_First day of the second month, called after the captivity, Jiar, which party corresponds with our April. These injunctions were given from the tabernacle, (Calmet) in the desert, the 12th station, (Haydock) at the foot of Mount Sinai._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Houses. The families consisted of the immediate descendants of the 12 patriarchs; the houses were from the subdivisions of these. The same plan of numbering the people was adopted on other occasions, Josue viii. 16., and 1 Kings x. 20. --- Sex, between 20 and 60 years of age. All the subjects of th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Arms, ( fortium). "Strong or brave." The psalmist (civ. 37,) says, there was not one feeble. (Menochius) --- Troops. Hebrew, "army." Septuagint, "force." Their officers shall be at their head, and shall assist you in the work. Some might command 1000, others 100, and some only 50. See Exodus xiii.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Duel. Hebrew Dehuel. But (chap. ii. 14,) we find the word begins R, as the Septuagint have read, Ragouel. (Haydock)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Army. Hebrew, "of a thousand." The Vulgate commonly styles them tribunes. They were "people of name in the assembly," as the Hebrew indicates. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Juda. This tribe was the most numerous. But it is not here placed first, because the order of birth in Lia's children is observed. Then come those of Rachel; and last of all, the children of the two handmaids, Bala and Zelpha. (Haydock)_... [ Continue Reading ]
CHAPTER I.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Levites. As they attended the tabernacle, like God's peculiar servants, and were not obliged to go forth to battle, it was not necessary to number them with the rest. (Calmet) --- They might, however, fight if they thought proper, as the Machabees did. See Josephus, Antiquities iii. 11., and iv. 4.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Stranger, even of any other tribe. (St. Augustine, q. 3.) (Worthington)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Army. Hebrew, "they shall have their respective camp, and follow their own standards, with their army." They were drawn up in four large bodies, chap. ii. 2, &c. (Calmet) --- The first contained 151,450, the second 186,400, the third 108,100, and the fourth 157,600, under Reuben, Juda, Ephraim, and... [ Continue Reading ]
_Watch. Lest any thing should offer any indecency to the tabernacle, and thus provoke God's indignation. (Haydock)_... [ Continue Reading ]