offering, of the bloodless offering, and of the sin-offering, and of the trespass-offering, and of the offering of consecration, and of the sacrifice of the thank-offering; 38. Which the Lord commanded Moses in mount the portion of Aaron and the portion of his sons from the offerings of the Lord made by fire" (17) "END, ver. 35) to the thank-offerings only (Keil a. o.); they manifestly include the share of the priests in all the offerings treated of, and form, therefore, a part of the general conclusion. It seems unquestionable that these final sentences were originally written for the code only after which they follow (ch. VI and VII); for the thank-offerings (D) are named last, as they indeed are explained last; whereas in the preceding code (ch. I-V) they stand before the expiatory offerings; and the revelation "from mount Sinai", marks this collection of laws as distinct from the preceding one which purports to have been conveyed to Moses “from the Tent of Meeting": yet when the two codes were arranged in the order which they occupy in the Book, that formula was understood, and meant to be understood, to include all the laws from the beginning of Leviticus (VII). (ver. 38) signifies plainly on mount Sinai (comp. Ex. XXXI. 18; XXXIV. 32; Gen. XXII. 14, etc.), not "in the vicinity of or in the mountainous region of Sinai (comp. Gen. XXXI. 23, 25; Exod. IV. 27; etc.); though it must in this latter sense be understood by those who attribute ch. I-VII to one author, or who, like the revisers of Leviticus, desire them to be so regarded (comp. Num. XXVIII. 6; see supra). (Num. XVIII. 8), from П in the sense of measuring, as it occurs in Chald., Syr., and Arab., means the measured or fixed portion, the appointed share (Saad. & portion). . Whether this word is designedly used because it recalls to the mind the anointment of the Aaronites (VIII. 12), and therefore the elevation (Onk.) of the priests who receive their revenues from the people as the king does as the anointed of God (Knobel), this we leave undecided, though either explanation appears rather artificial; but the translation anointment (Sept. xgious, Vulg. unctio, Luther Salbung, etc.) is unmeaning in our context, and requires forced interpretations and expansions to render it at all suitable, as the "rewards" and "privileges" of anointment, which fell to the lot of the priests on account of their being anointed (Sept. in Num. XVIII. 8 régas, Ebn Ezra, Rashb., Mendels. Salbungsrecht, Engl. Vers. the portion of the anointing; Vulg. pro officio sacerdotali, and so Luther in Num.).— or DO in on the day or at the time when he presented or anointed them (comp. Gen. II. 4; etc.; see Comm. on Gen. p. 44), not "on the eighth day after the anointment” (Wessely), on which the priests first received the sacrificial portions (VIII.31), nor even precisely on the first day of their anointment, when they acquired the right of demanding their revenues, and certainly not "from the day" (D1?, see on VI. 13). The translation of ver. 35) or) מִשְׁחָה 'to fill the hand, or to place into it the emblems of authority (see Comm. on Exod. p. 553), to strengthen it, to give it power, and therefore, to install Sinai, in the day that He commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations to the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai. into an office, and more specially the sacerdotal office (Exod. XXVIII. 41; XXIX. 9, 29, 33, 35; Lev. VIII. 33; XVI. 32; XXI. 10; Num. III. 3; Judg. XVII. 5, 12), different from D, literally, to fill one's own hand for somebody, to provide one-self with something for another, that is, to offer a present or to dedicate (1 Chr. XXIX. 5; 2 Chr. XXIX. 31; XIII. 9; Exod. XXXII. 29; see on VIII. 33-36); Dis, therefore, the act of installation (Exod. XXIX. 22, 26; Lev. VIII. 22, 29, 33) or the offering that attended the installation (Ex. XXIX. 34; Lev. VIII. 28, 31), and it refers here (ver. 37) undoubtedly to the bloodless offering presented by the High-priest on the day of his consecration, and described in the earlier part of this code (VI. 12—16). Its mention in this place does not therefore deserve the censure of Clericus, "perpetua haec est Hebraeorum veterum ἀμεθόδεια”. Το assert that it points back to Exod. XXIX. 29-31, or forward to ch. VIII, IX, as a means of connection or transition, is to betray a complete want of insight into the composition of Leviticus. It cannot be introduced here merely because it probably was "little different from the other, especially the expiatory sacrifices" (Ewald, Alterth. p. 73), which would impute to the author a blamable looseness of style. Michaelis (Typisch. Gottesgel. p. 60) strangely מלא את־יד Connects with the term the idea of punishment for sin, (“der Gedanke gab zu figürlichen Ausdrücken Anlass"); and Vatke (Theol. des A. T. I. 273) supposes that it originally referred to a bounty or present which the priest received, but that later the meaning was lost, and the act replaced by a symbol; however, there is no proof to support this conjecture. B. THE CONSECRATION OF THE SANCTUARY AND ITS UTENSILS, AND OF AARON AND HIS SONS AS PRIESTS. CHAPTERS VIII TO X. PRELIMINARY ESSAY. ON THE HEBREW PRIESTHOOD. I. SURVEY OF THE ORDINANCES OF THE PENTATEUCH WITH RESPECT TO THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES. In order to arrive at a distinct view of the origin and progress, the nature and value of the order and system of priesthood among the Hebrews, it appears expedient to commence with a plain and accurate sketch of the ordinances of the Pentateuch regarding the priests and Levites; then to attempt an impartial estimate of these laws and arrangements; next to prove how they varied and fluctuated within the compass of the Pentateuch itself; and then to proceed to the testimonies of history tending either to support or to disprove their existence; after which we shall be enabled to draw, at least in general outlines, a picture of the gradual growth of priestly and Levitical institutions among the Israelites. 1. It is not difficult to deduce the nature and character of the Hebrew priesthood from the statements of the Pentateuch. The definitions are so distinct and the allusions so unmistakeable, that they scarcely leave room for conjecture or hazardous combination. It is true that the etymology of the Hebrew term of priest (75) is doubtful; 'but at the time of 1 The most plausible derivation seems yet to be from the Arabic root which signifies to predict the hidden future, so that the noun means a soothsayer (Koran LII. 28; LXIX. 42), since the offices of priest and prophet were usually combined in early ages, and sacrifices were means of augury (p. 313); or it may be traceable to the same root in the sense of acting in the interest of others and promoting their objects, so that the substantive would signify interpreter, representative, since priests were regarded as the mouth-pieces of the deity. The meaning of ministering or serving, which has been attributed to the verb in Arabic (Giggejus, Lex. III. 1691), so that would be dánovos, administrator, official, servant (Buttmann, Lexil. p. 219; Movers, Chron. p. 301; Saalschütz, Mosaisch. Recht, I. 107, 108; comp. Talm. Bab. Bathr. 110a), or even prince or noble, even the oldest part of the Pentateuch, the etymological meaning, even if it were still preserved in the consciousness of the nation, was less considered than the notion with which the word had gradually been invested. Now when the priests were consecrated to their office, they are said to have been brought near (±pñ) God.1 It was their function to come near God (p), or to approach Him (3). They are, therefore, 2 3 They live and work * (קְרְבִים or * קָרוֹבִים ליהוה) those that are near God 6 in His presence, ready both to bring before Him the pious or penitent devotions of Israel, and to convey to the latter from Him peace and atonement. They preserve the purity of the Divine abode which is constantly defiled by the transgressions of the community. They receive, in particular, the flesh of the sin-offerings, in order "to remove the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord." They are appointed to fill up the vast chasm that separates the holiness of God from the sinfulness of His people. They "belong" because the had the right of ministering to the king, this meaning is more than questionable (Kamus, p. 1799); the word has in all passages often quoted in support of the latter meaning (2 Sam. VIII. 17, 18; XX. 25, 26; 1 Ki. II. 35; IV.2-6; 2 Ki. X. 11), the sense of priest, though the occurrence of the word in several of these texts has given serious offence from the earliest time (see infra Sect. IV. 10). With still less probability, some refer the word to کهن the verb ve to be near (Coccej. Lex. sub verb.; Schultens, Origg. Hebr. p. 228; Clavis p. 250; Vitringa, Comm. in Jes. II. p. 974; Venema ad Ps. XCIX. 6; Bähr, Symb. II. 15; Plumptre in Smith's Dict. of the Bible, H. 914), so that would be "those that are near God", as they are indeed described in the Old Testament ( or '); for this is not the primitive, but a much later meaning which was comp. Isai. LXI. 10; Öhler in Herzog's Real-Enc. XII. p. 174), or of ¡¡d or ina to bend, to incline oneself, a rite frequently performed in divine worship (Maurer), appear quite unacceptable, although Gesenius (Thes. p. 662) is disposed to adopt them; and Hupfeld (Psalmen, IV. 179) tries to support at least the former one by various modifications, interpreting both actively stator or apparitor, and passively constitutus and institutus, which double explanation proves sufficiently the questionable nature of either. On the later use of the word presbyter or priest, see Stanley, Lectures on the History of the Jewish Church, II. 405. 1 Lev. VII. 35; Num. XVI. 5; comp. Exod. XXVIII. 1. 2 Lev. XXI. 17; comp. Ezek. XLIV, 15, 16. ; comp. Ezek. XLIV. 13 הכהנים הנגשים ,22 .Exod. XIX 3 .(יגשו אלי לכהן לי) connected with the term at the time when the priesthood was fully developed (see infra). The derivations from to stand by or כון in the sense of כהן to assist (Hitzig on Isai. LXI. 10), or to perform (1), viz the sacrifices, like to (Ewald, Alterthümer, p. 272; ♦ Lev. X. 3; Ezek. XLII. 13; XLIII.19. 5 Ezek. XL. 46; XLV. 4; comp. Jerem. XXX. 21. 6 Lev. XVI. 16; Num. XIX. 13, 20. 7 Lev. X. 17; comp. Exod. XXVIII. 38; Num. VIII. 19; XVIII. 1. 8 to God, and to Him alone, for whose sake they must desert father and mother, and fight and suffer. They are His "servants" or ministers. 10 They have been "chosen" by Him, 11 not on account of their merit, but by a free act of His mercy. 12 Therefore, whoever opposes them, is guilty of revolt against the majesty of God. 13 No other or "stranger" () is permitted, under penalty of death, to perform the priests' functions. 14 Hence their chief characteristic must be holiness, since they were elected to be perpetually near the Holy One and to serve Him; 15 they were singled out from the rest of their brethren "to be sanctified as most holy". 16 To hallow and to install as priests are used as correlative terms. 17 By neglecting what contributes to their sanctity they profane the holiness of God; 18 and the High-priest is himself "the holy one of the Lord". 19 Thus "to bring near God" means, in its deeper and more internal sense, to approach to His sanctity, and to remove, by securing pardon for the sins of the people, the distance by which they are separated from God, and to hallow them by expiation. It is obvious that all these attributes of the priests coincide, in nearly every particular, with the characteristics by which the Pentateuch distinguishes the people of Israel. God bore the Hebrews on eagles' wings, and brought them to Himself. 20 He has designed them as an instrument of blessing for all nations. 21 He has chosen them to be His peculiar people, 22 not on account of their power and greatness, but from the love He feels towards them, 23 since He has declared Israel to be His firstborn son. 24 ויודע יהוה את־5 .Num. XVI 8 .אשר־לו 9 Exod. XXXII. 27-29; Deut. XXXIII. 9. 10 Deut. XXI. 5; Ezek. XL. 46; XLIII. 19; 1 Chr. XXIII. 13. 11 Num. XVI. 5, 7, 1WN ON "'~ J'p'; XVII. 5, 20; comp. Ps. LXV. 5; Exod. XXVIII. 1; Deut. XXI, 5; 1 Sam. II. 28; Hebr. V. 4. 12 Num. XVIII. 7, “I have given your priest's office to you as a service of gift", Sanhedr. IX. 6), that is, death through the direct intervention of God, as in the case of Korah, or Nadab and Abihu; but this view, which is upheld by recent writers also (as Saalschütz, Mos. Recht, I. 317), is against the spirit of the Biblical statements." 15 Num. XVI. 5, WXON MIT Y impo-nını 15. וַיַּבָּרֵל אהרון ,13 .Chr. XXIII 1 16 .comp ;עבדת מתנה אתן את כהנתכם .להקדישו קדש קדשים Hebr. V. 4; see also Joseph. Contr. 13 Num. XVI. 1sqq; XVII.5, 28; comp. Bammidbar Rabb. 18, pp. 148, 149, ed. Stettin 1863; Schöttgen, Hor. Hebr. p. 948; Grotius, Opp. III. 209. ;10,38 .Num. III הזר הקרב יומת 14 IV. 15, 19; XVIII. 7. Some doctors of the Mishnah understand death "by the hand of heaven" (D'D', Mishn. 17 Exod. XXIX. 33, ot-on nbos DON¬p; comp. vers. 1, 44; XXVIII. 41; XL. 13. 18 Lev. XXI. 6—8. |