Lange Commentary - Numbers 15:1

Lange Commentary - Numbers 15:1 - 15:31

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Lange Commentary - Numbers 15:1 - 15:31

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THIRD DIVISION

KADESH (Deu_1:19; Num_20:1; Num_27:14). THE SETTLEMENT IN KADESH AFTER THE DEFEAT. THE OBSCURE THIRTY-EIGHT (FORTY) YEARS

Num_15:1 to Num_20:13

General Remarks on the Sojourn of Israel in Kadesh

Quite in accordance with writing the history of the Theocracy, the account passes over the forty years without giving us any particular account of them, but makes prominent here also only the ingredients that were important to the development of the Theocracy. The first thing of moment is further legislation in reference to sacrifices, in which there plainly crops out an intimation that sacrifices were suspended during the stay in the wilderness. The second is a definite distinction between sins of infirmity and sins of rebellion, an example which led to a severer enforcement of the Sabbath law, and a symbolic enforcement of the legal ordinances in general (Numbers 15). Opposed to the enforcement of legal prescriptions appears the rebellion of spiritualism, the idea of the typical universal priesthood asserting itself in a fanatical way, supported by pretensions of the rights of the first-born and of birth-right (Numbers 16). In spite of the judicial penalty, the mutinous adhesion to the fanatics that had been destroyed continues, as similar instances of idolizing often recur in ancient and modern history (Chiliasm, Popery, Legitimism, Buonapartism, etc.), and only a new judgment, expiated by a mediation of the ordained priesthood, barely restores the consideration of the latter (Num_17:1-13). This restoration is completed by the mysterious history of the blooming of Aaron’s rod (Num_17:10-13). Then follows a new confirmation of the rights of the priesthood, founded on its duties, and a further explanation of the relation between priests and Levites (Numbers 18). The mighty reign of death in these storms of judgment made necessary a new institution of a simple and universal purification from the uncleanness resulting from contact with dead bodies. This is introduced as sprinkling with holy water, made holy by the ashes of the red heifer (Num_19:1-22). The last event of this division no doubt belongs chronologically to the earlier period of the stay in Kadesh, viz., the failure of Moses at the water of strife (Num_20:1-13). But the narrator seems to have put the history in this place because he would connect together the deaths of the elect trio, the two brothers and their sister. Miriam dies at Kadesh (Num_20:1); Moses along with Aaron receives at Kadesh the notification that he must die before the entrance into Canaan (Num_15:12), and Aaron dies a little while after the departure on the new journey (Num_15:24).

Kurtz draws a picture of the condition of Israel in this interim of the thirty-eight years that by no means agrees with the facts communicated here (History of the Old Covenant, II., § 42). He uses the title “The period of the thirty-seven years’ ban.” But it has already been remarked that there can be no propriety in calling this period a thirty-seven years’ ban, seeing that unquestionably the legislation of Jehovah continued on during this interim, and that, moreover, the reproach of idolatry that Amos makes against ancient Israel (Amo_5:25 sqq.) does not suit a period when spiritualism flourished even to fanaticism (see also Amo_2:10-11). Beside, how could a people under a ban be fed with manna from heaven? It is true that Kurtz goes on to restrict the idea of a ban; the rejected generation was only excluded from the possession of the land of Canaan. But on the other hand the polemic of Kurtz [ibid. ii. § 41] is effective against the conjectures of Hitzig and Goethe about Israel’s abode in the wilderness. Kurtz also shows that he thinks there is an excess of literal interpretation by what he says in regard to Deu_8:4; comp. Num_29:5; Neh_9:21 [ibid. § 43]: “A whole series of both Jewish and Christian commentators interpret these passages without the least hesitation as meaning that the clothes and shoes of the Israelitish children grew with their growth, and remained for the whole of the forty years not in the least the worse for the wear.” See that author’s discussions of this monstrous literalness, which was shared by Justin Martyr; and also his comments on Eze_20:10-26; Amo_5:25-27.

FIRST SECTION

An ordinance about the future performance of sacrifices. An indirect promise of Canaan and at the same time an indirect postponement of sacrifice

Num_15:1-31

¹And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you, ³And will make an offering by fire unto the Lord, a burnt-offering, or a sacrifice in performing a vow, or in a freewill offering, or in your solemn feasts, to make a sweet savour unto the Lord, of the herd, or of the flock: ⁴Then shall he that offereth his offering unto the Lord bring a meat offering of a tenth deal of flour, mingled with the fourth part of a hin of oil. ⁵And the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering shalt thou prepare with the burnt offering or ⁶sacrifice, for one lamb. Or for ^da ram, thou shalt prepare for a ^ameat offering two ⁷tenth deals of flour, mingled with the third part of a hin of oil. And for ^da drink offering thou shalt offer the third part of a hin of wine, for a sweet savour unto the Lord. ⁸And when thou preparest a bullock for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice in ¹performing a vow, or peace offerings unto the Lord; ⁹Then shall he bring with ^da bullock a ^cmeat offering of three tenth deals of flour, mingled with half a hin of oil. ¹⁰And thou shalt bring for ^da drink offering half a hin of wine, for an ^aoffering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. ¹¹Thus shall it be done for ^fone bullock, or for ^fone ram, or for a lamb, or a kid. ¹²According to the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one according to their number. ¹³All that are born of the country shall do these things after this manner, in offering an ^aoffering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. ¹⁴And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an ^aoffering made by ¹⁵fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord; as ye do, so he shall do. One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. ¹⁶One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.

¹⁷And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁸Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you, ¹⁹Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up a heave offering unto the Lord. ²⁰Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for a heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it. ²¹Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the Lord a heave offering in your generations.

²²And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the ²³Lord hath spoken unto Moses, Even all that the Lord hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the Lord commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations; ²⁴Then it shall be, if aught be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour unto the Lord, with his ^cmeat offering, and his drink offering, according to the ³manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering. ²⁵And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, ^aa sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their ignorance: ²⁶And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance.

²⁷And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. ²⁸And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the Lord, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. ²⁹Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth ^pthrough ignorance, both for him that is ^gborn among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.

³⁰But the soul that doeth aught presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. ³¹Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.

TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL

[Num_15:15. äַ÷ָּäָì is the nominative absolute. “As for the assembly.” Comp. äָàֶæְøָä , Num_15:29. “The LXX. and Sam. connect ä÷äì with what precedes: ‘as ye do so shall the assembly do,’ on which Rosenmueller properly remarks that it presents a hardly intelligible sense.” Maurer—Tr.]

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

1. Keil remarks with justice in loc. that this modification of the former laws of offerings was designed, in these sad and dreary times, to inspire hope in the new generation which was growing up, and to turn their attention to the promised land. At the same time this modification of the law is plainly a postponement of the developed sacrificial service to the time of the settlement in Canaan. The people could not indeed come by the materials for meat and drink-offerings before they came into the land of Canaan; the heave-offering of the first of the bread pre-supposes a harvest in Canaan. In part the bloody offerings themselves were conditioned by such bloodless adjuncts. Knobel, after his manner, draws the conclusion, that the passage infers, that the entrance into Canaan is now near at hand!

2. First Ordinance. Meat and Drink-offerings, Num_15:3-16. The reference here can only be to the two classes of burnt-offerings and sacrifices or peace-offerings, and not to sin-offerings and trespass-offerings, since these were not amended. In contrast with these, as blood-sacrifices, our two varieties are called fire-offerings. The sacrifices separate into their three sub-divisions: the votive offering or offering in time of need; the free-will offering or offering in time of prosperity; and the festal or praise and thank-offering. The quantity of the meal and drink-offering (see on Exod., p. 124 sq.) is increased according to the value of the victim, a lamb or kid, a ram, or a young bullock; likewise according to the number of the victims. The same law applies to strangers uniting in the offerings, both as regards the offerings and the assembling with the congregation, presupposing that they are theocratic strangers. They must join in the celebration of Pentecost, as well as of Easter. The more general regulations on the meal-offering are given in Leviticus.

3. Second Ordinance. The Offering of the Dough and Groats of the New Bread (Num_15:18-21). A cake of coarse meal is to be brought (v. Eze_44:30; Neh_10:38). Thus too is the harvest-offering a three-fold one: (1) the first sheaf (Lev_23:11); (2) the first dough, made into a cake, according to the present passage; (3) the first bread (Leviticus 23.). No form of harvest blessing shall be enjoyed until a thank-offering has been made from it.

4. Third Ordinance. Of the Sin-Offering (Num_15:22-29). This supplements Lev_4:13-21. In that place, however, it is sins of commission which are considered; here it is sins of omission. The section distinguishes the sins of omission on the part of the whole congregation and those of single individuals. Under the first, cannot be intended apostacies of the whole congregation—that needed to be expiated in an entirely different manner; but the gradually developing distempers of unconscious prostration, or also inflammation, the unconscious falling away from the standard of the Law. The fault is denoted as pardonable by the very circumstance, that, after the beginning of better knowledge, a burnt and meal-offering were to be first presented, and not till then a sin-offering, and that the burnt-offering should consist of a bullock, while the sin-offering was to be only a he-goat. According to Knobel and Keil, indeed, the sin-offering was in this case also to precede. The burnt-offering, says Keil, is as usual mentioned before the chief offering. But this is by no means the case: in Lev_15:15; Lev_15:30, the sin-offering is mentioned first, and then the burnt-offering; in Lev_12:6, on the contrary, the burnt-offering is spoken of first, and afterwards the sin-offering; in Lev_16:25, also the burnt-offering is kindled before the sin-offering. Two classes seem to be distinguished here. Between the uncleanness of a pregnant woman and that of the leper, there was also a difference. It is really at first immediately the burnt-offering which is purified, which the people in their ignorance have brought, and thereby mediately the people also. It was as if e.g. a Christian Church, after thus coming to a better mind, were to appoint a fast day over and above their previous sermons. We cannot in any case accept the notion of Keil, that the sin-offerings must in all cases precede because a separation had occurred between the congregation and the Lord. What then does the Catechism of the New Testament teach of pardonable sins embraced in the universal pardon? With this we commend the above distinction to further investigation. The stranger also is included in the forgiveness which was to be attained, whether he have had a particular part in the error or not. Concerning the relation of these offences to the outward ritual as explained by Maimonides, or their explanation by the conduct of the people under bad kings, that Outram suggests, see Keil, in loc., footnote. Within the limits of the aberrations under consideration, however, unconscious deviations must be distinguished from conscious defection. From a single soul only a she-goat is required for a sin-offering; for the Law does not impose any involuntary burnt-offerings upon individuals, except in the case of reception back into the congregation.

5. Fourth Ordinance. The Conscious Sin of Obstinacy toward Jehovah, or, the Sin with Uplifted Hand (Num_15:30-31). The antithesis to the foregoing section. Only sins from error ( áִּùְׁâָâָä ) can be expiated by sin-offerings [vid.Lev_4:2); but not the sin ( áְּéָã øָîָä ) with uplifted hand. Says Keil: “With a high hand, so that he therewith, as it were, lifts up his hand against Jehovah, acts in open rebellion against Him.” The consciously wicked man, as it were, shakes his fist at Heaven, the throne of God. Their iniquity be upon them! That is, they are curse-offerings devoted to death (see Gen_17:14). The succeeding story immediately serves for illustration; and on that account probably it is placed in connection with this ordinance.

Footnotes:

a fire sacrifice.

Heb. separating.

oblation.

meal-offering.

the.

for the.

each.

home-born.

As regards the assembly, let there be one statute for you and for the stranger.

Or ordinances.

shall err and not observe.

And.

Heb. from the eyes.

he-goat.

was an error.

error.

for it happened to all the people through error.

erreth.

through error.

Heb. doth.

Heb. with an high hand.

home-born.

blasphemes.