Commentaries Dictionaries Concordances

Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

Numbers 4

Numbers 4:1

NUMBERS CHAPTER 4. God commands the Levites to be numbered from thirty till fifty years, fit for the service of the tabernacle; their charge, NUMBERS 4:1. Of the Kohathites, NUMBERS 4:17. Of the Gershonites, NUMBERS 4:21. Of the sons of Merari, NUMBERS 4:29. The number of each, NUMBERS 4:34. Of all... [ Continue Reading ]

Numbers 4:3

FROM THIRTY YEARS OLD: this age was prescribed, as the age of full strength of body, and therefore most proper for their present laborious work of carrying the parts and vessels of the tabernacle; and of maturity of judgment, which is necessary for the right management of holy services; whence even... [ Continue Reading ]

Numbers 4:5

For upon this necessary occasion the inferior priests are allowed to come into the holy of holies, which otherwise was peculiar to the high priest, HEBREWS 9:7. THE COVERING VEIL; the second veil; of which see EXODUS 26:31, &c. LEVITICUS 4:6 HEBREWS 9:3; where, with the ark was covered while the tab... [ Continue Reading ]

Numbers 4:6

By THE COVERING OF BADGERS SKINS the ark was secured from the injuries of the weather:. OBJECT. How could these staves be put in, when they were never to be taken out, EXODUS 25:15, compared with 1 KINGS 8:8. ANSW. 1. These places may speak of the staves while the ark and tabernacle stood, but when... [ Continue Reading ]

Numbers 4:7

OF SHEW-BREAD, Heb. _of faces or presence_, for of the bread of faces or presence, i.e. of the bread which was continually standing in the presence of the Lord. THE DISHES, upon which the shew-bread was put. THE CONTINUAL BREAD, i.e. _shew-bread_; so called because it was continually to be there, ev... [ Continue Reading ]

Numbers 4:10

So contrived that this cloth containing the candlestick &c., might be either laid upon it, or some other way fastened to it.... [ Continue Reading ]

Numbers 4:13

FROM THE ALTAR OF BURNT-OFFERINGS; whereby it may seem probable, though it be denied by most, that they did offer some sacrifices in the wilderness, though it may not be so frequently nor orderly as afterwards they did. Whence else were these ashes? And there are some undeniable instances of their s... [ Continue Reading ]

Numbers 4:14

Amongst all these vessels here and above named there is no mention of the brazen laver though that be elsewhere. reckoned among the holy things, as EXODUS 35:16, EXODUS 38:8 39:39 40:30, whereof possibly the reason may be because it was not covered, as not being capable of much hurt by the weather;... [ Continue Reading ]

Numbers 4:15

THE SONS OF KOHATH SHALL BEAR IT, to wit upon their shoulders, not upon carts or waggons, as appears from NUMBERS 7:9, the neglect of which order did provoke the Lord, 2 SAMUEL 6:6,7 1 CHRONICLES 13:7, 1 CHRONICLES 15:12, &c. Afterward the priests themselves, being multiplied, carried these things,... [ Continue Reading ]

Numbers 4:16

i.e. He himself is to carry these things, and not to commit them to the sons of Kohath. The daily meat-offering of fine flour, which was to be offered every morning and evening with the daily burnt-offering. See EXODUS 29:38,39. THE OVERSIGHT OF ALL THE TABERNACLE, i.e. the care that all the things... [ Continue Reading ]

Numbers 4:19

TO HIS SERVICE; to that which is peculiarly allotted to him, the services and burdens being equally distributed among them.... [ Continue Reading ]

Numbers 4:25

THE CURTAINS OF THE TABERNACLE, i.e. the curtains or covering of goats hair. THE TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION, i.e. the ten curious curtains which covered the boards of the tabernacle; for the boards themselves were carried by the Merarites. HIS COVERING, i.e. the covering of rams skins which was... [ Continue Reading ]

Numbers 4:32

Every part and parcel therefore shall be put in an inventory; which is required here rather than in the foregoing particulars, partly, because these were much more numerous than the former; partly, because being meaner things, and such as might easily be supplied, they might otherwise have been negl... [ Continue Reading ]

Numbers 4:44

Here appears the wisdom of Divine Providence, that whereas in the Kohathites and Gershonites, whose burdens were fewer and easier, there were but about a third part of them which were fit for service, the Merarites, whose burdens were more and heavier, had above one half of them fit for this work.... [ Continue Reading ]

Continues after advertising