29 Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira, the son of Enan. 19 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred. 30 And his host, and those that were number20 And by him shall be the tribe of Manas-ed of them, were fifty and three thousand and seh: and the captain of the children of Manas- four hundred. seh 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 Abidan, the son of Gideoni. 23 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five 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. 9 They shall go hindmost with their standards. 32 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 com 24 All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were a hundred thousand, and eight thousand, and a hundred, throughout their ar-manded Moses. mies. And they shall go forward in the third rank. 25 The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai. n Ch. 10. 18.-0 Ch. 10. 17, 21.-p Ch. 10. 22-q Ch. 10. 25. 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. r Exod. 38. 26. Ch. 1. 46. & 7. 21.8 Ch. 1. 47.-t Ch. 24. 2, 5, 6. on the right wing, Naphtali on the left wing, and Dan "We must observe, that we are here merely speaking of in the centre. Notwithstanding this, however, the army the ground which the soldiers of this tribe occupied, whilst was not in danger of being easily broken; for every tribe remaining close to each other, in their ranks, and that in being numerous, they were supported by several ranks, this computation, there is but one square cubit allowed for in such a manner that the first being broken, the second each man; wherefore if we take in the arrangement of the was capable of making resistance; and if the second gave soldiers, the tents, the necessary spaces, the families, the way, or shared the same fate as the first, it found itself sup-beasts of burden, and the moveables, a much larger extent ported by the third, and so on with the rest. The square form of ground is requisite. All those circumstances do not in which the Jewish army was ordinarily placed, was the come into Reyher's calculation. He continues thus. very best for security and defence. The use and importance For the tribe of Issachar, For the tribe of Simeon, of the hollow square, in military tactics, is well known. "For so large a multitude of people, and for so numerous an army, it was needful that all the necessary articles of life should be prepared beforehand, or be found ready to purchase. In these respects nothing was wanting to the Israelites. Their bread came down to them from heaven: and they had besides an abundance of every thing that could contribute to magnificence. If we may credit Josephus, they had amongst them public markets, and a variety of shops. Ant. 1. iii. c.12. sect.5. The tabernacle being erected, it was placed in the midst of the camp, each of the three tribes stretching themselves on the wings, and leaving between them a sufficient space to pass. "It was, says Josephus, like a well-appointed market, where every thing was ready for sale in due order, and all sorts of artificers kept their shops; so that this camp might be considered a moveable city. "In Exod. xxxii. 27. we likewise find that mention is made of the gates of the camp, 'Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate, throughout the camp. From whence we may certainly conclude, that if the camp had gates, the Israelites had also sentinels to guard them. If this be true, we may also believe that they were surrounded with intrenchments, or that at least, their gates were defended by some fortifications. Sagittarius (de Jan. Vet. c. 18. § 10.) pretends that the tabernacle was not only guarded by the Levites, but that there were likewise sentinels at the gates, and at the entrance of the Israelitish camps. See the note on Exod. xxxii. 27. "If we examine and compare the camp of Israel, with that of our most numerous armies, which in these days are composed of 100,000, or of 150,000 men, we cannot but consider it of vast extent. The Jews say, it was 12 miles in circumference; this is not at all improbable, and consequently, the front of each wing must be 3 miles in extent. But taking in the tents, the soldiers, and their numerous families, the beasts of burden, the cattle, and the goods, it certainly must have formed a very considerable enclosure, much more than 12 miles. See the notes on Exod. xii. 37. and xiii. 18. Reyher, (Math. Mos. p. 568.) assigns to the Tribe of Judah, A space of 2984 cubits in breadth and 250 in length Which makes 71,600 square cubits. 217 cubits in breadth For the tribe of Gad, 140 5 cubits in breadth For the tribe of Zebulon, For the tribe of Ephraim, For the tribe of Reuben, For the tribe of Manasseh, 32,200 Total. 182 cubits in breadth 325 in length 59,300 Total. For the tribe of Benjamin, For the tribe of Asher, For the tribe of Naphtali, "On the west, we must place tents for Moses, Aaron, and his sons, Numb. iii. 38. 66 At the place where the camp of the Levites ends, a space must be left of 2,000 square cubits, after which we must take the dimensions of the camp of the twelve tribes. "This plan is in the main well imagined, but it does not afford an ichnography of sufficient extent. To come more accurately to a proper understanding of this subject, I shall examine the rules that are now in use for encampments, and compare them afterward with what is laid down in the Holy Scriptures, in order that we may hereby form to ourselves an idea of the camp of God; the grandeur and perfection of which, surpassed every thing of the kind ever seen. I shall now mention what I am about to propose, as the foundation upon which I shall proceed. "In Exodus xviii. 21. Deut. ii. 15. we find the advice given by Jethro to Moses respecting political government, and military discipline. Thou shalt provide out of all the people, able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.' (See the note on Exod. xviii. 21.) We may very well compare these tribunes, or rather, these chiliarchs, to our colonels; the centurions, or hecatonarchs, to commanders, or captains; the quinquagenaries, or pentecontarchs, to lieutenants; and the decurions or decarchs, to our sergeants. These chiefs, whether they were named magistrates or officers, were each drawn from his own particular tribe, so that it was not permitted to place over one tribe, an officer taken from another. Whatever matter the decarchs could not decide upon, or terminate, went to the pentecontarchs, and from thence, by degrees, to the hecatonarchs, to the chiliarchs, to Moscs, and at length to GoD himself, the sovereign head of the army. If we divide the whole army, (such as it was at its departure from Egypt) by the numbers already laid down, we shall find 600 chiliarchs, 6,000 hecatonarchs, 12,000 pentecontarchs, 60,000 decarchs, which in all make 78,600 officers. Josephus regulates the number of them still more exactly, by saying that there were chiefs set over 10,000, 1,000, 500, 50, 30, 20, and 10. We find this regulation in Ant. Jud. lib. iii. c. 4. Take a review of the army, and appoint chosen rulers over tens of thousands; and then over thousands; then divide them into five hundreds; and again into hundreds; and into fifties; and set rulers over each of them, who may distinguish them into thirties; and keep them in order; and at last number them by twenties and by tens and let there be one commander over each number, to be denominated from the number of those over whom they are rulers.' "We ought not to pass over in silence this division by tens: for twice 10 make 20; three times 10, 30; five times 10, 50; ten times 10, 100; ten times 50, 500; ten times 1,000, 10,000. It was in this manner, as is pretended, that Cangu, the first of the great Khams, (as he is called) and after him Tamerlane, drew out an army, i. e. by 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, mentioned in Alhazen, c. v. Probably these Tartars borrowed, from the very Hebrews themselves, this manner of laying out a camp. At all events, it is certain that nothing more ancient of the kind can be found, than that mentioned in the books of Moses. To distinguish it from that of the Greeks and Romans, we may with justice call it the Hebrew castrametation, or, if we judge it more proper, the Divine castrametation, and consequently, the most perfect of all. For although Moses places the pentecontarchs in the middle, between the hecatonarchs and the decarchs, i. e. 50 between 100 and 10; and although Josephus afterward places 1,000 between 500 and 10,000, and 30 and 20, between 10 and 50, this does not at all derange the progression by tens, which is the foundation of arithmetic. These subaltern officers were equally useful and necessary, as we now see that their number, far from creating confusion, helps to maintain order, and that the more there are of them, the better is order preserved. According to the modern method of carrying on war, the next in rank to the generals of the army (who have the supreme command) are field marshals and brigadiers, who command 5000 men. "There are then, between the chiliarchs, or colonels, and the hehatonarchs, or captains, lieutenant-colonels; and between the hecatonarchs, and the decarchs, lieutenant-captains, and these again have under them lieutenants and ensigns. "It is certain that this method of distributing an army by tens, and of encamping, which is very concise, has far greater advantages even with respect to expense, than the very best plans of the Greeks, Romans, or any other ancient nation. On this subject, we have the testimony of Simon Stevin, Castrametat. c. 1. art. 1. and c. 4. art. 3. Oper. Math. p. 574. and 596. and fol. According to this arrangement, each soldier, or, if more proper, each father of a family, being thus placed by ten and ten in a straight line one after the other, might very easily name themselves first, second, &c. Each troop, in like manner, might be distinguished by its ensigns; that of 100 might have them small; that of 1,000 larger; that of 10,000 still larger. Every officer, from the lowest subaltern, to the general officers of the camp, and even to the generalissimos themselves, had only an easy inspection of ten men each; the decarch had the inspection of 10 soldiers: the hecatonarch of 10 decarchs; and the chiliarch of 10 hecatonarchs. After the chiliarchs, which in no troop can amount to ten, there is the chief or head of each tribe. Each then, exactly fulfilling the duty assigned him, we may suppose every thing to be in good order, even were the camp larger and more numerous. The same may be said respecting the contentions that might arise among the soldiers, as well as every thing relative to the general duty of the officers, as to the labours they were to undertake, whether for striking their tents, for works of fortification, or for making entrenchments. This arrangement might be easily retained in the memory, or a general list be kept of the names of both officers and soldiers, to distribute to them their pay, and to keep exact accounts. "It was possible in one moment to know the number of those who were either wanting, or were out of their ranks, and to avoid this disorder in future, by obliging each man to attend to his duty, and to keep in his rank. If, by chance, it happened that any one man wished to desert, or had escaped, it was easy to notice him, and inflict on him the punishment he merited. The ensigns being distinguished by their marks, and the company being known, it was easy to find any soldier whatever. "The armies themselves might have certain marks to distinguish them, and by that means they might at once ascertain the person in question, for example, 8. 2. 7. 3. might signify the eighth soldier, or father of a family, of the second rank, of the seventh company, in the third chiliad: 7. 3. 5. the halberdier of the decurion, or sergeant of the seventh line, in the third company, of the fifth chiliad, or thousand: 5. 8. the hecatonarchs, or captains of the fifth company, in the eighth chiliad; 7. the chiliarchs, or colonels of the seventh rank; 0. finally the general of the whole army. Farther, by the same means, the loss, or misplacing of their arms might be prevented. Again, the soldiers might, in a very short time, be instructed and formed to the exercise of arms, each decad having its sergeant for its master and the chariots or other carriages might easily be divided amongst several; 10 under the decurion, 100 under the hecatonarch; and by thus following the above method, every thing might be kept in good order." A PLAN OF THE WHOLE ISRAELITISH CAMP. "We shall, finally, in one plate, represent the whole camp of the Israelites, in that order which appears the most proper. For this purpose, we must extract the square roots of the preceding spaces, in order that we may be able to assign to each tribe square areas, or rectangular parallelograms. I therefore find for Reuben Simeon Judah Issachar Zebulon 3049 square cubits 3443 3862 3293 3388 "The tabernacle, which was 100 cubits long and 50 broad, I place in the centre of the camp, at the distance of 840 feet from the camp of the Levites, which is placed exactly in the same manner as described in the Sacred Writings. I find therefore that the whole space of the camp is 259,600,000 feet. Now, according to the manner we have just divided the camp for each tribe, the sum total being 125,210,000, it follows, that the space between the tents contained 134,390,000. If, with Eisenschmid, we estimate the Roman mile at 766 French fathoms and two feet (consequently 21,141,604 square feet to a Roman square mile) the Israelitish camp will contain a little more than 12 such square miles." It is not to be expected that either disquisitions of this kind, or the accompanying diagram can give any thing more than a general idea how the thing probably was: for to pretend to minute exactness, in such cases, would be absurd. The Sacred Text informs us, that such and such tribes occupied the east, such the west, &c. &c. but how they were arranged individually, we cannot pretend absolutely to say. Scheuchzer's plan is such as we may suppose judgment and skill would lay down; but still it is very probable that the plan of the Israelites' castrametation was more perfect than any thing we can well imagine; for as it was the plan which God himself probably laid down, it must be in every respect what it ought to be, for the comfort and safety of this numerous multitude. As there are some differences between the mode of distributing the command of a large army among the British, and that used on the Continent, which is followed by Scheuchzer, I shall lay down the descending scule of British commanders, which some may think applies better to the preceding arrangement of the Iraelitish army than the other. The command of a large army in the British service is thus divided. 2. Lieut. generals, who command divisions of the army; (these divisions consist of 2 or 3 brigades each, and may, on an average, amount to 5000 men.) 3. Major-generals, who command brigades; (these brigades consist of from 2 to 3000 [2500 is perhaps the average] according to the strength of the respective regiments of which the brigade is composed.) 4. Colonels in the army, or lieutenant-colonels, who command single regiments; they are assisted in the command of these regiments by the majors of the regiments. [I mention the major, that there may be no break in the descending scale of gradation of ranks, as in the event of the absence of the above two officers, he is the next in command.] Major-general, brigade commander. Lieutenant-general, division commander. General in chief, who commands the whole army. DIAGRAM OF THE ISRAELITISH CAMP. ZEBULON, ISSACHAR, 57,400. REUBEN, 46,500. Though I particularly refer the reader to the diagram on the preceding page, taken from Scheuchzer's plate, which I have thought necessary to be subjoined to his description, yet I think it also proper to introduce the following, as it gives a general and tolerably correct idea of this immense camp, in the description of which the inspired writer has been so very particular. The whole may be said to consist of three camps, viz. 1. The camp of the Lord. 2. The camp of the Levites. 3. And the camp of the People. These, in the grand camp in the wilderness, corresponded with the Holy of Holies, the Holy Place, and the Outward Court of the Temple at Jerusalem.-See Ainsworth. CHAPTER III. The generations of Aaron and Moses, 1-4. The tribe of Levi to Minister to the Lord, under Aaron and his sons, 5-10. They are taken in the place of the firstborn, 11-13. Moses is commanded to number them, 14-16. Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the names of the three heads of families of the Levites, 17. Of Ger shon and his family, 18-21. Their number 7500, v. 22. Their place behind the tabernacle westward, 23. Their chief, Eliasaph, 24. Their charge, 25, 26. Of Kohath and his family, 27. Their number 8600, v. 28. Their place, beside the tabernacle, southward, 29. Their chief, Elizaphan, 30. Their charge, 31. The chief of the Levites, Eleazar son of Aaron, 32. Of Merari and his family, 33. Their number 6200, v. 34. Their chief, Zuriel, they shall pitch beside the tabernathe tabernacle, eastward, 38. The amount of all the males among the Levites cle, northward, 35. Their charge, 35-37. Moses and Aaron to encamp before from a month old and upward, 22,000, v. 39. Moses is commanded to number the THUS Faron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai. a Exod. 6. 23-b Exod. 28. 41. Lev. 8-e Heb. whose hand he filled. NOTES ON CHAPTER III. Verse 1. The generations of Aaron and Moses] Though Aaron and Moses are both mentioned here, yet the family of Aaron alone appears in the list: hence, some have thought that the word Moses was not originally in the text. Others think that the words n ¬ v'elleh toledoth, these are the generations, should be rendered these are the acts, or transactions, or the history of the a 2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the first-born, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, b the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office. 4 d 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 spake unto Moses, saying, 6 Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present minister unto him. them before Aaron the priest, that they may 7 And they shall keep his charge, and the d Lev. 10, 1. Ch. 26. 61. 1 Chron. 24. 2-e Ch. 8, 6. & 18 2 lives as the same phrase may be understood in Gen. ii. 4. vi. 9. However this may be, it is evident, that in this genealogy, the family of Aaron are alone mentioned, probably because these belonged to the priesthood. Moses passes by his own family, or immediate descendants; he gave no rank or privilege to them during his life, and left nothing to them at his death. They became incorporated with the Levites: from or among whom they are never charge of the whole congregation before the ta- | Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of bernacle of the congregation, to do the service the Levites, according to the house of their of the tabernacle. fathers. 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 T 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 first-born that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine: 13 Because all the first-born are mine; m for on the day that I smote all the first-born 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 P 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; f See Ch. 1. 50. & 8. 11, 15, 24, 25-g Ch. 8. 19. & 18. 6.-h Ch. 18. 7-i Ver. 38. Ch. 1. 51. & 16. 40-k Ver. 41. Ch. & 16. & 18. 6-1 Exod. 13. 2. Lev. 27. 26. Ch. 8. 16 Luke 2 23-m Exod. 13. 12, 15. Ch. 8. 17-n Ver. 39. Ch. 25. 62-0 Heb mouth -p p Gen. 46. 11. Exod. 6. 16. Ch. 26, 57. 1 Chron. 6. 1, 16. & 23. 6. distinguished. What a strong proof is this of the celestial origin of his religion! Had it been of man, it must have had the gratification of some impure passion for its object; lust, ambition, or avarice; but none of these ever appear during the whole of his administration among the Israelites, though he had it constantly in his power to have gratified each. What an essential difference between the religion of the Pentateuch, and that of the Koran! The former is God's workmanship: the latter is a motley mixture of all bad crafts, with here and there a portion of the heavenly fire, stolen from the divine altar in the Old and New Testaments, to give some vitality to the otherwise inert mass. Verse 4. Nadab and Abihu died] See the notes on Levit. chap. x. Verse 6. Bring the tribe of Levi near] The original word phakereb, is properly a sacrificial word, and signifies the presenting of a sacrifice or offering to the Lord. As an offering, the tribe of Levi was given up entirely to the service of the sanctuary, to be no longer their own, but the Lord's property. Verse 7. The charge of the whole congregation] They shall work for the whole congregation; and, instead of the first-born. Verse 8. All the instruments] The tabernacle itself and all its contents: see all described ver. 25, 26, 31, 36, 37. The Levites were to perform the most common and laborious offices. It was their business to take down, put up, and carry the tabernacle and its utensils, for it was the object of their peculiar care. In a word, they were the servants of the priests. Verse 10. Aaron and his sons shall wait on their priest's office] It was the business of the priests to offer the different sacrifices to God: to consecrate the showbread; pour out the libations; burn the incense; sprinkle the blood of the victims, and bless the people. In a word, they were the servants of GOD alone. Verse 12. I have taken the Levites-instead of all the first-born] The Levites are taken for the service of the sanctuary in place of the first-born. The first-born were dedicated to God in commemoration of his slaying the first-born of the Egyptians, and preserving those of the Israelites. Even the cattle of the Levites were taken 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 r Exod. 6. 17.-8 Exod. 6. 18.- Exod 6. 19-u Ch. 1. 53-v Ch. 4. 24. 25, 26. — w Exod. 25.9.-x Exod. 26 1-y Exod. 26. 7, 14.-z Exod. 26. 36.-n Exod. 27. 9.b Exod. 27. 16.-c Exod. 35. 18-d 1 Chron. 25. 23.-e Ch. 1. 53-f Ch. 4. 15g Exod. 25. 10. in place of the first-born of the cattle of the rest of the tribes.-See verse 45. Several reasons have been assigned, why God should give this honour to the tribe of Levi in preference to all the others, but they do not seem to me to be conclusive. Their zeal in destroying those who had corrupted the worship of God, in the business of the golden calf, Exod. xxxii. 29. has been thought a sufficient reason. Á better reason is, that this was the smallest tribe, and they were quite enough for the service. To have had a more numerous tribe, at this time, would have been very inconvenient. Aaron, says Mr. Ainsworth, being in his priesthood a type of Christ, all these rites are fulfilled in him. For unto Christ God gave children, Heb. ii. 13. And they are a congregation of first-born, whose names are written in heaven, Heb. xii. 23. being of God's own will begotten by the word of truth, that they should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures, James i. 18. to whom he also gives the first-fruits of his Spirit, Rom. viii. 23. These wait on and follow the Lamb, being first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb, Rev. xiv. 4. And Christ hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, that we may serve him day and night in his temple, Rev. i. 6.—vii. 15. Verse 15. A month old and upward] The males of all the other tribes were numbered from twenty years and upward; had the Levites been numbered in this way, they would not have been nearly equal in number to the first-born of the twelve tribes. Add to this, that as there must have been first-born of all ages in the other tribes, it was necessary that the Lerites, who were to be their substitutes, should be also of all ages: and it appears to have been on this ground, at least partly, that the Levites were numbered from four weeks old and upward. Verse 16. Moses numbered them] Though Moses and Aaron conjointly numbered the twelve tribes, yet Moses alone numbered the Levites: "for as the money with which the first-born of Israel, who exceeded the number of Levites, were redeemed, was to be paid to Aaron and his sons, ver. 48. it was decent that he whose advantage it was that the number of the first-born of Israel should exceed, should not be authorized to take that number himself."-Dodd, from bishop Kidder. |