3 From twenty years old | thou and Aaron shall number and upward, all that are able them by their armies. to go forth to war in Israel :

In

and seven hundred and thirty."
this paragraph we see how it is that
the families in a tribe are distinguish-
ed. The eldest son of Reuben is Ha-
noch, and all his descendants are called
from him Hanochites. He was there-
fore the head or father of that family;
and so, of the rest who are mentioned.
We know not what to make of any
"houses of fathers" apart from these
families, upon whom the fathers' names
are thus called. These several families
might each of them be numerously sub-
divided into minor branches, but they
would still, as we suppose, be called by
the name of their common ancestor,
which is perhaps intimated in the Gr.
version of the present passage, "Ac-
cording to their kindred, according to
the houses of their patriarchal fathers."

comes "Golgotha," the place of a skull. Gr. "According to their head." "Head by head."-Cov. "Poll by poll."-Mat. "Man by man."-Gen. The sum total was to be made up of the separate units.

V. 3. From twenty years and upward. Heb. "From the son of twenty years.” That is, going on in the twentieth year, but not having completed it, which is the force of the original. This became ever after the age at which one was thought fit for war. According to the Jewish writers, sixty was the age when they were considered to be exempt from military service, but this is nowhere stated in the Scriptures.¶ All that are able to go forth to war in Israel. Heb. kol yotzë tzâbâ, every one going forth host-wise. "Every one that goeth forth (with) the army."—Ains. That is, every one that usually goes forth, every one that is able to go. The

-¶ With the number of their names. Heb. bemispar shemoth, in, with, by, or according to their names. If our pre-present participle in Hebrew denotes vious suggestions are well founded re- an habitual course of action, thus inspecting the relation which this census volving oftentimes the idea of the fubears to the preceding, we may reason- ture, and occasionally of the past; ably suppose that the actual number of whence some commentators contend the host was ascertained by the number that the phrase here refers properly to of half shekels received by Moses on those that came forth out of Egypt, that occasion, Ex. 38:25, 26, but the as appears from ch. 26:4, where the names may not have been recorded, nor very same Heb. term is thus rendered. even the people duly classified accord- This would of course exclude all that ing to the arrangement here prescribed, were not of Israel, all that were under nor their pedigree accurately ascer- twenty, and all that would naturally tained, which was a work that would be incapacitated from disease, old age, require a considerable time, at least as and other infirmities. It is to be obcompared with the collecting the poll- served, however, that there is nothing tax above mentioned. By their in the original corresponding to "able," polls. Heb. legulgelothâm, according which word might therefore more propto their skulls. This is equivalent to erly have been printed in italics.man or person. Thus Ex. 38:25, "A¶ Thou and Aaron shall number them bekah for every man." Heb. "A bekah | by their armies. Heb. tiphkedu othâm for a skull." From the same root letzibothâm, rendered by Ainsworth,

term was usually an accompaniment
of the capitation or census-taking. The
proper significance of pâkad, to visit,
has thus become extended so as to
cover a ground for which it was not
originally designed. The appropriate
term for numbering is sâphar, with
which p pâkad is not synonymous,
the two differing in the manner above
stated. The accessory has therefore,
in this instance, assumed the place of
the principal-a fact which it is de-
sirable for the reader to know. "To
inspect or visit the people," says Mr.
Bates (Heb. Lex. sub voce), "related
as well to their conduct, religious and
civil, as to their number, and at such
musters, lustrations, purifications, and
typical atonements were necessary."
See Ex. 30:12. When it is said, there-
fore, in the passage before us,
"Thou
and Aaron shall number them by their
armies," the import is not so strictly
that of numbering as of disposition and
arrangement; they were to be inspect-

ye shall muster them by their armies. | might be numbered. But the idea of The Heb. term (17pп tiphkedu), ren- | numbering has become attached to the dered in our version "number," does term because the inspection, survey, not primarily convey this idea. Re-ordering, and disposition implied in the course to lexicography will show that the leading sense of the word is to visit, either with a view to mercy and blessing, or to punishment, and hence to inspect, to survey, to loak after, to oversee, to preside, general ideas which include also, from the force of the Hiphil or causative form, the import of giving in | charge, appointing over, ordering, disposing, and commanding. In the use of the terms visit and visitor as applied to a class of men constituting a board of revision and superintendence in connection with universities and other incorporated institutions, whose duty it is to mark defects, to rectify wrongs, and to enforce statutes, we find an illustration of the extended meaning which this term bears in the sacred writings. The following examples will throw light upon the usage. Gen. 21: 1, "The Lord visited Sarah, and did unto Sarah as he had spoken." Gen. 39:4, And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had heed and marshalled, and set in proper put into his hand." Lev. 26: 16, "I will appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague." Num. 3: 10, "Thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons," i. e. give them their charge; and so very often for appointing, intrusting, and giving charge and power to look after. Ex. 20:5," Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children." The overseer or visitor is clothed with power to punish or animadvert upon offenders, in which sense the word often occurs. It is found also in the sense of mustering or numbering, as in the chapter before us, but this is merely an incidental sense, for it does not strictly signify to number, although at the muster or review the people

array. We are happy to be confirmed in the above interpretation by the remarks of a valuable writer of the 17th century (Robert Gell), whose work, en titled "An Essay towards the Amendment of the last English Translation of the Bible," has come into our hand since the above was written. "They render pâkad, to number, which though it so signifies, yet in the business of this and the next chapter, it is a word too general, and is more properly to be termed to visit, or rather to muster; as the Latin phrase imports, "exercitum lustrare," "facere militum recognitionem." So "armilustrum" signifies mustering, a viewing of harness, weapons, and soldiers. For they who mus

ter their forces do not only take account | your eyes on high, and behold, who how many their soldiers are, and so hath created these things, that bringnumber them, but they also take notice eth out their host by number." So also and inquire how able, how well appoint- Ps. 147: 4, "He telleth the number of ed, how well furnished they are for the stars, he calleth them all by their war. Besides, the Scripture through- names." That by numbering in these out this and the next chapter useth di- passages is signified to ordain, order, verse words, as mispar for number, and or arrange, is evident from the fact that pakad for visiting or mustering. So it is spoken of the Most High, who does that the translation confounds those acts not in reality number or name armies which the Spirit of God distinguish- or stars, but inspects, orders, arranges, eth." To this he adds that the muster and disposes the things represented by prescribed involved the idea of inspec- them, which are of course things pertion as to sex, age, pedigree, etc., and taining to the kingdom of heaven and as the design of this was to cull out the church. As this is the high prethe choice, the flower of the host, the rogative of Jehovah himself, who alone most hale, vigorous, and valiant, or the is competent to the task, we may gather truly "excellent ones," therefore the from this source, perhaps, the true term visiting or numbering is applied grounds of the reason why David's conto them; for that "such are highly es- duct in numbering the people was teemed, loved, cared for, numbered, ap- viewed by the Lord in so heinous a pears from the contrary; as it is said light. As the people of Israel representof persons despicable and contemned, ed typically the church, and as it is the extra numerum esse; nullo numero province of the Lord alone to order the esse; nullius esse numeri-military internal conditions and interests of the phrases implying such as are of no church, therefore any measure which reckoning, no account, who stand for by its representative significancy would ciphers. But the Lord's soldiers are imply that man was invested with that all numbered, visited, mustered." That power involved a high degree of prethere is an ulterior purport in this, sumption, and therefore called for punwould appear from the usage of the ishment. Such was the character of term in the following passage: Luke David's conduct in the transaction re12:7, "Even the very hairs of your ferred to. He took it upon him to do head are all numbered." The idea here that which in its true bearings implied is not precisely that of numbering, an invasion of the divine prerogative. which would of course be useless to Hence its enormity. We may farther Omniscience, but of the minutest in- observe upon this subject of numberspection, of the most intimate provi- ing, that while it evidently has no spedential cognizance, a knowledge ac- cial moral character when viewed in companied with the most watchful and itself, yet it is occasionally introduced tender care. Is. 13:4, "The Lord of in such connections as to compel us to hosts mustereth (Heb. mepakked) the seek some sense beyond that of the host of the battle." The battle here is simple letter. Thus for example, Ps. spiritual, for the Lord wages no other, 90:12, "So teach us to number our and mustering the host is arranging, days, that we may apply our hearts ordering, and arraying the internal unto wisdom." As man is ignorant of states and principles of those who com- the number of his days on earth, Ps. pose it. Again, Is. 40: 26, "Lift up 71:15, as "the number of his years is

hidden," not to the " oppressor" only, I be carried over, as we may say, to the more adequate and substantial subject of the Lord's church under the New Testament. Thus, for instance, the promises in regard to the excessive multiplication of the seed of Abraham cannot be regarded as having been fulfilled in the literal history of that people. Gen. 13:16, "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered." Gen. 15:5, "And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be." Num. 23:10, "Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part thereof?" This language can only be considered as holding good of the spiritual and not of the natural Israel. They became indeed a populous nation, but the expressions cited above far transcend the actuality of their literal increase. It is in the Christian church only that they receive a complete fulfilment. The same remark may be made in regard to the perpetuity of David's throne. 2 Sam. 7:10, "Thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever." Comp. Ps. 89: 36, 37. Luke 1:33. We are compelled to have recourse to an ulterior meaning in order to satisfy the demands of these texts. In giving, therefore, a similar scope to the word number in this connection, we consider ourselves warranted by the principle above stated, and which has ever been considered sound by the great mass of Christian expositors. of this principle is in our view a most injudicious and dangerous concession to the spirit of German rationalism, which would fain eliminate from the Word of God every divine element.

but to all other men, it is evident that a man can "number his days" only by ordering and regulating the states of his life from one day to another in such a manner as to meet the demands of true wisdom. Is. 88: 10, "I said, in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave; I am deprived of the residue of my years (Heb. pikkadti, I am numbered as to the residue of my years)." That is, the term of my existence is ordered and arranged, and in the divine counsels brought to a completion. Dan. 5:25, 26, "And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom;" i. e. hath brought to an end, hath finished, thy kingdom, after accurately exploring, weighing, and estimating its quality. And so elsewhere. From the whole, then, we gather that the numbering here commanded to Moses and Aaron has respect rather to the visitation, inspection, and orderly arrangement implied in the more genuine import of the term, and that in its typical bearings it refers to that inner process which causes the church to "shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners," in which last expression we are probably to recognize an allusion to the appearance of the hosts of Israel when marshalled in the order described in this and the following chapters. The principle we regard as sound that the nation of Israel sustained a typical relation to the church of after times-the relation, as it were, of a shadow to a substanceand that consequently it is no matter of surprise if we occasionally meet with terms which, though applied in the first instance to the Israelitish economy, yet have not their meaning exhausted in that application, and are therefore to

The giving up

7 Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Gideoni. son of Amminadab.

₫ ch. 2. 10, etc. ch. 7. of Ammishaddai.