Numbers 20:22-29

D. DEATH OF AARON vv. 22-29
TEXT

Numbers 20:22. And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor. 23. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, 24. Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah. 25. Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: 26. And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there. 27. And Moses did as the Lord commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28. And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount. 29. And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 20:22. And they traveled from Kadesh, and the children of Israel, the entire congregation, came to Mount Hor 23. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, near the border of the land of Edom, 24. Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: he shall not enter into the land I have given the children of Israel, because you rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah. 25. Take Aaron and Eleazar his son and bring them up to Mount Hor. 26. Strip Aaron of his garments, and put them on Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and he shall die there. 27. And Moses did as the Lord commanded; and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28. And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. And Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29. And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the children of Israel mourned for thirty days.

COMMENTARY

About one day's journey northeast of Kadesh is a tall, easily recognizable peak often thought to be this Mount Hor. Positive identification has not been made, although Jebal Harun is near Petra, well inside the borders of Edom, The essential portion of the country lies north of this point, and it is through this area the Israelites were not permitted to march. Here God chooses to call Aaron to the peak of the mountain on top of a mountain, to be the scene of his death. The second of the famous children of Amram and Jochebed is soon to die in the fortieth year of the wandering.

The death of Aaron, like that of Moses, comes before the Israelites enter the land of Promise; and it is for the same reason: the disobedience at Meribah. They have shared the crime, and they share the punishment. Although the death of Moses is delayed, it still deprived him of what must have been the strongest yearning of his lifeentrance into the new Land. Aaron's life was plagued by some rather glaring sins, such as the construction of the golden calf (Exodus 32:1 ff.); his self-exaltation and sedition against Moses, along with Miriam's harsh criticisms (Numbers 12:1-11); and this last, the presumptuous wrong at Meribah. Any of these might have excluded him from Canaan, but God quite apparently considers the final offense to be the worst.

God gave special instructions to be carried out in conjunction with Aaron's death and his successor. The death would come on top of Hor, and the priestly robes, stripped from his body, should be placed upon Eleazar his third son, as God's next man chosen for the office of the high priest. The first sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, were victims of their own disobedience, and died in offering strange fire before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2). Besides Eleazar, there was a younger son, Ithamar. Together they had served with Aaron after the death of their brothers (Numbers 3:4); but only one could occupy the high priesthood, and Eleazar is chosen.

Among all the beautiful Hebrew expressions, none is more expressive than the phrase, given at death, he was gathered unto his people. Far more than merely euphemistic, the thought had been used of the patriarchs (Genesis 25:8; Genesis 25:17; Genesis 35:29; Genesis 49:33, and elsewhere), and suggests a continuity of fellowship beyond the grave, and more than an elementary concept of the pleasantness of reunion with those we have known and loved in this life. It is one of the clearest assertions of this doctrine in the Old Testament.

God's instructions were carefully followed. With the people watching, the two men carry out their roles.
Mourning was always a symbolic rite among the Hebrews, and might last for an extended period of timenot usually less than a week if the deceased were of any prominence. The entire nation mourned for Aaron for thirty days, indicating that he was a man of no little respect.

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

363.

Identify Mount Hor. Distinguish this from the other mountain of the same name.

364.

Why was Aaron not permitted to enter the land of Canaan?

365.

Which of his sins was responsible for this exclusion? Why?

366.

Why was Aaron's firstborn son not selected to succeed his father to the high priesthood?

367.

Detail the instructions God gave to be carried out at the death of Aaron.

368.

Show the symbolism and the deeper meanings of the term, to be gathered unto one's people.

369.

How long had the Israelites mourned for these people: Jacob? Joseph? Miriam? Aaron?

370.

What actions were involved in this mourning?