John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
Numbers 26:1
INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 26
In this chapter an order is given to number the people of Israel a second time, Nu 26:1 and the account begins with Reuben, the firstborn, and the families that sprung from him, and the number of them, Nu 26:5 and Dathan and Abiram being of this tribe, the affair of them and Korah is afresh related, Nu 26:8, then the tribe of Simeon, its families and number, Nu 26:12, next the tribe of Gad, and their families and number, Nu 26:15, after that the tribe of Judah, its families and number, Nu 26:19 then follows the tribe of Issachar, its families and number, Nu 26:23, next to that the tribe of Zebulun, its families and number, Nu 26:26 then the sons of Joseph, and first Manasseh, his families and number,
Nu 26:28 and then the tribe of Ephraim, its families and number, Nu 26:35, after that the tribe of Benjamin, its families and number, Nu 26:38 next the tribe of Dan, its families and number, Nu 26:42 and which is followed by the tribe of Asher, its families and number, Nu 26:44, and the muster is closed with the tribe of Naphtali, its families and number,
Nu 26:48, and the sum total of all the numbers is given,
Nu 26:51 and then follows another order to divide the land of Canaan by lot, when conquered, to the several tribes, according to their names and number, Nu 26:52 and an account is given of the number of the Levites and their families, their number being taken not with the other tribes, but by themselves, and which is summed up, Nu 26:57 and the chapter is concluded with observing, that it appeared upon this numbering of the people, that there were but two persons living of those that were first numbered among the children of Israel,
Nu 26:63.
Ver. 1. And it came to pass after the plague,.... Related in the preceding chapter; how long after is not certain, perhaps before the war with Midian, exhorted to in the latter part of the foregoing chapter, and of which an account is given, Nu 31:1:
that the Lord spake unto Moses; out of the tabernacle, or out of the cloud:
and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest; the Lord had been used to speak to Moses and to Aaron; but now Aaron being dead, and Eleazar his son succeeding him in the priesthood, is joined with Moses, and the order here given is directed to them both:
saying: as follows.
Numbers 26:2
Ver. 2. Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel,.... Excepting the Levites, who were to be numbered by themselves, and at a different age; this sum was to be taken, that it might appear that all of the old generation that came out of Egypt, of the age at which this sum was taken, were now dead, excepting two, as the Lord had threatened; and partly that as they were now about to enter the land of Canaan, it might be divided to them according to their number; as well as to show the faithfulness of God to his word and promise, that he would multiply and make them fruitful, notwithstanding all their provoking sins and transgressions:
from twenty years old and upwards, throughout their father's house; all of that age in every tribe, house, and family:
all that are able to go to war in Israel; for which they must prepare, being about to enter the land of Canaan, and dispossess and drive out the inhabitants of it.
Numbers 26:3
Ver. 3. And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them,.... With the children of Israel, with the heads of them, their chief and principal, to assist in taking the number of the people; as when they were numbered thirty years ago, when a prince out of each tribe was taken to be with Aaron and Moses in doing that business; but those princes were now all dead, and another race succeeded, who were now employed in this service; so the Targum of Jonathan says, they spoke with the rulers, and ordered them to number them:
in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, [near] Jericho: or of Jericho, as the same Targum, on the other side of Jordan to that on which Jericho stood; for as yet the children of Israel had not passed that river, nor entered into the land of Canaan, in which Jericho was, but they were now opposite it; See Gill on "Nu 22:1":
saying; as follows.
Numbers 26:4
Ver. 4. [Take the sum of the people], from twenty years old and upward,.... At the same age at which the sum was taken before, Nu 1:3 so that there could not be one that was more than sixty years of age, of all those that went into the land of Canaan, except Joshua and Caleb, and besides some few in the tribe of Levi, which did not come into either of these musters:
and the Lord commanded Moses, and the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt; as Moses had a command to number the people before, so he had now. The sin of David was, that he numbered the people when he had no command for it; Moses, when he brought the people out of Egypt, had them committed to him by number; and now being about to die, he delivers them up as it were by number again, as Jarchi observes.
Numbers 26:5
Ver. 5. Reuben, the eldest son of Israel,.... the number of his tribe is taken first on that account; there were four families that descended from him, the Hanochite, Palluite, Hesronite, and Carmite, and the number of men from twenty years old and upwards, fit for war, were 43,730; so that, since the last numbering, this tribe was decreased 2770; which may in part be accounted for by the families of Dathan and Abiram being cut off for their rebellion, who were this tribe, and whose affair is briefly related in the following verses, and it may be to point out this unto us.
Numbers 26:6
Ver. 6. See Gill on "Nu 26:5"
Numbers 26:7
Ver. 7. See Gill on "Nu 26:5"
Numbers 26:8
Ver. 8. And the sons of Pallu,.... Or son, the plural for the singular, Pallu having but one son, whose name was Eliab, the father of Dathan and Abiram; Nu 26:9.
Numbers 26:9
Ver. 9. And the sons of Eliab; Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram,.... Of Nemuel we nowhere else read either he died without children, or he and his family perished with his brethren, being concerned with them in the conspiracy; or the family of the Palluite was in his line; one of the same name may be observed in the tribe of Simeon:
this is that Dathan and Abiram, which were famous in the congregation; either before their rebellion, for their power and authority, being heads of their fathers' houses; or for their parts and abilities, being men of great wisdom and sense; or for their zeal, activity, and usefulness; or after it, and became famous, or rather infamous, on account of it, see Nu 16:2
who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against the Lord; who joined with Korah and his company, and quarrelled with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood; with Moses for putting Aaron into it, and with Aaron for accepting it, and officiating in it; and so with the Lord himself, by whose orders he was invested with it.
Numbers 26:10
Ver. 10. And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up,.... Not only Dathan and Abiram, but their wives and children, their houses and tents, and all their goods, see Nu 16:32 together with Korah; the words being thus rendered, and standing in such close connection with the preceding, some have concluded from hence that Korah was swallowed up with them in the earth; whereas he seems rather to have been at that time with the two hundred and fifty men that had censers at the door of the tabernacle, and was consumed by fire with them, see
Nu 16:16 and, indeed, it is suggested here, for the phrase may be rendered, "and the things of Korah" {m}; what appertained unto him, his men, tents, goods, and substance, which agrees with Nu 16:32 or, "and as for Korah" {n}; with respect to him: "when that company died": he was at the head of, he died also, the same death they died, by fire, as follows:
what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men; which was the number his company consisted of, who took censers, and offered incense, and were consumed by fire, Nu 16:2, and with whom, in all probability, he perished:
and they became a sign, were made an example of, to deter others from the like practices, and particularly usurping any part of the priest's office: some connect the words with the following, and take the sense to be, that this was the sign or miracle, that when they perished, Korah's sons died not, but were preserved; which sense is countenanced by the Vulgate Latin, but the other sense is best.
{m} xrq taw "et quae erant, Korachi", Junius & Tremellius. {n} So Pool, Patrick; "deinde et Corah (qui periit) in morte congregationis", Tigurine version.
Numbers 26:11
Ver. 11. Notwithstanding, the children of Korah died not. Neither of the pestilence, nor by fire, nor by the swallowing up of the earth; they not being in the counsel of their father, but followed the doctrine of Moses the prophet, as the Targum of Jonathan; they either disliked their father's scheme, or, if they engaged with him in it, they repented and departed from him, and were not present when the judgments of God came upon him and his company; there were several of his posterity who were singers in the times of David, and to whom many of the psalms were sent to be sung.
Numbers 26:12
Ver. 12-14. The sons of Simeon, after their families,.... This tribe was next numbered, not only because Simeon was next to Reuben by birth, but because his tribe was under the standard of Reuben; two of his sons are a little differently named here than they are in
Ge 46:10, there the eldest is called Jemuel, here Nemuel; there the youngest but one is named Zohar, here Zerah; and one of them is here omitted, namely Ohad, perhaps because he died without children, and so no family sprang from him; wherefore the families of Simeon were but five, and the number of them were 22,200; by which it appears there was a very great decrease in this tribe since the last muster, even 37,100 which in some measure is to be accounted for by the great number of this tribe supposed to have died of the plague, on account of fornication and idolatry, made mention of in the preceding chapter; a prince in this tribe having set a bad example, it is probable he was followed in it by many of it, for which great numbers were cut off. Jarchi, from Tanchuma, says, that all the 24,000 that died of the plague was of the tribe of Simeon; and so says the Samaritan Chronicle {o}; but that is not likely.
{o} Apud Hottinger. ut supra. (Smegma Oriental, l. 1. c. 8. p. 448.)
Numbers 26:13
Ver. 13. See Gill on "Nu 26:12"
Numbers 26:14
Ver. 14. See Gill on "Nu 26:12"
Numbers 26:15
Ver. 15-18. The children of Gad, after their families tribe was numbered next to Simeon,.... because it lay encamped with that under the standard of Reuben. There is a little variation in the names of two or three of his sons, from those by which they are called Ge 46:16, instead of Ziphion, here Zephon; and for Haggai, here Haggi; and what is much wider, for Ezbon, here Ozni. Seven families sprang from Gad, whose number now was 40,500; they were diminished since their last numbering 5150; it is probable this tribe, being a warlike tribe, suffered very much in their attempt to enter the land of Canaan contrary to the will of God, and were repulsed and defeated by the Amalekites, Nu 16:40.
Numbers 26:16
Ver. 16. See Gill on "Nu 26:15"
Numbers 26:17
Ver. 17. See Gill on "Nu 26:15"
Numbers 26:18
Ver. 18. See Gill on "Nu 26:15"
Numbers 26:19
Ver. 19-22. And the sons of Judah were Er and Onan,.... And besides these he had Shelah, Pharez, and Zerah, from whom families sprang, but none from the two first: for
Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan; where they were born; and that because of their sins, as the Targum of Jonathan adds, see Ge 38:7-10 so that there were but three families sprang from Judah, the Shelanites, Pharzites, and Zarhites; only the family of the Pharzites was divided into two families, the Hesronites and the Hamulites, so called from two sons of Pharez; the number of these families amounted to 76,500, so that there was an increase of 1900 since the last muster, which answers to Jacob's blessing, that he should be a praise among his brethren, Ge 49:8.
Numbers 26:20
Ver. 20. See Gill on "Nu 26:19"
Numbers 26:21
Ver. 21. See Gill on "Nu 26:19"
Numbers 26:22
Ver. 22. See Gill on "Nu 26:19"
Numbers 26:23
Ver. 23-25. Of the sons of Issachar, after their families,.... This tribe was numbered next to Judah, because it was under his standard. Two of his sons are a little differently named than they are
Ge 46:13 instead of Phuvah one is called Pua, and instead of Job another is called here Jashub; this tribe consisted of four families, and the number of warlike men in it was 64,300; their increase since the last numbering of them is 9900.
Numbers 26:24
Ver. 24. See Gill on "Nu 26:23"
Numbers 26:25
Ver. 25. See Gill on "Nu 26:23"
Numbers 26:26
Ver. 26,27. Of he sons of Zebulun, after their families,.... This is numbered next to Issachar, because it was encamped under the standard of Judah; it consisted of three families, whose numbers were 60,500, so that this tribe was increased 3100.
Numbers 26:27
Ver. 27. See Gill on "Nu 26:26"
Numbers 26:28
Ver. 28-34. The sons of Joseph, after their families, were Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh is here mentioned first, though Ephraim was preferred to him by Jacob, and the standard belonged to him; not because he was the firstborn, but because he had now the greater increase, though he had but one son, Machir, of whom was the family of the Machirites, and a grandson, whose name was Gilead, from whom was the family of the Gileadites, and who had six sons; of whom were the families of the Jeezerite, Halekite, Asrielite, Shechemite, Shemidaite, and Hepherite. Hepher, of whom was the last, had a son named Zelophehad, but he had no son, only five daughters, whose names are given; the number of men in this tribe, of twenty years old and upwards, fit for war, was 52,700, so that the increase was 20,500, a large increase indeed!
Numbers 26:29
Ver. 29. See Gill on "Nu 26:28"
Numbers 26:30
Ver. 30. See Gill on "Nu 26:28"
Numbers 26:31
Ver. 31. See Gill on "Nu 26:28"
Numbers 26:32
Ver. 32. See Gill on "Nu 26:28"
Numbers 26:33
Ver. 33. See Gill on "Nu 26:28"
Numbers 26:34
Ver. 34. See Gill on "Nu 26:28"
Numbers 26:35
Ver. 35-37. These are the sons of Ephrain, after their families,.... Which were but three, the Shuthalhite, the Bachrite, and the Tahanite, only from the former sprung another family, called the Eranite; the number of the whole was 32,500; there was a decrease in this tribe of 8000.
Numbers 26:36
Ver. 36. See Gill on "Nu 26:35"
Numbers 26:37
Ver. 37. See Gill on "Nu 26:35"
Numbers 26:38
Ver. 38-41. The sons of Benjamin, after their families,.... This tribe was numbered next to Ephraim, being under his standard. Five of the sons of Benjamin are omitted, perhaps because they died without issue, and so no families sprang from them; the names of the five sons mentioned vary a little from the names of them in Ge 46:21 instead of Ehi, it is here Ahiram; and instead of Huppim and Muppim, it is here Shupham and Hupham; from these last five were the families of the Belaite, Ashbelite, Ahiramite, Shuphamite, and Huphamite; and from the eldest of them sprang two other families, the Ardite and Naamite, from Ard and Naaman, two sons of Bela; the number of men in these families was 45,600, so that here was an increase of 10,200.
Numbers 26:39
Ver. 39. See Gill on "Nu 26:38"
Numbers 26:40
Ver. 40. See Gill on "Nu 26:38"
Numbers 26:41
Ver. 41. See Gill on "Nu 26:38"
Numbers 26:42
Ver. 42,43. These are the sons of Dan, after their families,.... Though he had but one son, the plural being put for the singular; or by sons are meant his posterity; his son's name was Shuham, and by transposition Hushim, in Ge 46:23 from him was the family of the Shulamite; and yet, though but one, consisted of 64,400 men; there was an increase of 1700 in this tribe.
Numbers 26:43
Ver. 43. See Gill on "Nu 26:42"
Numbers 26:44
Ver. 44-47. Of the children of Asher, after their families,.... This tribe was numbered next to Dan, because it was under his standard; one of his sons is omitted, very probably dying childless, and so had no family; from the rest sprang the families of the Iimnite, Jesuite, and Benite; and, from the latter, two others, the Heberite and Malchielite; and it is remarked that Asher had a daughter named Serah, and who also is particularly mentioned as a sister of Asher's sons in
Ge 46:17 no doubt but she was a remarkable woman, either for religion, or for wisdom and prudence, or some amiable virtue or grace or another, that she is so particularly taken notice of: according to Maimonides {p} she was an heiress; for though Asher had many sons, this was his wife's daughter by another man, who had no sons, and the inheritance was his daughter's, and therefore is so particularly mentioned; she inheriting as the daughters of Zelophehad did: the number of persons in this tribe was 53,400, the increase was 11,900.
{p} Apud Abendana in loc.
Numbers 26:45
Ver. 45. See Gill on "Nu 26:44"
Numbers 26:46
Ver. 46. See Gill on "Nu 26:44"
Numbers 26:47
Ver. 47. See Gill on "Nu 26:44"
Numbers 26:48
Ver. 48-50. Of the sons of Naphtali, after their families,.... This tribe, which is the last of them, was numbered next to Asher, because it was with that under the standard of Dan; it had four families in it, the Jahzeelite, Gunite, Jezerite, and Shillemite, and its number was 45,400, being less by 8000 than it was when first numbered.
Numbers 26:49
Ver. 49. See Gill on "Nu 26:48"
Numbers 26:50
Ver. 50. See Gill on "Nu 26:48"
Numbers 26:51
Ver. 51. These were the numbered of the children of Israel,.... The twelve tribes, consisting of so many families, as above named; and the sum total of persons in them of twenty years old and upwards, and fit for war, was
six hundred and one thousand and seven hundred and thirty; so that though all those that were numbered thirty years ago were now dead, excepting Joshua and Caleb, yet there wanted but 1820 of that number; so mindful was the Lord of his promise, and so faithful to keep it, notwithstanding the provocations of these people, to increase and multiply them, that they had pretty near the number to go into the land of Canaan which they had when they came out of Egypt.
Numbers 26:52
Ver. 52. And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... After the sum of the people of Israel had been taken:
saying; as follows.
Numbers 26:53
Ver. 53. Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance,.... That were numbered, and to none else:
according to the number of their names; and for this end was the number of them now taken, that the land might be equally divided among them; women and minors, or such as were under twenty years of age, had no share in it; and even only those who were at that age at this time; so Jarchi says, it was not divided to any that were less than twenty years of age, even though they came to be full twenty before the division of the land; for they were seven years subduing it, and seven years dividing it, yet none took any part of it but these 601,730: nay, he says, if a man had six children they took but their father's part only.
Numbers 26:54
Ver. 54. To many thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance,.... To a tribe more numerous, and consisting of more and larger families, a greater part of the land was to be given to them to possess; and to a smaller tribe, and of the fewer families and persons in them, a lesser share of it: this direction is given to Moses, but is not designed for him personally, for he never entered the land, but died before Israel went into it; but for the chief ruler that would be then in being, namely, Joshua, his successor:
to everyone shall his inheritance be given, according to those that were numbered of him; that is, to every tribe, and so to every family in it, according to the number of men in it, that were of the above age when the sum of them was taken: because it is in the original text, "to a man according to those numbered of him", &c. {q}; hence the Jewish writers {r} gather, that the land was distributed not to women, but to men only.
{q} vya "viro", Montanus. {r} Vid. T. Bab. Bava. Bathra, fol. 122. 1.
Numbers 26:55
Ver. 55. Notwithstanding, the land shall be divided by lot,.... That the division might appear to be according to the determination and will of God, and not left to the judgment and discretion of the chief magistrate, though bound by the above rule:
according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit; that is, according as to whatsoever name of a tribe such a part or portion of the land comes up by lot, that shall their inheritance be: Jarchi says, the names of the twelve tribes were written on twelve scrolls of parchment, and twelve borders or limits of land on twelve others, and they were mixed together in an urn, and the prince put his hand into it and took two scrolls; a scroll came up with the name of a tribe, and a scroll with a border or limit expressed on it; and the lot, he says, was by the Holy Ghost, for Eleazar, at the same time, was clothed with Urim and Thummim {s}; so that the people were certain that the disposition and division of the land was of God; but there were but nine tribes and a half, among whom the land of Canaan was divided, two tribes and a half settled on the other side Jordan, namely, the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.
{s} Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Biccurim, c. 1. sect. 5.
Numbers 26:56
Ver. 56. According to the lot shall the possession thereof be divided,.... It was by the determination of the lot that the land was divided by inheritance, and that was by the Lord, according to Pr 16:33
between many and few; it was so ordered of the Lord by the lot, that the many should have a larger share, and the few a lesser.
Numbers 26:57
Ver. 57-62. And these are they that were numbered of the Levites, after their families,.... And they were numbered not with the rest of the tribes of Israel, but by themselves, as they were at the first numbering of the tribes; the three principal families of which were, the Gershonite, the Kohathite, and Merarite, so called from the three sons of Levi; but all their sons are not mentioned, of the sons of Gershon only Libni, from whom was the family of the Libnites; not Shimei, because, as Aben Ezra conjectures, either he had no sons, or, if he had, they died without any, and so there was no family from them; and of the sons of Kohath no mention is made of Uzziel, nor of Izhar, but in the Korhites, only of the Hebronite family from Hebron; and of Amram, whose wife Jochebed is spoken of as a daughter of Levi, whom Levi's wife, as Jarchi rightly supplies it, bore to him in Egypt, and which Jochebed was the mother of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam; and it is observed that Aaron had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, the two first of which died for offering strange fire to the Lord, and the two last were now living: from Merari, another son of Levi, sprang two families, the Mahlite, and the Mushite; and the whole number of the Levites at this time taken was 23,000 males of a month old and upward; so that here was an increase of 1,000 males since the former numbering of them: the reason why they were not numbered with the other tribes was, because they had no part of the land of Israel divided to them, and had no inheritance in it.
Numbers 26:58
Ver. 58. See Gill on "Nu 26:57"
Numbers 26:59
Ver. 59. See Gill on "Nu 26:57"
Numbers 26:60
Ver. 60. See Gill on "Nu 26:57"
Numbers 26:61
Ver. 61. See Gill on "Nu 26:57"
Numbers 26:62
Ver. 62. See Gill on "Nu 26:57"
Numbers 26:63
Ver. 63. These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest,.... That is, these were the Levites, their families, and the number of males in them, which was taken by Moses and Eleazar, who might be only concerned in numbering the Levites, of which tribe they were: and
who also numbered the children of Israel; all the tribes of them, with the assistance of their princes:
in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, near Jericho; as they were commanded by the Lord.
Numbers 26:64
Ver. 64. But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered..... About thirty eight years before this time: this, as Aben Ezra observes, respects the numbering of the Israelites, not of the Levites; for there were some of the tribe of Levi numbered then who were living, as Eleazar, and very probably Ithamar, and perhaps some few more, though it may be Eleazar, being now a numberer, was not reckoned among the numbered:
when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai; see Nu 1:1 for as there were none of the tribe of Levi among the spies, there might be but few of them among the murmurers.
Numbers 26:65
Ver. 65. For the Lord had said of them, they shall surely die in the wilderness,.... This was threatened them, Nu 14:32 and now it was fulfilled:
and there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun; the only two of the spies that brought a good report of the land of Canaan; all the rest of them, and those that murmured on the ill report of theirs, were now dead.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
Numbers 27:1
INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 27
This chapter relates, that, upon a petition of the daughters of Zelophehad, the affair of inheritances was settled; and it is directed that, in case of want of male issue, inheritances should pass to females, and in failure of them to the next of kin, whether father's brethren or any near kinsman, Nu 27:1, also an order to Moses to go up to the Mount Abarim, and take a view of the good land, and die; with the reason of it, Nu 27:12, upon which Moses desires a successor of him might be appointed, Nu 27:15, in answer to which Joshua is nominated, and being presented before the high priest and the people, was invested with his office, by imposition of hands, and had his charge given him, Nu 27:18.
Ver. 1. Then came the daughters of Zelophehad,.... Who are mentioned among the families of Manasseh, under that of the Hepherites,
Nu 26:33, their father being dead, and they having no brethren, when they heard the land was to be divided among those that were numbered, and who were only males of twenty years old and upwards, were concerned, lest they should have no share in the division of the land; and therefore came, according to the Targum of Jonathan, to the house of judgment, or court of judicature, where Moses, the princes, &c. were now sitting: the genealogy of Zelophehad is given;
he was the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, the son of Joseph; by which it appears he was of the tribe of Manasseh, and of the fourth generation from him:
and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, Noah, ann Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah; in the same order their names are given in
Nu 26:33, but in Nu 36:11, it is a little altered, Noah and Tirzah change places, which Jarchi says shows they were upon an equality one with another.
Numbers 27:2
Ver. 2. And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes, and all the congregation,.... Who were now sitting in court, to hear and try causes brought before them; here were Moses the chief magistrate, Eleazar the high priest, the princes of the several tribes, and the representatives of the whole congregation, or it may be the seventy elders; a very grand and august assembly, before whom these ladies appeared, and from whom they might expect to have justice done them:
by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; near to which this court was held, both for the convenience of the people, to apply to in case of need, when they came thither to worship, and of Moses, to seek the Lord in case of any difficulty that might arise, as now did:
saying; as follows.
Numbers 27:3
Ver. 3. Our father died in the wilderness,.... As all the generation of the children of Israel did, that came out of Egypt, who were twenty years old and upwards, excepting Joshua and Caleb:
and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah; which is observed, not so much to obtain the favour and good will of Moses as to clear the memory of their father from any reproach upon it, he dying in the wilderness; and chiefly to show that the claim of his posterity to a share in the land was not forfeited, he not being in that rebellion, nor in any other; so that he and his were never under any attainder:
but died in his own sin; which though common to all men, every man has his own peculiar way of sinning, and is himself only answerable for it,
Isa 53:6 he sinned alone, had no partner or confederate, whom he had drawn into any notorious and public sin, as mutiny, &c. to the prejudice of the state, and the rulers in it; so the Targum of Jonathan adds,
"and he did not cause others to sin,''
so Jarchi; some take him to be the sabbath breaker, Nu 15:32, others that he was one of those that went up the hill, Nu 14:44, most likely his sin was that of unbelief, disbelieving the spies that brought the good report of the land, and giving credit to those that brought an ill report of it; and so with the rest of the people murmured, for which his carcass, with others, fell in the wilderness, and entered not into the good land, through unbelief: a sin not punished in their children:
and had no sons. which was the reason of this application.
Numbers 27:4
Ver. 4. Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son.... Or be withdrawn, and his family lose their part and share on that account; this they thought was unreasonable: according to the Targum of Jonathan, to prevent the name of their father being lost, and his part in the land, their motion was, that their mother might marry their father's brother, according to the law in De 25:5, with which Jarchi agrees; but it does not appear that that law was as yet in being; though how otherwise the name of their father would be preserved, than by raising up seed in that way, is not easy to say; except, as some think, it was done by a son of one of those heiresses, or by the first son of everyone of them, being called after the name of their grandfather Zelophehad, or their mother's grandfather Hepher; though the Jews {t} commonly by the "name" understand no other than the "inheritance", which seems to be confirmed by what follows:
give us therefore a possession among the brethren of our fathers; a part with their uncles, or their children; by which they express their faith that the children of Israel would inherit the land, though as yet it was not conquered, nor even entered into; and might signify, as some think, their concern to have a part and portion in the heavenly inheritance the land of Canaan was typical of; and if so, as Ainsworth observes, they may be considered as five wise virgins indeed.
{t} Pesikta, T. Bab. Jebamot, fol. 49. 1. Moses Cotzensis Praecept. Affirm. 51. Apud Selden. de Succession. ad leg. Ebra. c. 14. p. 97, 98.
Numbers 27:5
Ver. 5. And Moses brought their cause before the Lord. For it seems it was too difficult for this court to decide; and it devolving upon Moses, as the president of it, and who only could have recourse to God at all times, he carried it to him and consulted with him about it: this, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem say, was one of the four causes that came before Moses the prophet, that he solved according to the mind of the Lord, which he consulted; one was concerning the blasphemer, Le 24:11, the other concerning those defiled by the dead, Nu 9:8, the third concerning the sabbath breaker, Nu 15:34 and the fourth was this; See Gill on "Le 24:12".
Numbers 27:6
Ver. 6. And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... From off the mercy seat, where he consulted him, and from whence he promised to commune with him about any difficult matter that came before him, Ex 25:22,
saying; as follows.
Numbers 27:7
Ver. 7. The daughters of Zelophehad speak right,.... What is just and reasonable:
thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; their uncles, or rather the children of them; for it is reasonable to suppose their father's brethren, or their uncles, were dead also: or "in giving thou shall give" {u}; which, according to Jarchi, denotes two parts or portions they should receive; the part of their father, who was of them that came out of Egypt, and his part with his brethren in the goods of Hepher: in the Misnah {w}, from whence he seems to have taken it, it is;
"the daughters of Zelophehad took three parts for inheritance; the part of their father, who was with them that came out of Egypt, and his part with his brethren in the goods of Hepher, and because he was the firstborn he was to take two parts:''
and though this strict command was given to Moses, yet it does not respect him personally, who lived not to enter into the land to see it divided; but him who should be his successor, and chief magistrate at the time of the division of it, which was Joshua, and of whom these ladies claimed their part, and had it, Jos 17:3,
and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them; that is, that part which would have fallen to him by lot, had he been living, these were to take, they standing in his place; and so the portion of the land he would have had was to be divided between these live daughters of his.
{u} Ntt Ntn "dando dabis", Pagninus, Montanus. {w} Bava Bathra, c. 8. sect. 3.
Numbers 27:8
Ver. 8. And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel,.... The above affair occasioned a law to be made, in which all the people would have a concern, among whom such cases should happen, as after related:
saying, if a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter; as in the above case of the daughters of Zelophehad; what was determined as to their particular case was made into a general law.
Numbers 27:9
Ver. 9. And if he have no daughter,.... Dies without any issue:
then ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren; and the children descending from them; that is, if his father was dead; otherwise, if he was living, he was to be preferred to them, according to the Jewish writers; though, according to our law, no estate in fee simple ascends lineally, or goes from a son, who has made a purchase of it, to a father: in the Misnah it is said {x}, the order of inheritances is thus,
"if a man dies and has no son, then they cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter; a son is before a daughter, and all that descend from the son are before the daughter; the daughter is before the brethren (of her father), and those that descend from the daughter are before the brethren; the brethren (of a man) are before his father's brethren (or his uncles); and they that descend from his brethren are before his father's brethren: this is the general rule, everyone that is before in the inheritance, those that descend from him are before others, and a father is before all that descend from him.''
{x} Ut supra, (Bava Bathra, c. 8.) sect. 2.
Numbers 27:10
Ver. 10. And if he have no brethren,.... Nor any descendants from them:
then ye shall give his inheritance unto his father's brethren; that is, to his uncles, and to their children.
Numbers 27:11
Ver. 11. And if his father have no brethren,.... Nor any descending from them:
then ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family: that is nearest of kin to him, though ever so remote; that is, of his father's family, not his mother's, which was no family:
and he shall possess it: here the Jews have a saying, that an Israelite is never without heirs {y}:
and it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of judgment; a judicial law, that should ever remain firm, and sure, and unalterable:
as the Lord commanded Moses; and therefore no man could dispose of his estate or inheritance by will, otherwise than is set forth by this command.
{y} Maimon. Hilchot Nechalot, c. 1. sect. 3.
Numbers 27:12
Ver. 12. And the Lord said unto Moses,.... After the covenant made with Israel in the plains of Moab, and the song delivered to them,
De 29:1
get thee up to this Mount Abarim; which was a range of mountains, so called from the passages by them over Jordan into the land of Canaan; one part of which was Nebo, and the top of that Pisgah, from whence Moses had the view of the good land here directed to; see
Nu 33:47.
and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel; for though he was now one hundred and twenty years old, his eyes were not dim, he could see at a great distance; and the height of this hill gave him an advantage of taking a prospect of the land, a great way into it; and very probably his sight might be greatly strengthened and increased at this time by the Lord, for the purpose; this may be an emblem of that sight by faith, which believers have at times of the heavenly Canaan, and sometimes are favoured with an enlarged one of it before their death.
Numbers 27:13
Ver. 13. And when thou hast seen it,.... Which was all he was admitted to; for to go into it and see it was not allowed him, though he importuned it, De 3:25,
thou shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered; die as he did, in the same sudden, easy, quiet, and cheerful manner; see Nu 20:26.
Numbers 27:14
Ver. 14. For ye rebelled against my commandment the desert of Zin,.... Both Moses and Aaron, which was the reason why they were not suffered to go into the land of Canaan, but died a little before the children of Israel came into it: what their sin was, called here a rebelling against the commandment of the Lord; See Gill on "Nu 20:12", and is next suggested:
in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me before their eyes; when the congregation of Israel strove against the Lord for want of water, they did not sanctify the Lord by believing in him; but expressed some degree of diffidence before the congregation about fetching water out of the rock, or questioning whether the Lord would give it to such a rebellious people, though they had his order for it:
that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; so called to distinguish it from another Meribah, or water of strife, at Rephidim, Ex 17:7.
Numbers 27:15
Ver. 15. And Moses spake unto the Lord,.... Having requested to go into the land and see it, which was denied him; and perceiving he must quickly die, and being a man of a public spirit, and concerned for the welfare of the people of Israel, prays that a successor might be nominated and appointed:
saying; as follows.
Numbers 27:16
Ver. 16. Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh,.... The Maker of the souls of men, called the spirits of all flesh, or of corporeal beings, to distinguish them from the angels, who, though spirits, are incorporeal; and who knows the different qualities of the souls of men, their powers, and capacities, and fitness for service, what gifts and talents they have for business; and who can bestow such upon them, which will quality them for it:
set a man over the congregation: meaning in his room and stead.
Numbers 27:17
Ver. 17. Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in,.... Which may lead them out, and go before them in war, and command them in battle and bring them in peace, having conquered their enemies; or these phrases only mean the administration of civil government among them, and diligence and assiduity in it, see 2Ch 1:10, unless it has any peculiar respect to the leading the people of Israel out of the wilderness, and introducing them into the land of Canaan:
that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd; and so wander about, having none to guide them into proper pastures, or to protect them from beasts of prey; which is to be in a most forlorn and distressed condition; see Mt 9:36.
Numbers 27:18
Ver. 18. And the Lord said unto Moses,.... In answer to his request:
take thou Joshua the son of Nun, who had been a servant of his near forty years, and of whose humility, diligence, faithfulness and integrity he had sufficient proof, as well as of his skill and courage in military affairs, particularly at the battle with Amalek,
Ex 17:9:
a man in whom is the Spirit: not only in whom is a spirit or soul, which is in every man; but the Spirit of God, and that not only as a spirit of grace and sanctification, which is in every good man; but as a spirit of prophecy, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; or rather it respects the more than ordinary gifts of the Spirit qualifying him for government, as courage and conduct, wisdom, prudence, and greatness of mind:
and lay thine hand upon him; thereby transferring the government to him, pointing him out to the people as his successor; to show to the children of Israel that he was in his place, as Aben Ezra notes; upon which followed a larger measure of the gifts of the Spirit of God; see
De 34:9.
Numbers 27:19
Ver. 19. And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation,.... Declaring before them all that he was his successor, and that they might be witnesses of what was said and done unto him, and receive and acknowledge him as such, and as having power and authority over them, which it became them to submit unto:
and give him a charge in their sight: to take care of the people committed to him; to rule them in the fear of God, and according to his laws; and to be of good courage, and go before the people and introduce them into the land of Canaan; assuring him of the divine Presence and help, so that he need not fear any enemy whatever; of this charge, and as confirmed by the Lord himself, see De 31:7.
Numbers 27:20
Ver. 20. And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him,.... Meaning not the Spirit that was on Moses, and the gifts of the Spirit; for to do this was the work of the Lord, and not Moses, see Nu 11:17, but of the honour of civil government; suggesting that he should give him a share in it, and use him not as a minister and servant, as he had been, but as his colleague and partner; and let him have some of the ensigns of power and authority, and some exercise of it; not only to inure him to government, but to make him respectable among the people:
that all the congregation of Israel may be obedient; to him as their ruler and governor, hearken to his words, and obey his commands.
Numbers 27:21
Ver. 21. And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest,.... This was for the honour of God, whose priest Eleazar was, and whose oracle was consulted by him; for it is said {z}, the high priest did not come into the presence of the king but when he pleased; and he did not stand before him, but the king stood before the high priest, as it is said, "and before Eleazar the priest shall he stand"; though it is commanded the high priest to honour the king, and to rise up and stand when he comes unto him; and the king does not stand before him, but when he consults for him by the judgment of Urim; and his posture seems to be different from other persons that consulted; for the same writer {a} observes, in answer to a question,
"how do they consult? the priest stands, and his face is before the ark, and he that consults is behind him, and his face to the back of the priest;''
whereas here Joshua stood before the priest, and so any king or supreme governor:
who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord: of the Urim and Thummim which were in the breastplate of judgment, and of consultation by them, See Gill on "Ex 28:30" and from this place the Jews {b} infer that consultation was not made by them for a private person, but for a king, or for one the congregation stood in need of:
at his word shall they go out, and at his word shall they come in; go out to war, and return from it, or do any service enjoined them; that is, either at the word of the Lord, or rather at the word of Eleazar the priest, declaring the will of God, which comes to much the same sense; or at the word of Joshua, directed by the high priest, according to the oracle of God; and he being under such direction, the people could never do amiss in obeying him, or be in any fear or danger of being led wrong by him; but he is mentioned in the next clause, as included in those that went out, and came in:
[both] he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation; which Maimonides {c} interprets thus, "he", this is the king; "and all the children of Israel", this is the anointed for war, or he whom the congregation hath need of; "and all the congregation", these are the great sanhedrim, or seventy elders.
{z} Maimon. Hilchot Melachim, c. 2. sect. 5. {a} Maimon. Hilchot Cele Hamikdash, c. 10. sect. 11. {b} Misn. Yoma, c. 7. sect. 5. Maimon. Cele Hamikdash, c. 10. sect. 12. {c} lbid.
Numbers 27:22
Ver. 22. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him,.... Being faithful and obedient to him in all things, though ever so contrary to his own private interest and to that of his family:
and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; as his successor, whom God had named and appointed as such.
Numbers 27:23
Ver. 23. And he laid his hands upon him,.... Jarchi observes, that he did this cheerfully, and did more than he was commanded; for the Lord said to him, "lay thine hand", but he laid both his hands:
and gave him a charge, as the Lord commanded Moses; Nu 27:19, this is a clear proof that Moses was no imposter, since he sought not to aggrandize his family, or serve the interest of that; nor did he in the least repine or murmur that the priesthood was given to his brother Aaron and sons, and now the civil government to his servant of the tribe of Ephraim; and as for his own posterity, they were only common Levites that waited upon the priests.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
Numbers 28:1
INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 28
In this chapter is a repetition of several laws concerning sacrifices, as the law of the daily sacrifice morning and evening,
Nu 28:1 of those that were offered every week on the sabbath day, Nu 28:9 and every month on the first day of the month, Nu 28:11 and on the seven days of unleavened bread,
Nu 28:16, and at the feast of weeks, Nu 28:26.
Ver. 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... The number of the children of Israel being taken, and orders given to divide the land unto them, according to their numbers; it was thought proper by the Lord to renew, or to put in mind of, the laws concerning sacrifices which had been made, and which they were to observe when they came into the land of Canaan; and the rather this was necessary, as it was now thirty eight years ago since these laws were first made, and during that time were much in disuse, at least some of them: and besides, this was a new generation of men that were sprung up, those that were at Mount Sinai at the giving of the law being all dead, except a very few; and now Moses also was about to die, and would be no more with them to remind them of these laws, and see that they were observed; and a successor of him being appointed and constituted, it may be likewise on his account, as well as the people's, that these laws were repeated:
saying; as follows.
Numbers 28:2
Ver. 2. Command the children of Israel, and say unto them,.... For what follows concerned them all; namely, the offering of their daily, weekly, monthly, and anniversary sacrifices, which were not for private persons, but for the whole congregation; and these might be considered by them not merely as commands and duties to be observed, but as tokens of the divine favour to them, that notwithstanding all their rebellions and provocations in the wilderness, sacrifices for sin were ordered, continued, and accepted of by the Lord; and his acceptance of them, and well pleasedness in them, may easily be observed in the expressions used concerning them:
my offering, and my bread; by "offering" may be meant in general all sacrifices which were offered to the Lord, and by his command; and more especially the burnt offering, which was wholly and peculiarly his, and is after explained by sacrifices made by fire, and it is chiefly of burnt offerings this chapter treats; and by "bread" may be meant either the shewbread, which was set upon a table before the Lord continually, as his bread; so the Targum of Jonathan,
"my oblation, the bread of the order of my table, shall the priests eat, but what ye offer on the altar no man has power to eat;''
or else the meat offering, or rather, as it may be called, the bread offering, which always went along with burnt offerings; though the copulative "and", which is not in the text, may be omitted, and both may signify the same, "my offering", that is, "my bread"; for the sacrifices were the food of God, the provisions of his house, of which there were all sorts in the sacrifices, flesh, bread, and wine; particularly the daily sacrifice was his food every day, and the fat of sacrifices burnt is called the food of the offering made by fire, Le 3:16, so Jarchi interprets it, "my offering", this is the blood; "my bread", the "amurim", or fat that covereth the inward parts, which were burnt on the altar:
for my sacrifices made by fire for a sweet savour unto me; which respects burnt offerings, wholly consumed by fire, and were entirely the Lord's, and which he smelled a sweet savour in, or were acceptable to him: these the children of Israel were
to observe to offer unto him in their due season; the daily sacrifice, morning and evening; not before morning, nor after evening, as Aben Ezra observes; and so all the rest at the proper time fixed, whether weekly, monthly, or yearly. The Jews, from this phrase, "observe to offer unto me", conclude the necessity of fixing stations, or stationary men, as Jarchi notes; so the tradition is,
"these are the stations, as it is said, "command the children of Israel, &c." but how can the offering of a man be offered, and he not stand by it? wherefore the former prophets appointed twenty four courses, and to every course there was a station at Jerusalem of priests, Levites, and Israelites; and when the time of each course came to go up, the priests and Levites went up to Jerusalem, and the Israelites who belonged to that course went into their cities, and read the history of the creation {d}:''
now these stations, or stationary men, were substitutes for, or representatives of all Israel, and stood by the sacrifices when they were offered, in which all Israel were concerned, as particularly in the daily sacrifice, which is here first taken notice of.
{d} Taanith, c. 4. sect. 2.
Numbers 28:3
Ver. 3. And thou shalt say unto them,.... Having directed Moses to command the people of Israel to observe to offer all the sacrifices of God in general, the Lord proceeds to order him to speak of them to them particularly and distinctly; this, according to Jarchi, is an admonition to the sanhedrim:
this is the offering made by fire, which ye shall offer unto the Lord; the daily burnt offering, which was wholly consumed by fire:
two lambs of the first year without spot, day by day for a continual burnt offering; this law was made before, and is directed to in
Ex 29:38 where the same things are said as here, only, as a further descriptive character of the lambs, they are here said to be "without spot"; so all sacrifices were to be without blemish, whether expressed or not; and in this, as in other things, these lambs were typical of Christ, the Lamb of God, without spot and blemish; and are said to be a "continual" burnt offering, because they were offered every day in the week, without any intermission, on any account whatever, which is frequently observed in this chapter: and this was to continue, and did continue until the Messiah came, who put an end to it by the sacrifice of himself, as to any real use of it; and was in fact made to cease a few years after, by the utter destruction of Jerusalem, and was before that a little while interrupted in the times of Antiochus, Da 8:11.
Numbers 28:4
Ver. 4. The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning,.... Every morning, to make atonement for the sins of the night, as the Targum of Jonathan:
and the other lamb shall thou offer at even; or "between the two evenings", to make atonement for the sins of the day, as the same Targum; in which they prefigured Christ, the Lamb of God, who continually, every day, morning and night, and every moment, takes away the sins of his people, through the virtue and efficacy of his sacrifice, Joh 1:29,
See Gill on "Ex 29:39".
Numbers 28:5
Ver. 5. And the tenth part of an ephah of flour for a meat offering,.... Which always went along with the burnt offering:
mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil: which in those times and countries was used instead of butter; and fine flour and this mingled together made a "minchah", or bread offering, as it should rather be called; of the measures used, See Gill on "Ex 29:40".
Numbers 28:6
Ver. 6. It is a continual burnt offering,.... For the meat offering was burnt as well as the lambs, at least part of it:
which was ordained in Mount Sinai for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord; that is, this law concerning the daily burnt offering was made on Mount Sinai, so long ago as the children of Israel were there; and it was then ordered that they should continually offer such a sacrifice by fire, which would be grateful and acceptable unto God, especially when done in faith of the sacrifice of his Son it was a type of; or which sacrifice was "made" {e} or offered at Mount Sinai, when the law of it was first given there: hence Aben Ezra observes, that this is a sign that they did not offer burnt offerings in the wilderness after they journeyed from Sinai; but then, though sacrifices were not so frequently offered by them as afterwards, yet one would think that the daily sacrifice would not be omitted, which seemed to be always necessary; nor would there be any, or but little use of the altar, and the fire continually burning on it, if this was the case; see Am 5:25.
{e} hyveh "quod obtulistis", V. L. "quod factum est", Pagninus; "quod sacrificatum fucrat", Piscator.
Numbers 28:7
Ver. 7. And the drink offering thereof [shall be] the fourth [part] of an hin for the one lamb,.... For the lamb offered in the morning, along with the meat offering of which went a drink offering, which was of wine, and strong wine too, as the next clause expresses it; the quantity of which was the fourth part of an hin, which was about a quart and half a pint of our measure:
in the holy [place] shalt thou cause the strong wine to be poured unto the Lord [for] a drink offering; that is, in the court of the tabernacle upon the altar of burnt offering, which stood there: the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem interpret it of old choice wine, old wine being reckoned best, see Lu 5:39, and though this wine was poured out on the altar, and not properly drank by any, yet it was to be the strongest, best, and choicest that could be got, as it was reasonable it should; since it was poured out as a libation or drink offering to the Lord, which was his way of drinking it, as the burning of the sacrifice was his way of eating that; all which was typical of the sufferings, sacrifice, and bloodshed of Christ, which are well pleasing and acceptable to the Lord; see Isa 53:10.
Numbers 28:8
Ver. 8. And the other lamb shalt thou offer at even,.... As before directed, Nu 28:4:
as the meat offering of the morning, and as the drink offering thereof, shalt thou offer it; some think that "caph", "as", is put for "beth", "with", the letters being similar, and so render the words, "with the meat offering of the morning, and with the drink offering thereof"; but there is no need of such a version, nor is it with propriety; and the meaning is, that a meat offering and a drink offering were to go with the lamb offered at evening, of the same sort, and in like manner, as were offered with the lamb of the morning:
a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord; this is repeated, to encourage the people to offer it, and to show how very acceptable it was to the Lord, especially the antitype of it.
Numbers 28:9
Ver. 9. And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot,.... Just such as were appointed for the daily sacrifice:
and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil; that is, two tenth parts of an ephah of flour mixed with two fourth parts of an hin of oil; of oil olive, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it, which is always meant, wherever oil is mentioned; which made one meat offering to them doubled for both lambs, or two meat offerings of the same quantity with those of the daily sacrifice, one for one lamb, and the other for the other:
and the drink offering thereof: which was of a like quantity of wine doubled, in proportion to the meat offering; when these lambs, with the meat and drink offerings, were offered up, is not said, whether the one in the morning after, and the other in the evening before the daily sacrifice, which is not improbable, or both together.
Numbers 28:10
Ver. 10. This is the burnt offering of every sabbath,.... Or, "of the sabbath in its sabbath" {f}, that is, as Jarchi observes, the burnt offering of one sabbath was not to be offered on another, but only on its own; so that if the sabbath was past, and the offering not offered, it ceased; it was not to be renewed the following sabbath; every sacrifice was to be offered in its own season, Nu 28:2,
beside the continual burnt offering, and its drink offering; and meat offering also, over and above the two lambs of the daily sacrifice; with the offerings that were appendages to them, two other lambs, with proportionate meat and drink offerings, were offered also; the other were not to be omitted on account of these, showing that more religions service was to be performed on sabbath days than on others: it may be rendered "after" or "upon", to which sense Aben Ezra interprets it, after the daily sacrifice; because, says he, he puts upon it the burnt offering of the sabbath; which seems to confirm what has been suggested on the preceding verse, that these lambs were offered morning and evening after the daily sacrifice, and indeed there was nothing offered before that.
{f} wtbvb tbv "sabbathi in sabbatho ejus", Pagninus, Montanus, Fagius, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
Numbers 28:11
Ver. 11. And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the Lord,.... On the first day of every month, when the new moon appeared; that this was religiously observed appears from the blowing of the trumpets over the sacrifices on this day, from attendance on the word of the Lord, by his prophets, on this day, and from abstinence from worldly business on it, Nu 10:10
two young bullocks, and one ram, seven rams of the first year without spot; this was the burnt offering, and a very large and costly one it was: more creatures were offered on this day than on a sabbath day; not that this was a more holy day than that, but this was but once a month, and therefore the expense might be the more easily bore, whereas that was every week.
Numbers 28:12
Ver. 12-14. And three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one bullock,.... The quantities of flour in the meat offering, for each bullock, and for the ram, and for each lamb, are the same as in Nu 15:4 only the quantity of oil for each is not here expressed, which for a bullock was half an hin of oil, for a ram the third part of an hin, and for a lamb the fourth part; and likewise the quantity of wine in the drink offerings for each of them is the same here as there; which, according to the Targum of Jonathan, was to be wine of grapes, and not any other:
this is the burnt offering of every month throughout the year; or, "of the month in its month" {g}; it was to be offered at its appointed time every month, and not to be deferred to another: Jarchi has the same remark here as on verse ten. See Gill on "Nu 28:10".
{g} wvdxb vdx "mensis in mense ejus", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus.
Numbers 28:13
Ver. 13. See Gill on "Nu 28:12"
Numbers 28:14
Ver. 14. See Gill on "Nu 28:12"
Numbers 28:15
Ver. 15. And one kid of the goats, for a sin offering unto the Lord, shall be offered,.... This was an offering of a different sort, not a burnt offering, but a sin offering, typical of Christ, who was made an offering for sin; and it was of that sort of sin offerings which were to be eaten, as the Jews say {h}; for there were some that were not, even such whose blood was brought into the sanctuary, Le 6:30. Maimonides {i} observes, that this phrase, "unto the Lord", is very particular and expressive, and that the design of it is, to observe that it was offered to the Lord, and not to the moon, as the Egyptians did:
besides the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering; though the burnt offering of this day was so very large, consisting of so many creatures; and besides that a goat for a sin offering; yet the daily sacrifice was not to be omitted, and what belonged to that.
{h} Maimon. Hilchot Tamidin, c. 7. sect. 2. {i} Moreh Nevochim, par. 3. c. 46. p. 488.
Numbers 28:16
Ver. 16. And in the fourteenth day of the first month,.... The month Nisan, as the Targum of Jonathan or Abib, which, upon the Israelites coming out of Egypt, and on that account, was made the first month; otherwise Tisri or September was the first month, see Ex 12:2,
[is] the passover of the Lord; a feast in which a lamb was killed and eaten, in memory of the Lord's passing over the houses of the Israelites, when he slew the firstborn in Egypt; see Ex 12:6.
Numbers 28:17
Ver. 17. And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast,.... Not of the passover, that was the day before, but of unleavened bread, which began on this day, and lasted seven days, Le 23:6 which is what the Jews call the Chagigah:
seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten; see Ex 12:15.
Numbers 28:18
Ver. 18. In the first day shall be an holy convocation,.... The first of the seven days, which was kept in a very religious manner:
ye shall do no manner of servile work therein; except by preparing food to eat; see Ex 12:16.
Numbers 28:19
Ver. 19. But ye shall offer a sacrifice made by fire for a burnt offering unto the Lord,.... Which was to be of the creatures next mentioned:
two young bullocks, &c. the same with the burnt offering on the first day of the month, Nu 28:11.
Numbers 28:20
Ver. 20,21. And their meat offering,.... The quantity of flour for which is the same for a bullock, a ram, and a lamb, as in
Nu 28:12.
Numbers 28:21
Ver. 21. See Gill on "Nu 28:20".
Numbers 28:22
Ver. 22. And one goat [for] a sin offering, to make atonement for you. For notwithstanding all their services and sacrifices, and though this day was an holy convocation, yet there was need of a sin offering to expiate their guilt, typical of Christ, who takes away the sins of our holy things as well as all other sins: this sin offering also was of that sort which were eaten; for Maimonides says {k}, the goat of the sin offering was eaten on the second day of the passover, which was the sixteenth of Nisan.
{k} Maimon. Hilchot Tamidin, c. 7. sect. 3.
Numbers 28:23
Ver. 23. Ye shall offer these beside the burnt offering in the morning,.... The daily morning sacrifice, and also besides the daily evening sacrifices, though it is not expressed:
which is for a continual burnt offering; and not to be intermitted on any account, let the sacrifices of the day be ever so numerous; great care is taken to observe this.
Numbers 28:24
Ver. 24. After this manner ye shall offer daily throughout the seven days,.... That is, two bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs, for a burnt offering, on everyone of the seven days; but then they were not all holy convocations, only the first and last:
the meat of the sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord; it seems by this that only the burnt offering was offered up every day, but not a goat of the sin offering, that was peculiar to the first day:
it shall be offered beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering; which is again repeated, that it might be diligently observed.
Numbers 28:25
Ver. 25. And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation,.... As on the first:
ye shall do no servile work; unless in dressing food.
Numbers 28:26
Ver. 26. Also in the day of the firstfruits,.... When the firstfruits of the wheat harvest were brought unto the Lord, which was the day of Pentecost, fifty days from the sheaf of the wave offering being brought:
when ye bring a new meat offering unto the Lord; that is, a meat offering made of the new corn, which were two wave loaves of two tenth deals of fine flour, baked with leaven, Le 23:15
after your weeks be out; the seven weeks from the passover to Pentecost, even seven complete sabbaths or weeks, Le 23:15
ye shall have an holy convocation, ye shall do no servile work; see
Le 23:21.
Numbers 28:27
Ver. 27-30. But ye shall offer the burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the Lord,.... Which was of the same kind, and was of the same number of creatures as on the first day of the month, and on the seven days of unleavened bread, Nu 28:11, and the meat offering which went along with this was of the same quantity of flour to each creature as in the above mentioned sacrifices; and on this day also was offered a kid of the goats for a sin offering; and there were also peace offerings which are not mentioned here, nor is there any mention of any in the whole chapter; see Le 23:19.
Numbers 28:28
Ver. 28. See Gill on "Nu 28:27".
Numbers 28:29
Ver. 29. See Gill on "Nu 28:27".
Numbers 28:30
Ver. 30. See Gill on "Nu 28:27".
Numbers 28:31
Ver. 31. And ye shall offer them besides the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering,.... The daily sacrifice of the morning and evening, so often mentioned in this chapter, and so frequently inculcated as not to be omitted, either in the weekly, monthly, or anniversary festivals; it being so necessary a sacrifice, and so eminent a type of the great sacrifice of the Messiah:
they shall be unto you without blemish, and their drink offerings; the flour, of which the meat offerings were made, was to be pure and clean, and free from vermin; and the wine for the drink offering was not to be palled, and dead, and dreggy: of the former, it is said in the Misnah {l},
"the treasurer puts his hand into it (the flour); if there comes any dust with it,''
it is rejected; if it produces worms, it is rejected: this, the commentators say {m}, is to be understood, if the greatest part of it is such; and with respect to the latter, Jarchi says, our Rabbins learn from hence (this passage of Scripture) that wine in which flour rises (or a dregginess like flour) it is unfit for drink offerings, for they should be perfect: this denotes the purity of Christ, the bread of life, and his spotless and perfect sacrifice, when his soul was poured out unto death.
{l} Menachot, c. 8. sect. 2. {m} Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Menachot, c. 8. sect. 2.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
Numbers 29:1
INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 29
In this chapter an account is given of the various offerings on the several remarkable days in the seventh month of the year; at the feast of blowing the trumpets on the first day of the month, Nu 29:1, at the great fast or day of atonement, which was the tenth of the month, Nu 29:7, and at the feast of tabernacles, which began on the fifteenth day of the same month, and continued eight days, and the sacrifices of every day are particularly mentioned; of the first day,
Nu 29:12, of the second day, Nu 29:17, of the third day,
Nu 29:20, of the fourth day, Nu 29:23, of the fifth day,
Nu 29:26, of the sixth day, Nu 29:29, of the seventh day,
Nu 29:32, and of the eighth day, Nu 29:35, which sacrifices were to be offered, besides their vows and freewill offerings, of which Moses gave a faithful account, according to the command of God,
Nu 29:39.
Ver. 1. And in the seventh month,.... The month Tisri, as the Targum of Jonathan, which answers to part of our September and October; a month famous for days to be religiously observed, having more of them in it than any other month in the year:
on the first day of the month, ye shall have a holy convocation; see Le 23:24,
ye shall do no servile work; therefore, in the place referred to, is called a sabbath:
it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you; of which,
See Gill on "Le 23:24".
Numbers 29:2
Ver. 2. And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the Lord,.... Which was as follows:
one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish, which was the same, only one bullock less, with the offerings on the first day of the month, the seven days of unleavened bread, and the day of the firstfruits, #Nu 28:11,19,27.
Numbers 29:3
Ver. 3-5. And their meat offering,.... Which went along with the creatures offered for a burnt offering; the quantity of flour and oil used in it was the same, for a bullock, a ram, and each lamb, as in the offerings at the new moons, feast of unleavened bread and the day of firstfruits, Nu 28:10 and a kid of the goats was also offered for a sin offering at this time, as in those seasons, and for the same purpose, to make atonement for the sins of their holy things.
Numbers 29:4
Ver. 4. See Gill on "Nu 29:3".
Numbers 29:5
Ver. 5. See Gill on "Nu 29:3".
Numbers 29:6
Ver. 6. Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering,.... The bullock, ram, and seven lambs, were offered on this day, besides the two bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs, which were offered on it, on account of its being the first day of the month and besides the meat offering that went along with them; these were not omitted on account of those additional sacrifices:
and the daily burnt offering; the two lambs of the daily sacrifice; these also were offered as usual, so that there were offered on this day three bullocks, two rams, and sixteen lambs:
and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according to their manner; these also were offered with the daily sacrifice, according to the law and rule prescribed for the making of them, and all were
for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord; for they were burnt sacrifices, and very acceptable to the Lord, as they were types of the better sacrifice, with which he is infinitely well pleased; and it is with respect to that that such a number of sacrifices were appointed.
Numbers 29:7
Ver. 7. And ye shall have on the tenth day of the seventh month an holy convocation,.... The month Tisri, as before; so the Targum of Jonathan:
and ye shall afflict your souls; or persons; their bodies by fasting, and their souls by repentance and humiliation; for this was a grand fast, as it is called Ac 27:9,
ye shall not do any work [therein]; see Le 23:28.
Numbers 29:8
Ver. 8. But ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the Lord,.... Which is the same as ordered to be offered on the first day, Nu 29:2. Aben Ezra is of opinion that the ram here is different from those in
Le 16:3.
Numbers 29:9
Ver. 9,10. And their meat offering,.... Which was of the same quantity of flour and oil, for a bullock, a ram, and a lamb, as for the meat offering on the first day of the month.
Numbers 29:10
Ver. 10. See Gill on "Nu 29:9".
Numbers 29:11
Ver. 11. One kid of the goats for a sin offering,.... This also, as it was different from that which was offered for the service of the day, so it was offered after it; as is observed by the Jewish writers, that the goat, which was offered without, though of the Musaphim, or additions, could not go before the service of the day for it is said as follows,
beside the sin offering of atonement; hence, say they, we learn, that the goat within, which was of the service of the day, went before it {n}; after that the ram of Aaron, and the ram of the people, and after that the fat of the sin offering:
and the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering of it, and their drink offerings; which were never omitted on account of the service of any day, though ever so solemn, as this was: hence it appears that there were offered on this day of atonement two bullocks, three rams, three goats, and two lambs.
{n} Bartenora in Misn. Yoma, c. 7. sect. 3.
Numbers 29:12
Ver. 12. And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation,.... Of the same month Tisri, which was the seventh from Nisan or Abib, though it was formerly the first month of the year:
ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days; the feast of tabernacles, which began on the fifteenth day of this month.
Numbers 29:13
Ver. 13-34. And ye shall offer a burnt offering,.... That is, on the first of the seven days, which was as follows:
thirteen young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year, they shall be without blemish; a very large sacrifice indeed, for these were offered besides one kid of the goats, for a sin offering, and the two lambs of the daily sacrifice, which were not omitted on account of this extraordinary offering; so that there were no less than thirty two animals sacrificed on this day: the meat and drink offerings for each, according to the kind of them, were as usual, and as before frequently observed; and the same sacrifices, meat offerings, and drink offerings, were offered on the six following days of the feast, only with this difference, that there was one bullock less every day; which it is thought may denote the decrease of sin in the people, and so an increase of holiness, or rather the gradual waxing old and vanishing away of the ceremonial law, and the sacrifices of it; and these bullocks ending in the number seven, which is a number may lead us to think of the great sacrifice these all typified, whereby Christ has perfected them that are sanctified.
Numbers 29:14
Ver. 14. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:15
Ver. 15. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:16
Ver. 16. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:17
Ver. 17. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:18
Ver. 18. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:19
Ver. 19. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:20
Ver. 20. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:21
Ver. 21. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:22
Ver. 22. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:23
Ver. 23. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:24
Ver. 24. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:25
Ver. 25. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:26
Ver. 26. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:27
Ver. 27. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:28
Ver. 28. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:29
Ver. 29. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:30
Ver. 30. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:31
Ver. 31. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:32
Ver. 32. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:33
Ver. 33. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:34
Ver. 34. See Gill on "Nu 29:13".
Numbers 29:35
Ver. 35. On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly,.... The day after the seven days of the feast of tabernacles were ended; for this was not properly a part of that feast, but was a sort of appendage to it;
ye shall do no servile work therein;
See Gill on "Le 23:36".
Numbers 29:36
Ver. 36-38. But ye shall offer a burnt offering,.... Which was the same that was offered on the first and tenth days of this month,
Nu 29:2 and the meat and drink offerings for each of the creatures were the same, as often expressed; and on this day a goat for a sin offering was also offered, besides the daily sacrifice, and what went along with that.
Numbers 29:37
Ver. 37. See Gill on "Nu 29:36".
Numbers 29:38
Ver. 38. See Gill on "Nu 29:36".
Numbers 29:39
Ver. 39. These things ye shall do to the Lord, in your set feasts,.... Or rather in the times set and appointed to you, as the Jewish writers {o} interpret it; and so Jarchi interprets it of a fixed time, which seems better; since these were not all feast days, on which the above sacrifices were to be offered, for one of them was a fast, even the day of atonement:
besides your vows, and your freewill offerings: which might be offered up at any time, notwithstanding the above sacrifices, which were necessary and obligatory; but these were at their own option:
for your burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings; of which see Le 7:11.
{o} Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Pesach, c. 7. sect. 4.
Numbers 29:40
Ver. 40. And Moses told the children of Israel,.... All these things; repeated the several laws unto them concerning the above sacrifices, with the additions unto them, and explanations of them:
according to all that the Lord commanded Moses; being a faithful servant to the Lord in all his house, and in all things appertaining to it.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
Numbers 30:1
INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 30
Mention being made, in the latter part of the preceding chapter, of vows to be performed to the Lord, besides the sacrifices directed to; here some account is given of them, and men are charged to fulfil, and not break them, Nu 30:1 but as to women, if a maid, being in her father's house, made a vow in his hearing, and he silent at it, her vow stood; but if he disapproved of it, it was null and void,
Nu 30:3 and so a wife, when she vowed a vow in the hearing of her husband, and he said not ought against it, it was valid; but if he objected to it, it stood for nothing, Nu 30:6, likewise a widow, or one divorced, that made a vow in her husband's house, before he died, or she was put away from him, and he did not contradict it, it remained in force and to be fulfilled; but if he made it void, it stood not, and she was forgiven, Nu 30:9 it being in an husband's power to confirm or make null a vow or oath, made by his wife to afflict her soul; but if he made any void after he heard them, and had been silent, he himself was to bear her iniquity, Nu 30:13.
Ver. 1. And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes,.... Or the princes of them, who could more easily be convened, and who used to meet on certain occasions, and on whom it lay to see various laws put in execution:
concerning the children of Israel; how they ought to conduct and behave in the following case, it being an affair which concerned them all:
saying, this is the thing which the Lord hath commanded; relating to vows. Aben Ezra is of opinion that this was delivered after the battle with Midian, of which there is an account in the following chapter, and is occasioned by what was said, to the tribes of Gad and Reuben,
Nu 32:24
do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth; to which they replied,
thy servants will do as my lord commandeth; upon which the nature of a vow, and the manner of keeping it, are observed; but the occasion of it rather seems to be what is said towards the close of the foregoing chapter, Nu 29:39, that the various sacrifices there directed were to be offered in their season, besides the vows and freewill offerings; and when these were ratified and confirmed, and when null and void, and to be fulfilled or neglected, is the principal business of this chapter.
Numbers 30:2
Ver. 2. If a man vow a vow unto the Lord,.... Which must be in a thing that is lawful to be done, which is not contrary to the revealed will and mind of God, and which may tend to the glory of God, the honour of religion, the service of the sanctuary, the good of a man's self or of his neighbour; or in things purely indifferent, which may, or may not be done, without offence to God or man; as that he will not eat such a thing for such a time, or he will do this or the other thing, as Jarchi observes; who moreover says, that he may forbid himself what is forbidden, and forbid what is free and lawful; but he may not make free or lawful what is forbidden, that is, he may not vow to do a thing which is contrary to the law of God, such a vow will not stand: and he was to be of such an age before he could make a vow that would be valid; according to the Targum of Jonathan, he must be thirteen years of age; it is said in the Misnah {p},
"a son of twelve years and one day, his vows are examined; a son of thirteen years and one day, his vows are firm, and they examine the whole thirteenth year before that time; although they say we know to whose name (or on whose account) we vow or consecrate, their vow is no vow, nor their consecration no consecration; but after that time, though they say we know not to whose name (or, on whose account) we vow or consecrate, their vow is a vow, and their consecration a consecration:''
or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; to his vow adds an oath for the greater confirmation of it, and to lay himself under the greater obligation to perform it:
he shall not break his word; or profane it {q} but punctually perform it; men should be careful how they vow, and not rashly do it; but when they have vowed, they ought to perform; see Ec 5:4:
he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth; it is not in his power to revoke his vow or make it null: the Misnic doctors {r} say, a man can loose all vows, excepting his own. R. Judah says, not the vows of his wife, nor those which are between her and others; that is, as one of the commentators {s} explains it, such vows which are not made to afflict, or respect not fasting; but according to the Targum of Jonathan, though a man cannot loose his vows, or free himself from them, yet the sanhedrim, or court of judicature, can, or a wise man that is authenticated thereby, as Jarchi says, or three private persons; but these are such traditions; which make void the commandment of God, as our Lord complains, Mt 15:1
{p} Niddah, c. 5. sect. 6. {q} lxy al {r} Negaim, c. 5. sect. 5. {s} Bartenora in Misn. Negaim, c. 5. sect. 5.
Numbers 30:3
Ver. 3. If a woman also vow a vow unto the Lord,.... Who has not passed thirteen years, as the Targum of Jonathan:
[and] bind [herself] by a bond; lay herself under obligation to perform her vow by an oath: being in her father's house; unto the twelfth year, as the same Targum; that is, that is under his care, tuition, and jurisdiction, whether she literally, or properly speaking, is in the house or no at the time she vows; so Jarchi interprets it of her being in the power of her father, though not in his house, she being not at age to be at her own disposal, but at his: wherefore it is added,
in her youth; which, as the same writer explains it, signifies that she is
"neither a little one, nor at age; for a little one's vow is no vow, and one at age is not in the power of her father to make void her vow: who is a little one? our Rabbins say, one of eleven years of age and one day, her vows are examined, whether she knows on whose account she vows and consecrates, or devotes anything; one vows a vow that is twelve years and one day old, there is no need to examine them.''
He seems to refer to a passage in the Misnah {t},
"a daughter of eleven years and one day, her vows are examined; a daughter of twelve years and one day, her vows are firm, but they are to be examined through the whole twelfth year.''
{t} Niddah, c. 5. sect. 6.
Numbers 30:4
Ver. 4. And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul,.... Her vow, which is binding upon her, or her vow and an oath annexed to it; which makes it still more strongly binding; and this he hears himself, or it is reported to him by others: and her father shall hold his peace at her; shall not reprove her for it, nor contradict her in it: then all her vows shall stand; be they what, or as many as they may:
and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand; his silence being to be interpreted as approving of them, and consenting to them.
Numbers 30:5
Ver. 5. But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth,.... Disapproves of her vow, and expresses his dislike of it, and declares it null and void; which, if done at all, is to be done on the same day he hears it, and not on another day, as Aben Ezra observes; not the day following, and much less on a third or fourth day, &c. and it might be done on a sabbath day {u}:
not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she bound her soul,
shall stand; but become null and void, she being at the control of her father, and having nothing in her own power, and at her own disposal, to vow or consecrate, but wholly in the power and at the disposal of her father:
and the Lord shall forgive her; the breach of her vow, it shall not be imputed to her as a sin:
because her father disallowed her; so that it was no fault of hers that it was not fulfilled; though she might be blameworthy to make one, without previously obtaining his consent, and making it rashly without his previous knowledge, she not being at her own hands; and in this respect may be said to be forgiven by the Lord, which supposes some fault committed.
{u} Misn. Sabbat, c. 24. sect. 5.
Numbers 30:6
Ver. 6. And if she had at all an husband with whom she vowed,.... Or "when her vows were upon her" {w}, was either betrothed or married to a man:
or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul; uttered anything, either with or without premeditation, either with thought and deliberation, or rashly and imprudently, as the word signifies, yet in such a manner that it was binding upon her.
{w} hyle hyrdnw
Numbers 30:7
Ver. 7. And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it,.... The vow she made, and by his silence consented to it:
then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand; or she be under obligation to perform them.
Numbers 30:8
Ver. 8. But if her husband disallow her on the day that he heard it,.... Expresses his dislike of it; and this he does as soon as he hears it, at least that same day; according to the Jews {x}, within the space of twenty four hours:
then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect; by contradicting it, and forbidding the performance of it; or however by declaring to her, or to others, that it is not agreeable to his mind and will that it should be fulfilled:
and the Lord shall forgive her; excuse her performance of the vow, and not impute sin to her on that account, nor punish for the breach of it, she being under the cover of her husband, and obliged to submit to his will. According to Jarchi, the Scripture speaks of a woman that vows to be a Nazarite; her husband hears and makes it void; but she does not know it, and transgresses her vow, and drinks wine, and is defiled with the dead, so that she has need of forgiveness, though it is made void; and if vows made void, he adds, have need of pardon, much more those that are not.
{x} Leo Modena's History of Rites, &c. par. 2. c. 4.
Numbers 30:9
Ver. 9. But every vow of a widow,.... The Scripture speaks, as Jarchi says, of a widow from marriage, or that has been married, but a widow from espousals (or that has been only espoused), the husband dead, the power is transmitted, and returns to the father; and with respect to such a case, it is said in the Misnah {y}
"if the father (of such a betrothed person) dies, the power is not transmitted to the husband; but if the husband dies, the power is transmitted to the father; in this case, greater is the power of a father than of an husband; in others, greater is the power of an husband than of a father, because an husband makes void (the vow of) one at age, but a father does not make void (the vow of) such an one:''
and of her that is divorced: from her husband on some account or another; now in each of these cases, the one being loosed from the law of her husband by death, and the other by a bill of divorce, if they vowed,
the vows wherewith they have bound their souls shall stand against her; against either of them, they having none over them to disapprove of, contradict, and make void their vows.
{y} Nedarim, c. 10. sect. 2.
Numbers 30:10
Ver. 10. And if she vowed in her husband's house,.... Before his death, in his lifetime, or before divorced: the Targum of Jonathan adds, by way of explanation, "and not at age for marriage", understanding it of a betrothed, and not a married person; but Jarchi says, the Scripture speaks of a married one, which seems most likely:
or bound her soul by a bond with an oath; to fulfil her vow, to abstain from this, or to do that or the other thing.
Numbers 30:11
Ver. 11. And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not,.... Heard her make her vow, and bind it with an oath, and was silent at it, which was consenting to it, and did not contradict her, nor show any displeasure or resentment at her on account of it; the Targum of Jonathan adds,
"and died before she was at age;''
but what follows held good equally of one that was at age for marriage, and actually married to him:
then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand; be ratified and confirmed, and she be under obligation to make them good.
Numbers 30:12
Ver. 12. But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them,.... Declaring they were contrary to his mind and will, he disapproved of them, and forbid the carrying them into execution:
then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand; though her husband be dead, or she be divorced from him:
her husband hath made them void, and the Lord shall forgive her: she will neither incur his displeasure for not fulfilling her vow, nor have any punishment inflicted on her: the Targum of Jonathan is,
"if her husband makes them void, and she knows it not and transgresses, it shall be forgiven her by the Lord.''
Numbers 30:13
Ver. 13. Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul,.... By fasting, as Aben Ezra observes; as when a vow was made, or a person bound herself by an oath to abstain from such and such food, or to fast on such a day; to keep a fast which was not appointed, to set apart a day for fasting, besides the grand and general fast on the day of atonement: Jarchi from hence gathers, that a man only makes vows of afflicting the soul, or vows of fasting; but this is not said by way of limitation and restriction, but by way of amplification and illustration, giving a particular instance, by which others may be judged of:
her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void, just as he pleased; and this power an husband had, to prevent confusion in the family, and trouble in the affairs of it, by vowing abstinence from such and such food, or from such and such liquor, and the like; and to prevent running into expenses he was not able to answer, by vowing and dedicating, this and the other to holy uses, for sacrifices, and repairs of the temple, and the like.
Numbers 30:14
Ver. 14. But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day today,.... Said not one word to her day after day, neither on the day he heard her vow, nor the day following:
then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her; by his silence:
he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her, in the day that he heard them; for not to contradict them was to confirm them.
Numbers 30:15
Ver. 15. But if he shall any ways make them void, after that he hath heard them,.... Some way or other expressing his dislike of them; not at the time he heard them, but some time afterwards; one day after, as the Targum of Jonathan:
then he shall bear his iniquity: be accountable for the breach of the vow, the sin shall be reckoned to him, and he shall bear the punishment of it, because he ought to have declared is disapprobation of it sooner; and it may be, his doing it when he did was only in a spirit of contradiction, or through covetousness; and it would have been more advisable to have let the vow stand, and therefore acted a criminal part, and so was answerable for it; the Targum of Jonathan explains it,
"her husband or her father shall bear her iniquity,''
supposing her not to be at age: Aben Ezra gives the reason of it, because she is in his power.
Numbers 30:16
Ver. 16. These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses between a man and his wife,.... Relating to vows made by the wife, and confirmed or disannulled by the husband: Aben Ezra adds, if she is at age or in puberty, understanding it of a married and not a betrothed wife:
between the father and his daughter; if she is not at age, as the same writer observes; for if she is at age he has nothing to do with her vows:
[being yet] in her youth; not at age, being not twelve years and one day old:
in her father's house; in his power and jurisdiction, and at his disposal, and so could make her vows void or firm, as he pleased: this power of ratifying or disannulling vows an husband had over his wife, and a father over his daughter, to prevent imprudent and extravagant vows, and the too frequent use of them, the consequences of which might be bad in families.