o Words of conſternation ariſing partly from the 409 pt ce of theſe ſevere and repeated judgments, partly from the threatniny of death upon any ſucceeding murmurings, partly from the ſenile of their own guilt and weakneſs, which made them fear leſt rhey ſhould relapſe into the ſame miſcarriages, and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themſelves. _
12 Wholoever cometh any thing near p unto the ta- bernacle of the LORD, ſhall die : ſhall we be conſu- med with dying q ?
p (7.e:) Nearer than he ſhould do ; an errour which we may, ea- fily commit. q Will God proceed with us in theſe ſevere courſes, according to his ſtri& juſtice ? will he ſhew us no mercy nor pity, till all the people be cut off and deſtroyed with dying one after
another ?
C H A P. XVIIL.
God ſheweth to Aaron, his ſons and the Levites, their Office, 1==-==y, Ap- pointeth ro Aaron and his ſons their maintenance, 8----=20. Aud alſo to the Levites, 21=---=24. He commandeth them by Moſes, t0 give Tenths of their Tenths to the chief Prieſts, 25-==--3 2.
N D the LORD faid unto Aaron, Thou, and thy >. ſons, and thy fathers houſe with thee, (hall bear
*Levit: * the iniquity of the ſanctuary # : and thou and thy ſons
18: 25. With thee, ſhall bear the iniquity of your prieſthood 6.
a (3. e. ) Shall ſuffer the puniſhment of all the uſurpations, or pollutions of the SanEtuary, or the holy things,by the Levitesor any of the people, becauſe you have authority and power from me to keep them all within their bounds, and I expe& you uſe it to that end. Thus the people are in good meaſure ſecured againſt their fears
as Joſephus with great probability affirms, a ſta of an almond tree,
+ 3 4. * Chap. XVII..
ſuch reaſon to envy him as they might think,if the benefits and en-
all the errours commited by your ſelves, or by you permitted in others in things belonging to your Prieſthood. :
2 And thy brethren alſo of the tribe of Levi, the
tribe of thy father,bring thou with thee, that they may
be * joyned unto thee,and miniſter unto thee c;but thou and thy ſons with thee ſhall miniſter d before the taberna- cle of witneſs.
c About ſacrifices and offerings and other things, according to the rules and limits I have preſcrived them. 'The Levites are faid to miniſter to 42r0» here, to the Church, Numb: 16:9. and to God, Deut. 10: 8. They thall not contend with thee for ſuperiority, as they have done, but they ſhall be ſubordinate and ſervants to thee. 4 Or, both to thee, and to thy ſons with thee : Which tranſlation may ſeem to be favoured by the following words, before the tabernacle, which was the proper place where the LZewites miniſtred, whereas the Prieſts did miniſter to God both before and in the Tabernacle, Beſides, both the foregoing words, and the two following verſes, do intirely ſpeak of the miniſtry of the Levites, and the miniſtry of the Prieſts is diſtin&ly ſpoken of, wer 5,
3 And they tbalt keep thy charge e, and the charge of all the tabernacle f : only they ſhall not come nigh the veſlels of the ſanctuary, and the altar s, that neither they, nor ye þ allo die, |
e (7.e.) That which thou ſhalt command them and commit un- to them. f (7. e.) Of the boards and hangings and utenſils of the Tabernacle, to take them down and carry them, and ſet them u
again. g Which therefore were to be covered by the prieſt bef, the Levires might meddle with them, þ They for emo t=
touch them,and you for your negligence in not covering them well, or not looking to them.
4 And they ſhall be joyned unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the ſervice of the tabernacle : and a ſtranger ſhall not come nigh unto you.
5 And ye ſball keepthe charge of the ſanctuary 3, and the charge of the altar,that there be no wrath any more upon the children of IfraeÞk.
7 ( 7.e.) Of the holy, and of the moſt holy place. & For coming
too near the holy place, or for uſurping any part of your ſacred
through your carlefineſs or remiſneſs,in which caſe they ſhall nerj for their errour, but their blood will I require at Ne a" _ ſhould have adviſed them better, or over-ruled them. T
| 6 And 1, behoid, I have* taken your breth Levites from among the children of Iſrael : to * you they the tabernacle of the congregation.
- | (i.e.( For the ſervice of the Lord, to affift v SEES . ou there the ſervile and troubleſome parts of it. ; ? eng
7 Lheretore thou and thy ſons with thee ſhall keep your prieſts oifice for every thing of the altar m, and. within the vail, and ye ſhall ſerve: I have oiven your prieſts office unto you, as a ſervice of gift o ; and the ftran- ger that cometh nigh ſhall be put to death.
m To wirt,of burnt-offering,as appears from the following words 7 This phraſe elſewhere ſignifies the inward or ſecond vail,but here it fignifies either the outward vail only, or rather both the vails the ſingular number being pur for the plural, as when the altar js
put for both the altars, as hath been noted : a t prehends both the holy and the moſt holy = nf raph cv are | have freely conferred upon you,and upon you alone; and therefore let no man henceforth dare either to charge you with arrogance and -— in appropriating this to your ſelves, or to invade your Cc.
8 And the LORD ſpake unto Aaron, Behold, I alſo
have given thee the charge of mine heave-offerings, of
all che hallowed things of the children of Iſrael, unto
$\ thee have I given them p by reaſon of the anointing 9,
[0 and to thy ſons by an ordinance for ever. Þ Not only the charge of them, but the uſe of them for thy ſelf and family, in ſuch manner as T have elſewhere expreſſed To wit, to the Prieſtly office, 7, e. becauſe thou art Pricſt, and :2 ro devote thy ſelf wholly to my ſervice : which that thou maiſt Per- form more diligently and cheerfully, I give thee this recompenles 9 This ſhall be thine of the molt holy things r reſerved
from e528 )blati ; the fire 5 3 every 0blation 7 of theirs, every * meat-
ottering of theirs, and every * ſin-effering of theirs, and every treſpaſs-offering of theirs, which they ſhall render
no __ #, (hall be me holy for thee, and for thy ſons x