Numbers 8 - Introduction
_OF LIGHTING THE LAMPS: OF CONSECRATING THE LEVITES; AND OF THE AGE AND TIME OF THEIR SERVICE._ _Before Christ 1490._... [ Continue Reading ]
_OF LIGHTING THE LAMPS: OF CONSECRATING THE LEVITES; AND OF THE AGE AND TIME OF THEIR SERVICE._ _Before Christ 1490._... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THOU LIGHTEST THE LAMPS, &C.— Houbigant thinks that the stress here is to be laid upon the word _seven;_ and that the meaning is, "when thou lightest the lamps of the candlestick, take care that all the _seven_ lamps be lighted, and that none of them be omitted." Others, however, instead of _ov... [ Continue Reading ]
SPRINKLE WATER OF PURIFYING— In the Hebrew, as Dr. Beaumont observes, _the sin-water, i.e._ the water of purification from sin, is called _the sin-offering._ The manner of preparing this water is seen, chap. Numbers 19:17. Sprinkled with this water, the Levites were next to shave all their flesh; an... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL PUT THEIR HANDS UPON THE LEVITES— That is, the children of Israel, by their rulers, who were their representatives. By this sign the children of Israel signified their separating the Levites to the service of the sanctuary, instead of their first-born; and transferring u... [ Continue Reading ]
AARON SHALL OFFER THE LEVITES, &C.— _Shall wave the Levites for a wave-offering._ Margin of our English Bibles. See Exodus 29:26. As Aaron, properly speaking, could not wave the Levites, it is probable, that lifting up his hands, and turning about to all quarters of the heavens, (as he did when he o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THOU SHALT SET THE LEVITES— Houbigant renders this verse, _Then thou shalt bring the Levites to Aaron and to his sons, and shalt apply them to_ [the service of] _the Lord:_ others would have it, _Thou shalt present them to Aaron and his sons, after having offered them as an offering unto the Lor... [ Continue Reading ]
AND TO MAKE AN ATONEMENT FOR, &C.— The Levites being regularly called to perform the duties of the tabernacle, their service was acceptable to God, and (as figurative of the great Antitype of the whole Levitical Priesthood) averted his displeasure from Israel; which is the meaning of the phrase _to... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM TWENTY AND FIVE YEARS OLD— See the note on ch. Numbers 4:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT SHALL MINISTER WITH THEIR BRETHREN— They were to be dismissed at the age of fifty from all the laborious part of the service, and were afterwards to attend only upon the easier duties of their ministry. The Hebrew words directly suggest this meaning, and do not support _their_ opinion, who would... [ Continue Reading ]