The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 130

cowardly thing thus to dwell upon his own identify this arpointment with that narrated grievance, and to leave out of sight the grave in Exod. xvi.Ji. 21, sq. and Dent. i. 9, sq. dishonour done to God, and the awful danger The circumstances and the purposes appear incurred by the people. It was the more quite distinct: those were appointed to assist blameworthy in Moses because upon a former Jifoses in purely secular matters, to share his occasion he had taken upon him, with almost burden as a judge ; these to assist him in re- perilous boldness, to remonstrate with God, ligious matters, to support him as a mediator ; and to protest against the vengeance he those used the ordinary gifts of wisdom, dis- threatened to inflict (Exod. xxxii. 11-13). cretion, and personal authority ; these the In a word, Moses forgot himself and his duty extraordinary gifts of the Spirit. It is more as mediator, and in his indignation at the reasonable to suppose that these seventy were sin of the people committed the same sin the same men that went up into Mount Sinai himself. It is a strong note of genuineness with Moses, and saw the God of Israel, and that so grave (and yet so natural) a fault ate of the consecrated meal of the covenant, should be recorded with such obvious sim- about a year before. Unless there was some plicity. Compare the cases of Elijah (1 decisive reason against it, an elder who had Kings rix.) and of Jonah (eh. iv.). been chosen for that high religious privilege Ver. 12.-<:arry them in thy bosom, as could hardly fail to be chosen on thi., occasion a nursing father. Probably he meant to also ; an interview- with God himself, so say that this was the part and the duty of mysteriously and awfully significant, must God himself as the Creator and Father of surely have left an ineffaceable stamp of Israel. Compare the,reading, which is per- sanctity on any soul at all worthy of it. It haps the correct one, in Acts xiii. 18 : would be natural to suppose that while the T,1111apaocovra•rii ,cp6vov frpo~-oq,6pq11,v av- present selection was made de 11ovo, the indi- roil,; iv rp <pqµ'f}, viduals selected were personally the same. Ver. 14.-1 am not able to bear all thia Compare note on eh. i. 5, and for '' the elders people alone. This complaint, while reason- of Israel " see on Exod. iii. 16. Whom thou able in itself, shows how unreasonable the knowest to--lie elders of the people, and rest of his words were. However many he officers over them. On the officers (Hebrew, might have had to share his responsibilities, shourim), an ancient order in the national he could not have provided flesh for the organisation of Israel, continued from the people, nor enabled them to live one day in days of bondage, see Exod. v. 6. The the wilderness ; this had never been laid Targ. Pal. paraphrases the word shoterim upon him. by cc who were set over them in Mizraim." Ver. 15.-Xill me, I pray ihee, out of The Septuagint has here 1rp,11j%r,po, roii hand, or "quite." Hebrew, JiJ;i, inf. abs. Xaou ocai 1paµµanit avrwv, words so familiar And let me not see my wretchedneBB. Let to the reader of the Greek Gospels. The me not Ii ve to see the total failure of my later Jews traced back their So.nhedrim, or hopes and efforts. grand council of seventy, to this appoint- Ver. 16.-A.nd the Lord said unto Moses. ment, and found their elders and Hcribes in The Divine dignity and goodness of this this verse. There was, however, no further answer, if not an absolutely conclusive testi- historical connection between the two bodies mony, arc at least a very strong one, to the than this-that when tho monarchy failed genuineness of this record. Of what g01l, and prophecy died out, the ecclesiastical except the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, leaders of the Jews modelled their institu- was it ever witnessed, or could it have been tions upon, and adapted their titles to, this ~ver imagined, that he should answer the Divinely-ordered original. passionate injustice of his servant with such Ver. 17.-1 will take of the spirit which forbearance and kindness 1 The one thing in iB upon thee, and will put it upon them. Moses' pmyorwhich was reasonable ho allowed The Holy Spirit is one and indivisible. But at once ; the rest he passed over without in the language of Scripture cc the Spirit " answer or reproof, as though it had never often stands for the charismata, or gifts of been uttered. Gather unto me seventy men the Spirit, and in this sense is freely spoken of the elders of Israel. That the number of as belonging to this or that man. So the seventy has a symbolic significance in Scrip- cc spirit of Elijah" (2 Kings ii. 9, 15), which ture will hardly be denied (cf. Exod. i. 6 ; was transferred to Elisha, as it were, by be- Dan. ix. 2, 24; Luke x. 1), although it is quest. It was not, therefore, the peI'!lonn 1 probably futile to affix any precise meaning indwelling presence of the Holy Ghost in to it. Perhaps the leading idoo of seventy Moses which God caused him to share with is fulness, as that of twelve is symmetry the seventy eldeI'!l, for thot can in no case (see on Exod. xv. 27). The later Jews be- be a matter of transfer or of arrangement, but lieved that there were seventy nations in the simply those charis?nata or extraordinary world. There is no reason, except a rp,ckless gifts of the Spirit which Moses haJ hitherto desire to confound the sacred narrative, to enjoyed alone as the prophet oI lsraol. It ia  110 THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [CH, XI. <l-86.