1.
These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.
Numbers 3:1. These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses— As the posterity of Aaron only is mentioned, some have thought that generations here signifies, not only posterity, but acts, passages of their history, or what happened to them; as the word is used, Genesis 2:4; Genesis 6:9. Le Clerc is of opinion, that Aaron is mentioned first, as being the elder brother, and on that account having the priesthood attached to his posterity; whereas the posterity of Moses were numbered only among the common Levites: and he thinks that one reason for excluding the sons of Moses from the priesthood, was their not being born of an Israelitish mother; see Exodus 2:21. The words, "In the day that the Lord spake with Moses in mount Sinai," seem to be added, because at that time Nadab and Abihu were both alive, though now dead at this numbering of the Levites. The disinterestedness of Moses, in making no provision for his own immediate descendants, is an evident proof of the Divinity of his mission.
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.
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.
Numbers 3:4. Eleazar and Ithamar ministered—in the sight of Aaron their father— See Numbers 3:38. In the sight of their father, means, most probably, together with their father.
5.
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
6.
Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
Numbers 3:6. Bring the tribe of Levi near— God orders the tribe of Levi to be offered in a solemn manner to his service, and to the ministration of the tabernacle, under the priests; into whose peculiar office they were by no means to intrude, (Numbers 3:10.) but were to perform the more servile offices of the tabernacle in the wilderness; guarding it, taking it down, carrying it, and setting it up again; and, when settled in the land of Canaan, were still employed in different functions about the temple; for the more regular performance of which they were distributed into different classes or courses; see more respecting them, 1 Chronicles 23 and following chapters.
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.
Numbers 3:7. They shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation— This verse is better rendered in our old version, and they shall take the charge with him, even the charge of the whole congregation, before the tabernacle of the congregation, &c.
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, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn 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 Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.
14.
And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15.
Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.
16.
And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.
17.
And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
18.
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; 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 house 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 them were seven thousand and five hundred.
23.
The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.
Numbers 3:23. The families of the Gershonites— The camp of the priests and Levites is appointed to be of a square form, like that of the other Israelites. The description in the following verses is very full and plain.
24.
And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.
25.
And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, 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 curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, 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 Amramites, 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, were eight thousand and six hundred, 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 son of Uzziel.
31.
And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.
32.
And Eleazar 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.
Numbers 3:32. And Eleazar, the son of Aaron,—shall be chief— There was an officer in chief set over each of these families, Numbers 32:24; Numbers 32:30; Num 32:35 and over all these chiefs a supreme inspector was appointed. The excellent order and regularity observable through this whole disposition of the camp, the services of the Levites, &c. is striking.
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, according 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 son of Abihail: 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.
Numbers 3:39. All that were numbered, &c.— See on Numbers 3:43, The words and Aaron, in this verse, Houbigant remarks, are not found in the Arabic and Syriac; in which omission they agree with the 5th verse, wherein Moses, not Aaron, is commanded to take the number of the tribe of Levi; and also with the 11th, 40th, and 44th verses, in which God speaks to Moses alone; and, lastly, with the 51st verse, which see, with the note on the 14th and 15th verses: and it is observable in the Hebrew copies, that ן ר ואה veaheron, is marked with dots at the top, which is generally supposed to be an index of a false reading; and is one proof of the care of the Jewish transcribers. Kennicott observes, that the word is omitted in the most ancient Hebrew manuscript in the Bodleian library: there are fifteen of these words in the printed Hebrew Bibles which have a dot over every letter; see Kennicott's Dissertation, p. 411. It is said at the close of the verse, that the number of the Levites was 22,000; but the sum total of the preceding numbers, instead of being really 22,000 will be found, upon calling them up, to be 22,300. Dr.
Kennicott solves this difficulty, by observing, that in Num 3:22 where the sum of the Gershonites is given, the Hebrew letter ר, 200, should be read, instead of the letter ד, 500. According to this criticism, the sum total of the three numbers exactly answers to what it is said to be in this verse, 22,000: and it is certain that the Hebrew numbers were formerly expressed by letters.
Twenty and two thousand— If the particular numbers mentioned Numbers 3:22; Numbers 3:28; Num 3:34 be put together, they make 22,300. But the odd 300 are omitted here, either according to the use of the Holy Scripture, where in so great numbers small sums are commonly neglected, or, because they were the first-born of the Levites, and therefore belonged to God already, and so could not be given to him again instead of the other first-born.
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.
41.
And thou shalt take the Levites 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 among the cattle of the children of Israel.
Numbers 3:41. And thou shalt take the Levites for me, &c.— The Levites were now to be exchanged for the first-born males of the whole nation, man for man; and the cattle of that whole tribe, instead of the firstling male cattle of the whole nation; that so the Levites and their cattle, instead of the Israelites first-born men and cattle, might be given unto Aaron and the priests, to minister unto them, Numbers 3:45. This was for the first-born males of man and beast, which the Israelites now had. All the first-born that came after this, were to be redeemed, or given to the priests.
42.
And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
43.
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.
Numbers 3:43. All the first-born males, &c.— All the males of the tribe of Levi are said to be twenty and two thousand, Num 3:39 but if we put together the particular sums mentioned Numbers 3:22; Numbers 3:28; Num 3:34 they amount to 300 more; which Patrick, Le Clerc, and others think to be omitted, because they were the first-born of the Levites themselves, and on that account belonged to God already. But we have shewn in the note on Num 3:39 how this difficulty may be otherwise solved. The number of the first-born exceeded that of the Israelites by 273, and for these it is enjoined, Num 3:47 that they should be redeemed at the rate of five shekels, i.e. about 12s. a head; see Leviticus 27:6. Numbers 18:16. It has been asked, who was to pay this money? for every Israelite would think he had an equal right to be redeemed by a Levite. The Jews tell us, as Bishop Patrick remarks, that it was done by drawing lots thus: Moses took 22,000 scrolls of parchment, on which he wrote a son of Levi, and 273 more, whereon he wrote five shekels; and then, putting all the lots into an urn, that every first-born might draw, he that drew one of the former lots was redeemed, and he that drew one of the latter paid his price. It has appeared surprising to same, that from above 600,000 full grown men, there should not be more first-born sons: but it is to be considered, that so many had been born since the slaughter of the Egyptian first-born; from which time and event only the first-born were to be consecrated to God; see Exodus 13:2.
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 Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.
46.
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.
Numbers 3:48. And thou shalt give the money, &c.— The original rendered money, is ףּכס ceseph, silver, and so it certainly should have been rendered here. Note; Though silver or gold could ransom these first-born, nothing less than the blood of Jesus Christ could redeem those firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.
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.