a Or rather, was comin?, or drew near. For the Altar was ſet up after this time, v, 3. which yet was imployed the firſt day of thig month, ve 6. This was a ſacred kind of month wherein there werg divers Feſtivals, as appears from Lev. 23. for which the People had been preparing themſelves, and now came to Jeruſalem to the cele« bration of them.
2 Then ſtood up || Jeſhua the ſon of Jozadakb, an his brethren the prieſts,and || CE the ſon c of * Nor,3" Shealtiel, and his brethren, and buil» the altar d of the Jag ts God of 1fracl, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as z is | can)” %* o = y
written in the law of Moſes the man of God. Zorobabyl,
b The High-Prieſt. c s. e. The grandſon : for he was the ſen of Mart 11, Peaziah, x Ckron. 3. 17, 18, 19. d Which was of more preſent and Luke ;, urgent necefliry than the Temple, both to make atonement to God 27, for all rheir fins, and to obtain Gods affiſtance for the building of Called Sa the Temple, and co ſtrengthen their own Hearts and Hands in that ##thiel. great work wherein they ſaw they ſhould have many Enemies. 2 And they ſet the altar upon his baſes, ( for fear #2- 5. as upon them, becauſe of the people of thoſe coun- tries ) and they offered burnt-offerings thereon unto + the LORD, even burnt-offerings morning and evening.
4 They kept alſo the feaſt of tahernacles e, * as it 3s written, and * offered the daily burnt-offerings f by ol . number, according to the cuſtom, F as the duty of ;:, &c. 4
hey were hood [ute . b
rom the
riefl=oed.
Preſerve the diſtinRions of the ſeveral Tribes and Families, which was neceſſary both to make our their Claims or Tirles ro Offices cc Inheritances, which might b-long ro them by death, or otherwilſes as her2 we ſee, and to- govern themſelves thereby in the marter of Marri-g2s, and ſome other things wherein the pratice of ſome
Laws required the knowledge of theſe things : and partly by the
ſpecial Providence of God, that ir might be certainly known of
czre Of all their Families, ſo doubrleſs they took a more punctual and ſingu/ar care about the Royal Family, upon which all their hopes depended.
63 And the || Ticſhatha s ſaid unto them, that they ſhould not eat of the moſt holy things, till there ſtood
up a prieſt with * Urim and with thummim «. . #1.e. The Governour, to wit, Zerubbabel. Whence Nehemiah alſo 1s fo called, Neh. 8. 9. and 10.2. « That this point Which ceuld not be found out by any human skill or induſtry, might be derere m'nd by divine direction. Hereby it appears that the Urim and Thummim were 1o& in the deſtruction of the City and Temple, tho* the Jews fed themſelves with hepes of recovering them, bur in vain. Of the Urim and Thummim, ſee Exed. 28. 30» Nume 27. 21, 1 Sam. 23, 9.
64 The whole congregation + together was * forty and wo thouſand three hundred and threeſcore x:
x The particular ſumms here recited come only to 29818. Unto whom are added 1n this ro:al tumm 2542. Which either were of the other Tribes belide Judah and Benjamin : or were ſuch as were ſuppoſed by themſelves and others to be Iſraelites, but could not prove their pedigree by their genealogies, and therefore could not be ſo punctually and particularly diicribed, as ths former.
65 Beſides their ſervants, and their maids, of whom
| Or, g0- ernour. ” Exod 28. 30,
2b. as
ven: and there were among them two hundred ſinging- men and finging-women y.
y For Women as well as Men were devoted to, and imployed in this exerciſe 11 the Temple-Service, as appears from 1 Chron. 25. 5, 6. And tic Parents of theſe Perſons had taken care ro inſtruct and exerciſe them as far as they could in this Art, both for Geds ſervic?, and for their own benefir, when Jerujalem and the Temple ſhould be re-buile ; which they knew would be done afrer Jeremiahs 7o years were expired. ;
66 Their horſes were ſeven hundred thircy and fix : their mules two hundred forty and hve :. |
67 Their camels four hundred thirty and five : their aſſes ſix thouſand and ſeven hundred and ewenty;
68 And fone of the chief of the fathers, when
they came to the houſe of the LORD & that 7s at Jg>
5 The Jews were generally very cxatt apd careful in their Genea- | Togies, partly fiom their own Choice and Intereſt, that they mighc
what Tribe and Family the Meſſiah was boin. For as they rook |
there were ſeven thouſand three hundred thirty and fſe- -
every day required ; t Heb. thy
e This ſeems to be mentioned Synecdochically for all theSolem- *##trr of nities of this Month, whereof this was the moſt eminent and moſt *#* dayiv laſting. Ocherwiſe it is not probable, that they would neglect the #15 4at, Day of Aten=:ment which was ſo ſeverly enjoyned, Lev. 23. 27, 28, 29. and was ſo exceeding ſuitable to their preſenticondition ; ſee on v. 6. f Heb. Burnt offerings day by day, Tt. e. Every day of that Feaſt they uffered as many Sacrifices as were preſcribedz of which ſee Numbe 29. 13, &Cc.
5 And afterward offered the continual burnt-offer- ings, both of the new-moons, and of all the ſer-feaſts of the LORD, that were conſecrated b.and of every one that willingly offered a free-will-offering unto the LORD.
g The Morning and Evening Sacrifice : of which ſee on Numb. 28.6, h 1. e. Seta part for the ſolemn and holy Service of God.
6 From the firſt day of the ſeventh month began they to offer burnt-offerings 3 unto the LORD : but {+ the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not + Hebizh get laid. zemple of
: And the other Sacrifices which were to be offered with them up» the Lord on that day, being the Feaſt of Trumpets, Numb. 29. 1» &Cc. Burnt- 96 et jul offerings are oft pur for all Sacrifices, as hath been obſerved once and ava, again. k Though it is protable they had done ſomething towards the removirg of the rubbiſh, and preparing the way for it.
7 They gave money alſo unto the maſons, and to the [| carpenters, and meat, and drink, and oil, unto þ gy; them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar- workmen! trees from Lebanon to the ſea of * Joppa, accordipg to* Act 9 the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Perſia. 36» ,