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The command of a large army in the British service 4. Colonels, lieutenant-colonels, and majors; 3 officers is thus divided :

1. The commander-in-chief.

belonging to each regiment in the service, and

are solely employed in the disciplining and commanding the men; these are mounted on horseback, and termed field-officers.

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1 Captain

2 Lieutenants 7. 1 Ensign

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6.

2. Lieutenant-generals, who command divisions of the
-army (these divisions consist of 2 or 3 brigades
each, which, on an average, amount to 5,000 men.) 5.
3. Major-generals, who command brigades: (these bri-
gades consist of from 2 to 3,000 men [2,500 is
perhaps the average] according to the strength.
of the respective regiments of which the brigade
is composed.)

4. Colonels in the army, or lieutenant-colonels, who
command single regiments; they are assisted in
the command of these regiments by the majors
of the regiments. [I mention the major, that
there may be no break in the descending scale
of gradation of ranks, as in the event of the ab-
sence of the above two officers, he is the next in
command.]

to each company.

Ascending scale of ranks which every officer must pass through.

Ensign,
Lieutenant,
Captain,
Major,

Lieutenant-colonel,
Colonel,

to every regiment.

Major-general, brigade-commander.
Lieutenant-general, division-commander.
General-in-chief, who commands the whole army.
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The generations of Aaron and Moses, 1-4. The tribe of Levi to minister to the Lord under Aaron and his sons, 5-10. They are taken in the place of the first-born, 11-13, Moses is commanded to number them, 14-16. Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the names of the three heads of families of the Levites, 17. Of Gershon and his family, 18-21. Their number, 7,500, ver. 22. Their place behind the tabernacle, westward, 23. Their chief, Eliasaph, 24... Their charge, 25, 26. Of Kohath and his family, 27. Their number, 8,600, ver. 28. Their place, beside the tabernacle, southward, 29. Their chief, Elizaphan, 30. Their charge, 31. The chief of the Levites, Eleazar, son of Aaron, 32. Of Merari and his family, 33, Their number, 6,200, ver. 34. Their chief, Zuriel, they shall pitch beside the tabernacle, northward, 35. Their charge, 35-37. Moses and AARON to encamp before the tabernacle, eastward, 38. The amount of all the males among the Levites from a month old and upwards, 22,000, ver. 39, Moses is commanded to number the first-born, 40; and to take the Levites and their cattle, instead of the first-born of man and beast among the Israelites, 41. Moses numbers the first-born, who amount to 22,273, ver. 43. the first-born were 273 more than the Levites, Moses is commanded to take from the people five shekels apiece for them, 44-47, which is to be given to Aaron and his sons, 48.. Moses does accordingly, and finds the amount of the money to be 1,365 shekels, 49, 50, which is given to Aaron and his sons, 51.. THESE also are the genera- spake with Moses in Mount tions of Aaron and Moses Sinai. in the day that the LORD

A, M. 2514.

B. C. 1490. An. Exod. Isr. 2. Ijar or Zif.

NOTES ON CHAP. III.
Verse 1. The generations of Aaron and Moses]
Though Aaron and Moses are both mentioned here,
yet the family of Aaron alone appears in the list;

2 And these are the names of

A. M. 2514:

As

B. C. 1490. An. Exod.Isr. 2. ljar or Zif.

hence some have thought that the word Moses was not originally in the text. Others think that the words ninna veelleh toledoth, these are the generations, should be rendered, these are the acts, or transactions,

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5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 6 Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.

7 And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.

a Exod. vi. 23.— Exod. xxviii. 41; whose hand he filled.- d Lev. x. 1; xxiv. 2. e Chap. viii. 6; xviii. 2. 11, 15, 24, 264

Lev: viii.- c Hebrew chap. xxvi. 61; 1 Chron. See chap. i. 50; viii.

under Aaron and his sons,

A. M. 2514.
B. C. 1490.

8 And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of An. Exod. Isr. 2. Ijar or Zif. the congregation, and the charge

of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.

9 And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.

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10 And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, hand they shall wait on their priest's office and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

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1.1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the first-born that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine:

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13 Because all the first-born are mine : for on the day that I smote all the first-born

Chap. viii. 19; xviii. 6. h Chap. xviii. 7.- Verse 38; chap. i. 51; xvi. 40.- Verse 41; chapter viii. 16; xviii. 6. Exod. xiii. 2; Lev.xxvii. 26; chapter viii. 16; Luke ii. 23. m Exod. xiii. 12, 15, chap. viii. 17.

itself and all its contents: see all described, ver. 25, 26, 31, 36, 37. The Levites were to perform the most common and laborious offices. It was their business to take down, put up, and carry, the tabernacle and its utensils; for it was the object of their peculiar care. In a word, they were the servants of the priests.

Verse 10. Aaron and his sons-shall wait on their priest's office] It was the business of the priests to offer the different sacrifices to God; to consecrate the shewbread, pour out the libations, burn the incense, sprinkle the blood of the victims, and bless the people. `In a word, they were the servants of God alone.

or the history of the lives, as the same phrase may be understood in Gen. ii. 4; vi. 9. However this may be, it is evident that in this genealogy the family of Aaron are alone mentioned, probably because these belonged to the priesthood. Moses passes by his own family, or immediate descendants; he gave no rank or privilege to them during his life, and left nothing to them at his death. They became incorporated with the Levites, from or amongst whom they are never distinguished. What a strong proof is this of the celestial origin of his religion! Had it been of man, it must have had the gratification of some impure passion for its object; lust, ambition, or avarice: but none of these ever appear during the whole of his administration amongst the Israelites, though he had it constantly in his power to have gratified each. What an essential difference between the religion of the Pen-born were dedicated to God in commemoration of his tateuch and that of the Koran! The former is God's slaying the first-born of the Egyptians, and preserving workmanship; the latter is a motley mixture of all those of the Israelites. Even the cattle of the Levites bad crafts, with here and there a portion of heavenly were taken in place of the first-born of the cattle of the fire, stolen from the Divine altar in the Old and New rest of the tribes. See ver. 45.. Testaments, to give some vitality to the otherwise inert mass.

Verse 4. Nadab and Abihu died] See the notes on Lev. chap. x.

Verse 6. Bring the tribe of Levi near] The original word hakreb is properly a sacrificial word, and signifies the presenting of a sacrifice or offering to the Lord. As an offering, the tribe of Levi was given up entirely to the service of the sanctuary, to be no longer their own, but the Lord's property.

Verse 7. The charge of the whole congregation] They shall work for the whole congregation; and instead of the first-born.

Verse 8. All the instruments] The tabernacle

Verse 12. I have taken the Levites-instead of all the first-born] The Levites are taken for the service of the sanctuary in place of the first-born. The first

Several reasons have been assigned why God should give this honour to the tribe of Levi in preference to all the others, but they do not seem to me to be conclusive. Their zeal in destroying those who had corrupted the worship of God in the business of the golden calf, Exod. xxxii. 28, has been thought a sufficient reason. A better reason is, that this was the smallest tribe, and they were quite enough for the service. To have had a more numerous tribe at this time would have been very inconvenient.

Aaron, says Mr. Ainsworth, being in his priesthood a type of Christ, all these rites are fulfilled in him. For unto Christ God gave children, Heb. ii. 13. And they are a congregation of first-born, whose names

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in the land of Egypt, I hallowed unto me all the first-born in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be I am the LORD.

14 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

Levitical families.

24 And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.

A. M. 2514.
B. C. 1490.

An. Exod. Isr. 2.
Ijar or Zif.

25 And " the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be 15 Number the children of Levi after the the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering. house of their fathers, by their families: thereof, and the hanging for the door of the n every male, from a month old and upward, tabernacle of the congregation, shalt thou number them.

16 And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was com-manded.

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26 And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof. 27 And of Kohath was the family of the

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17 P And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Me-Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, rari. and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.

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18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; a Libni, and Shimei.

28 In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.

19 And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the famiThese are the fami- 29 The families of the sons of Kohath lies of the Levites, according to the house of shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle. their fathers. southward.:

21 Of Gershon was the family of the Lib-30 And the chief of the house of the father nites, and the family. of the Shimites: these of the families of the Kohathites shall be are the families of the Gershonites. Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.

31 And their charge shall be the ark, and

22 Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from as the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.

month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred.

23 The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.

Ver. 39; chap. xxvi. 62.11; Exod. vi. 16; chap. xxvi. 57; a Exod. vi. 17.- Exod. vi. 18. i. 53. Chap. iv. 24, 25, 26.

xxvi. 1.

o Heb. mouth. -P Gen. xlvi.
1 Chron. vi. 1. 16; xxiii. 6.
- Exod. vi. 19.- Chap.
- Exod.
Exod. xxv. 9.-

are written in heaven, Heb. xii. 23, being of God's own will begotten by the word of truth, that they should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures, James i. 18, to whom he also gives the first-fruits of his Spirit, Rom. viii. 23. These wait on and follow the Lamb, being first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb, Rev. xiv. | 4; and Christ hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, that we may serve him day and night in his temple, Rev. i: 6; vii. 15.

Verse 15. A month old and upward] The males of all the other tribes were numbered, from twenty years and upward; had the Levites been numbered in this way, they would not have been nearly equal in number to the first-born of the twelve tribes. Add to this, that as there must have been first-born of all ages in the other tribes, it was necessary that the Levites,

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32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites,

- Exod. xxvii. 9. 1 Chron. xxvi. 23. Exod. xxv. 10.— - Exod. Exod. xxvii. 1; xxx. 1.

* Exod. xxvi. 7, 14.- - Exod. xxvi. 36.-
a Exod. xxvii. 16.- b Exod. xxxv. 18.-
Chap. i. 53. Chap. iv. 15.-
xxv. ˆ23.- h Exod. xxv. 31.-
k Exod. xxvi. 32.

who were to be their substitutes, should be also of all
ages; and it appears to have been on this ground, at
least partly, that the Levites were numbered from four
weeks old and upward.

Verse 16. Moses numbered them] Though Moses and Aaron conjointly numbered the twelve tribes, yet "for as the money Moses alone numbered the Levites; with which the first-born of Israel, who exceeded the number of Levites, were redeemed, was to be paid to Aaron and his sons, ver. 48, it was decent that he, whose advantage it was that the number of the first-born of Israel should exceed, should not be authorized to take that number himself."-Dodd, from Bishop Kidder.

Verse 22. Seven thousand and five hundred] Perhaps originally resh, 200, instead of caph, 500: see the following note.

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