the east side unto the west side, a from the east side even unto the portion for Asher. west side, a portion for Naphtali. 3 And by the border of Asher, the west." He (Dan, about to be named) shall have the east and west sides. The portion shall extend along the whole line, east and west. 4 And by the border of Naphtali, a portion for Dan] Lit. "Dan one." The same is repeated for each tribe, the usual mode in Hebrew of expressing distribution, and implying equality in the portions. PLAN V. (B). THE LAND OF ISRAEL. The from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh. 5 And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim. 6 And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben. 7 And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah. 8 ¶ And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the breadth of the portions is not given, but since we have the exact breadth (about 42 statute=30 geog. miles) of the oblation, and know that seven tribes were between the entrance of Hamath and the oblation, we ascertain that the breadth of one portion was about 17 geog. miles. The breadth of the Levites' portion and of the priests' portion was in each case about 15 geog. miles. If we apply this to the five tribes south of the oblation, we find that it brings us very nearly to Ain-elWeibeh for the southern border, thus: Entrance of Hamath, N. Lat....... 34° 20′ (see note on xlvii. 15) Jerusalem... 31° 47' east side unto the west side and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it. 9 The oblation that ye shall offer unto the LORD shall be of five and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth. 10 And for them, even for the priests, shall be this holy oblation; toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south five and twenty thousand in length and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst thereof. length of the oblation by no means corresponds so nicely (see note on xlvii. 18). Here as elsewhere the general lines of existing features are followed with considerable fidelity, but accommodation is made to give the required symbolical expression. Dan had originally an allotment west of Benjamin, but having colonized and given its name to Laish in the north, was regarded as the most northern occupant of Canaan (Judg. xviii. 29). Asher, Naphtali, and Half Manasseh take their natural position as northern tribes. Zebulun and Issachar are removed to the south to make room for the second half of Manasseb brought over from the east of Jordan. Ephraim retains its position, and Reuben brought over from the east is placed between 153 geog. Ephraim and Judah. Benjamin comes immediately south of the city. Simeon retains its southern place, and Gad is brought over from the east to the extreme south. 32 miles 8. the offering] See xlv. 6. in length as one of the other parts] Length is throughout measured from W. to E. as breadth from N. to S. The offering here includes all the land given to priests, Levites, city, and prince. In Hebrew it is still (therumah) the same as oblation, but the different parts are distinguished, (1) vv. 9-12, the oblation proper (the priests' portion); (2) vv. 13, 14, the Levites' portion; (3) vv. 15—20, the city and its suburbs; and (4) vv. 21, 22, the residue, the prince's portion. All these together are to extend from W. to E. in the same way as the portions of the other tribes, the imaginary Jordan being the eastern boundary of all. 10. toward the north...toward the east, &c.] here does not mean that the measurements are northward, eastward, &c., but along the north and east sides, &c. I Or, The sanctified portion shall be for the priests. 10r, ward, or, ordinance. 11 It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok; which have kept my 'charge, which went not astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray. 12 And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites. 13 And over against the border of the priests the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth : all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand. 14 And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto the LORD. 15¶ And the five thousand, that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city, for dwelling, and for suburbs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof. 16 And these shall be the measures thereof; the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hun dred. 17 And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward 15. the five thousand, that are left in the breadth] The remainder of the great square of 25,000 reeds from N. to S. profane] For common use, as distinguished from that which is holy unto the Lord; so xlii. 20. 17. The city being 4500 reeds square, leaves 250 reeds north, 250 south for suburbs; the like are marked off on the east and west from the city land. 19. out of all the tribes of Israel] Of old the city belonged to Benjamin and Judah, and its inhabitants were mainly from these tribes. Now all the tribes are to have equal part in it, to avoid such jealousies as in 2 S. xix. 43. the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty. 18 And the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city. 19 And they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel. 20 All the oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand ye shall offer the holy oblation foursquare, with the possession of the city. 21 ¶ And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over against the portions for the prince: and it shall be the holy oblation; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof. 22 Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince's, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince. 21. This verse is somewhat obscured by the punctuation in our Authorized Version. It should stand thus:-And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other side of the holy oblation and of the possession of the city, over against the 25,000 of the oblation toward the east border, and westborder, over against the portions [of Judah and ward over against the 25,000 toward the west Benjamin, between which the oblation was included], shall be for the prince; and it shall be that the holy oblation and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof. This exactly describes the position of the prince's allotments on the borders of the obla tion. 23 As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the west side, home Benjamin shall have a portion. miah 24 And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion. 25 And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion. 26 And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion. 27 And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion. 28 And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea. 29 This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord GOD. 30 ¶ And these are the goings 30, 31. Comp. Jer. xxxi. 38. 30. the goings out of the city are the gates to be described in v. 31. measures (reeds) concern the sides. It would be better to divide the verses thus (leaving out shall be in v. 31):— 30. And these are the goings out of the city. 31. On the north side 4500 measures: and the gates of the city after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward. Comp. Rev. xxi. 12. 35. The circuit of the city walls, a square of 4500 reeds, was 18000 reeds, not quite 37 English miles. The circuit of Jerusalem in the time of Josephus was reckoned by him to be 33 stadia, or about four miles. This manner of expressing a spiritual meaning by giving a name to a city, a people, or the like, is familiar to the prophets. See above on xliii. 15. Jerome well explains it:-"The name of the city shall be no longer Jerusalem (the vision of peace), but Adonai-shama (the Lord is there), because Jehovah will never again withdraw out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred mea sures. 31 And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. 32 And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. 33 And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. 34 At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. 35 It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Heb. LORD is there. t Jehovahshammah. from it, as He once withdrew, but will hold it as His everlasting possession." Comp. Isai. lxii. 12 and Jer. xxxiii. 16. The promise that God should dwell with His people had been represented in the tabernacle and in the temple, where the visible presence of God's glory reminded them of this truth. Now the glory had departed, and should not indeed return in the same form. And yet Ezekiel in visions of God sees a temple reconstructed to receive the glory of the Divine Presence, a prophetic vision fulfilled in Emmanuel (God with us), who tabernacled among men (John i. 14). St Paul sets forth this great truth in his exposition of the call of the Gentiles, Rom. ix. 25, and St John, following the figure, predicts its complete fulfilment in the New Jerusalem, the symbol of heaven: And I Jom saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God, out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God, Rev. xxi. 2, 3. VOL. VI. i. The Life and Times of Daniel. DANI ANIEL (on the name, see i. 6), a youth of considerable promise and of great personal beauty, was taken captive to Babylon in the third year of Jehoiakim, king of Judah (i. 1). This was the beginning of that new stage in the history of God's chosen people, known as the Captivity. With this history is inseparably connected the name of king Nebuchadnezzar the famous son of Nabopolassar (B.C. 625–604), the true founder of the Chaldæan-Babylonian power. It was in B.C. 607 that Nabopolassar-old, enfeebled, and unable personally to conduct a proposed expedition against the Egyptian monarch Necho-associated with himself his son Nebuchadnezzar; and this prince, already well known for his military skill as well as intellectual power, reigned conjointly with his father during the next three years. His summary defeat of Necho 1 Everything contributed by the late Archdeacon Rose, and available for the purpose of this Commentary, is printed between inverted commas; and is either directly assigned to him or is closed with [R]. It is to be deeply regretted (c) Historical statements iv. Philology of the book of Daniel Conclusion 223 223 225 226 226 230 is recorded in 2 Kings xxiv. 7; Jer. xlvi. 2. Nebuchadnezzar advanced to Jerusalem and drove his enemy beyond "the river of Egypt." Jehoiakim submitted to the conqueror, and was permitted to retain his throne as a vassalprince. The practice of transplanting the people of a conquered country-so largely practised since the days of Tiglath-Pileser (d. B. C. 727) by Assyrian and Babylonian monarchs successively -was carried out, on this occasion, on a somewhat eclectic principle. "Certain of the children of Israel," &c. (i. 3) were selected with special regard to their fitness for service in the royal court. Daniel and his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were among them. From early youth to extreme old age, the future prophet lived at the Babylonian and Medo-Persian court. When the proclamation which gave freedom to his fellow-countrymen was issued by Cyrus, and the mourners by the waters of that the long illness which terminated fatally made it necessary for him to suspend all work on his labour of love, and to leave his MSS. in a most incomplete state. |