tliereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the sliekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of tine flour 50 mingled with oil for a meal offering ; one golden 51 spoon of ten shekels, full of incense ; one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the tirst year, 52 for a burnt offering ; one male of the goats "for a 53 sin offering ; and for the sacrifice of peace offer- ings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goals, five he- lambs of the first year: this was the oblation of Elishama the son of Ammihud. 54 On the eighth day Gamaliel the son of Pe- 55 dahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh : his oblation was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of tine fiour 56 mingled with oil for a meal offering ; one golden 57 spoon of ten shekels, full of incense ; one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, 58 for a burnt offering ; one male of the goats for a 59 sin offering ; and for the sacrifice of peace offer- ings, two oxen, five rams, tive he-goats, five he- lambs of the first year: this was the oblation of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 60 On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, 61 prince of the children of Benjamin : his obla- tion was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of fine flour min- 62 gled with oil for a meal offering ; one golden 63 spoon of ten shekels, full of incense ; one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, 64 for a burnt offering ; one male of the goats for a 65 sin offering ; and for the sacrifice of peace offer- ings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he- lambs of the first year : this was the oblation of Abidan the son of Gideoni. 66 On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammi- 67 shaddai, prince of the children of Dan : his ob- lation was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of fine fiour min- 68 gled with oil for a meal offering ; one golden 69 spoon of ten shekels, full of incense ; one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, 70 for a burnt offering : one male of the goats for a 71 sin offering ; and for the sacrifice of peace offer- ings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he- lambs of the first year : tliis was the oblation of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 72 On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ochran, 73 prince of the children of Asher : his oblation was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanc- tuary ; both of them full of fine fiour mingled 74 with oil for a meal offering ; one golden spoon these being filled with fine flour saturated with oil for a minchah; and a gold spoon {\\i.,palm) weighing ten shekels, worth nearly ninety-seven dollars, filled with incense. Besides these were the animals for the burnt, sin, and peace oflfer- ings as enumerated in the text. The princes appear to have made their offerings in the order assigned to the tribes in the census (chap. 2). ^Q NUMBERS [Ch. VII. 75 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering : 7G One kid of the goats for a sin offering : 77 And for a sacrifice of peace otterings, two oxen five rams, five he goats, five lambs of tlie first year: this was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ocran. , , ^ 78 On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali, offered : 79 His offering tvas one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one sil- ver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 80 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense : 81 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering : 82 One kid of the goats for a sin offering : 83 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the off'eriug of Ahira the son of Enan. 84 This was the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel : twelve chargers of silver, twelve silver bowls, twelve spoons of gold : 85 Each charger of silver weighing an hundred and thirty shekels, each bowl seventy : all the silver vessels weighed two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary : HG The golden spoons were twelve, full of in- cense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary : all the gola of the spoons was an hundred and twenty shekels. 87 All the oxen for the burnt offering uwf twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the lambs of the first year twelve, with their meat offering : and the kids of the goats for sin ottering twelve. 88 And all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he goats sixty, the lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after that it was anointed. 89 And when Moses was gone into the taber- nacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testi- mony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him. 84-88. These verses give the totals of the offerings at the dedication of the altar. The ap- proximate value of the silver, two thousand four hundred shekels, was one thousand five hundred and fifty-two dollars, while that of the gold, one hundred and twenty shekels, was one thousand one hundred and sixty-three dollars and fifty- two cents. The presenting of the gifts and the sacrificing of the victims in the various species of offerings constituted the dedication (lit. the imbuing) of the altar, as distinguished from its anointing or formal setting apart (ver. 88). 89. This verse has almost the appearance of having dropped out of its connection, as is seen in its al)rupt change of topic, and the use of the pronoun him (referring to Jehovah) without an antecedent. Dillmann thinks it comes more naturally after Exod. 25 : 22. Speaking. The word thus rendered has in Hebrew the reflexive form, "making itself audible," the form of the word thus illustrating the apparent imperson- ality of a voice speaking without visible organs. 84 85 89 of ten shekels, full of incense; one young bul- lock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering ; one male of the goats for a sin offering ; and for the sacrifice of peace of- ferings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-laiubs of the first year : this was the oblation Pagiel the son of Ochran. On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali : his oblation was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanc- tuary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal offering ; one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense ; one young bul- lock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering ; one male of the goats for a sin offering ; and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs of the first year : this was the oblation of Ahira the son of Enan. This was the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Is- rael : twelve silver chargers, twelve silver bowls, twelve golden spoons : each silver charger we/gr/i- i7ig an hundred and thirty shekels, and each bowl seventy : all the silver of the vessels two thou- sand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary ; the twelve golden spoons, full of incense, weighing ten shekds apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary: all the gold of the spoons an hundred and tviQuty shekels : all the oxen for the burnt offering twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the he-lambs of the first year twelve, and their meal oft'ering : and the males of the goats for a sin offering twelve : and all the oxtn for the sacrifice of peace offerings twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he-goats sixty, the he-lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after that it was anointed. And when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with him, then he heard the Voice speaking unto him from above the mercy-seat that was upon the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim : and he spake unto him. The verse as a whole seems to imply that from this time forward communication was estab- lished between Jehovah and Moses from the mercy seat between the cherubim in the tent of meeting, as promised in Exod. 25 : 22. This fact of Moses' habitual converse with God in the tent of meeting seems to have made a very deep impression on the Hebrew imagination. He was regarded as the unique example of a prophet whom the Lord knew face to face (oeut. 34 : 10) ; in tliis metliod of communication he is pronounced by Jehovah sui generis (Num. 12 : 7, 8) ; those ineffably elevated and intimate transac- tions in the tent of appointment were guarded by the pillar of cloud standing as a sentinel at the door, while all the people at the entrance of their tents rose and worshiped as they saw the cloudy guardian which indicated that Moses was holding audience with Jehovah (Exod. 33 : 7-n ) . The luminous appearance of his face as a consequence of his direct converse with God (Exod. 34 : 30), and his habit of veiling himself Ch. VIII.] NUMBERS 37 CHAPTER VIII. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. 3 And Aaron did so ; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the Lord com- manded Moses. 4 And this work of the candlestick was o/ beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers tliere- of, xuas beaten work : according unto the pattern which the Lord had shewed Moses, so he made tlie candlestick. 5 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. 7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash Iheir clothes, and so make themselves clean. 8 Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even line flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering. 9 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation : and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together : 10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the Lord : and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites : 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him. When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give 3 light in front of the candlestick. And Aaron did so ; he lighted the lamps thereof so as to give light in front of the candlestick, as the Lord 4 commanded Moses. And this was the work of the candlestick, beaten work of gold ; unto tlie base thereof, and unto the flowers thereof, it was beaten work : according unto the pattern which the Lord had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick. 5 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 6 Take the Levites from among tlie children of 7 Israel, and cleanse them. And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them : sprinkle the water of expiation upon them, and let them cause a razor to pass over all their flesh, and let them wash their ehjthes, and cleanse themselves. 8 Then let them take a j^oung bullock, and its meal offering, flne flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering. 9 And thou shalt present the Levites before the tent of meeting: and thou shalt assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel : 10 and thou shalt present the Levites before the Lord : and the children of Israel shall lay their before the people (iwd., 34, 35), are made one of the great outstanding facts of ancient revelation on which Paul bases a comparison and contrast w^ith the final revelation of the New Testament (2 Cor. 3 : 13-18). Chap. 8. An item of directions regard- ing THE golden candlestick. THE CONSE- CRATION OF THE Levites, and their pe- riod OF service. 1-4. Instructions for fixing the lamps upon the golden candlestick. When thou lightest, rather, settest up, as in R. V. Marg. This verse is substantially a repetition of Exod. 25 : 37, last clause. The purport of the direction appears to be that, as the candlestick stood on the south side of the sanctuary with its branches extending lengthwise of the apart- ment, the lamps, which were movable, should be so placed on the branches that the exten- sion or neck containing the wick should project out into the room, so as to throw the light toward the north side, i. e., over against the candle- stick. The candlestick is described in Exod. 25 : 31-40, and that part of the description which dwells upon its workmanship (ibid., 31, 36) is here repeated. The whole was made accord- ing to the vision (ver. 4)^ which Jehovah had shown to Moses. The directions for caring for the lamps and for providing the supply of oil are distributed in various places in the Penta- teuch (Exod. 27 : 20 ; 30 : 7 ; Lev. 24 : 1-4), bcsidcS this place. 5-22. The consecration of the Levites to their duties. This passage connects with 3 ; 5-13, and describes the actual ceremony of pre- senting the Levites to the Lord for the use of the priests. This ceremony is not called a sanctifying or filling of the hand, as was the corresponding ceremony at the consecration of the priests (Lev. 8 : 12, 33) J but a cleansing (ver. 6). The first act of cleansing was to sprinkle them with " sin water," and have them shave their bodies and wash their clothes. The " sin water " in question can hardly have been such a water of purifying as was prepared for the leper when he was cleansed (Lev. i4 : 4-7), nor the water of separation that was prepared from the ashes of the red heifer for the cleansing of those who were defiled by the dead (Num. 19), for these seem to have been prescribed for the special cases mentioned ; but perhaps the water from the laver which is apparently called " holy water " in 5 : 17. The ceremony of inauguration for these subordinate priests did not include the act of investiture, as they had no distinctive dress as a badge of office. Their clothing was there- fore made ready for their new position by washing (ver. 7), As the Levites were the gift of the whole na- tion to the priests, representative of their first- born which were claimed by Jehovah, the whole congregation was assembled to participate in the ceremony of consecration. The congregation, doubtless through their representatives the heads of the tribes, were to lay their hands on the heads of the Levites (ver. 10), and then these temple servants were solemnly offered as a wave offering (ver. 11), the ceremony being performed 38 NUMBERS [Ch. VIII. 11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Jjovd for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the Lord. 12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the buiioclis : and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the Lord, to make an atonement for the Levites. . , , 13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them /or an offering unto the Lord. 14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel : and the Levites shall be mine. 15 And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation : and tliou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering. 16 For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of tlie firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me. 17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast : on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanc- tified them for myself. 18 And I have taken the Levites for all the first- horn of the cliildren of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the cliildren of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel : that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary. 20 And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congrega- tion of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them. 21 And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes ; and Aaron offered them as an offer- ing before the Lord ; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons : as the Lord had com- manded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them. 11 hands upon the Levites : and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord for a wave offering, on the behalf of the children of Israel, that they 12 may be to do the service of the Lord. And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks : and offer thou the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for a wave oft'er- 14 ing unto the Lord. Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel : and 15 the Levites shall be mine. And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tent of meeting : and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer 16 them for a wave offering. For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Is- rael ; instead of all that openeth the womb, even the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have 17 I taken them unto me. For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast : on the day that I smote all the first- born in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for 18 myself. And I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Is- rael, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel : that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary. 20 Thus did Moses, and Aaron, and all the congre- gation of the children of Israel, unto the Le- vites: according unto all that the Lord com- manded Moses touching the Levites, so did the 21 children of Israel unto them. And the Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes ; and Aaron offered them for a wave offering before the Lord ; and Aaron made atone- 22 ment for them to cleanse them. And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron, and before his sons : as the Lord had commanded Moses con- cerning the Levites, so did they unto them. by Aaron on behalf of the children of Israel. It will be remembered that the rite of waving is that which characterizes the making of such offerings as are presented to Jehovah to revert to the use of the priests or the sanctuary. On the wave offering, see comment on Lev. 7 : 28- 34. Just how the act of waving a large com- pany of people was performed cannot be stated with certainty. Perhaps they were solemnly conducted up to the altar and back ; or the act may have been emblematically performed by Aaron's pointing to them and waving his hands as if they were filled with a gift for Jehovah. The Levites in their turn, having provided themselves with a couple of bullocks with their accompanying minchah, offered the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, thus entering on their ofiice in a state of ceremonial freedom from all possible inadvertent guilt. This act of consecration is summed up as con- sisting essentially of cleansing and waving (ver. 15) ; the theory of the waving being that they are wholly given (D"'J^nj, nthunim, of. 3 : 9) to Aaron and to his sons ; while that of their being separated and cleansed in general is that they are taken in lieu of the firstborn of Israel whom Jehovah consecrated to himself when he destroyed the firstborn of Egypt. This service of the Levites in the sanctuary is therefore strictly the function of the nation's firstborn ; but as the service of the holy place is hazard- ous on account of the self-avenging sanctity of the sacred things, a specially consecrated tribe can more safely perform it than for the people to undertake that service promiscuously (ver. is). In thus taking the specially sacred and hazardous part of the nation's lay duty, the Levites are considered as covering, or acting as an atoning buffer for them — to make an atonement (ver. 19) — in the presence of Jehovah. All this ceremony of cleansing and waving is given in the form of a command to Moses ; and then in ver. 20-22 it is stated that all was carried out according to the divine direction. Ch. IX.] NUMBERS 39 23 And the Lord spake unt» Moses, saying, 24 This is it that helongeth unto the Levites : from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation : 25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more : 26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge. 23 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 24 This is that which belongeth unto the Levites : from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service in the work 25 of the tent of meeting : and from the age of fifty years they sliall cease waiting upon the work, 26 and shall serve no more ; but shall minister with their brethren in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shall thou do unto the Levites touching their charges. CHAPTER IX. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilder- ness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 Let the children of Israel also keep the pass- over at his appointed season. 3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season : according to all the rites of it, and according to all the cere- monies thereof, shall ye keep it. 4 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilder- ness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of 2 Egypt, saying. Moreover let the children of Is- rael keep the passover in its appointed season. 3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in its appointed season : according to all the statutes of it, and according to all the 4 ordinances thereof, shall ye keep it. And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they 23-26. The period of the Levites' service. The regulation of this section fixing the age of Levitical service at from twenty-five to fifty years appears to be a correction or modification of 4 : 47, where the age of entering upon the service is fixed at thirty years. "As a cor- rection representing quite another period when reason had arisen for accepting the service of younger men, this is plain and simple enough. As a regulation coming from the same legislator who made the regulation of chapter four in the same breath, as it were, it would be unintel- ligible indeed" (Horton). The wholly un- usual and hardly correct form of expression in the Hebrew with which the section is intro- duced, this is it that belougeth unto the Levites (ver. 24)^ seems to indicate the work of a supplemental hand ; and yet, in any event, the modifier's inadvertence in not explaining his inconsistent insertion is strange. The attempt to explain the difference by supposing that the regulation of chapter four referred to the heavy work of transporting the tabernacle Avhich needed men in their prime, while the service here provided for is the ordinary work of caring for it in its settled abode is wholly arbitrary. It is to be noted that, according to the chronicler (1 Chron. 23 : 24, seq.), OUC of the last actS of David was to change the age of entering on Levitical service, apparently from thirty years (cf. i chron. 23 : 3), to twenty, on the ground that the heavy work of carrying the tabernacle no longer needed to be done. The lower limit seems to have been the recognized period of entering on service in the time of Hezekiah (2 Chron. 31 : 17) and after the exile (Ezra 3 : s). This section is more specific than chapter four in defining what is involved in retiring the Le- vites at the age of fifty years. They shall return from the warfare of the service (ver. 25) ^ i, e., the disciplinary severity which makes it like mili- tary duty, but shall assist their brethren in such duties as keeping guard or caring for property, involving no servile work. Chap. 9. The Passover at Sinai ■with ITS SUPPLEMENTAL ORDINANCE. THE SIG- NALS GIVEN BY THE CLOUD. The direction here given antedates the command for the numbering recorded in 1:1, seq. 3-8. This account of the observance of the Passover is evidently a piece of history introduced, like the narrative in Lev. 24 : 10-12, in order to exhibit the occasion and origin of an ordinance. The ordinance thus given its historical occasion is the second or "little" Passover prescribed for those who are hindered by uncleanness or ab- sence from observing the feast in the first month. As related in the twelfth chapter of Exodus, the first Passover was observed in Egypt on the night when Jehovah smote the firstborn ; and it contained one feature which did not belong to later observances of the feast, namely, the strik- ing of the blood on the door posts by which the house thus marked w^as rendered immune from the plague. This feature appears to have been replaced by the sprinkling of the blood on the altar. From the twenty-fifth verse of that chap- ter it might have been inferred that the regular observances of the feast were to begin when the children of Israel were settled in their Promised Land ; but this command in Numbers at the opening of the second year of the exodus ap- pears to have forestalled such a misunderstand- 40 NUMBERS [Ch. IX. 5 And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the tirst mouth at even in the wilderness of Sinai : according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel. ^ ^, ^ 6 And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day : 7 And those men said unto him. We are defiled by the dead body of a man : wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the Lord in his appointed season among the children of 8 And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you. 9 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be un- clean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the Lord. 11 The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it : according to all the or- dinances of the passover they shall keep it. 13 But the man that is clean, and is not in a jour- ney, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people : because he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 14 And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the Lord ; accord- ing to the ordinance of the passover, and accord- ing to the manner thereof, so shall he do : ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land. 5 should keep the passover. And they kept the passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at even, in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the Lord com- manded Moses, so did the children of Israel. 6 And tfiere were certain men, w^ho were unclean by the dead body of a man, so that they could not keep the passover on that day : and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that 7 day : and those men said unto him, We are un- clean by the dead body of a man : wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer the oblation of the Lord in its appointed season among the 8 children of Israel ? And Moses said unto them. Stay ye ; that I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you. 9 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying. If any man of you or of your generations shall be un- clean by reason of a dead body, or be in a jour- ney afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto 11 the Lord : in the second month on the fourteenth day at even they shall keep it ; they shall eat it 12 with unleavened bread and bitter herbs : they shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break a bone thereof : according to all the statute 13 of the passover they shall keep it. But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and for- beareth to keep the passover, that soul shall be cut off from his people : because he offered not the oblation of the Lord in its appointed season, 14 that man shall bear his sin. And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the pass- over unto tlie Lord ; according to the statute of the passover, and according to the ordinance tliereof, so shall he do : ye shall have one statute, both for the stranger, and for him that is born in the land. ing. Some of the details connected with this observance of the Passover in the desert, as, for instance, how the thousands of lambs necessary for the feast, or, for that matter, the many vic- tims requisite for maintaining the sacrifices could be provided by a people entirely depend- ent on manna for their daily food (Exod. le : 3; Numb. 11 : 6), or how the blood of so many vic- tims could be sprinkled by Aaron and his two sons "between the two evenings," raise ques- tions which must perhaps remain unsolved for lack of sufficient information. The men who were unclean by the " soul " of a man have been conjectured to be Mishael and Elzaphan, the two who were employed to carry out the dead bodies of Nadab and Abihu after they were destroyed by fire from the Lord (see Lev. 10 : 4, 5). This act must have occurred within seven days of the time of this Passover, for the tw'o young priests were stricken on the eighth day of their consecration, and that period did not begin until after the setting up of the taber- nacle on the first day of the second year of the exodus (Exod. 40 : 17). Whether, therefore, they were the ones who made their petition to Moses on this occasion or not, they at least must in all probability have been included among those incapacitated. And the freedom, as well as the religious and national zeal, displayed in their remonstrance seems to indicate people of more or less prominence, and men who could ap- proach Moses and Aaron with something of the boldness of relatives — men too, who could lay to their account the circumstance which thus deprived them of the privilege, wherefore are we kept back — all of which corre- sponds to the character and condition of these two cousins of the high priest at this time. Their conception of the Passover as their obla- tion or " corban of Jehovah," which they counted it a privilege to offer, is an interesting note of the religious feeling at this nascent period of tabernacle or church life in Israel. The decision regarding their case is reserved for inquiry at the mouth of Jehovah, as was done on a similar occasion (Lev. 24 : 12). 9-14. The result of Moses' inquiry is an or- dinance of Jehovah, not only for the present case, but for future generations. The person who is unclean by a "soul," or is on a distant journey at the time of the feast, shall keep the Passover one month later, according to the same method as is prescribed for the regular Passover. This Passover was known among the Jews as the " Little Passover," as it did not include the seven days of unleavened bread. The right to observe it did not extend to those who had failed to keep the regular feast through neglect. Such Ch. IX.] NUMBERS 41 15 And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony : and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. 16 So it was alway : the cloud covered it hy day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed : and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. 18 At the commandment of the Lord the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched : as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. 19 And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord, and journeyed not. 20 And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle ; according to the command- ment of the Lord they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the Lord they journeyed. 21 And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed : whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed. 22 Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not : but when it was taken up, they journeyed. 23 At the commandment of the Lord they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed : they kept the charge of the Lord, at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses. 15 And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, even the tent of the testimony : and at even it was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, 16 until morning. So it was alway : the cloud cov- ered it, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tent, then after that the children of Israel journeyed : and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel en- 18 camped. At the commandment of the Lord the children of Israel journeyed, and at the com- mandment of the Lord they encamped : as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they re- 19 mained encamped. And when the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle many days, then the chil- dren of Israel kept the charge of the Lord, and 20 journeyed not. And sometimes the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle ; then according to the commandment of the Lord they remained encamped, and according to the commandment 21 of the Lord they journeyed. And sometimes the cloud was from evening until morning ; and when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they journeyed : or ij it continued by day and by night, when the cloud was taken up, they jour- 22 neyed. Whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the taber- nacle, abiding thereon, the children of Israel remained encamped, and journeyed not : but 23 when it was taken up, they journeyed. At the commandment of the Lord they encamped, and at the commandment of the Lord they jour- neyed : they kept the charge of the Lord, at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses. remissness must be punished by the severest ecclesiastical penalty. Hezekiah seems to have availed himself of this privilege of keep- ing the Passover in the second month when he celebrated the feast after his reformation, as he was unable to complete the purification of the temple and the priesthood in time for its ob- servance in the first month (see 2 Chron. 29, 30). As for the foreigner dwelling among the children of Israel who keeps the Passover, he shall con- form to the same ordinance as the native born — it being understood, however, according to Exod. 12 : 48, 49, that he must first submit to circumcision. 15-23. This section is closely connected with the account of the setting up of the tabernacle given in Exod. 40, and is indeed only an ex- panded and more circumstantial repetition of the subject-matter of ver. 34-38 of that chapter. The phenomenon of the pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night appeared with the first exodus from Egypt (Exod. 13 : 21, seq.) ; that cloud seems from the first to have so closely and intel- ligently adapted its movements to the exigen- cies of the host, not only in leading the way, but in warding ofi'the enemy (iwd., u : 19, 20), that it seemed to the people clearly supernatural, and associated itself in their mind with the angel of God. Immediately on the completion of the tabernacle the cloud descended and filled it for a time with its radiance, making it impossible for Moses to enter (Exod. 40 : 34, 35), as did a simi- lar cloud at the consecration of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 8 : 10, 11 ). The accouut here in Numbers goes on to say that not only did that cloud cover the tabernacle at the time of its first erection, but so it was all through the joumeyings of the children of Israel. The tabernacle which it overshadowed is called the tent of the testi- mony (ver. i5)j meaning the tent where the ark of the testimony Avas kept ; but this is not to be taken as meaning that it covered only the holy of holies, though no doubt it stood centrally over that sacred spot where Jehovah dwelt be- tween the cherubim. The behavior of the cloud became the signal for the people's breaking camp or remaining at rest ; when it was lifted they journeyed, and where it settled, there they encamped. Thus they formed the habit of journeying at the "mouth" or command of Jehovah, that command being given through the agency of the cloud and interpreted for the children of Israel by the hand (ver. 23) of Moses. This thought of a life making no plans of its own, having no prospects which can be antici- pated and provided for by human judgment, but regulating all its action by specific divine command from day to day, is one that has 42 NUMBEKS [Ch. X. CHAPTER X. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Make thee two trumpets of silver ; of a whole piece Shalt thou make them : that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps. 3 And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 4 And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee. 5 When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward. 6 When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side sliall take their journey : they shall blow an alarm for their journeys. 7 But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. 8 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow witli the trumpets ; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Make thee two trumpets of silver ; of beaten work shalt thou make them : and thou shalt use them for the calling of the congregation, and 3 for the journeying of the camps. And when they shall blow with them, all the congregation shall gather themselves unto thee at the door of 4 the tent of meeting. And if they blow but with one, then the princes, the heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee. 5 And when ye blow an alarm, the camps that lie 6 on the east side shall take their journey. And when ye blow an alarm the second time, the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their 7 journeys. But when the assembly is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall 8 not sound an alarm. And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets ; and they shall be to you for a statute for ever always been attractive to those of most fervent piety and nearest walk with God. It is espe- cially inspiring in relation to that aspect of our life which is like the journeying of the children of Israel, its temporariness and its uncertainty. Those are wisest who form the habit of holding their schemes subject to God's permission, and saying, "If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that" (James 4 : i5). Yet such a piecemeal guidance by direct supernatural agency, attractive and infallible as it appears, would contribute only a one-sided development to the godward character. It might emphasize the existence and importance of the spiritual world (Deut. 8:5), but it would not, as a perma- nent discipline, develop spiritual judgment or self-reliance. Those in perpetual tutelage re- main perpetually children. And it is to be noted that the daily sight of the supernatural did not, after all, prevent the children of Israel from missing their goal through unbelief. This visible parental conducting of the life has its lesson and stimulus for the Christian, but it pre- sents us only one side of the pattern to which our spiritual growth is to conform. This is what God does for his people when he is carry- ing them as the eagle carries her young on her wings (Exod. 19 : 4; Deut. 32 : ii). Wc are not to reckon ourselves necessarily remiss in faith or immediate amenability to the divine command because our own higher life is more predomi- nantly guided by our educated judgment and ini- tiative. This may be the sign of greater maturity rather than of greater remoteness from God. But meanwhile let us also be inspired by this child- like journeying of God's people to wait in un- questioning faith for the direct guidance of God in that aspect of our inner life to which it applies. However wise or far-sighted we may train ourselves to be in following that part of the will of God which reveals itself to sanctified good sense, there ever and anon arise crises which bring home to us our helplessness and short-sightedness as those of higher citizenship journeying through an unknown desert. It is then that our highest wisdom will be found in reverting, with childlike spirit, to the pattern of that guidance vouchsafed to the children of God so long ago, and watching intently for the signs of God's specific mandate given, if not in direct supernatural revelation, at least in the spiritual interpretation of his daily providences, while in self-effacement we pray : Keep thou my feet ; I do not ask to see The distant scene, one step enough for me. Chap. 10. 1-10. The silver trumpets AND THEIR USE. The kind of trumpet here mentioned was probably a straight and some- what slender tube expanding into a bell shape, as described by Josephus, Ant., III., 12 : 6. It thus differed from the "^311^, shophar, or cornet, which was crooked and often made of the horn of a ram or chamois. Representations of the straight trumpet are found on the Arch of Titus. Evidently these silver trumpets were intended as a sacred instrument, to be used only by the priests for the calling of the congregation and on occasions where the orders or reminders given were to be taken as divine ; as on the breaking up of the camp, or at the time of set feasts, or on occasions of religious rejoicing. They were thought of, not only as Jehovah's instrument for calling to the nation, but as their instrument for calling to him. When the nation went to war against the oppressor io Ch. X.] NUMBERS 43 9 And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets ; and ye shall be remem- bered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. 10 Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your mouths, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings ; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God : 1 am the Lord your God. 9 throughout your generations. And when ye go to war in your land against the adversary that oppresseth you, then ye shall sound an alarm with the trumpets ; and ye shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved 10 from your enemies. Also in the day of your gladness, and in your set feasts, and in the be- ginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings ; and they shall be to you for a memorial before your God : 1 am the Lord your God. their land, the blast of these trumpets would remind Jehovah of their distress and bring him to the rescue (^er. 9). Whether in war or on oc- casions of festivity, the trumpets were to serve the general purpose of a reminder, memorial (ver. 10), or symbol of the power to summon a gracious God. In that war of vengeance against the Midianites in which Balaam was slain, the zealous Phinehas carried the silver trumpets, along with other temple utensils, into the battle (31 : 6). Abijah the king of Judah, in his battle for the succession against Jeroboam the usurper, made the presence in the host of the legitimate priests with the trumpets of alarm a great ground of confidence as he made his battle- taunt (2 Chron. 13 : 12) ; and indeed the timely sounding of these instruments served to remind the army of Judah, even though surprised and surrounded, of the help of God, and to turn panic into victory (ibid., ver. 14, 15). The same sort of straight trumpets to the number of one hundred and twenty was used in the temple band at the dedication of Solomon's temple (2 chron. 5 : 12) ; but whether these instruments were re- garded as of equal oflScial sacredness with the original and divinely ordained two may be doubted. When both trumpets were blown with short blasts the congregation was to assemble at the door of the tent of meeting, while a similar sig- nal with one trumpet summoned only the princes or heads of the host. A long, full blast, or n^^nr\, t'rit'ah, was the signal for the camps on the east side, or the van, to take up the line of march. A second long blast brought the camps on the south side to their feet ; and the Septua- gint adds as the natural conclusion of the com- mand that the third blast was to set in motion the camps on the west, and the fourth the north- ward camps which brought up the rear. With this account of the trumpets and their uses ends the history of the sojourn at Sinai. PART SECOND. THE JOURNEY FROM SINAI TO THE STEPPES OF MOAB. CHAPTERS 10 : 11 TO 22 : 1. This section of the book of Numbers gives us practically all the history we have of the wilderness wandering of nearly forty years. With the exception of a few months at the be- ginning and end of the period, the whole time is spent in the neighborhood of Kadesh. The children of Israel start on their journey from Sinai and come to the wilderness of Paran ; but on their way to that wilderness occurs the inci- dent of the phenomenal flight of quails with its sequel of a more or less protracted period of sickness in the host. At Kadesh in the wilder- ness of Paran, a place which communicates by the Amorite hill-road with the Negeh or south country of Canaan, spies are sent out to recon- noitre and bring back a description of the Prom- ised Land, but on account of their unfavorable report and the consequent murmuring of the congregation the people are doomed to wander in the wilderness until that whole generation has passed away. The principal incident of this wandering of which we h^ve a.n account is the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, with the divine disclosure of the choice of Aaron which accompanied it. At the end of the long w^andering the tribes are again gathered at Kadesh where Miriam dies, and Moses and Aaron, for their conduct at the waters of Meri- bah, are sentenced to failure in bringing the people into the Promised Land. The journey around the south end of the Dead Sea begun, Aaron dies and is buried at Mount Hor; the people being refused permission to pass through the territory of Edom, take the Elanitic gulf route, and at length, after various vicissitudes, arrive at the country of the Amorite Sihon, east of the Jordan, over whom they gain a decisive victory, and then exultantly take possession of the territory which he has recently wrested from Moab. As their men of war pass north- ward in the act of completing the conquest of the Amorites, their advance is disputed by Og the king of Bashan, whom they overcome in a similarly decisive manner. The section leaves 44 NUMBERS [Ch. X. 11 And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony. , , ,, . . 12 And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai ; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran. 13 And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses. 14 In the first pZace went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies: and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 15 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar ivas Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 16 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was P'liab the son of Helon. 17 And the tabernacle was taken down ; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set forward, bearing the tabernacle. 18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur, 19 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 21 And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary : and the other did set up the tabernacle against they came. 22 And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set forward according to their armies : and over his host was Elishama the son of Am- mihud. 23 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni. 25 And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan set forward, which was the rereward of all the camps throughout their hosts : and over his host was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran. 27 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. 28 Thus were the journeyings of the children of Israel according to their armies, when they set forward. 11 And it came to pass in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, that the cloud was taken up from over 12 the tabernacle of the testimony. And the chil- dren of Israel set forward according to their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai ; and the 13 cloud abode in the wilderness of Paran. And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the Lord by i the hand of 14 Moses. And in the first place the standard of the camp of the children of Judah set forward according to their hosts : and over his host was 15 Nahshon the son of Amminadab. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was 16 Nethanel the son of Zuar. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab 17 the son of Helon. And the tabernacle was taken down I and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari. who bare the tabernacle, set forward. 18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their hosts: and over his 19 host was Elizur the son of Shedeur. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon 20 was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad 21 was Eliasaph the son of Deuel. And the Ko- hathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary: and the other did set up the tabernacle against 22 they came. And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set forward according to their hosts : and over his host was Elishama 23 the son of Ammihud. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel 24 the son of Pedahzur. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the 25 son of Gideoni. And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan.which was the rearward of all the camps, set forward according to their hosts : and over his host was Ahiezer the son of Am- 26 mishaddai. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of 27 Ochran. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. 28 Thus were the journeyings of the children of Israel according to their hosts; and they set forward. them in the Steppes of Moab over against Jeri- cho, the object of apprehension and dislike to all their neighbors. Several chapters of Leviti- cal regulations are inserted from the priestly- sources without obvious connection with the history. 11-36. Depaeture of the children op Israel from Mount Sinai. Hobab se- cured as a GUIDE. Functions op the ARK IN DIRECTING THE MOVEMENTS OP THE host. The children of Israel had now been staying in the wilderness of Sinai nearly a full year (cr. Exod. i9 : i), during which time the tabernacle had been reared, the Levitical law given, and the numbering and organizing of the camp for marching and for tabernacle service effected. Verse twelve relates in a sum- mary way, and by anticipation, the protracted resting of the cloud in the wilderness of Paran where the people were sentenced to a forty years' wandering ; but between Sinai and that place there were at least two encampings, at Kibroth-hattaawah and at Hazeroth (n : 34, 35 ; 12 : 16), This wilderness of Paran was the half of the northern portion of the peninsula be- tween Egypt and Canaan, which lies east of the river of Egypt and the desert of Shur, and west of the Arabah or deep valley stretching south- ward from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Akabah. It is known to the modern Arabs as Badiet et Tih, or Desert of the Wandering. It is parted from the mountainous region of Sinai by a great sand belt extending across the peninsula from gulf to gulf, in which belt were the two stations, Kibroth-hattaawah and Hazeroth. After a rather meaningless verse (i3) which furnishes an excuse for a description of the order of march, the priestly author repeats the names of the leaders of the tribes and the ar- rangement of march already given in chap. 2, in something of the spirit of delight in the elaboration of detail which prompted the ex- traordinary repetitions of the seventh chapter. A variation is introduced in the placing of the Ch. X.] NUMBERS 45 29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' fatlier iu law, We are jour- neying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you : come thou with us, and we will do thee good : for the Lord hath spoken good con- cerning Israel. 30 And he said unto him, I will not go ; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred. 31 And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee ; foras- much as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes, 32 And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee. 33 And they departed from the mount of the Lord three days' journey : and the ark of the cove- nant of the Lord went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp. 35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let thine ene- mies be scattered ; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. 36 And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel. 29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father in law. We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you : come thou with us, and we will do thee good : for the Lord hath spoken 30 good concerning Israel. And he said unto him, I will not go ; but I will depart to mine own 31 land, and to my kindred. And he said. Leave us not, I pray thee ; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and 32 thou Shalt be to us instead of eyes. And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what good soever the Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee. 33 And they set forward from the mount of the Lord three days' journey ; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days' journey, to seek out a resting place for 34 them. And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, when they set forward from the camp. 35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, O Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered ; and let them that hate 36 thee flee before thee. And when it rested, he said. Return, O Lord, unto the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel. tabernacle between the first and second groups of three tribes in the line of march instead of between the second and third, as in chap. 2, and in the bringing of the most holy furniture three tribes behind, or in the original place of the whole tabernacle, that it might find the tent pitched in readiness for it when it arrived at the place of encamping. 29-32. It is not possible to determine with certainty whether Hobab or Reuel was the same as Jethro, and therefore whether Hobab was father-in-law or brother-in-law of Moses. The word \r\r\, chothen, here translated father-in- law, may possibly mean any relation on the wife's side, and in this passage the word may be in apposition either with Hobab or Reuel. If Reuel in Exod. 2 : 18 is the same as Jethro in 3 : 1, it appears more probable that Hobab, Reuel's sou, was Moses' brother-in-law, but on the other hand, the narrative in Exod. 2 : 16 seems to preclude the idea that the priest of Mid- ian had sons. It is said in Exod. 18 : 27 that Jethro, after his visit to Moses here at Sinai, was allowed to depart to his home ; while from the present passage it seems to be implied that Hobab was prevailed upon to go with the chil- dren of Israel and act as their guide. We find from Judg. 1 : 16 and 4 : 11 that the descend- ants of Hobab, there called Kenites, were set- tled in Canaan, having thus obtained the ful- fillment of the promise in verse thirty-two, and their ancestor's services to the children of Is- rael while in the wilderness were long held in grateful remembrance (i Sam. is : 6). The narra- tive in this paragraph, as well as in the remain- der of the chapter, is conjectured by critics to be derived from a difierent original source from the book of Numbers, or indeed of Leviticus, thus far, being the first occurrence in these books of material derived from the so-called JE document. 33-36. From this passage, which is believed to be from the JE source, the ark seems to be differently related to the host and to the taber- nacle paraphernalia from what it is in the later and more elaborate temple organization of the priest document. Instead of being carefully wrapped and kept with the other material and furniture of the sanctuary, guarded front and rear by the two halves of the host, it appears to be the leader of the marching congregation, going far in advance in order to seek out a rest- ing place for the camp and carrying the over- shadowing cloud with it. This corresponds with the prominence given to it in the crossing of the Jordan (Josh, s : 3, 4), and to some extent in the siege of Jericho, where it is borne by priests (Josh. 6:4), though there it is accompanied by a vanguard and rearguard of armed men (iwd., 9). It seems to have been regarded as a palla- dium in the early history of Canaan (i sam. 4). The movement of the ark appears to be taken as the central and official act in the movement of the host, especially in the formula for break- ing camp and halting in ver. 35, 36. Here Moses addresses Jehovah as if he were symbolically embodied in the ark, the consciousness of his presence in the cloud, characteristic of the priestly narrative (see9 : 15-23), being here entirely replaced by a sense of the divine identity with his written testimony. The sublime bit of poetry here given awakens a re-echoing note in the later songs of the people (p^- 68 c 1 ; 132 .• si 46 NUMBERS [Ch. XI. CHAPTER XI. 1 AND when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled ; and the tire of the Lord burnt among tliem, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. 2 And the people cried unto Moses ; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched. 3 And he called the name of the place Taberuh : because tlie fire of the Lord burnt among them. 4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting : and the children of Israel also wept again, and said. Who shall give us flesh to eat? 5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely ; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick : 6 But now our soul is dried away : there is noth- ing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. 7 And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. 8 And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made c-akes of it : and the taste of it was as the taste of fiesh oil. 9 And wlien the dew fell upon the camp in the night, tile manna fell upon it. 10 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of liis tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly ; Moses also was displeased. 11 And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou atilicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? 12 Have I conceived all this people? have I be- gotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father bear- eth the suckling child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers ? 1 AND the people were as murmurers, speaking evil in the ears of the Lord : and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled ; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and devoured in 2 the uttermost part of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses ; and Moses prayed unto the 3 Lord, and the fire abated. And the name of that place was called Taberah : because the fire of the Lord burnt among them. 4 And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting : and the children of Israel also wept again, and said. Who shall give us 5 flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt for nought ; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, 6 and the garlick : but now our soul is dried away ; there is nothing at all : we have nought 7 save this manna to look to. And the manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance 8 thereof as the appearance of bdellium. The people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and seethed it in pots, and made cakes of it: and tlie taste of 9 it was as the taste of iresli oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the inanna 10 fell upon it. And Moses heard the people weep- ing throughout their families, every man at tlie door of his tent : and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; and Moses was displeased. 11 And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou evil entreated thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? 12 Havel conceived all this people? have I brought them forth, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing-father carrieth the sucking child, unto the laud which Chap. 11. The murmuring of the peo- ple AT Taberah and Kibroth-Hatta- AWAH. Appointment of seventy elders TO ASSIST Moses. Quails given to satisfy THE PEOPLE. 1-3. And Avhen the people complained, etc. Rather, And the people were as those that complain in the ears of Jeho- vah of something bad. What was the subject of their complaint is not stated. In Ps. 78 : 20, 21 the occasion is poetically described as a ques- tioning whether God would provide bread and flesh for the people. Evidently a fire which broke out at the extremity of the camp was ac- counted for as a judgment from Jehovah, and it apparently subsided at the intercession of Moses. The place Taberah is not generally reckoned as one of the stations in the wilderness journey, as the itinerary in cliap. 33 places Kibroth-Hatta- awah immediately after the wilderness of Sinai (ibid., ver. 16) in the ordcr of stations. It is per- haps only the part of the camp at Kibroth- Hattaawah where the fire broke out. 4-15. The mixt multitude (ver. 4). The Hebrew word is an onomatopoetic coinage, like " riff-raff," A mixed multitude is mentioned at Exod. 12 : 38 as accompanying the Israelites from Egypt. These people, being less uplifted and sustained by the religious hopes of the nation, would be the first to be discontented. Their dissatisfaction seems to have infected the Israelites themselves, so that they returned and wept, i. e., perhaps repeated the murmurings mentioned in Exod. 16 : 2, 3. A sort of nervous contagion, such as sometimes mysteriously sweeps through crowds, seems to have produced a general hysteria, so that the noise of weeping could be heard from every tent like a universal cry (ver. 10). It was not the fear of starvation this time, as at Exod. 16, leading them to re- member the substantial food of Egypt, but a distaste for the monotony of their single divinely sent staple, making them long inordinately for flesh and fish and fresh vegetables. On another occasion they expressed it, "Our soul loatheth this light bread" (21 : 5). The Nile in Egypt is said to abound in fish, and the cucumbers and melons in that country are particularly choice, and the onions mild and appetizing. The writer takes occasion to describe the manna and its method of pi-eparation somewhat more in detail than in Exod. 16 : 31. In both places it is described as like coriander seed ; in Exodus it is said to have been white in color, and here to have been in appearance like bdellium, a sub- stance mentioned in Gen. 2 : 12, but not well known. The manna appears to have been a dry Ch. XL] NUMBERS 47 13 Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people ? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. 14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, be- cause it is too lieavy for me. 15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight ; and let me not see my wretchedness. 16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them ; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. 17 And I will come down and talk with thee there : and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon tliem ; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. 18 And say thou unto the people. Sanctify your- selves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh : for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying. Who shall give us tlesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt : therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. 19 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days ; 20 But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: be- cause that ye liave despised tlie Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? 21 And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen ; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month. 22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them ? 13 thou swarest unto their fathers? Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying. Give us flesh, that 14 we may eat. 1 am not able to bear all this peo- 15 pie alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour iu thy sight ; and let me not see my wretchedness. 16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them ; and bring them unto the tent of meeting, that they may stand there 17 with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there : and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them ; and they shall bear the burden of the people with 18 thee, tliat tliou bear it not thyself alone. And say thou unto the people, teanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh : for ye have wept in tlie ears of the Lord, saying, Wlio shall give us flesh to eat ? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you 19 flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten 20 days, nor twenty days ; but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you : because that ye have re- jected the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying. Why came we forth 21 out of Egypt? And Moses said. The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen ; and thou hast said, I will give them 22 flesh, that they may eat a whole month. Shall flocks and herds be slain for them, to suffice them ? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them ? enough substance so that it could be reduced to meal and baked, tasting, it is said, like a " moist cake of oil." The description is probably intro- duced to show the unreasonableness of complaint, at least on the ground of its unpleasantness. The patience of Moses was sorely tried, and he seems to have felt a sort of disgust for his task, as if it were that of taking care of a lot of babies. His complaint takes the form of re- monstrance with Jehovah for thus subjecting him to a kind and degree of penance to which death were preferable. It is especially in view of the apparently impossible demand that he should provide the multitude with flesh that he is thrown into perplexity ; and the burden of the whole people, which to his overtaxed mind seems to rest upon him alone, impresses him as too heavy for him to bear. 16-22* The appointment of elders to assist Moses seems to have been a fascinating subject to the Hebrew narrators, as it recurs in several places and in connection with various exigen- cies. Twice the elders are spoken of as appointed for secular judges, and twice they are summoned to be brought into touch with the greater super- natural manifestations of Jehovah's presence. In Exod. 18 the appointment of elders to be subordinate rulers and judges is represented as being suggested by Jethro on the occasion of his visit to Moses to bring him his wife and chil- dren, though in Deuteronomy (i = a-is) Moses speaks as if he made the request for such a col- lege of assistants of his own accord. On the one other occasion besides this on which the num- ber seventy is specified (Excd. 24) the elders ac- companied Moses into Mount Sinai and saw the glory of Jehovah, in some such way as the seventy are impressed to ecstasy with his glory here. Evidently the help which Moses needed, and which was held out to him on this occasion, is not simply a relieving him of detail work, but such a participation in and sympathy with his inner life as should lighten that awful sense of loneliness which was the principal ground of his complaint. Something of his spirit was to be put upon them (ver. 17), so that they could mentally bear his burden with him. Sometimes mental or spiritual sympathy is worth far more than routine help, even though it perform no act of assistance. The precise official functions of these elders are obscure ; but it is quite evi- dent that they did not form a permanent body which was continued through the history of the nation and revived in the Sanhedrin after the exile, as the Talmudists and the rabbins imagine. As for the people, Moses is directed to issue orders that they sanctify or prepare themselves by ceremonial purifications for the morrow, 48 NUMBERS [Ch. XL 23 And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short '• thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not. 24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. 25 And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders : and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. 26 But there remained two of the men in the 23 And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short? now shalt thou see whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not. 24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord : and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them 25 round about the Tent. And the Lord came down in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders : and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they 26 prophesied, but they did so no more. But there with the half-promise, half-threat, that they shall eat flesh for a whole month of days, until it comes out of their nostrils and becomes loath- some to them. How this prediction shall be fulfilled is as mysterious to Moses as to the rest of the people, so that in a bewildered way he casts about in his mind for some conceivable means by which it could possibly be accom- plished (ver. 21,22). 23-35. After being reminded of the power of Jehovah and enjoined to hold himself in read- iness for a manifestation of it, Moses goes out of the tent and reports Jehovah's words to the people. Then according to directions he as- sembles seventy of the elders of the people in the neighborhood of the sanctuary. The glory- cloud begins to descend. Nearer and nearer it comes, overspreading their sky, enveloping them with an impressive obscuration, filling them with awe as it isolates them from all their visible surroundings. Of another company in New Testament times, similarly overshadowed with a cloud of glory, it was written, "They feared as they entered into the cloud " (Lui^e 9 : 3*). Presently the cloud, as often before, be- came communicative to Moses ; and now all at once the seventy, through some electrical thrill of sympathy, were penetrated by a marvelous sense of the divine greatness, and in the intens- est excitement they began to speak what they felt. Moses' spirit was communicated to them, not by the ordinary means of inculcation, that is, articulate speech and believing assent, but by a transfer of his mental standpoint to their consciousness, so that they perceived spiritual truth directly, as he did. The moment they were raised to Moses' point of view their unac- customed souls were excited to the point of ecstasy. The account says (ver. 25) that they prophesied, but "did not add," i. e., did not continue to speak ecstatically (see r. v.). This perhaps does not imply that they soon lost their new perception of truth, but rather that after becoming more accustomed to the new and wonderful outlook they took the experience more sanely, having developed into elevated and spiritually minded men who could be a genuine help and reliance for Moses in dealing with the discontented people. In this early manifestation of a phenomenon destined to become characteristic of Hebrew re- ligion, we have an indication of the essential na- ture of all prophecy. The prophet is raised above the realm of faith into the realm of sight ; but the sight of God, be it observed, is not a sight which tends to picturableness in terms of visible form, but a sight which tends to formulableness in terms of speech. The self-revealed God is a Word. God's formula, sym"5ol, or in Bible language his name, is all the sight of God that is revealable to human perception (cf. Exod. 33 : 18, 19 ; 34 : 5, seq.). Hcucc dircct perception of God issues in speech, unstudied, compelled, impul- sive, or ecstatic, according to the degree of nervous excitement which the perception in- duces. A historical note in regard to the prophet as a character (see i sam. 9 : 9) chronicles the fact that he was at first described by his mental status and power as a seer, but after- ward by his characteristic habit of impulsive speaking as a i^'^J, nabi, or prophet. It hardly needs to be said that prophesying is not necessarily, or even predominantly, a foretell- ing of future events, but simply a speaking forth of the things of God from direct percep- tion. If it seem a matter of regret that so small a portion of the truth perceived by the Scrip- ture characters who were on various occasions prophetically endowed is preserved for the use of the world, it is worthy of being pointed out that probably only the low^est stratum of such truth is capable of being brought within the realm of ordinary inculcation so as to be laid hold of by assent or faith. Only that part of prophetic truth becomes useful for common guidance which can commend itself to the or- dinary sense of value by attaching itself to some practical issue of life. The heavenly words which Paul heard it was not possible or lawful to utter (2 Cor. 12 : 4). Two of the men (ver. 26) included in the writ- ten list — which must have comprised seventy- Ch. XL] NUMBERS 49 camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad : and the spirit rested upon them ; and they ivere of them that were \vritten, but went not out unto the tabernacle : and they prophesied in the camp. 27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. 29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them ! 30 And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel. 31 And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. 32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers : and they spread them all abroad for them- selves round about the camp. 33 And while the flesh ivas yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord remained two men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad : and the spirit rested upon them ; and they were of them that were written, but had not gone out unto the Tent : and they prophesied 27 in the camp. And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do 28 prophesy in the camp. And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, answered and said. My lord Moses, forbid 29 them. And Moses said unto him. Art thou jealous for my sake? would God that all tlie Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord 30 would put his spirit upon them ! And M(jses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of 31 Israel. And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits 32 above the face of the earth. And the people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails : he that gathered least gathered ten homers : and they spread them all abroad for themselves round 33 about the camp. While the flesh was yet be- tween their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger two, perhaps six to a tribe — had for some reason not gone to the tent of meeting with the other seventy ; and yet these men were infected with the same spirit and began to attract attention by prophesying in the camp. This breaking out of the higher manifestations of religion amid commonplace and secular surroundings was in- pressively noticeable, and with the idea that something was wrong a young man without loss of time ran to inform Moses. Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' attendant from his youth (ver. 28, see R. V. Margin) ^ -who WaS with MoSCS at the tabernacle and had seen the whole specta- cle of the seventy, which to the eye of his de- lighted loyalty so enhanced the glory of his master, could not bear an outbreak so irregular and so independent of constituted authority as this of Eldad and Medad. Joshua's instincts Avere military (cf. Exod. 32 : 17), and along with the tactician's sense of Moses' prerogative, there was also in his mental make-up a certain de- ficiency which prevented him from realizing the superiority of the free spirit to tactical com- mands. He would have had his master suppress the irregular manifestation, even of the divine Spirit. To his mind everything from God must come through Moses. It is the old conflict, al- ways cropping out because there are always op- posite sorts of mind, between the sense for order and the sense for freedom. Moses, who was him- self suiiiciently insistent on orderly methods (cf. com. on Lev. 10 : 16-20) ^ was nevertheless so fully inspired, and withal so meek, as to rejoice in whatever indicated God's presence with his people, even though it was apparently inde- pendent of his initiative. He could wish that the spiritual perception and free utterance of Eldad and Medad were universal. As Dill- mann remarks: "It is the highest goal of the church of which Moses has here a glimpse (es- sentially according to John 3), and to attain this goal is the true man's highest wish, not the defending of his personal honor." The meeting at the tabernacle being broken up, and Moses having returned to the camp, there followed the fulfillment of Jehovah's second promise. A strong wind, called a wind from Jehovah, and in Ps. 78 : 26 designated as a southeast wind, brought a flock of quails from the direction of the Elanitic gulf and spread them over the camp, flying about two cubits above the earth and covering the space of a day's journey in each direction. This seems to be the meaning of ver. 31, rather than that they fell in solid heaps two cubits high, as the Authorized version seems to imply. The quail is said to hang upon the wind in its flying, and when wearied it flies low, so that these birds could easily be grasped. Many of them no doubt also fell to the ground from exhaustion. The people fell to with the utmost eagerness, and gathered and dressed quails all that day and night and the next day, so that ten chomers, or fifty to sixty bushels, was accounted a small portion. No doubt they ate greedily during this time, and yet unable to make use of them all while they were fresh the people spread them out to dry in the sun all about the camp. Their unrestrained greediness, after so long a period of comparative abstinence, brought on its con- D 50 NUMBERS [Ch. Xll. was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people witli a very great plague. 34 And he called the name of that place Kib- roth-hattaavah : because there they buried the people that lusted. 35 And the people journeyed from Kibroth-hatta- avah unto Hazeroth ; and abode at Hazeroth. of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great 34 plague. And the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah : because there they buried 35 the people that lusted . From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed unto Hazeroth ; and they abode at Hazeroth. CHAPTER XII 1 AND Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married : for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 And they said, hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? liath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) AND Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married : for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only with Moses? hath he not spoken also with us? And the Lord heard it. Now the man Mo- ses was very meek, above all the men which sequences of disgust and deathly sickness, so that in many instances people died with their mouths full (ver. 33). The great pestilence which followed was attributed to the anger of Jehovah ; and so many were the graves of those that died that the place was called Kibroth- Hattaawah, or Graves of Greediness. The next stopping-place after Kibroth-Hat- taawali, where they must have stayed at least a month, was a place called Hazeroth, a name meaning, "fenced enclosures." Attempts to identify the place with Haderah, which is apparently too far east, or with El Ain, are conjectures carrying little or no certainty, as the name Hazeroth is one that could be applied to many places. Chap. 12. Rebellion of Miriam and Aaron against Moses, and Miriam's lep- rosy. 1-9. Miriam is called in Exod. 15 : 20 " the prophetess, the sister of Aaron," and she is mentioned in Micah 6 : 4 as one of the three leaders of Israel from Egypt. She was no doubt the sister who watched the infant Moses Avhen he was placed in the flags by the river, and pro- cured the mother as his nurse when he was dis- covered (Exod. 2 : 7, 8), The promiucnce giveu to Miriam in this chapter, and the emphasis put upon prophecy as a source of honor, have led modern critics quite unanimously to assign this chapter to the source called E. The Cushite or Ethiopian woman cannot have been the same as the Midianite Zipporah (see e.\oeut. i : 20), and go into the mountain, Negeh, the southern and least fertile part of Canaan, ex- tending from the south border nearly to Hebron, and on into the hill country of Judea. They were to make a thorough examination of the land in regard to its fertility, its inhabitants, and its military strength, and to bring ocular demonstration of its characteristics in the form of specimens of its products (vcr. 20). In ver. 21 we have the story from the P source, the same as that from which the first sixteen 54 NUMBERS [Ch. XIII. 18 And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many ; 19 And what the land is that they dwell m, whether it be good or bad ; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether iu tents, or in strong holds ; . ^ , , 20 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the flrstripe grapes. 21 So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Ziu unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath. 22 And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron ; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff ; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the tigs. 24 The place was called the brook Eshcol, be- cause of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. 18 mountains : and see the land, what it is ; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, whether they be few or many ; 19 and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad ; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strong 20 holds; and what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time 21 of the tirstripe grapes. So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin 22 unto Rehob, to the entering in of Hamath. And they went up by the South, and came unto He- bron ; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 And they came unto the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it upon a staff between two ; they brovght also of the pomegranates, and 24 of the tigs. That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the chil- verses are derived, and this appears again in ver. 25 and the first part of 26, and in 32, The continuous account as this relates it would be : that the spies went through the whole land from the south boundary to Rehob in the far north (ver. 21)^ and returned at the end of forty days to the wilderness of Paran (ver. 25, 26a) ^ and brought back an evil report of the land to the effect that it consumed its inhabitants, besides being de- fended by men of gigantic stature (ver. 32). On the other hand, the story from the JE source, ■which starts in at ver. 17, indicates that the spies were directed to go up into the Negeb, and so on to the hill country, and make a careful re- connaissance bringing back specimens of the fruits, as it was early grape harvest (ver. 17-20) ; that these went up into the Negeb and on to Hebron, finding there the three sons of Anak, and brought back various kinds of fruits, es- pecially a bunch of grapes of extraordinary weight from the valley of Eshcol (ver. 22-24)^ and that on their return to Kadesh they showed the fruit and admitted that the land was all that had been anticipated, but that the people were strong and the cities great and fortified ; and, finally, before any explicit intimation is given that the congregation were panic-stricken, that Caleb stilled the people, being in this matter opposed by the other spies who maintained their inability to take the land (ver. 27-31)^ and de- scribed with great vividness their contrast to the Nephilira, the sonsof Anak (ver. 33). 21. The wilderness of Zin. This is the desert into which the wilderness of Paran merges at its northeast side, stretching eastward to the Arabah. It is mentioned here, as also in 34 : 3, seq., as the southern boundary of the Holy Land, or Judah (Josh. 15 : 1, 3). In this desert Kadesh was situated (20 : 1 ; 27 : u ; 33 : 36), and the apparent location of Kadesh in the wilder- ness of Paran in ver. 26 would indicate that the distinction between the wilderness of Paran and that of Zin was not always clearly observed. Rehob is probably the place mentioned as Beth- Rehob in Judg. 18 : 28 (cf. 2 Sam. 10 : 6, 8), neai* the city of Laish which the Danites took and named Dan. As men come to Hamath, rather, the entering in of Hamath (see r. v.), is the valley or pass between Lebanon and Anti- Lebanon, called Ccele-Syria. It is possible that the two accounts of the spies may be harmonized by supposing that some of them were instructed to keep in the south, while other parties of them went to the middle portion and to the far north, and returned somewhat later. Those who ex- plored the south, at least, found at Hebron the three men of the race of Anak, Ahiman, She- shai, and Talmai (ver. 22), men whom Caleb after- ward drove out (Josh. 15 : 14 ; Judg. 1 : 20). A UOte mentions Hebron as very ancient (ver. 22) ; its early name was Kirjath-Arba, or city of Arba (Gen. 35 : 27), SO called from Arba, who was the greatest man among the Anakim (Josh, u : 15), indeed, the ancestor of the race (Josh. 21 : 11). These sons of Anak were described by the fright- ened spies on their return as descendants of the Nephilim (ver. 33), a name used elsewhere only of the giants or Titans of antediluvian times (Gen. 6 : 4). 23. The brook of Eshcol, or rather, valley (see r. v.). This place was evi- dently near Hebron ; and that region is cele- brated to this day for its vines, which have been known to yield clusters, weighing eleven or twelve pounds, of grapes like plums in size. Tlie bunch of grapes, Heb. 121^^, 'eshkol, is said by the author to have given at a later period Ch. XIV.] NUMBERS 55 25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. 26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh ; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sendest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey ; and this is the fruit of it. 28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great : and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south : and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Am- orites, dwell in the mountains : and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. 30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 31 But the men that went up with him said. We be not able to go up against the people ; for they are stronger than we. 32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they "had searched unto the children of Israel, saying. The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the in- habitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants : and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their siglit. 25 dren of Israel cut down from thence. And they returned from spying out the laud at the end of 26 forty days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh ; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them 27 the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey ; 28 and this is the fruit of it. How belt the people that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fenced, and very great: and moreover we 29 saw the children of Anak there. Amalek dwell- eth in the land of the South : and the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanite dwelleth by the 30 sea, and along by the side of Jordan. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it ; for we are 31 Avell able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said. We be not able to go up against the people ; for they are stronger than 32 we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the children of Israel, saying. The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof ; and all the people that 33 we saw in it are men of great stature. And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, which come of the Nephilim : and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. the name to the valley (ver. 24). It is to be noted that according to Gen. 14 : 13, 24 an Amorite living in this region, brother of Mamre and Aner, and an ally of Abram, was named Eshcol, and it is not impossible that the name Eshcol, which the valley may have already had at the visit of the spies, was derived from the ancient Canaanite, and that the name through its mean- ing came to be associated with the bunch of grapes gathered there, and popularly referred to that incident for its origin. 26. To Ka- desh. The place is here mentioned as in the wilderness of Paran, but it is elsewhere said to be in the wilderness of Zin. This place is second only to Sinai in importance in connection with the journeyings of the children of Israel. It is first mentioned in Gen. 14 : 7, where it is identi- fied "vvith En-Mishpat. A somewhat later name is Kadesh-barnea (32 : s; Deut. 1 : 2, etc.), or Kadesh of wandering. This becomes the headquarters of the host of Israel for thirty-eight years, per- haps the place of the sanctuary and of Moses' residence. It is probably to be identified with the site discovered by Rowland in 1842, known among the Arabs as 'Ain Qadis, or Holy Well. It is in a fertile plain or oasis, where a stream of water issues from a wall of limestone rock and is collected into troughs for the watering of cat- tle. In Deuteronomy it is described as eleven days' journey from Mount Horeb by way of Mount Seir (Deut. 1:2). The spies come back and show their fruits and report that the land is indeed a fertile land, but that the people are strong and the cities great and strongly fortified (ver. 2'7. 28). Their special bugbear is the sons of Anak, to whom they re- cur in ver. 33. The tribes that occupy the land are roughly classified and located (ver. 29), Ama- lek in the Negeb, the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites in the hill country, and the Canaanites by the sea and in the Jordan Valley. These last, who seem to be described as lowlanders, are also mentioned as living in other and more mountainous regions than the one here specified (u : 43, 45; 21 : i). Caleb, apparently noting the rising tide of the people's dissatisfaction, begins to still the multitude, but his efibrts only call out the more vehement opposition from the re- maining spies. It was this hero who in his old age chose this very place Hebron, where the greatest difiiculties existed, and where the sons of Anak were found, as the inheritance which he would undertake to conquer and possess (Josh. 1* : 12). As for Joshua, he does not appear in his role of pacifier until the next chapter. Chap. 14. The rebellion of the peo- ple AND THEIR SENTENCE. The eflect of the adverse report of the spies was first that it threw the multitude into an extraordinary depression, or as ISIoses puts it in Deuteron- omy (1:28), "made their hearts melt," and 56 NUMBERS [Ch. XIV. CHAPTER XIV. 1 AND all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried ; and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron : and the whole congre- gation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! 3 And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey ? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? 4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces be- fore all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. 6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes : 7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 8 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us ; a laud which floweth with milk and honey. 9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land ; for they are bread for us : their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us : fear them not. 10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the chil- dren of Israel. 11 And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them ? 1 AND all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried ; and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel murmured agahist Moses and against Aaron : and the whole con- gregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt ! or would God 3 we had died in this wilderness ! And wherefore doth the Lord bring us unto this land, to fall by the sword ? Our wives and our little ones shall be a prey : were it not better for us to return 4 into Egypt ? And they said one to another. Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the chil- 6 dren of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that spied out the land, rent their clothes : 7 and they spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceeding 8 good land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it unto us ; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9 Only rebel not against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land ; for they are bread for us: their defence is removed from over them, 10 and the Lord is with us : fear them not. But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting unto all the children of Israel. 11 And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people despise me ? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have then awakened, as the next stage in their per- turbation, an unreasonable resentment against their leaders Moses and Aaron. Finally their dissatisfaction assumed the more definite shape of making inchoate plans to choose a leader and go back to Egypt (ver. 4). Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before God in order to entreat his interposition, but not, according to Deut. 1 : 29-31, until they had unsuccessfully tried to re- assure the people by encouragements and per- suasions. Joshua, who now for the first appears (ver. 6) as a stiller of the rebellion, joins Caleb in manifesting his grief at the people's perverse- ness and in attempting to inspire something of an enterprising and warlike spirit. The three- fold motive on which they sought to work was faith in God, cupidity, and belief in the doom of the Canaanites. Not simply the cupidity of those seeking homes or places to grow the slow fruits of the earth did these heroes attempt to arouse, but the fiercer cupidity of those anticipa- ting a swift return in the way of spoil. Neither fear ye the people of the land ; for they are bread for us (ver. o), perhaps means that the people, so far from being an incumbrance or drawback, are an additional asset, for they represent accumulated wealth, or food ready for use, which by a little boldness can immediately be secured, so as to bring us at once into plenty. And all this is urged as a sure thing because, as the picturesque Hebrew expresses it, *' their shadow is removed from them" (ver. 9) — the people, as doomed to destruction by Jehovah, are really without defense, however strong they may appear. The figurative use of the term " shadow" to signify defense or security is not uncommon in Hebrew literature (see, e. g., isa. ZQ : 'i; Ps. 91 : 1 ; 121 : 5). The rcasoniug was really on a very high plane of faith ; it was firmly grounded on the assurance that Jehovah's favor is security, and his displeasure always means nakedness and defenselessness despite the strong- est armaments. But the people were not in the mood for such transcendent reasoning as this ; and they began to raise the cry of a mob (ver. lo), until the glory of Jehovah shone forth from the tent of meeting in its threatening majesty and awed them into silence. The appearance of the divine glory in the tent seems to have been not only intended to effect the rescue of the devoted Joshua and Ca- leb, but to portend a momentous communication to Moses. Jehovah's sentence on the rebellious people, with Moses' intercession, is given in the manner perhaps characteristic of JE in ver. 11- 25, while in ver. 26-38 the same sentence is given Ch. XIV.] NUMBERS 57 12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and dis- inherit them, and will make of thee a greater na- tion and mightier than they. 13 And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear ii, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them ;) 14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land : for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, 16 Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. 17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, 18 The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. 19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now. 20 And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word : 21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. 22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which 1 did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice ; 23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it : 24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went ; and his seed shall possess it. 12 wrought among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than 13 they. And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it ; for thou broughtest up 14 this people in thy might from among them ; and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land : they have heard that thou Lord art in the midst of this people ; for thou Lord art seen face to face, and thy cloud standeth over them, and thou goest before them, in a pillar of cloud by 15 day, and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if thou shalt kill this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will 16 speak, saying. Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the 17 wilderness. And now, I pray thee, let the power of the Lord be great, according as thou hast 18 spoken, saying. The Lord is slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, forgiving iniquity and trans- gression, and that will by no means clear the guilty ; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth 19 generation. Pardon, I pray thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and according as thou hast forgiven 20 this people, from Egypt even until now. And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy 21 word : but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord ; 22 because all those men which have seen my glory, and my signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice ; 23 surely they shall not see the laud which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them 24 that despised me see it : but my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went ; and his seed shall in a somewhat different form more characterized by the style of P. God's patience is represented as sorely tried (ver. ii)^ and the proposal which first appeared in Exod. 32 : 10 to destroy the na- tion and make Moses a new national founder is here repeated. Moses again, as in that chapter, reasons with Jehovah, urging here, however, the consideration, not that the Egyptians would interpret the Israelites' destruction as a proof of Jehovah's malignity (cf. Exod. 32 : 12)^ but that they, and all the nations to whom they would tell of the glorious starting out of the exodus (ver. 13), would reason that the divine strength was exhausted in the wilderness without being able to bring its intentions to pass. Then Moses pleads that the power of the Lord, if that must be manifested, may be seen in confirming that revelation of his mercy which he had made to Moses when he asked God at Sinai to show him his glory (Exod. 34 : 6, seq.). An imprcssivc thing it is, and an exaltation of Old Testament revela- tion, to see a mortal fully possessed of the truth that the highest divine glory is forbearance and mercy, and pleading that truth with God against an implacableness which, no doubt to test his servant, God apparently assumed. Moses' self- devotion does not on this occasion reach the sub- lime height which it reached at Sinai where he entreated that Jehovah would blot him out of his book rather than refuse to forgive the peo- ple's sin (Exod. 32 : 32), but he apparently pleads God's revealed mercy to such good purpose that God promises to forgive his countrymen. Je- hovah, however, takes a solemn oath that none of these men who have seen his glory and his signs, and have tempted or exasperated him ten times, shall see the land which he swore to their fathers, except Caleb who had another spirit in him and has followed him fully. The number ten (ver. 22), as applied to the occasions when the Israelites tried the patience of God, no doubt is meant simply as equivalent to an indefinite complete number — "times enough." The rabbis, however, always pro- saic, reckon up the precise occasions on which these temptations occurred, and of course with sufficient ingenuity make them agree with the number here. They are : at the Red Sea (Exod. 14 : 11, seq.) ; at Marah (Exod. 15 : 23, seq.), in the wil- derness of Sin (Exod. le : 2, seq.) ; their disregard 58 NUMBERS [Ch. XIV. 25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea. 26 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 27 How long shall 1 bear with this evil congrega- tion, which murmur against me? I have heard the murraurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. 28 Say unto them. As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you : 29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness ; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, 30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell there- in, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. 32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your children shall wander in the wilder- ness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. 34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. 35 I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered to- gether against me : in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die. 36 And the men. which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, 25 possess it. Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley : to-morrow turn ye, and get you into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea. 26 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto 27 Aaron, saying. How long shall I hear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me ? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, 28 which they murmur against me. Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord, surely as ye have 29 spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you : your carcases shall fall in this wilderness ; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and up- 30 ward, which have murmured against me, surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I lifted up my hand that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Je- 31 phunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land 32 which ye have rejected. But as for you, your 33 carcases shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall be wanderers in the wilder- ness forty years, and shall bear your whore- doms, until your carcases be consumed in the 34 wilderness. After the number of the days in which ye spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, shall ye bear your ini- quities, even forty years, and ye shall know my 35 alienation. I the Lord have spoken, surely this will I do unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me : in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall 36 die. And the men, which Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned, and made all the con- gregation to murmur against him, by bringing of directions regarding the manna (Exod. le : 20) ; their attempt to gather it on the seventh day (Exod. 16 : 27, 28) ; their murmuring for water at Meribah ( Exod. 17 : 2, seq. ) ; their sin with the gold- en calf (Exod. 32) ; the burning at Taberah (Num. 11 : 1, seq.) ; the murmuring of the mixed multi- tude at Kibroth-Hattaawah (Num. 11 : 4, seq.) ; and finally this occasion. In ver. 25 the fatal command is issued. It is preceded by the statement that the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley or plain, a statement which but imperfectly accords with 13 : 29 and 14 : 43, 45, where these tribes are described as mountaineers. The command is that on the morrow the people shall turn south- ward and strike into the wilderness by the Red Sea road — the modern Hajj route from 'Aqabah to Suez — for their long wandering. 26-45. In this section the sentence of Jehovah against the rebellious people is repeated in quite different terms and in another style. There is no divine threat appeased by human intercession, but a prediction in prosaic statistical terms, em- bellished by arithmetical coincidences and grim humor, of what shall befall the people and their children, the recurring burden being, your carcases shall fall in this wilderness, or its equivalent (ver. 29, 32, 33, 35). Both Caleb and Joshua, instead of Caleb alone as in the preced- ing section, are exempted from the sentence of exclusion (ver. 30). The fulfillment of the wish which in their panic they uttered, that they might die in the wilderness, is grimly forced upon them (ver. 29) ; the prediction that their children should become a prey is falsified by the assertion that these shall supersede them in the privilege of beholding the Promised Land ( ver. 31), though they must first be shepherds in the wilderness forty years as an infliction for their parents' unfaithfulness. The correspondence of the forty years' wandering with the forty days spent by those spies who in one narrative were said to have gone to Rehob (is = 21, 25) is drawn out with a kind of relish, the most depressing fact of that wandering being described as, that they shall know or experience what it is to have God turn away from them. 34. My breach of promise is more exactly rendered, my turning away. See R. V. The wandering which in this narrative is apparently described as ex- hibiting an exact coincidence with the forty days' expedition is elsewhere said to have lasted thirty-eight years (neut. 2 : 14). The story goes on in ver. 36, 37 to relate what was the fate of the spies who brought in an evil report of the land. It is not expressly said that Ch. XV.] NUMBERS 59 37 Even those men that did bring up the evil re- port upon the land, died by the plague before the Lord. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still. 39 And Moses told these sayings unto all the chil- dren of Israel : and the people mourned greatly. 40 And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we he here, and will go up unto the place which the Lord hath promised : for we have sinned. 41 And Moses said. Wherefore now do ye trans- gress the commandment of the Lord ? but it shall not prosper. 42 Go not up, for the Lord is not among you ; that ye be not smitten before your enemies. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword : because ye are turned away from the Lord, there- fore the Lord will not be with you. 44 But they presumed to go up unto the hill top ; nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites came dov/n, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah. 37 up an evil report against the land, even those men that did bring up an evil report of the land, 38 died by the plague before the Lord. But Joshua the son of Nun. and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men that went to spy 39 out the land. And Moses told these words unto all the children of Israel : and the people 40 mourned greatly. And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up to the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the Lord hath promised : 41 for we have sinned. And Moses said. Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the 42 Lord, seeing it shall not prosper? Go not up, for the Lord is not among you ; that ye be not sniit- 43 ten down before your enemies. For there tlie Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and ye shall fall by the sword : because ye are turned back from following the Lord, therefore 44 the Lord will not be with you. But they pre- sumed to go up to the top of the mountain : nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. 45 Then the Amalekite came down, and the Ca- naanite which dwelt in that mountain, and smote them and beat them down, even unto Hormah. CHAPTER XV. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, | 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying. this stroke from the Lord's presence occurred at this time ; and the passage may be taken as an anticipation of the later history of these men, just as the following verse anticipates the later history of Joshua and Caleb. Deut. 2 : 15 seems to indicate that there was an unusual sickliness in the camp during the thirty-eight years which shortened the life of the whole generation. As for the statement made here and repeatedly (e. g., Num. 26 : 63-65) that not One of those over twenty years of age save Caleb and Joshua survived to the second numbering under Eleazar, we must surely modify it to the extent of excepting Eleazar himself who was a prominent leader at the time of the first numbering at Sinai (Num. 3 : 3, 32; Exod. 28 : i), and survivcd to conduct the second numbering in person. The sentence, which had been given from the tent of meeting to Moses, was now reported to the people, and they were greatly exercised at the consequences of their rebellion. Their spirit, however, seems not to have been that of genuine repentance, but rather a feverish eager- ness to undo their error and snatch the fleeting opportunity just vanishing out of their grasp. 40. They rose up early in the morning, and went up to the top of the mountain, i. e., evidently not to the highest summit, but to some intermediate spur or table-land, as the Amalekites and Canaanites still "came down" (ver. 45) to meet them when the battle occurred. They offered to make the invasion of the Prom- ised Land at once, but Moses warned them that they would not succeed. He assured them that Jehovah was no longer with them (ver. 41) ; they had turned back from following him, so that they could no more count on his assist- ance. 44. Nevertheless they presumed, lit., made a swell, to go up to the top of the mountain, but the ark of the covenant and Moses stayed in the camp. This idea of the ark as a palladium is more characteristic of the JE source, which seems to be drawn upon in this section, than of the later legislation of P, which enjoins a more elaborate seclusion of the sacred coffer (see on 10 : 33-36). 45. Orphaned of the divine assistance as the people were, the Amalekite and Canaanite came down . . . and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah. These tribes, which Moses in Deuteronomy (1 : 44) calls by the more general title of Amorites, or hill-country men, ai'e said in that place to have chased them as bees do in Seir. The place Hormah, or np"in, Charmah, is so named here by anticipation, as it appar- ently did not receive this name until afterwards. It was formerly called Zephath (Judg. 1 : 17), and in two places the name Charmah, or Place of the ban, is accounted for as arising from the fact of its utter destruction by the Israelites as provided for (Lev. 27 : 28, 29 ; Num. 21 : 3 ; Judg. 1 • 17). FrOlU the apparent resemblance of the name Zephath — which is not very clear, however — ancient Hormah has been conjecturally identified with Sebatah, a group of noble ruins in the Negeb about twenty-five miles north of Kadesh. Chap. 15. Laws regarding various of- ferings. The Sabbath-breaker. The LAW OF "fringes." 1-16. In this chapter 60 NUMBERS [Ch. XV. 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land of your habi- tations, which I give unto you, 3 And will make an offering by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice in performing a vow, or in a freewill offering, or in your solemn feasts, to make a sweet savour unto the Lord, of the herd, or of the flock : 4 Then shall he that offereth his offernig unto the Lord bring a meat offering of a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth pari of an hin of oil. 5 And the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering shalt thou prepare with the burnt offering or sacrifice, for one lamb. 6 Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meat offering two tenth deals of flour mingled with the third part of an hin of oil. 7 And for a drink offering thou shalt offer the third part of an hin of wine, for a sweet savour unto the Lord. 8 And when thou preparest a bullock /or a burnt ottering, or for a sacrilice in performing a vow, or peace offerings unto the Lord : 9 Then shall he bring with a bullock a meat offer- ing of three tenth deals of flour mingled with half an hin of oil. 10 And thou shalt bring for a drink offering half an hin of wine, fur an offering made by Are, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 11 Thus shall it be done for one bullock, or for one ram, or for a lamb, or a kid. 12 According to the number that ye shall pre- pare, so shall ye do to every one according to their number. 13 All that are born of the country shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 14 And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whoso- ever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord ; as ye do, so he shall do. 15 One ordinance shall be both for you of the con- gregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your genera- tions": as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. 16 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land of your 3 habitations, which I give unto you, and will make an offering by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or as a freewill offering, or in your set feasts, to make a sweet savour unto tlie Lord, of the herd, 4 or of the flock : then shall he that offereth his oblation offer unto the Lord a meal offering of a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with 5 the fourth part of an hin of oil : and wine for the drink offering, the fourth part of an hin, shalt thou prepare with the burnt offering or for 6 the sacrifice, for each lamb. Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meal offering two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with the third 7 part of an hin of oil : and for the drink offering thou shalt offer the third part of an hin of wine, 8 of a sweet savour unto the Lord. And when thou preparest a bullock for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or for peace 9 offerings unto the Lord : then shall he offer witli the bullock a meal offering of three tenth parts of an ephah of the fine flour mingled with half 10 an hin of oil. And thou shalt offer for the drink offering half an hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 11 Thus shall it be done for each bullock, or for each ram, or for each of the he-lambs, or of the 12 kids. According to the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one according 13 to their number. All that are homeborn shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the 14 Lord. And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you throughout your gen- erations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord ; as ye do, so he 15 shall do. For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you, and for the stranger that so- journeth with you, a statute for ever throughout your generations : as ye are, so shall the stranger 16 be before the Lord. One law and one ordinance shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. I we find the characteristic style and theme of the priest-code as this is seen predominantly all through Leviticus. The ordinances, as also in various places in that book (Lev. 19 : 23 ; 23 : 10 ; 25 : 2 ; etc.), havc explicit reference to the time when the people shall come into their land ; but so dispassionately does the chapter refer to that time, and so completely does it ignore the fact that the whole generation has just been condemned to a death in the wilder- ness, that it seems clear that it could not have been written in immediate connection with the history of the preceding chapter, but was rather inserted from some other source. It is useless to attempt to exhibit any close or necessary con- nection of thought between these insertions from the priest-code and the sequence of the history in which they occur. The purpose of these directions seems to be to supply some details regarding the quantity of fine flour and wine to be used in the meal and drink offerings which belong to the sacrifices appro- priate for the fulfillment of vows or for spon- taneous expressions of devotion. It seems to be taken for granted thai, the coming into the land where oil and wine may be had will naturally result in many fervent and joyous expressions of this kind. When the meal offering is de- scribed in Lev. 2 there is no mention of the drink offering or libation, though some scattered notices (Exod. 29 : 40; Lev. 23 : 13) seem to indicate that it was a natural accompaniment of the meal offering. In this place the definite amount of flour and wine appropriate for each offering of a lamb, or for each beast in the larger func- tions where many victims are offered at a time, is carefully prescribed. These are : for a lamb an V"^^}!, 'issaron, or tenth (of an ephah) of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin of oil, with a libation of the same quantity of wine, these being the amounts prescribed in Exod. 29 : 40 for the lamb of the morning and evening sacrifice. For a ram the flour is doubled, while the fraction of the hin of wine and oil is one- third. Three-tenths of flour with a half-hin each of oil and wine accompany the sacrifice Ch. XV.] NUMBERS 61 17 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 18 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the laud whither I bring you, 19 Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the laud, ye shall ofter up an heave offering unto the Lord. 20 Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering : as ye do the heave offering of the threshiugfloor, so shall ye heave it. 21 Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the Lord an heave offering in your generations. 22 And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the Lord hath spoken unto Moses, 23 Even all that the Lord hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the L(jrd commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations ; 21 Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congrega- tion, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour unto the Lord, with his meatoffering, and his drink offer- ing, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering. 25 And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them ; for it is ignorance : and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their ignorance : 26 And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and tlie stranger that sojourneth among them ; seeing all the people were in ignorance. 27 And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. 28 And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when hesinneth by ignorance before the Lord, to make an atone- ment for him ; and it shall be forgiven him. 17 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 18 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them. When ye come into the land whither I 19 bring you, then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up an heave 20 offering unto the Lord. Of the first of your dough ye shall offer up a cake for an heave ottering: as ye do the heave offering of the 21 threshing-floor, so shall ye heave it. Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the Lord an heave ottering throughout your generations. 22 And when ye shall err, and not observe all these commandments, which the Lord hath 23 spoken unto Moses, even all that the Lord hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the Lord gave commandment, and on- 24 ward throughout your generations ; then it shall be, if it be done unwittingly, without the knowl- edge of the congregation, that all the congrega- tifjn shall offer one young bullock for a burnt ottering, for a sweet savour unto the Lord, with the meal offering thereof, and the drink offering thereof, according to the ordinance, and one he- 25 goat for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they shall be forgiven ; for it was an error, and they have brought their oblation, an offering made by fire unto the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their 26 error: and all the congregation of the children of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger that sojourneth among them ; for in respect of all 27 the people it was done unwittingly. And if one person sin unwittingly, then he shall offer a she- 28 goat of the first year for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for the soul that erreth, when he sinneth unwittingly, befure the Lord, to make atonement for him ; "and he shall of a bullock. These proportions must be re- peated with each victim when many are offered in a series. It is carefully specified that this regulation is a uniform one, not only for the home-born, but for foreigners sojourning among them w^ho may Avish to fulfill vows or otfer free- will offerings to Jehovah. 17-21. The first realizing of the products of the land after the people's entrance thither is to be signalized by the offering of a HD^IJ^, t'riunah, or heave offering to Jehovah. This is to be a cake of the first grits or coarse meal (^er. 20 ), just as in the case of the t'rumah of the threshing- floor, which is alluded to as well known, though mentioned only here. The ceremony is not re- stricted to the first harvest after entering the land, but is to be the perpetual custom (ver. 21), It will be remembered that in regard to newly planted trees a peculiar system of regarding the fruit as uncircumcised for three years, and wholly consecrated for one year more, before it could be eaten, is in.stituted in Lev. 19 : 23-25. 22-31. The Pionjl, t'rumoth, were the per- quisite of the priests, as is more fully set forth in the eighteenth chapter. All peace offerings must pay the tribute of the right thigh as a t'rumah to the priest (Lev. 7 : 32). The custom of offering first fruits was enjoined in the earliest legislation (Exod. 23 : 19) and repeatedly, and this particular offering of coarse meal is referred to in Ezek. 44 : 30 and Neh. 10 : 37. 22-31. This section seems to betray a con- sciousness on the part of the legislator that the ordinances are becoming somewhat complex and numerous for an ordinary person, or even the whole congregation, to be sure of remembering ; and the main objective point seems to be to assure the people that if the sin is unintentional (ver. 24- 29) there is provision for atonement. In form the enactment starts out as if intended to cover only sins of omission (ver. 22)^ and this is often taken as the intended distinction from the legislation in Lev. 4, and thus as explaining the slight dif- ference in the victims and sacrifices prescribed. The main difference is that here the bullock for the congregation is prescribed as a burnt offer- ing, while in the case of the sin of the anointed priest (Lev. 4 : 3, seq.), or of the whole congrega- tion (ibid., 13, seq.), according to Leviticus, the bullock is to be offered as a sin offering. It is questionable, however, whether this restriction to sins of omission is intended throughout (see 62 NUMBERS [Ch. XV. 29 Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among tliem. 30 But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he he born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord ; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall he upon him. 32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. 33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. 34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. 35 And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death : all the congregation shall stone hi'm with stones without the camp. 36 And all the congregation brought him with- out the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died ; as the Lord commanded Moses. 29 be forgiven. Ye shall have one law for him that doeth aught unwittingly, fur him that is home- born among the childiyu of Isiael, and for the 30 stranger that sojourneth among them. But the soul that doeth aught with an high hand, whether he be homeborn or a stranger, the same blasphemeth the Lord ; and that soul 31 shall be cut off from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment ; that soul shall ut- terly be cut off, his iniquity shall be upon him. 32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks! 33 upon the sabbath day. And they that found! him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses 34 and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it had not been 35 declared what should be done to him. And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall surely be put to death : all the congregation shall stone 36 him with stones without the camp. And all the] congregation brought him without the camp,' and stoned him with stones, and he died ; as the Lord commanded Moses. Ter. 24, 27, 29) ^ as a popular provision for a pure negative would be somewhat difficult to main- tain or enforce. It is more likely that the passage here and that in Leviticus represent slightly diflerent strata of legislation, this being inserted especially to emphasize the distinction between sins of error and sins of presumption. For sins of error only is the provision made ; while for the one who commits sin with a " high hand" (ver. so) there remains only the stern penalty of cutting ofi' from among the people, as the presumptuous sin is constructive blas- phemy. The commandment is asserted to be binding for home-born and foreigner alike (ver. 29, 30). This legal principle that a transgression must be strictly a sin of error or ignorance in order to be accessible to remission appears to have become very deeply ingrained into Jewish thought ; so that even the unlearned Peter, in calling to repentance those who had been parties to the death of Christ, grounds his gospel of remission on the consideration that they had done it ^aTa ayvoiav^ or through ignorance (Acts 3 : IT). In this incident we may perhaps catch a glimpse of an interesting fact in human nature, exemplified in Jewish progress between the time of this legislation and that of Christ and paralleled in the legal history of other na- tions. This is, that as human feeling becomes milder, laws which, though remaining in force, become too harsh for public sentiment to tolerate are often evaded or made consistent with more merciful treatment by the device of liberal in- terpretation. Thus in England, long before the law which prescribed the death penalty for petty theft was repealed, juries would take care, though often absurdly, to estimate the amount of the theft at less than the fatal limit in order to save the life of the culprit. In a similar way we may perhaps see that among the Jews this harsh law that every transgression not strictly in error should be punished by death became modified by a liberal interpreta- tion of what constituted error. At least Peter must have been accustomed to a very liberal understanding of the matter to be able to con- cede that not only the people but also their rulers, those men who had so deliberately set about, by corrupting his disciples, and even by employing false testimony, to compass the death of Christ, had done the deed through ignorance. 32-36. The introduction of this incident by the note oftime, while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, not only marks it as an isolated event picked out from among the occurrences of the forty years' wandering, but also stamps it as the utterance of an author who was not himself in the wilderness at the time of writing. It appears to be an example of the high-handed sin for which there was no atone- ment, or the constructive blasphemy whose penalty was stoning (cf. John S : 59; Acts 7 : 58), The penalty for Sabbath-breaking is in other places prescribed as cutting ofl* from among the people, or death (Exod. 31 : u; 35 : 2), but the pre- caution of putting the man in custody until some decision could be obtained regarding him would be necessary in order to determine th^i precise degree of presumption in his case, and so whether it was a crime subject to the punish- ment of blasphemy. Jehovah's direction to Moses was that the man should be stoned wnth stones by the whole congregation, a form of punishment which, as it employed all the people Oh. XVI. ] NtTMBER^ 63 37 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make tham fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon die fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: 39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the command- ments of the Lord, and do them ; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring : 40 That ye may remember, and do all my com- mandments, and be holy unto your God. 41 I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God : I am the Lord your God. 37 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of each bor- 39 der a cord of blue : and it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remem- ber all the commandments of the Lord, and do them ; and that ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes, and after which ye 40 use to go a whoring : that ye may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy 41 unto your God. I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God : I am the Lord your God. as executioners, called out the most widespread interest possible in the enforcing of law and order. 37-41. The translation of this passage as it is found in the Revised version is more faithful to the Hebrew. A command similar to this is given also in Deut. 22 : 12, though with a diiferent word for "fringe." Much care and ingenuity- were expended by the Jews on the construction of these fringes or tassels. They so arranged the threads and knots as to set forth symbol- ically the six hundred and thirteen precepts of which the law was believed to consist. The or- dinary Jewish outer garment was a square piece of cloth, something like a plaid, and the tassels were attached to each of the four corners. In later times, as the fashion of dress changed, a smaller piece of cloth called the tallith was sub- stituted and worn as an undergarment. It is still used in the synagogue. Apparently our Lord wore an outer garment with a Kpao-TreSoi/^ or fringe, which the people were eager to touch as a conveyer of healing power (Matt. 9 : 20; 14 : 36; Mark 6 : 56) ; and the Pharisccs in his time were accustomed to make these tassels or fringes on their garments very large in token of their peculiar strictness or sanctity (Matt. 23 : 5). The reason given for the use of these tassels is that the wearers may look upon them and be reminded of the commandments of Jehovah (ver. 39) J and especially that their attention might be kept at home instead of their " spying out" after their own heart as those that are led into impure desires by inflaming sights. The verb used is the same as that which describes the act of the spies in exploring the Promised Land. Their high privilege and obligation of being a holy people, a people whose God was Jehovah the deliverer from Egypt, was thus constantly kept before them. It became like the badge of an order, calculated to remind the people that they had something to live up to, and thus to foster and develop the esprit of the nation. Chap. 16. Rebellion of Korah, Da- THAN, AND Abiram. The Company, the mo- tives, and the places and manners of punish- ment in this extensive uprising are so obviously diverse and so easily separable that modern critics very confidently discover two or perhaps three narratives combined in this chapter. That the main basis of this and the following chapter, which belongs with it, is priestly is apparent; the attack of Korah and his company is pri- marily upon the priestly prerogatives enjoyed by the tribe of Levi, or the family of Aaron ; and the result of the total vindication of the di- vine Levitical arrangement is a very wholesome dread on the part of the lay congregation for the awful sanctities of the tabernacle (see n : 12, 13). As an account of a rebellion of laymen against the exclusive privileges of the priesthood the narrative moves in the sphere of P. A further differentiation is made in the P element by which a part, designated as P^ (see ver. s-ii, se-io), is distinguished as making the rebellion a move- ment of the Levites or inferior priests against the family of Aaron, i. e., a schism in the priestly body itself. But aside from this strife over sacerdotal privileges there appears to be, on the part of Dathan and Abiram, a dissatis- faction with Moses as a civil ruler (see ver. 13) ; and these men appear to be punished in their own tents, instead of at the sanctuary, and for contumacy rather than for presuming to offer incense. They do not seem to have been guilty of sacrilege ; they were rebellious. This causes the critics to assign the parts relating to these Reubenites to JE. Thus Driver says: "In JE Dathan and Abiram, Reubenites, give vent to their dissatisfaction Avith Jfoses, complain- ing (ver. 14) that his promises have been un- fulfilled, and resenting the authority (13'') and judgeship (15^) possessed by him: they, with their tents and households, are swallowed up by the earth (ver. 27-34). This is a rebellion of laymen against the civil authority claimed by Moses." 64 KUMBERS [Ch. XVI. CHAPTER XVI. 1 NOW Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Ko- hath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, tookmevt; 2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congrega- tion, men of renown : 1 NOW Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Ko- hath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram. the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, 2 sons of Reuben, took men : and they rose up be- fore Moses, with certain of the children of Is- rael, two hundred and fifty princes of the con- gregation, called to the assembly, men of 1-3. There is no doubt evidence of more or less compilation and redaction in this account ; but whether the whole is a badly welded narra- tive of two or three separate rebellions confused with each other, or whether it is a history of one widespread uprising of the theoretically conse- crated people against the priests, headed and perhaps instigated by Korah who presented their plea as their advocate and yet had ulte- rior aims of his own, will be considered as we examine the variant passages more in detail. The chief instigator, or informing spirit, of this rebellion, from whom it always takes its name, was Korah, who belonged to that family of the Levitical tribe which was concerned with the care of the most holy furniture of the taber- nacle — the family of Kohath. To this family also belonged Moses and Aaron, who were of the branch of Amram, while Korah came of the next brother Izhar (cf. Exod. 6 .- is). Korah was therefore near enough to the priestly dignity to aspire to a place in the front rank ; and as he saw the priesthood becoming legally restricted and fixed in the family of Aaron he felt that the remaining Levites had reason for discontent. It is to be noted that previous to the time of Deuteronomy the rigid distinction between priests and Levites does not appear always to have been clearly maintained (see on 3 : 5-10) ; and this account of Korah 's rebellion may well be taken as reflecting the dissatisfaction which arose when the Levites — whatever time that may have been in Israelitish history — found themselves being relegated to the position of subordinate temple militia. It is this dissatisfaction at being a subordinate priest which the penetrating Moses detects in Korah as his personal motive in stirring up the rebellion (see ver. 8-11). But like all masterful and ambitious men Korah has his company whom he makes his tools to help him into power; and these he has fired with a quite dif- ferent and more popular dissatisfaction. Ko- rah's more immediate company consists of two hundred and fifty men (ver. 2) who are princes and prominent men in the tribes, not all Le- vites, as may easily be inferred from such pas- sages as 27 : 3, where Manassites find it necessary to deny complicity with the sedition. Rather loosely joined with these, and treated in the nar- rative almost as a separate company, are Da- than and Abiram, descendants through Eliab of Reuben, and On, who is not again mentioned, also a Reubenite and a son of Peleth, perhaps the same as Pallu (Gen. 46 : 9) who was the father of Eliab (Num. 26 : 8). Thcsc Reubenites could be most easily bent to Korah' s purpose as their ancestor Reuben was the firstborn of Israel, and no doubt his descendants felt that his rights of primogeniture were being invaded. The mag- istracy had been assumed by Moses, and the priesthood, which now in the completed taber- nacle was assuming a dignity and glory worth contending for, was restricted to the tribe of Levi — and where did the firstborn come in? The rejection of Reuben, as based on Jacob's dying oracle (Gen. 49 : 4)^ was probably not yet known, or at least not acquiesced in ; and that oracle itself reflected the ideas of a time when Levi's contrasted destiny was thought of more as a penal denial of land inheritance (Gen. 49 : 7) than as a dignity or headship which Reuben had any reason to envy. These men under the leadership of Korah held a meeting and presented their complaint against Moses and Aaron. Their grievance was that those leaders were usurping, especially in the prerogatives of the temple service, a dig- nity which belonged to the whole congregation. The whole body of the people were theoretically Jehovah's priests (Exod. i9 = 5, e), and that Jeho- vah was among them had been not only often asserted, but was especially emphasized in that outbreak of prophecy at Kibroth-Hattaawah (11 : 25, 26). The heart of the contention, no doubt, was that the function of worship ought to be a family matter, and that in providing an exclusively dedicated sanctuary and a formal ritual Moses and Aaron were seeking to enhance their own dignity and keep others down. That the provision of orderly worship for the whole nation meant taking away the right of praying to God from individuals and families was, no doubt, a misunderstanding, and the whole con- tention in regard to worship is strikingly like Miriam's contention regarding prophecy (12 : 2), Ch. XVI.] NUMBERS 65 3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too mucli upon you, seeing all the congrega- tion are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them : wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord ? 4 And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face : 5 And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the Lord will shew who are his, and who is holy ; and will cause him to come near unto him : even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him. G This do ; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company ; 7 And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the Lord to morrow : and it shall be that the man whom the Lord doth choose, he shall be holy : ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi. 8 And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi : 9 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congre- gation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? 10 And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also? 11 For which cause both thou and all thy com- pany are gathered together against the Lord : and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him? 3 renown : and they assembled themselves to- gether against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them. Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them : where- fore then lift ye up yourselves above the assem- 4 bly of the Lord ? And when Moses heard it, he 5 fell upon his face : and he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying. In the morn- ing the Lord will shew who are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near unto him : even him whom he shall choose will he 6 cause to come near unto him. This do ; take 7 you censers, Korah, and all lus company ; and put fire therein, and put incense upon them be- fore the Lord to-morrow : and it shall be that the man whom the Lord doth choose, he shatl be holy : ye take too much upon you, ye sons (jf 8 Levi. And Moses said unto Korah, Hear now, 9 ye sons of Levi : seemeth it but a small tiling unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself ; to do the service of the taber- nacle of the Lord, and to stand before the con- 10 gregation to minister unto them ; and that he hath brought thee near, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee? and seek ye the 11 priesthood also? Therefore thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord : and Aaron, what is he that ye murmur where a function which Moses had expressly wished might be exercised by all (n = 29) was taken as monopolized by Moses. Like Miriam's contention too, this charge was actuated by envy, for if the people had been pure-hearted, they could have seen that by the maintenance of an exclusively holy sanctuary and priesthood for the standard public worship, no essential privilege was being taken from them except the privilege of relatively exalted position. In this insistence on the priestly privileges of the whole congregation Dathan and Abiram no doubt sympathized, though they were probably not present at the meeting (ver. 12). They were, per- haps, preparing to olier a minchah (ver. is), in- tended to operate to the disparagement of the public sacrifices, and possibly they had, along with Korah, set up a kind of rival tabernacle in their own part of the camp (see ver. 24, 27). In this connection it is worth while to notice the grammatical puzzle which occurs in the first verse. In the Hebrew the chapter begins, And took, meaning that Korah and his company took something, but no object of the verb is given, the word men in our Authorized and Revised versions being supplied. Various com- pletions of the sense have been conjecturally furnished ; the LXX puts it, a7id talked ; and some have thought the missing object of " took " ought to be counsel, and have pointed out that Korah and the Eeubenites were located com- paratively near each other on the south side of the camp, so that they could easily confer with each other. But considering that a presumptu- ous oiFering on their part is indicated in ver. 15, why may not the missing object be conjectured to be minchah f According to this understand- ing, these men took an offering as their first overt act of rebellion and as a concrete indica- tion that they claimed the right to do so, and then assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron in order to justify and defend the movement. 4-11. The first act of Moses when this charge of self-aggrandizement was sprung upon him was to throw himself upon his face, to signify, as he also expressly indicates in ver. 11, that the ques- tion is one of divine arrangement rather than of human ambition. But he has the penetration to see that Korah is not really contending for an open priesthood, that is to say, for the aboli- tion of the hierarchy, but is really challenging the title of Aaron to an exclusive dignity which he would gladly perpetuate and hold. The only way to decide this title is to submit the question to the decision of Jehovah, and the test proposed is the act of ofiering incense before Jehovah in competition, on the part of Korah's company and Aaron respectivelj'^, for the resultant signs of his approval. This was the act which had proved so disastrous to Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10 : 1. 2), and in consenting to this test Korah was consistently and presumptuously standing by an unbelief which had asserted that the tenure of Aaron's priesthood was that of human ambition rather than of divine appointment. In ver. 8-11, which the critics take to belong to another stratum of priestly thought, Moses reminds Korah that as one of the favored Levites £ ee NUMBERS [Ch. XVI. 12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab : wtiich said, We will not come up : 13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thy- self altogether a prince over us? 14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us in- heritance of fields and vineyards : wilt thou put out the eyes of these men ? we will not come up. 15 And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord, Respect not thou their offering : I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt cue of tiiem. 16 And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the Lord, thou, and tiiey, and Aaron, to morrow : 17 And take every man his censer, and put in- cense in them, and bring ye before the Lord every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers ; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer. 18 And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron. 19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of 12 against him? And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab : and they said, 13 We will not come up: is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilder- ness, but thou must needs make thyself also a 14 prince over us ? Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will 15 not come up. And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord, Respect not thou their offer- ing : I have not taken one ass from them, neither 16 have I hurt one of them. And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy congregation before the Lord, thou, and they, and Aaron, to-morrow : 17 and take ye every man his censer, and put in- cense upon them, and bring ye before the Lord every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers ; thou also, and Aaron, each his censer. 18 And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the tent of meeting with 19 Moses and Aaron. And Korah assembled all the congregation against them unto the door of he already holds special privileges by express divine appointment, and that really there is nothing more for him to seek except the priest- hood. He retorts in Korah' s own words (see ver. 3) that the Levites rather than he are taking too much upon themselves. The impiety of their act is enhanced by the fact that they are already the objects of special divine favor, and this fact ought to place them in a position to see that it is not merely Aaron their fellow in de- pendence on God's will, but Jehovah himself whom they are resisting. 12-15. Dathan and Abiram seem to have remained in their tents nursing their discontent in a more sullen, and withal more secular way. It appears from ver. 15 that these men had done the most of overt and defiant exercising of priestly functions as laymen, while Korah only laid claim as a pretext to the right which they went on and assumed. Invited by Moses to the conference and test at the tent of meeting, they refused to come up, alleging as their reason a dissatisfaction with Moses' chimerical schemes and domineering methods (ver. i3) and a distrust of his specious ways of covering up his failures (ver. 14). He had not kept his promise of bring- ing them to a land of plenty and he was now seeking to divert their attention from the real "seriousness of the situation. By the expression, wilt thou put, or bore, out the eyes of these men? (ver. i4) they perhaps meant to hint that by getting Korah and his company up to the tent of meeting where he was at home with his thaumaturgical methods and appli- ances, he would succeed in blinding them, or, throtoing dust in their eyes — to translate into our familiar idiom — so that these dupes would be persuaded that there was nothing wrong. For tlieir own part they were going to keep out of the range of his subtleties. The charge that he was attempting to "play the lord" over them (ver. is) made Moses very angry for, conscious of his own meekness (12:3)^ he felt keenly its injustice. He could profess before God that he had never practised any of the arts of the despot either in the way of extortion or injury (ver. is). Moreover there was apparent some great preparation for a spec- tacular sacrifice which, if it were to succeed, would operate greatly to the detriment of the dignity and influence of the sanctuary. Moses fervently prayed that this impious ofiering might elicit no signs of the divine approval. Just as a contentious and rebellious claim to the right of prophesying is visited with the pun- ishment of leprosy (chap, u)^ so the presenting of a meal offering in a manner and spirit sub- versive of authority could safely be accorded only rejection ; though in neither case is it necessarily implied that no one may speak in God's name or approach him with gifts except those duly constituted by forms of investiture. 16-35. Moses repeats in detail the directions, given in ver. 6, 7, for a conference of the parties concerned, the two hundred and fifty men repre- senting the ideal right of all the people to ofier incense, Korah representing the right of the Levites to discharge the highest priestly func- tions, and Aaron alone on the other side as the representative of the divinely constituted priest- hood. The directions are carried out, Korah taking pains to assemble the whole congrega- tion to witness the great trial (ver. i9). Up to this point there is no express mention of divine Ch. XVI.] NUMBERS 67 the congregation : and the glory of the Lord ap- peared unto all the congregation. 20 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 21 Separate yourselves from among this congre- gation, that I may consume them in a moment. 22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the con- gregation ? 23 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 24 Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. 25 And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram ; and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And ne spake unto the congregation, saying. Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be con- sumed in all their sins, 27 So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side : and Dathan ?iid Abiram came out, and stood in the door of heir tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children. 28 And Moses said. Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works ; for / have not done them of mine own mind. 29 If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men ; then the Lord hath not sent me. 30 But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit ; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord. 31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them : the tent of meeting : and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation. 20 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto 21 Aaron, saying. Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that 1 may consume them in 22 a moment. And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt tliou be wroth with 23 all the congregation? And the Lord spake unto 24 Moses, saying. Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle 25 of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram ; 26 and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spake unto tlie congregation, saying. Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be con- 27 sumed in all their sins. So they gat them up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little 28 ones. And Moses said. Hereby ye sliall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own 29 mind. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men ; then the Lord hath not sent me. 30 But if the Lord make a new thing, and the ground open her mouth, and swallow them up. with all that appertain unto them, and they go down alive into the pit ; then ye shall under- stand that these men have despised the Lord. 31 And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave interference either by way of command or the- ophany, but now that the climax of impiety is reached the divine glory shines out with a lurid and ominous light, as on a former occasion at Kadesh (see i4 : lo). The warning goes forth to Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from the congregation in order to give an opportunity for a sudden and wholesale act of retribution from Jehovah (ver. 20, 21). This seems to be a repetition in anotlier form of the same threat which has repeatedly come so near execution and yet has been averted by intercession (Exod. 32 : 10, seq. ; Num. 14 : 12, seq ) . In tllis CaSe MoseS and Aaron prostrate themselves in entreaty and remonstrance against involving the great, thoughtless multitude in the punishment of the few (ver. 22), In ver. 24 and 27 the word translated taber- nacle is a word that is never used in prose of any structure except the sanctuary of Jehovah. This fact has led some critics to conjecture that the original form may have been " tabernacle of Jehovah," as in 17 : 13. It seems to me not im- possible that this peculiar term, used as it is in the singular of a structure belonging in common to the three conspirators, may have been em- ployed to denote some sort of rival sanctuary which these men had set up as the focus or meet- ing-point of their sacerdotal pretensions. The narration now leaves the company whose contention was especially about the exclusive priesthood of Aaron, and takes up the conten- tion and punishment of those who disputed the divine legation of Moses. Accompanied by the elders of Israel Moses went to Dathan and Abi- ram, warning the congregation to keep away from their tents lest they be involved in their sin and ruin. Finding themselves the objects of such a formal visitation and of such general avoidance, Dathan and Abiram with all their families came and stood at their tent doors to await the end. Solemnly and confidently Moses proposed the test whereby Jehovah's mind should be known, and yet at the same time the retribution should be so manifestly divine as to exonerate Moses from the charge of procuring it himself. He thus forestalled the charge which was nevertheless carelessly made the next day (see ver. 4i). Regarding his own divine commis- sion, Moses was willing to be vindicated by an act of Jehovah wliich should be like a new creation in its uniqueness and in the power in- volved (ver. 30). ;Moses is not usually given to talking very much in definite prediction of what Jehovah is going to do, but in this case his own prescience as a prophet needed to be vindicated, as well as his enjoyment of the divine protec- tion. In fulfillment of his words the earth 68 NUMBERS [Ch. XVI. 32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swal- lowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and ail their goods. 33 They, and all that appertaintd to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them : and they perished from among the congre- gation. 34 And all Israel that -were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also. 35 And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense. 36 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 37 Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron tiie priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder ; for they are hallowed. 38 The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates /or a cov- ering of the altar : for they offered them before the Lord, therefore they are liallovved : and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel. 39 And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered ; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar : 40 To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before tlieLord ; that he be not as Korah, and as his company : as the Lord said to hiui by tlie hand of Moses. 41 But on tiie morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying. Ye have killed the people of the Lord. 42 And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the con- gregation : and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43 And Moses and Aaron came before the taber- nacle of the congregation. 32 asunder that was under them: and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men that ap- 33 pertained unto Korah, and all their goods. So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit: and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the 34 assembly. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them : for they said, Lest 35 the earth swallow us up. And fire came forth from the Lord, and devoured the two hundred and fifty men that offered the incense. 36 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 37 Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, tiial he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter them the fire yonder; for they are 38 holy ; even tfie censers of these sinners against their own lives, and let them be made beaten plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the Lord, therefore they are holy : and they shall be a sign unto the chil- 39 dren of Israel. And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, which they that were burnt had offered ; and they beat them out for a cov- 40 ei'ing of the altar : to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, to the end that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to burn incense before the Lord ; that he be not as Korah, and as his company : as the Lord spake unto him by the hand of Moses. 41 But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying. Ye have killed the peo- 42 pie of the Lord. And it came to pass, when the congregation was assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tent of meeting: and, behold, the cloud covered it, 43 and the glory of the Lord appeared. And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meet- opened and swallowed up the whole rebellious company in that part of the camp with their households. These are described as the men that appertained nnto Korah (ver. 32), though we have the express statement (26 : 11) that the children of Korah died not ; and as for Korah himself it is not clear whether he was involved in this destruction by earthquake or whether he perished by fire among those that offered the incense at the tent of meeting. In punishment of the two hundred and fifty who were in contention with Aaron, the consuming fire of the sanctuary manifested the self-avenging holiness of Jehovah's altar (ver. 35), as in the case of Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10 : 1, 2). 36-40. The censers and the coals which had been so immediately and awfully associated with a direct act of divine retribution were too sacred ever to be employed for common purposes. Eleazar, who was not so strictly interdicted as the high priest himself from going among the dead (see Lev. 21 : 1-6), was directed to scatter the fire with which they had kindled their incense afar off (ver. 37), and to make the censers into beaten plates to cover the altar. These plates would thus remain as a reminder that no one not of the seed of Aaron was to burn incense before Jehovah (ver. 40) . The line betw^een priests and Levites was thus definitely drawn. As for the further test as to which was the priestly tribe, this was furnished by the events narrated in the next chapter. The latter part of ver. 40 seems to place Korah among those who perished at the sanctuary. 41-50. By the next day the people were some- what recovered from the terror (ver. 31) inspired by the earthquake, and their resentment fixed itself on Moses and Aaron as the authors of tlie calamity of the day before. Such an inveterate eagerness to believe Moses and Aaron in the wrong, as well as the rash willingness of two hundred and fifty men to follow^ Korah as a leader into the most awful danger, shows how formidable and widely representative of the na- tion's dissatisfaction was Korah's conspiracy. They assembled at the door of the tent of meet- ing, on the very ground that had just been cleared of the corpses of those who had sinned against their own souls, lives (ver. ssj^ and charged the devoted brothers with murdering the people of the Lord. Again the ominous cloud and glory gathered about the sanctuary and attracted their shuddering attention (ver. 42). Again the voice of Jehovah bade Moses leave Ch. XVII.] NUMBERS 69 44 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 45 Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And tliey fell upon their faces. 46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them : for there is wrath gone out from the Lord ; the plague is begun. 47 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, be- hold, the plague was begun among the people : and he put on incense, and made au atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. 49 Now they that died in the plague were four- teen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. 50 And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation : and the plague was stayed. 44 ing. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 45 Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And they 46 fell upon their faces. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take thy censer, and put fire therein from off tlie altar, and lay incense thereon, and carry it quickly unto the congregation, and make atonement for them : for there is wrath gone out from the Lord ; the plague is begun. 47 And Aaron took as Moses spake, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and, bi.'holii, the plague was begun among the pe()i)lc : and he put on the incense, and made atonement for 48 tlie people. And he stood between the dead and the living ; and the plague was stayed. 49 Now they that died by tlie plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides them that 50 died about the matter of Ivorah. And Aarun returned unto M(jses unto the door of the tent of meeting : and the plague was stayed. CHAPTER XVII 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods : write thou every man's name upon his rod. 3 And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi : for one rod shall he for the head of the house of their fathers. 4 And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you. 5 And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom : and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of them rods, one for each fathers' house, of all their princes according to their fathers' house.v, twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon 3 his rod. And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi : for there shall be one rod 4 for each head of their fathers' houses. And thou shalt lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And it shall come to pass, that the man whom I shall choose, his rod shall bud : and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the cliil- dren of Israel, which they murmur against you. him free to destroy the people in a moment; and again Moses and Aaron prostrated them- selves in the act of intercession (ver. 45). By some intuition which enabled him to follow the movements of the divine wrath Moses knew that the plague had broken out among the peo- ple; and he bade Aaron make haste and em- ploy that priestly censer which had been exalted the day before by an act of destruction in sup- plicating the divine power to save (ver. 46). Thus the rationale of the high priesthood Avas more amply and normally manifested in saving its very despisers than by its power to repel prof- anation. While the plague raged with fatal effect Aaron stood as it were between dead and living until his intercession finally stayed its ravages, but not until fourteen thousand and seven hundred people had been fatally stricken. Chap. 17. Confirmation of the priestly PREROGATIVES OF THE TRIBE OF LEVI. NoW that the rebellion is quelled, the real question at issue can be decided in a more declarative and instructive way. During the tumult of passion the voice of the teacher is huslied ; the only thing to which power can then address itself is the restoration of order. The utmost which the dreadful example made of Korah's company could teach was the negative truth, of which remembrance was constantly made in the beaten plates of the altar (le : 40)^ "that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to burn incense before the Lord." The positive attestation of Jehovah's choice of Levi, or Aaron, is now exhibited through a miracle in his express behalf. 1-11. Moses was directed to take of each of the princes or heads of the tribes a rod inscribed with the name of the possessor, making twelve rods. It seems probable that Ephraim and Manasseh were counted as two tribes, so that there were twelve exclusive of Levi, Aaron's being an additional rod, as the Vulgate under- stands it. This was the reckoning which was characteristic of P (see 1 : 10, 32, s*, etc.), though the counting of Joseph as one tribe was not un- known (Dent. 27 : 12). Aarou was considered tlie prince or head of the house of Levi. These rods were to be laid up in the tent of meeting, before the testimony, i. c, the tal)les of stone, wliich was Jehovah's chosen place to be com- municated with (ver. 4 ; comp. Exod. 30 : 36), and there Jehovah would work a miracle of growth which would assuage the murmurings of the childreu 70 NUMBERS [Ch. XVIII. 6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, lor each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods : and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. 7 And Moses laid up the rod before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness. 8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. 9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel : and they looked, and took every man his rod. 10 And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels ; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not. 11 And Moses did so: as the Lord commanded him, so did he. 12 And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying. Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish. 13 Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die : shall we be con- sumed with dying? 6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods : and the rod of Aaron was 7 among their rods. And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tent of the testimony. 8 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses went into the tent of the testimony ; and, be- hold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and put forth buds, and bloomed 9 blossoms, and bare ripe almonds. And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Loid unto all the children of Israel : and they looked, 10 and took every man his rod. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion ; that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me, 11 that they die not. Thus did Moses : as the Lord commanded him, so did he. 12 And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying. Behold, we perish, we are undone, we 13 are all undone. Every one that cometh near, that cometh near unto the tabernacle of the Lord, dieth : shall we perish all of us? CHAPTEE XVIIT. 1 AND the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary : and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. 2 And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee : 1 AND the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy fathers' house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary : and thou iind thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your 2 priesthood. And thy brethren also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou near with thee, that they "may be joined unto thee. of Israel. Moses did according to directions, and the next day, on going into the tent of testimony, he found Aaron's rod exhibiting all the stages of vegetation from buds to blossoms and ripe almonds (ver s). Thus that house was designated for the priesthood whose sceptre had life and growth in it. The rods were all brought out and each man was bidden identify his own and see for himself whose insignia exhibited the tokens of Jehovah's choice (ver. 9). Finally the burgeoned staff was laid up before the tes- timony along with the memorial manna (Exod. 16 : 34) and the standard incense (Exod. so : 36), that it might be a permanent evidence or token to the "sons of rebellion" (ver. lo), calculated to silence controversy and prevent the fatal consequences of sedition. 13, 13. These two verses, which are translated better in the Revised version, appear to express more naturally the feelings of the people after the dreadful events of chap. 16 than after the miracle that has just been recounted. They form indeed a natural transition from this whole episode of judgment and separation to the legis- lation of the next chapter, and may well be read in close connection with 18 : 1. Chap. 18. Duties, relative position, AND REVENUES OF THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES. 1-7, The regulations of this chapter revert to the preceding chapters as their occasion, especially in ver. 3, 5, where they are said to be intended to prevent Levites from fatally intruding on the priests' duties, and in ver. 22, where the Levites themselves appear as safeguards against the pro- voking of the divine wrath on the part of the people. This first section simply defines the priests' and the Levites' relative position and duties. It is addressed to Aaron, sometimes as head of the tribe of Levi, sometimes as the chief priest. He with his sons and his father's house (ver. i)j i, e., all the tribe, are to be responsible for the sanctuary in general ; while he and his sons are to occupy the narrower circle of the priesthood. Of these respective spheres of duty the incumbents are said to bear the iniquity, meaning that for whatever fault there is in the performance or the defense of these sacred func- tions they are to be responsible. That the sanctuary itself and its most sacred performances incurred defilement was recognized in the an- nual act of atonement (see Lev. i6 : 16, 18) ; and that the consecrated body of men should recog- nize in their weighty responsibilities a certain burden of "iniquity," would follow from the principle that those assuming the holiest duties and characters are the most sensitive to short- coming (see on chap. 6 : 13-21). As for the Levites, these were to be joined (ver. 2) to Aaron, and to act as his subordinates, Ch. XVIII.] NUMBERS 71 but thou and thy sons with thee shall viinister be- fore the tabernacle of witness. 3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not corne nigh the vessels ot the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, uor ye also, die. 4 And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle : and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you. 5 And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar : that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel. 6 And I, behold, I have taken your brethren tiio Levites from among the children of Israel : to you they are given as a gift for the Lord, to do the serv- ice of the tabernacle of the congregation. 7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 8 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel ; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anoint- ing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever. 9 This shall" be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire : every oblation of theirs, every meat offering of theirs, and every sin offer- ing of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons. 10 In the most holy place shalt thou eat it ; every male shall eat it : it shall be holy unto thee. 11 And this is thine ; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever : every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of it. and minister unto thee : but thou and thy sons with thee shall be before the tent of the testi- 3 mony. And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the Tent : only they shall not come nigh unto the vessels of the sanctuary and unto the altar, that they die not, neither they, nor ve. 4 And they shall be joined unto thee, and ke"ep the charge of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the Tent: and a stranger shall not 5 come nigh unto you. And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be wrath no more upon the 6 children of Israel. And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites frcjm among the chil- dren of Israel : to you they are a gift, given unto the Lord, to do the service of the tent of meet- 7 ing. And thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priesthood for every thing of tlie altar, and for that within the veil ; and ye shall serve: I give you the priesthood as a service of gift : and the stranger that cometii nigh shall be put to death. 8 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, And I, be- hold, I have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings, even all the hallowed things of the children of Israel, unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy 9 sons, as a due for ever. This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every oblation of theirs, even every meal offer- ing of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every guilt offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for 10 thee and for thy sons. As the most holy things shalt thou eat thereof: every male shall eat 11 thereof; it shall be holy unto thee. And this is thine; the heave offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the children of Israel : I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, as a due for ever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat their charge being the tent ; while to the vessels of the sanctuary and to the altar (ver. 3)^ and to all that is within the veil (ver. 7) the priests alone had the right of admission and contact. The word "joined" is a play upon the name Levi, which rueans joined, the writer thus indicating that Levi exemplified the meaning of his name in being joined to the priesthood, as well as in the circumstance which led his mother first to give it to him (see Gen. 29 : 34). The Lcvitcs are further described as a gift given D'jnj, nethu- nim, to Jehovah (ver. 6)^ as more fully explained in 3 : 5-10 ; and the priesthood is described as a " service of gift " (^er. 7), i.e., perhaps a dignity derived from Jehovah by direct bestowal, and not a right which any one might claim or seize. The word stranger in ver. 4 means one not of the tribe of Levi, while in ver. 7 it means one not of the seed of Aaron, in either case meaning an alien in relation to the particular privileged class under consideration at the time. 8-19. We have in this section an account of the revenues especially devoted to the priests. Like the first section it is addressed specifically to Aaron (ver. 8). Aaron and his sons have the charge, or guardianship, of Jehovah's DlO^'^ri, t'rumoth, or ofierings which the children of Israel elevate in token of consecration. The word is used in its widest sense, as in 5 : 9 ; Lev. 22 : 12 ; and the priests have the strongest motive for seeing that these offerings are faithfully rendered to Jehovah, namely, their own interest as direct beneficiaries. These are given them by reason of the anointing (ver. s), or perhaps /or an anointing portion (see the same word in Kxod. 29 : 29), and confirmed to them as an ordinance for ever, of eternity. Five different kinds of offer- ings are enumerated in detail: (1) The "most holy things from the fire," i. e., all oblations, such as the meal offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings, of which only the "memorial" was burned. The burnt offering is not enumerated, because that was entirely consumed, and only the skin went to the priest. These were most sacredly reserved for Aaron and the male mem- bers of his family, who were to eat tliem in a holy place (ver. lo ; cf. Lev. 7 : 6). (2) "The nrp^*^r^, t'ruviali, of their gift," i. e., the wave breast and the heave thigh of the peace offer- ings, as specified in Lev. 7 : 28-34. Of this all who were ceremonially clean belonging to the priest's household might eat, whether sons or daughters, or even servants born in the house or bought with his money (ver. ll; cr. Lev. 22 : ll). 72 NUMBERS [Ch. XVIII. 12 All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer uuto the Lord, them have I given thee. 13 And whatsoever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring unto the Lord, shall be thine ; every one that is clean in thine house shall eat of it. 14 Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine. 15 Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring uuto the Lord, whether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine : nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem. 16 And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17 But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem ; they are holy : thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the Lord. 18 And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine. 19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever : it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed with thee. 20 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them : I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. 21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. 22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die. 12 thereof. All the best of the oil, and all the best of the vintage, and of the corn, the firstfruits of them which they give unto the Lord, to thee 13 have I given them. The tirstripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring unto the Lord, shall be thine ; every one that is clean in 14 thy house shall eat thereof. Every thing devoted 15 in Israel shall be thine. Every thing that open- eth the womb, of all flesh which they offer unto the Lord, both of man and beast, shall be thine : nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean 16 beasts shalt thou redeem. And those that are to be redeemed of them from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the 17 sanctuary (the same is twenty gerahs). But the firstling of an ox, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem ; they are holy : thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto 18 the Lord. And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right thigh, it 19 shall be thine. All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, as a due for ever : it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord 20 unto thee and to thy seed with thee. And the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no in- heritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any portion among them : I am thy portion and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. 21 And unto the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, 22 even the service of the tent of meeting. And henceforth the children of Israel shall not come nigh the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin, and (3) The "fat" of the oil, and of the vintage, and of the corn, and the first fruits which are ofi^ered to Jehovah (ver. 12, 13; cf. Lev. 23 : 20). (4) Everything made cherem, or put under the ban (ver. 14; see Lev. 27:28). (5) "Everything that openeth the womb," i. e., all firstlings, whether of man or beast, Avhich by fundamental principle belonged to Jehovah (Exod. is : 2). Of these the firstborn of man was invariably to be redeemed, and that of an unclean beast to be re- deemed or destroyed according to regulations given more in detail elsewhere (Lev. 21 -. 6; Exod. 13 : 13 ; 34 : 20 : Lev. 27 : 27) . The firstling of a bcast such as is ofiered in sacrifice could not be re- deemed (ver. 17), as its blood was to be dashed on the altar, and its fat as sacred was to be burned for an odor of pleasantness to Jehovah. The flesh, however, went to the priest (ver. is), just as the wave breast and the right thigh of the peace offering. This was to be for Aaron and his sons and daughters an ordinance of eternity (ver. 19), designated as a " covenant of salt," i. e., a covenant carrying with it obligations as in- violable as those of hospitality, of which salt is the symbol (see on Lev. 2 : 13, and cf. 2 Chron. 13 : 5). 20-24. This section appears to be addressed to Aaron as the head of the tribe of Levi. Ver. 20 therefore outlines the general principle which applies to the whole tribe, namely, that Jehovah, rather than a tract of land, is his inheritance. His support is a sacred revenue coming from Jehovah himself. It is from this point of view that the tithes of the children of Israel are called their heave offering to Jehovah (ver. 24), an unusual designation for the secular tithe which, so far as we know, was not literally elevated in token of consecration. This principle of a divine rather than a landed maintenance being enunciated, the details of the Levites' secular support are given in ver. 21-24, and that of the priests in ver. 25-32. The custom of the tithe came down from patri- archal times (see Gen. 14 : 20 ; 28 : 22), and is made a legal institution in Lev. 27 : 30-33 ; but here for the first the specific use or application of that tax is designated. The tithe of the children of Israel comes to the Levites as wages in return for the service which they serve (ver. 21). That service, here described as a service to the children of Israel, is so far as they are concerned the service of protecting them from necessary contact with the self-avenging sanctities of the tabernacle (ver. 22 ; cf. 1 : 53 ; 8 : 19, and notes). Tllis revenue being simply business wages, there is Ch. XIX.] NUMBERS 73 23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity : it shall be a statute for ever through- out your geuerations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. 24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit : therefore I have said unto them. Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 25 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them. When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, even a tenth part of the tithe. 27 And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the thresh- ingfioor, and as the fulness of the winepress. 28 Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the Lord of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel ; and ye shall give thereof the Lord's heave offering to Aaron the priest. 29 Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the Lord, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it. 30 Therefore thou shalt say unto them. When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the thresh ingfioor, and as the increase of the wine- press. 31 And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households : for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation. 32 And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it : neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die. 23 die. But the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their in- iquity : it shall be a statute for ever throughout your geuerations, and among the children of 24 Israel they shall have no inheritance. For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites for un inheritance: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 25 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saving, 26 Moreover thou shalt speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the chil- dren of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, a 27 tithe of the tithe. And your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshing-floor, and as the ful- 28 ness of the winepress. Thus ye also shall offer an heave oft'ering unto the Lord of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Is- rael ; and thereof ye shall give the Lord's heave 29 offering to Aaron the priest. Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the Lord, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed 30 part thereof out of it. Therefore thou shalt say unto them. When ye heave the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshing-floor, and as the 31 increase of the winepress. And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households : for it is your reward in return for your service in the 32 tent of meeting. And ye shall bear no sin hy reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best thereof : and ye shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, that ye die not. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, CHAPTER XIX. 1 AND the Lord spake unto Moses and unto no restriction as to when and where it shall be eaten as in the case of the holy things over which special jurisdiction is claimed. 25-32. Jehovah now addresses Moses (ver. 25), as the Levites are to be instructed concerning an obligation which Aaron is not competent to en- force. Observe that while the Levites are the subordinates or assistants of Aaron (ver. 2) they are not his employees. They receive their support from the people (ver. 21)^ and Aaron is therefore their beneficiary rather than their paymaster. The principle laid down in this section is, that when the tithe has once come into possession of the Levites it is as much theirs to be accounted for and taxed in its turn as if it were their produce from the ground (ver. 27). Of this tithe they are to take a tenth as their heave offering to Jeho- vah (ver. 26), and this shall go the priest. This tenth must be of the best, constituting indeed the holy part of their gifts (ver. 29). It is not until this holy part has been taken that the re- mainder has really become their own, or secular wages (ver. 31) J SO that they can eat it wherever they choose without fear of "profaning the holy things of the children of Israel," and so incurring risk of death (ver. 32). Chap. 19. The water of pfrification ; ITS PREPARATION AND USE, With the pecu- liar characteristics of Jewish religious feeling, which centered the integrity of the spiritual life in the shunning of contagion from without (see Commentary on Leviticus, remarks at the beginning of chap. 11), the providing of a water of purification was a logical, one might almost say an inevitable, outgrowth of the desire to make religion available for the emergencies of common life. This water was a kind of porta- ble preparation in which were concentrated the ceremonially cleansing virtues of the sin offer- ing. It could be applied without the interven- tion of the priest, and at a distance from the sanctuary. Just as, when baptism is held to be of vital importance for the salvation of the soul, ecclesiastical regulations permit this rite to be performed by laymen in cases of emergency, so when entire ceremonial cleanness can alone fit the person for the congregation of Jehovah, there is provision made for the restoration of that cleanness without the presence of the priest. The most common source of accidental defilement would be by the dead ; and if this chapter may be taken as having any special 74 NUMBEKS [Ch. XIX. 2 This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, a?id upon which never came yoke : 3 And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he niay bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face : 4 And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times : 5 And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn : 6 And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hys- sop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. 7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even. 8 And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even. 9 And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation : it is a purification for sin. 10 And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even : and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever. 11 He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. 2 Aaron, saying, This is the statute of the law which the Lord hath commanded, saying. Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, 3 and upon which never came yoke : and ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, and he shall bring her forth without the camp, and one shall 4 slay her before his face : and Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood toward the front of the 5 tent of meeting seven times : and one shall burn the heifer in his sight ; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he 6 burn : and the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of 7 the burning of the heifer. Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the 8 even. And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, 9 and shall be unclean until the even. And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a 10 water of separation : it is a sin offering. And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even : and it shall be unto the children of Is- rael, and unto the stranger that sojourneth 11 among them, for a statute for ever. He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be un- connection with the time and events, the occur- rence of so many deaths by the plague (i6 : 49), and the needs of those who engaged in the task of burial, would suggest the necessity of some such legislation. The use of purifying waters was not uncommon in ancient religions. The red heifer, with its rites so redolent of chemico- ethical suggestion, was a fascinating subject to the Oriental mind, so that the title " The Heifer " is given to a whole Sura of the Koran. 1-10. This ordinance is called the ordi- nance, statute, of the law (ver. a), a form of expression which occurs in only one other place (31 : 21) , where this same law of purification from the dead is enforced and amplified. Addressed to Moses and Aaron (ver. i), it simply prescribes in detail the preparation of a water of sepa- ration, or, impurity (ver. 9), for the cleansing of those who have been defiled by the dead. The children of Israel are to bring to the priest a red heifer which is perfect, without spot, and on which no yoke was ever imposed (ver. 2). It will be remembered that the kine by which the Philistines sent back the ark into Judea were also to be such as had never borne a yoke (1 Sam. 6:7). This heifer is to be delivered to Eleazar the priest, the one who was chosen to take up the censers from the burning (I6 : 37), as the task which at every step left the operator defiled could not be imposed on the high priest. The victim is to be slain without the camp, under Eleazar's personal inspection (ver. s), and he is to sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting (ver. 4). In the later times of the Jewish people the heifer was slain on the Mount of Olives in full view of the east gate of the temple. After slaughtering, the animal is burned entire under the eye of the priest (ver. 5), while he personally casts into the fire cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, the substances used in connection with the cleansing of the leper (i^ev. 14 : 4, 6). As both the priest (ver. 7) and the one who does the burning (ver. s) are rendered unclean by their respective shares of the work, the final task of gathering the ashes and storing them in a clean place has to be performed by a third person, ceremonially untainted (ver. 9), who in his turn is rendered unclean and has to undergo the same ablutions as his predecessors (ver. 10). The sym- bolism of the red color, of the unblemished and untainted condition of the beast, and of the cedar and scarlet and hyssop are not explained and can only be conjectured. A certain mys- tery, however, always attaches to the insisting on conditions and the concocting of ingredients the uses of which are not obvious. This sacri- fice is designated, so far as its eflicacy is con- cerned, as a sin offering (ver. 9) ; and it is pre- scribed as a perpetual ordinance. Ch. XX.] NUMBERS 75 12 He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean : but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. 13 Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and puritieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the Lord ; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel : because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanuess is yet upon him. 14 This is the law, when a man dieth in a tent : all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. 15 And every open vessel, which hath no cover- ing bound upon it, is unclean. 16 And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17 And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of puriticatiou for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel : 18 And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or oue slain, or one dead, or a grave : 19 And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day : and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even. 20 But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the Lord : the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him ; he is unclean. 21 And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes ; and he that toucheth the water of separation shall be unclean until even. 22 And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean ; and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even. 12 clean seven days : the same shall purify himself therewith on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean : but if he purify not him- self the third day, then the seventh day he shall 13 not be clean. Whosoever toucheth tlie dead body of any man that is dead, and puriUeth not himself, delileth tlie tabernacle of the Lord ; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel : be- cause the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean ; his unclean- 14 ness is yet upon him. This is ihe law when a man dieth in a tent : every one that cometh into the tent, and every one that is in the tent, 15 shall be unclean seven days. And every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, 16 is unclean. And whosoever ni the open field toucheth one that is slain witli a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall 17 be unclean sever, days. And for the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin offering, and running water shall be put 18 thereto in a vessel: and a clean person sliall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprin- kle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessehs, and upon the persons that were tliere, and upon him that touched the bone, or the slain, or the 19 dead, or the grave : and the clean pers