Numbers 9:18

_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._ No JFB commentary on this verse....

18._At the commandment of the Lord. _(2) The _mouth _is here used by metonymy for the speech; nor does there appear to me to be so much harshness in the Hebraism, but that it may be appropriately retained. But it is asked whether God actually spoke or not; for the word _mouth _is often repeated. It is indeed likely that Moses was instructed but _once _what was meant by the removal or remaining of the cloud; yet I doubt not but that the name of _word, _or _commandment, _was given to the sign, inasmuch as God speaks as much to the eyes by outward signs as He does to the ears by His voice. Still, from this mode of expression we may gather that the use of signs (3) is perverted and nullified, unless they are taken to be visible doctrine, as Augustin writes. The repetition, which certainly has no little force, shows how worthy this is of observation....

15-23 This cloud was appointed to be the visible sign and symbol of God's presence with Israel. Thus we are taught to see God always near us, both night and day. As long as the cloud rested on the tabernacle, so long they continued in the same place. There is no time lost, while we are waiting God's time. When the cloud was taken up, they removed, however comfortably they were encamped. We are kept at uncertainty concerning the time of our putting off the earthly house of this tabernacle, that we may be always ready to remove at the command of the Lord. It is very safe and pleasant going when we see God before us, and resting where he appoints us to rest. The leading of this cloud is spoken of as signifying the guidance of the blessed Spirit. We are not now to expect such tokens of the Divine presence and guidance; but the promise is sure to all God's spiritual Israel, that he will guid...

EXPOSITION THE SIGNALS OF GOD (Numbers 9:15-4). NUMBERS 9:15 ON THE DAY THAT THE TABERNACLE WAS REARED UP. Here we are sent back again to _the _great day of Israel's sojourn at Sinai, when God took visible possession of his dwelling in the midst of them (Exodus 40:34). Everything after that was but preparatory to the approaching departure, and therefore is narrated not in any order of time, but either as it referred back to the first day of the first month, or forward to the twentieth day of the second month. The cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony....

AT THE COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL JOURNEYED,.... Or "mouth of the Lord"; not that there was any command in form given, or any audible voice heard, directing when to march; but the removal of the cloud was interpretatively the order and command of God for them to move also: AND AT THE COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD THEY PITCHED; their tents; when the cloud stopped, they understood that as a signal to them, as a token of the will of God that they should stop likewise; it was to them as an authoritative command, which they obeyed: AS LONG AS THE CLOUD ABODE UPON THE TABERNACLE, THEY RESTED IN THEIR TENTS; whether a longer or a shorter time, as is after expressed....

Numbers 9:1. _And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season._ I should almost fear that they had omitted the keeping of the passover for a year. There was a first celebration of it when they came out of Egypt; but then it was not so much a type as a matter of fact; it was the thing itself, not the remembrance of the coming out of Egypt, but the actual coming out, the exodus. One would gather from this command of the Lord that, on the first anniversary of that memorable season, the children of Israel had omitted its observance, and hence Jehovah said to Moses, «Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season.» If this conjecture is correct, it is very significant that a rite which be

7. PASSOVER AND JEHOVAH WITH HIS PEOPLE CHAPTER 9 _ 1. The command to keep the Passover (Numbers 9:1)_ 2. The Passover kept (Numbers 9:4) 3. Provision in case of defilement (Numbers 9:6) 4. Jehovah with His people (Numbers 9:15) Jehovah next commands His people to keep the feast of redemption, Passover. And they obeyed at once. The first Passover was held in Egypt, the second in the wilderness at Sinai, with their faces turned towards the land of promise, and it was next celebrated in the land of Canaan. This shows how essential the blood is for everything. The blood delivers out of Egypt, it keeps in

THE MOVEMENT OF THE CAMP DETERMINED BY THE FIERY CLOUD. Since according to P the Tabernacle was in the centre of the camp when it was stationary, and in the midst of the column when it was on the march (Numbers 2:17; Numbers 10:21), the setting or rising of the cloud above it only gave the signal for encamping or for breaking up the camp: the direction of the march was conveyed from Yahweh through Moses (Numbers 10:13). The view of the writer of Numbers 10:33 * is quite different. The conception of the cloud as fiery (Numbers 9:15) maintains the idea o

AT THE, &C. Figure of speech _Epibole._ App-6, repeated. commandment. Hebrew mouth. Figure of speech _Metonymy_ (of Cause), App-6. mouth put for command given by it....

E. THE CLOUD OVER THE TABERNACLE VV. 15-23 TEXT Chapter Numbers 9:15. 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 by 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 n