Manner in which the Cloud guided the People.

NUMBERS IX. VER. 15, TO THE END.

15 ¶ And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning.

16 So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.

17 And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.

18 At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.

19 And when the cloud * tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not.

20 And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed.

A.C. 1490.

n Ex. xl. 34.

1 Cor. x. 1.

Heb. pro

longed.

21 And so it was, when the cloud † abode from even † Heb. was. unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.

22 Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel Pabode in their tents, and jour- p Ex. xl. 36, neyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed.

23 At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed: they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Arrival of Jethro.

EXODUS XVIII. VER. 1-27 24.

1 Jethro bringeth to Moses his wife and two sons. 7 Moses entertaineth him. 13 Jethro's counsel is accepted.

1 When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in q Ch. ii. 16.

"Both Horsley and Lightfoot concur in placing the account of the arrival of Jethro in this part of the narrative. Vide Horsley's Biblical Criticism, vol. i. p. 98; Lightfoot, vol. i. p. 33; see too Simon's Critical History of the Old Testament, vol. i. book 1. chap. v.

A.C. 1490. law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt;

r Ch. ii. 22.

* That is, a stranger there.

+ That is, my God is an

help.

2 Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back. 3 And her two sons; of which the name of the one was * Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land:

4 And the name of the other was † Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh :

5 And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:

6 And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.

7¶ And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other Heb. peace. of their welfare; and they came into the tent.

8 And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's Heb. found sake, and all the travail that had § come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.

them.

9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.

10 And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

S

11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: Ch. i. 10, 16, for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.

22. & v. 2, 7.

& xiv. 8, 18.

12 And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God.

13¶ And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.

14 And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?

15 And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God:

16 When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I

judge between *one and another, and I do make them know A. C. 1490. the statutes of God, and his laws.

17 And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.

* Heb. a man and his fellow.

thou will fade,

18+ Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this Heb. fading people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.

t

19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to Godward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:

20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.

21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:

22 And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.

23 If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.

24 So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.

25 And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

26 And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

The twelfth Journey-From Sinai to Kibroth-hattaavah.

NUMBERS XXXIII. VER. 16.

t Deut. i. 9.

16 And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and u Ch. xi. 34. pitched at Kibroth-hattaavah.

Order of the March.

NUMBERS X. VER. 11-29.

11 ¶ And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony.

12 And the children of Israel took their journeys out of

That is, the graves of lust.

A.C. 1490. the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.

x Ch. ii. 3, 9.

y Ch. i. 7.

z Ch. iv. 4.

13 And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

X

14 In the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies: and over his host was ▾ Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

15 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethaneel the son of Zuar.

16 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.

17 And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set forward, bearing the tabernacle.

18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur.

19 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

20 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

21 And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sancThat is, the tuary: and the other did set up the tabernacle against they came.

Gershonites,

and the Me

rarites: See ver. 17.

+ Heb. These.

22 ¶ And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elishama the son of Ammihud.

23 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

24 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni.

25 And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan set forward, which was the rereward of all the camps throughout their hosts: and over his host was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

26 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran.

27 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan.

28 + Thus were the journeyings of the children of Israel according to their armies, when they set forward.

Jethro returns to Midian.

NUMBERS X. VER. 29-33.

29 ¶ And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying

unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: A.C. 1490. come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD

hath spoken good concerning Israel.

30 And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred.

31 And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes.

32 And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.

EXODUS XVIII. VER. 27.

27 ¶ And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.

Blessing of Moses at the removal and resting of the Ark.
NUMBERS X. VER. 33, TO THE END.

33¶ And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days' journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them.

34 And the cloud of the LORD was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp.

a

35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be a P. xviii. 1, scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.

36 And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel.

The Burning at Taberah.

NUMBERS XI. VER. 1-4.

1 And when the people + complained, it displeased the LORD and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. 2 And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire § was quenched.

2.

* Heb. ten thousand thousands.

burning.

3 And he called the name of the place || Taberah: be- That is, a cause the fire of the LORD burnt among them.

The People murmur for Flesh.

NUMBERS XI. VER. 4, TO THE END.

с

4 ¶ And the mixt multitude that was among them * fell

c As Ex. xii. 39.

*Heb. lusted a lust.