Numbers 27:1--30:16
daughters .................................... daughters <01323> [the daughters.]
In the orders for the division of the land, just given, no provision had been made for females, in case of failure of male issue. The five daughters of Zelophehad, therefore, considered themselves as destitute, having neither father nor brother, and being themselves entirely overlooked; and they agreed to refer the case to Moses and the rulers, whether it were not equitable that they should inherit their father's portion. This led to the enactment of an additional law to the civil code of Israel, which satisfactorily ascertained and amply secured the right of succession in cases of inheritance. This law, which is as reasonable as it is just, stands thus:--1. On the demise of the father, the estate descends to the sons. 2. If there be no son, the daughters succeed. 3. If there be no daughter, the brothers of the deceased inherit. 4. If there be no brethren, or paternal uncles, the estate goes to the grand uncles, or brothers of his father. 5. If there be no grand uncles, then the nearest of kin succeeds to the inheritance. Beyond this fifth degree the law does not extend, because there must always have been some among the Israelites who could be called kinsmen.
Zelophehad <06765> [Zelophehad.]
Rosenmuller translates this verse as follows: "Our father died in the wilderness, leaving no sons; nor was he among those who rebelled against the Lord with Korah, who died on account of his own sin." Professor Dathe, however, understands by "his own sin," that sin which was common to all the Israelites, who died on account of their unbelief.
died .... wilderness .......................... died <04191 04057> [died in the.]
company ............. company <05712> [in the company.]
died ............................. died ..... sin <04191 02399> [died in his.]
name <08034> [Why.]
should ....... be lost <01639> [done away. Heb. diminished. Give.]
relative <07607> [kinsman.]
requirement <02708> [a statute.]
mountain <02022> [mount.]
gathered .......... gathered <0622> [thou also.]
Aaron <0175> [as Aaron.]
rebelled <04784> [ye rebelled.]
Meribah <04809> [Meribah.]
Lord <03068> [the Lord.]
{Yehowah elohey haroochoth lechol basar,} "Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all flesh." This address sufficiently proves, that this holy man believed man to be compounded of flesh and spirit, and that these principles are perfectly distinct. Either the materiality of the soul is a human fable, or, if it be a true doctrine, Moses did not pray under the influence of the Divine Spirit. There is a similar form of expression in ch. 16:22: "O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh;" and in Job 12:10, "In whose hand is the soul {nephesh} of all living; and the spirit {rooach} of all flesh of man." These seem decisive proofs, among many others, that the Old Testament teaches that there is an immortal spirit in man; for though {rooach} sometimes denotes breath or wind, yet it certainly has not that signification here, nor in the other passages cited.
God <0430> [the God.]
Let ............ appoint ... man <06485 0376> [set a man.]
out ................ out <03318> [go out.]
sheep <06629> [as sheep.]
Take Joshua <03947 03091> [Take thee.]
man <0376> [a man.]
lay <05564> [lay.]
commission <06680> [give him.]
delegate ..... authority <05414 01935> [put some.]
obedient <08085> [may be.]
stand <05975> [he shall.]
Urim <0224> [Urim.]
command <06310> [at his word.]
food <03899> [my bread.]
pleasing aroma <05207 07381> [for a sweet savour unto me. Heb. savour of my rest.]
appointed time <04150> [in their due season.]
The stated sacrifices and service of the tabernacle having, probably, been greatly interrupted for several years, and a new generation having arisen, who were children or minors when the law was given respecting these ordinances; and as they were now about to enter into the promised land, where they must be established and constantly observed; God commands Moses to repeat them to the people in the following order:--1. Daily: the morning and evening sacrifices; a lamb each time. (ver. 3, 4.) 2. Weekly: the sabbath offerings; two lambs of a year old. (ver. 9, 10.) 3. Monthly: at the beginning of each month, two young bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs of a year old, and a kid for a sin offering. (ver. 11-15.) 4. Annual: (1) the Passover to last seven days; the offerings, two young bullocks, one ram, seven lambs of a year old, and a he-goat. (ver. 16-25.) (2) The day of first-fruits: the sacrifices the same as on the beginning of the month. (ver. 26-31.)
two ... lambs <08147 03532> [two lambs.]
day <03117> [day by day. Heb. in a day.]
second <08145> [and the other.]
late afternoon <06153> [at even. Heb. between the two evenings.]
continual <08548> [a continual.]
instituted <06213> [was ordained.]
holy <06944> [in the holy.]
pour <05258> [to be poured.]
burnt offering ........ burnt offering <05930> [the burnt.]
continual <08548> [the continual.]
first <07218> [in the beginnings.]
two young <08147 01241> [two young.]
burnt offering <05930> [for a burnt.]
continual <08548> [beside.]
two young <08147 01241> [two young.]
unblemished <08549> [they shall.]
seventh <07637> [on the seventh.]
do <06213> [ye shall do.]
day <03117> [in the day.]
two young <08147 01241> [two young.]
Bishop Patrick observes that no peace offerings are appointed in this chapter, which were chiefly for the benefit of the offerers, and therefore in them they were left more to themselves; but burnt offerings, which were purely for the honour of God, and confessions of his dominion, and which figured evangelical piety and devotion, by which the soul is wholly offered up to God, in the flames of holy love; and sin offerings, which were typical of Christ's sacrifice of himself, by which we and our services are perfected and sanctified.
unblemished <08549> [without blemish.]
seventh <07637> [the seventh.]
That is, the month Tisri, the seventh month of their ecclesiastical year, but the first of their civil year, answering to our September. This, which was their new year's day, was a time of great festivity, and ushered in by the blowing of trumpets; whence it was also called the feast of blowing the trumpets. In imitation of this Jewish festival, different nations began the new year with sacrifices and festivity. The ancient Egyptians did so; and the Persians also celebrated their {nawee rooz,} or new year's day, which they held on the vernal equinox, and which "lasted ten days, during which all ranks seemed to participate in one general joy. The rich sent presents to the poor; all were dressed in their holiday clothes; all kept open house; and religious processions, music, dancing, a species of theatrical exhibition, rustic sports, and other pastimes, presented a continued round of varied amusement. Even the dead, and the ideal beings were not forgotten; rich viands being placed on the tops of houses and high towers, on the flavour of which the {Peris,} and spirits of their departed heroes and friends, were supposed to feast." After the Mohammedan conquest of Persia, the celebration of this period sensibly declined, and at last totally ceased, till the time of Jelaladdin (about A.D. 1082), who, coming to the crown at the vernal equinox, re-established the ancient festival, which has ever since been celebrated with pomp and acclamations.
first day ..... month <02320 0259> [the first day of the month.]
The monthly sacrifices were regulated by the new moons; and it is probable that the solemn sacrifices were appointed by God, to prevent the idolatry which was usual among the heathen at this period; who expressed the most extravagant rejoicings on the first appearance of the new moon. Moses, however, used the return of the moon only as one of the most natural and convenient measures of time; and appointed sacrifices to Jehovah, to prevent the Israelites from falling into the idolatries of their heathen neighbours. In the serene climate of Arabia and Judea, its first faint crescent is, for the most part, visible to all.
blowing <08643> [blowing.]
burnt offering ......... burnt offering <05930> [the burnt.]
daily <08548> [the daily.]
prescribed <04941> [according.]
tenth <06218> [on the tenth.]
humble <06031> [afflict.]
without blemish <08549> [without blemish.]
purification offering ...... purification <02403> [beside.]
continual <08548> [the continual.]
fifteenth day .............................. days <03117 02568> [the fifteenth day.]
This was the feast of Tabernacles, kept in commemoration of their dwelling in tents in the wilderness for forty years. The first and last days were to be kept as sabbaths, on which there were solemn assemblies; and for seven days sacrifices were offered. On the other festivals, two bullocks sufficed, (ch. 28:11, 19, 27), and on the festival at the beginning of this month, only one was appointed; but, on the first day of this festival, thirteen young bullocks were appointed; and so on each successive day, with the decrease of only one bullock, till on the seventh day, there were only seven, making in all seventy bullocks. The lambs, and the rams also, were in a double proportion to the number sacrificed at any other festival. This was an expensive service; but more easy at this time of the year than any other, as Bishop Patrick observes, because now their barns were full, and their wine-presses overflowed; and their hearts might well be supposed to be more enlarged than at other times, in thankfulness to God for the multitude of his mercies. The Jewish doctors give this reason for the daily diminution of the number of the bullocks: the whole number, say they, was according to the languages of the seventy nations of the world; and the diminution of one every day signified, that there should be a gradual diminution of those nations till all things were brought under the government of the Messiah; in whose days "no sacrifices shall remain, but those of thanksgiving, prayer, and praise."
thirteen young bulls <07969 01241 06499> [thirteen young bullocks.]
At this feast thirteen bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs, were to be offered. It is worthy of remark, that in each of the seven days of this feast one bullock is to be abated, so that on the seventh day (ver. 32) they were to offer seven bullocks, but the rams and lambs were every day alike; which appointment might signify a diminishing and wearing away of the legal offerings, to lead them to the spiritual and reasonable service, by presenting their own bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable unto God. .# Ro 12:1
prescribed <04941> [after the manner.]
That is, after the manner already prescribed.
prescribed <04941> [after the manner.]
drink offering <05262> [drink offering.]
eighth day <03117 08066> [eighth day.]
Though this day was properly a distinct festival, and esteemed the chief or high day of the feast, yet fewer sacrifices are appointed for it than for any of the foregoing seven. On every one of them two rams and fourteen lambs were offered; but on this day there were but half as many; and whereas seven bullocks were the fewest that were offered on any of those days, on this there was only one. At this feast, there was an extraordinary ceremony of which the rabbins inform us, namely, the drawing water out of the pool of Siloam, and pouring it, mixed with wine, on the sacrifice as it lay on the altar. This they are said to have done with such expressions of joy, that it became a common proverb, "He that never saw the rejoicing of drawing of water, never saw rejoicing in all his life." The Jews pretend to ground this custom on the following passage of Isaiah, (ch. 12:3,) "With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation;" and to this ceremony Jesus is supposed to refer, when "in the last day, the great day of the feast, he stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink: he that believeth on me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water," (Joh 7:37, 38:) thereby calling off the people from their carnal mirth and festive and pompous ceremonies, to seek spiritual refreshment for their minds.
[do, or, offer. in your set feasts.]
It appears from the account in these two chapters, that there were annually offered to God, at the public charge, independently of a prodigious number of voluntary, vow, and trespass offerings, 15 goats, 21 kids, 72 rams, 132 bullocks, and 1,101 lambs. But how little is all this compared with the lambs slain every year at the passover. Cestius, the Roman general, asked the priests how many persons had come to Jerusalem at their annual festivals: the priests, numbering the people by the lambs that had been slain, said, "twenty-five myriads, 5,000, and 600."
vows <05088> [beside your vows.]
man <0376> [If a man.]
The preceding chapters had treated of sacrifices required by law; and in the laws here delivered in respect to vows must have been very useful, as they both prevented and annulled rash vows, and provided a proper sanction for the support and performance of those which were rationally made, and which were made to the Lord.
makes ... vow <05087 05088> [vow a vow.]
takes <07650> [swear.]
binding <0631> [to bind.]
break <02490> [break. Heb. profane.]
do <06213> [he shall do.]
vow <05088> [she vowed. Heb. her vows were upon her.]
clearly nullifies ..................... husband ..... void <0376 06565> [her husband hath made.]
Lord <03068> [and the Lord.]
obligation <0632> [and every.]
bring affliction <06031> [to afflict.]
bear <05375> [he shall bear.]
