Numbers 26 - Introduction
_THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL ARE NUMBERED IN THE PLAINS OF MOAB: GOD COMMANDS THE LAND OF CANAAN TO BE DIVIDED._ _Before Christ 1452._... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL ARE NUMBERED IN THE PLAINS OF MOAB: GOD COMMANDS THE LAND OF CANAAN TO BE DIVIDED._ _Before Christ 1452._... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS, &C.— After the destruction mentioned in the foregoing chapter, which had cut off all the remains of that murmuring and ungrateful generation that first came out of Egypt, as appears from Numbers 26:64 the Israelites, their descendants, being now shortly to enter into the land of... [ Continue Reading ]
TAKE THE SUM OF THE PEOPLE— Though these words are not in the original, they are plainly to be understood. Houbigant supplies them from the second verse. We have many examples of such omissions; see chap. Numbers 9:20 Numbers 13:30, &c.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY THAT WERE NUMBERED, WERE FORTY AND THREE THOUSAND, &C.— By comparing this with chap. Numbers 1:21 it appears, that, in thirty-eight years, this tribe was diminished by near three thousand men. Some whole households had been destroyed; see Numbers 26:9. Instead of _families,_ some would render t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE EARTH OPENED HER MOUTH, &C.— All this respecting Dathan, &c. is most probably inserted to give a reason for the great decrease of the tribe of Reuben; it being supposed by some, that Korah was not swallowed up, but consumed by the fire of God with those who offered unbidden incense. They wou... [ Continue Reading ]
NOTWITHSTANDING, THE CHILDREN OF KORAH DIED NOT— The Jews have a tradition, that while Korah's sons were in their father's tent, soliciting him to desist from his rebellion, on a sudden the earth swallowed up _Korah,_ and left _his sons_ unhurt. Conformable to which tradition, the Vulgate joins the... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SONS OF SIMEON— See Kennicott's first Dissertation, p. 377. The sons of Simeon are reckoned up here as in Genesis 46:10. Exodus 6:15 only _Ohad_ is omitted; his family, perhaps, being extinct; and _Nemuel_ is there called _Jemuel;_ and Jachin, in 1 Chronicles 4:24 is is called Jarib. It is diffi... [ Continue Reading ]
THOSE THAT WERE NUMBERED OF THEM, THREESCORE, &C.— Thus, according to his father's prediction, Genesis 49:8. Judah out-stripped his brethren; this tribe having increased since the last poll one thousand nine hundred. See chap. Numbers 1:27.... [ Continue Reading ]
ZELOPHEHAD—HAD NO SONS— It is extraordinary, that in so many heads of families there is only one to whom no sons were born: to what other cause can this be ascribed than to a peculiar Providence, whereby many more males than females were born for the strength and increase of the Jewish nation?... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE ARE THE SONS OF DAN— Thus the sacred writer speaks, though Dan had but one son; it being frequent in the Hebrew to put the plural for the singular. Under the name _sons,_ his descendants in general are included. This tribe increased into very great divisions and subdivisions of families, all d... [ Continue Reading ]
THE NAME OF THE DAUGHTER OF ASHER WAS SARAH— One of Asher's sons, mentioned Genesis 46:17, is omitted here, his family probably being extinct, and the loss thereof recompensed by a daughter, whom some suppose to have been mentioned here on account of the numerous posterity which she had; others, for... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FAMILIES OF NAPHTALI— Reckoning the tribes twelve, exclusive of the tribe of Levi, (which was not to be settled as a tribe,) there will be twelve tribes and fifty-eight families in all, which make seventy; whence some conjecture, that the number of seventy elders was taken from the number of pri... [ Continue Reading ]
SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND, &C.— Thus, notwithstanding the accidents that befel them in the desart, and the plagues justly inflicted upon the preceding generation, the Israelites, upon a balance of increase and decrease of all the full-grown males since the last register, appear to be nearly as numerous a... [ Continue Reading ]
TO EVERY ONE SHALL HIS INHERITANCE BE GIVEN— The tribes being thus registered and methodically distinguished, God informs Moses, that it was his will to make an equal division of the land of Canaan, which the Israelites were about to enter. This equal division of property was, under God, the great b... [ Continue Reading ]
NOTWITHSTANDING, THE LAND SHALL BE DIVIDED BY LOT— As the land was to be divided among the tribes in proportion to their numbers, the question is, what occasion there was for dividing it likewise by lot? To which it is replied, that the lot seems to respect only the _quarter,_ the particular _coast_... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE ARE THEY THAT WERE NUMBERED OF THE LEVITES— For the same reasons for which the other tribes were registered, it was fit that this of Levi should be registered in like manner, under the three chief branches of that sacred order, distinguished chap. Numbers 3:17. But, as they were not to inherit... [ Continue Reading ]
WHOM HER MOTHER BARE TO LEVI— Who bare to Levi. Perizon. 361. See Houbigant's note on the place.... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE LORD HAD SAID, &C.— We see here an exact accomplishment of the divine sentence passed, chap. Numbers 14:23, &c. Besides Caleb and Joshua, some of the Levites seem to be excepted; for it is certain that Eleazar was born in Egypt. REFLECTIONS.—Here is a most remarkable accomplishment of the D... [ Continue Reading ]