1g NUMBERS 111, 40 41 43 the prerogative to facrifice for the whole church, 1 Chron,z3. I 3. But Chrift our King and Pried after the order of Melchifedek , farre excelled/ him, Heb.7. and 8. chap. two and twenty thoufand.] This fùmme accordeth not with the tormer particulars ; for there were of Gerfhon, 7500. of Kohath,8600.of Merari,62oo.which make in all 22. thoufand and three hundred. But Aaron & the Priefis, as allo the firf -borne of the Levites, were the Lords after a peculiar manner, Exod.t 3.2. and therefore dedu &ed from the rest, which were all taken in Read of the fi tit-borne of Ifrael. So there were fo many thoufand Levites, as there are Hebrew letters : becaufe they were above others , to apply the Rudy of Gods Law, Dent. 33. 10. which becaufe they did not accor- ding to their duty, God fo difpofed that Ieboza- dal; the Pried, in the 22: generation after Aaron, was carried captive with thepeople intoBabylon, r Chron.6.3: -a 5. And here again Gods provi- dence appeareth, that the Levites iicreafe lhould be by juft thoufands, & the Prielts and find -borne of Levi, by hundreds: without any broken num- ber, filth as was among the find-borne oflfrael, verf. 43. See the notes on Numb. 1.25. Againe, whereas the lead of all the other tribes of Ifrael, from twenty yeeres old and upward,had 3 zoom and zoo. Numb. 1. v. 34 35.) and the greeted, 54000. and boo. (v. 27.) here the Levites which were counted front a month old and upward, were 22000. fo the Lords portion was the lead. Yea of there 22. thoufand,there were found but eight thoufandfive hundred and faurefrore, that were fit to doe fervice in theSanftuary, Numb.4. 47.48, fo fìnall was the number of thofe that ferved God in his minifterie,in comparifon with the campes of Ifrael. Verf.4o Mufier] or Number. month old] Hebr. fonneof a moneth. Verf.41. farme] or, unto me, as theChaldee ex- pounds it, thou (halt bring neerethe Leviter before me. every fir fi- borne] or, all the firfi- borne,which being appointed unto the Lords fervice, the Lord taketh the Levites to ferve hint in their Read. This was for the firfii -borne males of man and bead which the Ifraelites now had all the firfi -borne that came after this,were to be redee- med, or given to the Pried, Nuni.18.15. Sec the notes on verfe 12. 211d 13. Verf. 43. and f ven y and three] Gods fpeciall providence appeareth againe in this number of the fire-borne, that it fhould be fo nere unto the number of the Levites taken in their ftead:whom God deltinated front the womb unto his fervice, and made the fummes of them fo neere. A like `workeof God ib obferved by Moles in Dent. 32. 8. hoìv he had appointed the borders of the peo- ples, according to the member of the formes of Ifrael. And whereas fix hundred thoufand men & aloe (Numb. 1.46.) had but 22. thoufand and 273. firft -borne males in all their families, it appea- reth, that the far greater number of 'keels firf- borne were females, who by reafon of their fex were not fit to ferve God w his San &vary. Which figured the (mall numberof Godselet`t, among the many that are called, Matth. 22.14. Ront.9,6.7.8, For the cleft are fuch as doe fine God day and night in his Temple, Revel. 7.15. and are Priefs unto God,Rev.5.1 o. Vert 45. fhall be mine] which the Chaldee ex- plaineth, fhall minifler before me. Vert 46. tbofe that are to bee redeemed] Hebr. And the redeemed; or,as the Greeke tranflateth it And the redemptions (or ranfmes.) So after in verle 48.49.51. Here the overplus of the find -borne of man, is reckoned,and the femme of their ran- bottle, verfe 5o. but the overplus of cattle is not reckoned. Verf..47. fivefhekels a pew] Hebr. five five flie- (eh: which the Greeke tranflateth five fbekels by the bead. Thefe five fhekels (the price let here, and in Numb. r 8. r 6 ) was the value fet in Lev. 27.6. from a moneth old to five yeeres old ; and it was the lead of all the valuations : fo that God bur- dened the Ilraelites with the ranfbmes as little as might be. twenygerahs] Or, twenty pence ; the gerah was a peeve of lilver that weighed fix - teene barley graines ; fo the fhekel weighed three hundred and twenty graines; fee the notees on Exod.33o.13. Verf.48 the money] Hebr. the Elver : fo in verfe 49. 50 S t of the redeemed] underftand, the money of thole that are redeemed : or as the Greeke tranflateth , the redemptions of thole that are mee. Vert 50. Of the firfi -borne ] in Hebrew, Lecher theFirfi -borne is fingular, asfpokenof one ; but tranflated in Greeke plurally, as implying all. And this feemeth to be taken,, not of particular perlons (as, of them that were laid numbred, or any other)for fo the burden fltould have lien un- equally upon a few : but of the Church in gene- rall. Or, to cut off contention, it was done by lot; as R. Solomon Iarchi faith,he brought 2 a000. fcrolles or papers (according to the number of the Levites, verle i9.) and on every of them was written, Afaof Levi: and 273. papers, (accor- ding to the number of the Find-borne Ifraelites moe than the Levites, verfe 46.) and on every of themwas written,five fbekeü ; they mingled them and put them in a basket; then laid hee unto them, come draw your papers according toyour lot. Vert51. pf them that were redeemed] the Greek tranflateth , the filver, theranfotres of them that were overplau : this was given to Aaron, becaulè the Levites were given to him, vert g. and when Levites failed, this mÿny was in their dead; not thefirR-borne thetitfelves, but their ránfomes, for which the other Levites fupplied their place and fervice. This redeeming of men by Giver, forefhadowed a better redemption by Ghrif; as it is written, Tee Anon, thátyee were net redemedwith corruptible things, es filer and gold, &c. but with the . precious blood of Chrifl, a Pet.1.18. t 9. mar- cording to the mouth] that is , the word as the Chal- dee tranflateth; and the Greeke, by the voice of the Lord. Cara Y. 45 46 47 48 50 51
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