'* 4 4.e. To take care that all the Work of the Temple abour Sa- crifices and other parts or means of Gods Service ſhould be puncrus ally & diligently performed,either by themſelves or others: Which they were not to do all at once, bur by courſes, roo00 at a time, as we ſhall ſhortly ſec. e Whole work it ſeems to have been to judge of and determine all difficult Cauſes or differences which might a« riſe either among the inferior Prieſts or Levites about their Sacred Adminiſtrations ; or among the People,which being governed in all their Concerns only by the La+s ot Myer. it was fit and neceſlary, that the Prieits and Levites thould be conſulced and concerned 1n their martecrs.
5 Moreover, four thouſand were porters f, and four thouſand praiſed che LORD with inſtruments g which "3 I made ( {a4 David) to praile therewith. vl f Whoſe Office was to take the Charge of all the Gates of the W.6.1 Temple and its Courrs,thart no forbidden or unclean Perſon might ;, ?enter there,and of the Courts themieIves, and of ſeveral Chambers iGr,g, Or Buildings belonging to the Temple and the Service thereof. 4 & 29, Theſe aliv were to do their Work by turns. g Whereof 288 were &, Perſons of greater $skill than their Brethren, and did inftrutt them, IHeb, and had ſome Authority over them. Bm, G And * David divided them into + courſes h a -
moth, three. | 24 Theſe were the ſons of * Levi, after the houſe of , Numb, their fathers ; even the chief of the fathers, as they were BD pheqgoy] | counted by number of names by their polls, thac did the work for the fervice of the houſe of the LORD, from the age of * twenty years q and upward.
N ICL KS Chap, Merar1.
þ Whicli he did not by his own Invention, but as 4 Mar of God and by che command of God, and with the Advice and nts fo.
of Gad and Nathan the Prophets, as is manifeſt from 2 Chron: 8: 14: 7” 262 IC; | :
; | 7 Of the * Gerſhonites were || La2dan and Shimei.
could nor be their immediate Sons.
9 The ſons of Shimei ; Shelomith, and Haran three, of Laadan.
and Haziel, Thele were the chief of the fathers
and Jeuſh, and Beriah : Theſe four Shimei.
& Not that Shimei named wv: 9. but another and I or Grandſon of that Shimes. y nother,and pothbly the Son
I: And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the ſe-
their fathers houſe /.
! They were reckoned together as one Family,and 1 led by the name of their two immediate P FARE Were Hats of their Grandfather Shime? e Parents, but by the name
12 The fons of Kohath ; Amram :; I and Uzziel, four. y ram ; Izbar, Hebron,
13 The ſons of * Amram ; Aaron and Moſes : and moſt holy things », he and his ſons » for ever, to burn 6: 20.
co * bleſs in his name for ever.
already ſanRQified by God in the higheſt degree,but ively, t e: :
that he might keep chem from ee Ber het. per: S Ry "cl JR only his eldeſt Sons the High-prieſts ſucceſlively,bur all his Poſre. ; rity or all the Prieſts ; for the Works here Sing omar _ _— oy
all burn Incenſe, 2 Chron: 29: 11. Luk 1: 9- and to miner. in the
hg was and to bleſs the People in Gods name, Numb. 6: 23. Det: 10: 8.
63 23»
14 Now concerning Moſes the man of God, his ſons were named of the Tribe of Levi».
2 i.e. They were accounted only as common Levites,and were not Prieſts - which is mentioned partly to ſecure the Prieſthood within the bounds to which God had confined it, left they ſhould prelume ro invade it upon a confidence 1n the Nobleneſs of their Extrattion : and partly for the honour of Moſes, and the demon- ſtration of his eminent Piety and Self-denial, who willingly lefr the Government to Feſhus. and the Prieſthood to Aaron, and was
content to have his Poſterity reduced to a very private and mean condition.
17 And the ſons s of Eliezer were, * Rehabiah || the 3, 4. of Rehabiah + were very many.
0 For, zhe ſon : the plural number for the ſingular, as Gen: 46:23. 1 Chron: 2: 8, 3T. and oft elſewhere. p Heb, che frft, 3. e. the tirſt- FP
20 Of the ſons of Uzziel ; Micah the firſt, and Je-
ſhiah the ſecond.
21 The ſons of Merari ; Mahli,and Muſhi : the ſons
of -Mahli ; Eleazar, and Kiſh.
22 And Eleazar died, and * had no fons, but daugh- , FR or
ters: and their || brethren the ſons of Kiſh cook them. ,,.1g.
23 The ſons of Muſhi, Mahli, and Eder, and Jere- || Or, Kinſmens
: * | qAs the Levites were anciently numbred from two ſeveral times, Nomb.
from the 25th year of their Age, and from the z3oth Numb. 4: 3. © 3 = + & 8.24. In like manner and for the ſame Reaſon they are here 3.0 8.24. numbred both from their 2oth year,as here, when they were more
ſolemnly prepared for,and inſtructed, and by degrees exerciſed in
ſome parts ot their Work ; and from their zoth year, above wv. 3.
when they were admitted ro the full and compleat Exerciſe of all
the Parts and Works of their Office. were now ſooner admitted to ſervice than they had been formerly by the Conſtitution of Moſes, is given in the next verſes, becauſe now their Work was more eaſte,they being wholly diſcharged from that burdenſome Work of carrying the Tabernacle and irs Ucen=- fils, which was too heavy for young and render Shoulders. To which may be added, thit the number ot the Iiraclites were greatly in- creaſed, and conſequently the Services which were to be performed
And the reaſon why chey
392 Ly
XXIIt-
* Chap. 8 The ſons ; of Laadan, the chief was Jehiel, ang 26: 21: Zethan, and Joel, three. © _ _ |
Or.Libui, 7 i. e. His Poſterity : and ſo in the following verſes : for theſe Ch. 6.17. i
Io And the Sons of Shimei & were, Jahath, [| Zina, || Or, Z;- were the ſons of zah, V.11. br |
cond : but Jeuſh and Beriah f h:d not many ſons : fHeb-4;4 al therefore they were in one reckoning, according to * i= i Þ'y Jour,
f Aaron was ſeparated, || that he ſhould ſandtifie the * Exod;
incenſe before the LORD, to miniſter unto him, and 7, He - 30+ & ©:
m Nor poſitively ; for ſo he could not ſanQifie them, they beitip Ho. Fc
hi ; were polluted when they were touched by any other Sacks - Nat army 4.
culiar to the High-prieſt,but common to all the Pricſts, who might Numb.
15 * The ſons of Moſes were, Gerſhom and Eliezer. * F4 4 y 16 Of the ſons of Gerſhom. || Shebuel was the chief. ,,.% 15.
chief p. And Eiizzer had none other ſons, but the ſons LOO :24:20, *Chap:26»
born. He is ſo called not becauſe others were born after him, bur os the becauſe none were born before him. Sec on Mat: 1; 23. a SO 18 Of che ſons of Izhar |] Shelomith the chief. very highly