The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 247

here it means "the keeping" for their own be eaten at home by nil members of ~he use (cf. Exod. :rii. 6). Mine heave oft'ering1. priestly families who were clean ; they m- 'J;)b-,11;1. The possessive prononn marks the cluded (1) all wave offerings, especially the fnct that these did not belong to the priest wave breast and heave shoulder of the peace in the first instance, although they naturally offerings ; (2J all first-fruits of every Jund ; came to be looked on ae hie perquisites (cf. (3) all that wae devoted; (4) i\ll the first- 1 Sam. ii. 16), but were a gift to him from born, or their substitutes. The first and the Lord out ofwhntthe people had dedicated. third must have been very variable in amonnt, The word terwmoth must here be under• but the second and fourth, if honestly ren- stood in its widest sense, as including every- dered, must have brought in a vast amount thing which the Israelites declicated or both of produce and of revenue. With all " lifted" of all their possessions, so far ae the wave offerings. Rather, "in all the these were not destroyed in the act of offer- wave offerings," as in ver. 8. ing. Of all the hallowed thing■. The Ver. 12.-All the beet. Literally, "all genitive of identity: "consisting of all the the fat" (cf. Gen. xlv. 18). hallowed things." By reason of the anoint- Ver. 14 .-Everything devoted. 01~f- ing. Rather, "for a portion," nr;,~7 (see Septuagint, 1riiv avart31µar111µivov, all deo- dands, or things vowed (see on Levit. on Levit. vii 35). The Septuagint has ,;, xxvii. 28). ,,~pa,, "ae an honour,' or peculiwm. Ver. 16.-From a month old. Literally, Ver. 9.-Beserved from fire, i. e. from the "from the monthly chilcl," as soon as they sacrificial altar. Every oblation of their■. reach the age of one month. According to As specified in the following clauses. The thine estimation. See on Levit. v. 15 ; burnt offering is not mentioned because it xxvii. 2-7. It would seem that the priest was -was wholly consumed, and only the skin fell to make the valuation for the people, since to the priest. The sin offerings for the priest each first-born or firstling was separately or for the congregation were aleo wholly claimed by God, and had to be separately re- consumed (Levit. iv. 12, 21), but the sin deemed; but at the same time, to prevent ex- offerings of private individuals, although in tortion, the sum which the priest might assess no case partaken of by the offerers, were was fixed by Goel. For the money of five. available for the priests (Levit. vi. 26), and shekels. About seventeen shillings of our this was the ordinary caee. money (see eh, iii. 47). It is extremely diffi- Ver. 10.-In the most holy place thou cult to estimate the number of first-born, . 1halt eat it. 0'~1lil WJP~- Septuagint, but it is evident that in any case a large iv r,ji fi:ri'f' rwv ariwv. This expression is income must have accrued to the priests in somewhat perplexing, because it stands com- this way. No value is here set upon th,:i monly for the holy of holies (Exod. x.xvi. firstlings of unclean beasts ; in the most 33). As it co.DDot possibly have that mean- usual case, that of the ass, the rule hnd been . ing here, two interpretations have been pro- laid down in Exod. xiii 13 ; and in other posed. 1. That it means the court of the cases it was npparently left to the discretion tnbernncle, called "the holy place" in Levit. of the priests, subject to the right of the ' vi. 16, 26 ; vii. 6, and there specified ae the owner, 1f he saw fit, to destroy the animal only place in which the meat offerings, the rather than pay for it (see Levit. x.xvii 27). sin offerings, and trespass offerings might Ver. 17.-But the firetling of a cow, &c. be eaten. There is no reason why this court Only those things which were not avnilable. should not be called "most holy," as well for sacrifice could be redeemed; the rest must. ns " holy," if it was "holy" with respect be offered to him that claimed them. The to the cnrnp, or the holy city, it was "most first-born of men belonged partially to both. holy" with respect to nil ,vithout the camp, classes : on the one hand, they could not be- or without the gate. 2. That the expression sacrificed, nnd therefore were redeemed with does not menn " in the most holy )?,lace," money ; on the other hand, they could be- but "amongst the most holy things, ' as it dedicated (being clean), and therefore had does in eh. iv. 4, nnd above in ver. 9. A been exchanged for the Levites. distinction is clearly intended between the Ver. 18.-The 11.esh of them ahall be. "most holy things," which only the priests thine, as the wave breast and aa the right. and their sons might eat, and the "holy shoulder are thine. This is on the face of things," of which the rest of their families it inconsistent with the direction given in might partake nlso. It is diflicul t to decide Dent. xv. 19, 20, that the flesh of the first- between these renderings1 although there lings should be eaten by the offerers in the can be no doubt that tile "most holy" holy place (cf. aleo Dent. xii. 17, 18). Two things were actually to be consumed within explanations have been proposed. 1. That the tnbernacle precincts. the firstliugs were given to the priest in the Ver. 11.-And this ie thine. Here be- same sense as the peace offerings, i. e. only gins a second list of holy gifts which might as regarded the breast aud ihoulder, while  230 THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [ea. XVIII. 1-32.