self to be innocent, she had no evil to apprehend; but if she were guilty, she might expect to suffer all the law threatened; to which she answered, Amen, amen.

The priest then wrote the words of the law upon a piece of vellum, with ink that had no vitriol in it, that it might be the more easily blotted out. The words written on the vellum were, according to the rabbins, the following: "If a strange man have not come near thee, and thou art not polluted by forsaking the bed of thy husband, these bitter waters which I have cursed will not hurt thee: but if thou have gone astray from thy husband, and have polluted thyself by coming near to another man, may thou be accursed of the Lord, and become an example for all his people; may thy thigh rot, and thy belly swell till it burst! may these cursed waters enter into thy belly, and being swelled therewith, may thy thigh putrefy!"

After this the priest took a new pitcher, filled it with water out of the brazen basin that was near the altar of burnt-offerings, cast some dust into it taken from the pavement of the temple, mingled something bitter, as wormwood, with it, and having read the curses above-mentioned to the woman, and received her answer of Amen, he scraped off the curses from the vellum into the pitcher of water. During this time, another priest tore her clothes as low as her bosom, made her head bare, untied the tresses of her hair, fastened her torn clothes with a girdle below her breasts, and presented her with the tenth part of an ephah, or about three pints of barley meal, which was in a fryingpan, without oil or incense.

water in which an idol had been washed; sixthly, by rice; seventhly, by boiling oil; eighthly, by red hot iron; ninthly, by images.

There is, perhaps, no mode of judiciary decision that has been in more common use in ancient times, than that of ordeal, in some form or other. We find that it was also used by the ancient Greeks 500 years before the Christian era, for in the Antigone of Sophocles, a person suspected by Creon of a misdemeanour, declares himself ready 'to handle hot iron, and to walk over fire;" in proof of his innocence, which the scholiast tells us was then a very usual purgation.

Grotius gives many instances of water ordeal in Bithy nia, Sardinia, and other places. Different species of fire and water ordeal, is said to have prevailed among the Indians on the coast of Malabar: the negroes of Loango, Mosambique, &c. &c. and the Calmuc Tartars.

The first formal mention I find of this trial in Europe, is in the laws of king Ina, composed about A. D. 700. See L. 77. entitled Dom be hazen irene and pater, Decision by hot iron and water; I find it also mentioned in the council of Mentz, A. D. 847; but Agobard, archbishop of Lyons, wrote against it 60 years before this time. It is afterward mentioned in the council of Trevers, A. D. 895. It did not exist in Normandy till after the Conquest, and was probably first introduced into England in the time of Ina, in whose laws, and those of Athelstan and Ethelred, it was afterward inserted. The ordeal by fire was for noblemen and women, and such as were free born: the water ordeal was for husbandmen, and the meaner classes of the people, and was of two sorts: by cold water and by hot. See the proceedings in these trials declared particularly, in the law of king Ina; WILKINS, Leges Anglo-Saxonicæ, p. 27.

The other priest, who had prepared the waters of jealousy, then gave them to be drank by the accused person, and as soon as she had swallowed them, he put the pan with the meal in it, into her hand. This was waved before the Lord, and a part of it thrown into the fire of the altar. If the woman were innocent, she returned with her husband; and the waters, instead of incommoding her, made her more healthy and fruitful than ever; if on the contrary she were guilty, she was seen immediately to grow pale, her eyes started out of her head, and lest the temple should be defiled with her death, she was carried out, and died instantly with all the ignominious circumstances related in the curses, which the rabbins say had the same effect on him with whom she had been criminal, though he were absent and at a distance. They add, however, that if the husband himself had been guilty with another woman, then the waters had no bad effect even on his criminal wife; as in that case the transgression on the one part was, in a certain sense, balanced by the transgres-ner, and Du Cange, art. Ferrum. sion on the other.

There is no instance in the Scriptures of this kind of ordeal having ever been resorted to; and probably it never was during the purer times of the Hebrew republic.-God had rendered himself so terrible by his judgments, that no person would dare to appeal to this mode of trial, who was conscious of her guilt and in cases of simple adultery, where the matter was either detected or confessed, the parties were ordered by the law to be put to death. But other ancient nations have also had their trials by ordeal.

We are told by Ferdoosee, a Persian poet, whose authority we have no reason to suspect, that the fire ordeal was in use at a very early period among the ancient Persians. In the famous epic poem called the Shah Nameh, of this author, who is not improperly styled the Homer of Persia, under the title Dastan Secavesh ve Soodabeh, he gives a very remarkable and circumstantial account of a trial of this kind.

It is very probable that the fire ordeal originated among the ancient Persians, for by them fire was not only held sacred, but considered as a god, or rather as the visible emblem of the supreme Deity; and indeed this kind of trial continues in extensive use among the Hindoos to the present day. In the code of Gentoo laws, it is several times referred to under the title of Purra Reh, but in the Shah Nameh, the word JS Soogend is used, which signifies literally an oath, as the persons were obliged to declare their innocence by an oath, and then put their veracity to test by passing through the kohi atesh, or fire pile; see the Shah Namch, in the title Dastan Seeavesh ve Soodabeh, and Halhed's code of Gentoo laws; Preliminary Discourse, p. lviii. and chap. v. sect. 3. p. 117, &c.

A circumstantial account of the different kinds of ordeal practised among the Hindoos, communicated by Warren Hastings, Esq. who received it from Ali Ibrahim Khan, chief magistrate at Benares, may be found in the Asiatic Researches, vol. i. p. 389.

This trial was conducted among this people nine different ways: first, by the balances; secondly by fire; thirdly, by water; fourthly, by poison; fifthly, by the cósha, or

Several popes published edicts against this species of trial. Henry III. abolished trials by ordeal in the third year of his reign, 1219. See the act in Rymer, vol. i. p. 228. and see Dugdale's Originies Juridicules, fol. 87.Spelman's Glossary, Wilkins, Hicks, Lambard, Som

The ordeal, or trial by battle or combat, is supposed to have come to us from the Lombards, who leaving Scandinavia, overran Europe: it is thought that this mode of trial was instituted by Frotha III. king of Denmark, about the time of the birth of Christ; for he ordained that every controversy should be determined by the sword. It continued in Holsalstia till the time of Christian III. king of Denmark, who began his reign 1535.—From these northern nations, the practice of duels was introduced into Great Britain.

I need scarcely add, that this detestable form of trial was the foundation of the no less detestable crime of duelling, which so much disgraces our age and nation, a practice that is defended only by ignorance, false honour, and injustice: it is a relic of barbarous superstition, and was absolutely unknown to those brave and generous nations, the Greeks and Romans, whom it is so much the fashion to admire; and who, in this particular, so well merit our admiration.

The general practice of duelling is supposed to have taken its rise in 1527, at the breaking up of a treaty between the emperor Charles V. and Francis I. The former having sent a herald with an insulting message to Francis, the king of France sent back the herald with a cartel of defiance, in which he gave the emperor the lie, and challenged him to single combat; Charles accepted it; but after several messages concerning the arrangement of all the circumstances relative to the combat, the thoughts of it were entirely laid aside. The example of two personages so illustrious, drew such general attention, and carried with it so much authority, that it had considerable influence in introducing an important change in manners all over Europe.

It was so much the custom in the middle ages of Christianity to respect the cross, even to superstition, that it would have been indeed wonderful if the same ignorant bigotry had not converted it into an ordeal; accordingly we find it used for this purpose in so many different ways, as almost to preclude description.

Another trial of this kind was the Corsned, or the consecrated bread and cheese; this was the ordeal to which the clergy commonly appealed when they were accused of

CHAPTER VI.

The vow of the Nazarite, 1,2 In what it consiste 1, 3-8. When accidentally de-
filed, how he is to be purified, 9-12. The sacrifices he is to bring, and the rites he
The manner in
is to perform when the vow of his separation is fulfilled, 13-21.
which the priests are to bless the people, 22-26. The name of the Lord is to be
put on the children of Israel, whom He promises to bless, 27.
An. Exod. Isr. 2
bar or Zif.

AND the LORD spake unto Moses,

saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:

r

3' He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink; and he shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.

4 All the days of his "separation shall he eat

r Or, make themselves Nazarites.- Lev. 27. 2. Judg. 13 5. Acts 21. 23. Rom. 1. 1. t Amos 2. 12 Luke 1. 15.-u Or, Nazariteship.-v Heb. wine of the vine.

any crime. A few concluding observations from Dr. Henry, may not be unacceptable to the reader.

"If we suppose that few or none escaped conviction, who exposed themselves to these fiery trials, we shall be very much mistaken. For the histories of those times contain innumerable examples of persons plunging their naked arms into boiling water, handling red hot balls of Iron, and walking upon burning ploughshares without receiving the least injury. Many learned men have been much puzzled to account for this, and disposed to think that providence graciously interposed in a miraculous manner for the preservation of injured innocence.

nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.

5 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head; until the days be fulfilled, in which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. 6 All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall come at no dead body.

7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die; because the consecration of his God is upon his head. 8 All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.

9 And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecra

w Judg. 13. 5. & 16. 17. 1 Sam. 1. 11-x Lev. 21. 11. Ch. 19. 11, 16-y Lev. 2. 1, 2, 11. Ch. 9. 6.-2 Heb. separation.

mean no more than either that he was an inhabitant of Nazareth, which was a place of no credit, and therefore used as a term of reproach; or that he was, in a general sense, consecrated to the service of God-so was Samson, Samuel, Jeremiah, and John Baptist: or rather that he was the netser, or BRANCH, Isai. xi. 1. and nos tsemach, Zech. iii. 8. Zech. vi. 12. which is quite a different word: but this title is expressly applied to our blessed Lord by the above prophets; but in no place do they, or any other prophets, call him a Nazarite, in the sense in which a nezir, is used. Indeed it could not in truth be applied to him, as the distinguishing marks of a Nazarite never belonged to him. He was it is true, the netser, or branch, out of the root of Jesse, the genuine heir to the throne of David, whose dominion should extend over the universe, who should be King of kings, and Lord of lords; but the word Nekopas, Matt. ii. 23. signifies merely a Nazoraan, or inhabitant of Nazareth.

Verse 3. No vinegar of wine, &c.] yon chomets, signifies fermented wine, and is probably used here to signify wine of a strong body, or any highly intoxicating liquor. Dr. Lightfoot supposes that the LEPER being the most defiled and loathsome of creatures, was an emblem of the wretched miserable state of man by the fall; and that the NAZARITE was the emblem of man in his state of innoWine and grapes are here particularly forbidden to the Nazarite, because, as the Doctor thinks, being an emblem of man in his paradisiacal state, he was forbidden that tree and its fruits, by eating of which Adam fell: for the Doctor, as well as the Jewish rabbins, believed the tree of knowledge to have been none other than the vine.

cence.

"But if we examine every circumstance of these fiery ordeals with due attention, we shall see sufficient reason to suspect that the whole was a gross imposition on the credulity of mankind. The accused person was committed wholly to the priest, who was to perform the ceremony three days before the trial, in which he had time enough to bargain with him for his deliverance, and give him instructions how to act his part. On the day of trial, no person was permitted to enter the church but the priest and the accused till after the iron was heated, when twelve friends of the accuser, and twelve of the accused, and no more, were admitted and ranged along the wall on each side of the church, at a respectful distance. After the iron was taken out of the fire, severel prayers were said: the accused drank a cup of holy water, and sprinkled his hand with it, which might take a considerable time if the priest were indulgent. The space of nine feet was measured by the accused himself, with his own feet, and he would brobably give but scanty measure. He was obliged only to touch one of the marks with the toe of his right foot, and Vinegar of strong drink] See the note on Lev. x. 9. allowed to stretch the other foot as far towards the other Verse 5. There shall no razor come upon his head] mark as he could, so that the conveyance was almost in- The vow of the Nazarite consisted in the following parstantaneous. His hand was not immediately examined, ticulars: 1. He consecrated himself in a very especial and but wrapped in a cloth prepared for that purpose three extraordinary manner to God. 2. This was to continue days. May we not then, from all these precautions, sus- for a certain season, probably never less than a whole year, pect that these priests were in possession of some secret that he might have a full growth of hair to burn in the that secured the hand from the impression of such a mo-fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace-offering, ver. mentary touch of hot iron, or removed all appearances of 18. 3. During the time of his separation, or Nazarate, these impressions in three days; and that they made use he drank no wine nor strong drink; nor used any tineof this secret when they saw reason? Such readers as are gar formed from any inebriating liquor, nor ate fresh or curious in matters of this kind, may find two different di- dried grapes, nor tasted even the kernels or husks of any rections for making ointments that will have this effect, in thing that had grown upon the vine. 4. He never shared the work here quoted. What greatly strengthens these his head, but let his hair grow, as the proof of his being in suspicions is, that we meet with no example of any cham- this separated state, and under vows of peculiar austerity. pion of the church who suffered the least injury from the 5. He never touched any dead body, nor did any of the last touch of hot iron in this ordeal; but where any one was so offices, even to his nearest kin; but was considered as the foolhardy as to appeal to it or to that of hot water, with a priests, who were wholly taken up with the service of God, view to deprive the church of any of her possessions, he and regarded nothing else. 6. All the days of his separanever failed to burn his fingers, and lose his cause.' Itim he was holy, ver. 8. During the whole time he was have made the scanty extract above, from a very extensive to be incessantly employed in religious acts. It is very history of the trial by ordeal, which was written several likely that St. Paul had taken the vow of a Nazarite on years ago, but never published. him, from the circumstance mentioned, Acts xviii. 18. Having shorn his head in Cenchrea, for he had a vow.

NOTES ON CHAPTER VI. Verse 2. When either man or woman shall separate, &c.] The word v nazir, from nazar, to separate, signifies merely a separated person; i. e. one peculiarly devoted to the service of God, by being separated from all servile employments. From the Nazarites sprang the Rechabites, from the Rechabites the Essenes, from the Essenes the Anchorites, or Hermits; and, in imitation of those, the different monastic orders. Some contend strongly, that the Nazarite was a type of our Lord: but neither analogy nor proof can be produced. Our blessed Lord both drank wine and touched the dead, which no Nazarite would do: as to his either shaving his hair, or letting it grow, we know nothing. His being called a Nazarene, Matt. ii. 23. is nothing to the purpose; as it can

Verse 7. The consecration of his God is upon his head.] Literally, the separation of his God is upon his head; meaning his hair, which was the proof and emblem of his separation. Now, as the hair of the Nazarite was a token of his subjection to God through all the peculiarities of his Nazarate, a woman who is married, is considered as a Nazarite for life; i. e. separated from all others, and joined to one husband, who is her lord; hence St. Paul, probably alluding to this circumstance, says, 1 Cor. xi. 10. The woman ought to have power upon her head: i. e. wear her hair and veil; for this hair is a proof of her Nazarate, and of her being in subjection to her husband, as the Nazarite was under subjection to the LORD, by the rule of his order.

tion; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it.

10 And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: 11 And the priest shall offer the one for a sinoffering, and the other for a burnt-offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day.

12 And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass-offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.

13 And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation;

14 And he shall offer his offering unto the LORD, one he-lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt-offering, and one ewe-lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin- | offering, and one ram without blemish for peace-offerings;

15 And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat-offering, and their drink-offerings.

16 And the priest shall bring them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin-offering, and his burnt-offering:

a Acts 18. 19. & 21. 21-b Lev. 5. 7. & 14. 22. & 15. 11, 29.-c Lev. 5. 6.-d Heb. fall-e Acts 21 26.-f Lev. 4. 2, 27, 32-g Lev. 3. 6-h Lev. 2. 4.-i Exod. 29. 2. Ch. 15. 5, 7, 10.

Verse 10. Two turtles or two young pigeons] The same kind of offering made by him who had an issue, Lev. xv. 14, &c.

Verse 18. Shall take the hair and put it in the fire] The hair was permitted to grow for this purpose; and as the Nazarite was a kind of sacrifice, offered to God through the whole term of his Nazarate or separation, and no human flesh or blood could be offered on the altar of the Lord, he offered his hair at the conclusion of his separation, as a sacrifice-that hair which was the token of his complete subjection to the Lord, and which was now considered as the Lord's property.

That the hair of the head was superstitiously used among different nations we have already had occasion to remark, see the notes on Lev. xix. 27. And that the Gentiles might have learnt this from the Jews, is possible, though some learned men think that this consecration of the hair to a deity, was in use among the heathens before the time of Moses, and in nations who had no intercourse or connexion with the Jews.

Verse 21. This is the law of the Nazarite] We learn from Maimonides, in his Treatise of the Nazarite, that a man might become a Nazarite in behalf of another; that is, might assist him in bearing the expenses of the sacrifices, &c. A son may fulfil the vow his deceased father had made, but did not live to accomplish :-He that saith, Upon me be the shaving of a Nazarite, he is bound to bring the offering of shaving for cleanness, and he may offer them by the hand of what Nazarite he will. If he say, Upon me be half the oblations of a Nazarite,-then he bringeth half the offerings by what Nazarite he will, and that Nazarite payeth his offerings out of that which is his."

"By this," says Mr. Ainsworth, "we may see the reason of that which James said to Paul, though he had no Nazarite's vow upon him- We have four men teho have a vow on them; them take, and sanctify thyself with them, and BE AT CHARGES WITH THEM, that they may shave their heads, &c. Then Paul took the men, and the next day, sanctifying himself with them, entered into the temple to signify the accomplishment of the days of sanctification, (or Nazariteship) until that an offering should be offered for every one of them, see Acts xxi. 23–26. For though Paul had not vowed, or fulfilled a Nazariteship himself, yet might be contribute with them, and partake of their charges, about the sacrifices."

Verse 23. On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel] The prayer which God makes for his followers, and puts into their mouth, we are sure must be right; and to it, when sincerely, faithfully, and fervently offered, we may confidently expect an answer. If he condescend to

17 And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat-offering, and his drink-offering.

18 And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace-offerings.

19 And the priest shall take them sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and " shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven :

20 And the priest shall wave them for a wave-offering before the LORD: this is holy for the priest, with the wave-breast and heaveshoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine.

21 This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the LORD for his separation, besides that that his hand shall get: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation.

22 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, saying, On this wise P ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,

24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: 25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

1 Acts 21. 24.-m 1 Sam. 2. 15.-n Exod. 29. 23, 24.-0 Exod. 29. 27, 28.-p Lev. 9. 22. 1 Chrou 23. 13.-q Paa. 121. 7. John 17. 11.-r Psa. 31. 16. & 67. 1. & 80. 3, 7, 19. & 119. 135. Dan. 9. 17.-8 Gen. 43, 29.

give us a form of blessing, or a form of prayer, we may rest assured that he will accept what he himself has made. This consideration may produce great confidence in them who come with either prayer or praise to the Throne of Grace, both of which should be, as far as circumstances will admit, in the very words of scripture: for we can readily attach a consequence to the words of God, which we shall find difficult to attach to the best ordered words of men. Take with you words, and turn unto the Lord. What words? Why, those which God immediately puts into their mouths. Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously; so will we render the calves of our lipswe shall then give the sacrifices, of which our lips have spoken, when we made our yours unto thee.-See Hos.

xiv. 2.

Verse 24. The Lord bless thee] There are three forms of blessing here, any or all of which the priests might use on any occasion.. The following is a verbal transla

tion:

1. May Jehovah bless thee, and preserve thee!

2. May Jehovah cause his faces to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee!

3. May Jehovah lift up his faces upon thee, and may he put prosperity unto thee!

This is a very comprehensive and excellent prayer, and may be paraphrased thus:

1. May God speak good unto thee, by giving thee his excellent promises! See the note on Gen. ii. 3. May he preserve thee in the possession of all the good thou hast, and from all the evil with which thou are threatened.

2. May the Holy Trinity illuminate thy heart, giving thee the true knowledge of thyself and of thy Maker: and may he show thee his graciousness in pardoning thy sins, and supporting thy soul!

3. May God give thee communion with the Father, Son, and Spirit, with a constant sense of his approbation! and grant thee prosperity in thy soul, and in all thy secular affairs!

This I suppose to be the spirit and design of this form of benediction. Others will doubtless interpret it after their manner. Several wise and learned men believe that the mystery of the Holy Trinity is not obscurely hinted at in it. God the FATHER blesses and keeps his followers. God the Son is gracious unto sinners in remitting their offences, which he died to blot out. God the HOLY SPIRIT, takes of the things which are Christ's and shows them unto genuine Christians, and diffuses the peace of God in their hearts. In a word, Christ, the gift of the Father by the energy of the Holy Spirit, came to bless every one of us by turning us away from our iniquities.

1. Every genuine Christian is a true Nazarite. He is

26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon | thee, and give thee peace.

27 And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.

CHAPTER VII.
When the tabernacle was fully set up, it appeared that the princes of the twelve tribes

had prepared six covered wagons, drawn by two oxen each, one wagon for two
tribes, for the service of the tabernacle, 1-3 Moses is commanded to receive this
offering, and distribute the whole to the Levites according to their service, 4, 5.
Moses does so, and gives two wagons and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, 6, 7.
and four wagons and eight oxen to the sons of Merari, 8. The sons of Kohath

rams, fire he goats, and fire lambs, for a peace-offering, 12--17. On the second because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders.

A. M. 2514. B. C. 1490.

CHAP. VII.

19 He offered for his offering one silver chargty er, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat-offering: 20 One spoon of gold of ten shekels, full of incense:

21 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering:

22 One kid of the goats for a sin-offering: 23 And for a sacrifice of P peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nethaneel the son of Zuar.

24 On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, did offer:

25 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat-offering: 26 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of in

45 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of
the first year, for a burnt-offering:

p Lev. 7. 11-18. 1 Kings 8. 63-4 Ch. 1. 9. Ch. 2. 7.-r Ch. 1. 5. Ch. 2. 10-8 Ch.
1. 16. Ch. 2. 12.

Verse 48. On the seventh day] Both Jewish and Chris-
tian writers have been surprised, that this work of offering
went forward on the seventh day, (which they suppose to
have been a sabbath) as well as on the other days. But 1st.
there is no absolute proof that this seventh day of offering
was a sabbath. 2. Were it even so, could the people be
better employed than in thus consecrating themselves and

46 One kid of the goats for a sin-offering:

47 And for a sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

48 On the seventh day "Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim, offered:

49 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat-offering:

50 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:

51 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of
the first year, for a burnt-offering:

52 One kid of the goats for a sin-offering:
53 And for a sacrifice of peace-offerings, two
oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the
first year: this was the offering of Elishama,
the son of Ammihud.

54 On the eighth day offered Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh.

55 His offering was one silver charger, of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat-offering:

56 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:

57 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering:

58 One kid of the goats for a sin-offering: 59 And for a sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedabzur.

60 On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin, offered:

61 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat-offering:

62 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:

63 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering:

64 One kid of the goats for a sin-offering: 65 And for a sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.

66 On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan, offered:

67 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat-offering: the shekel of the sanctuary: both of them full 68 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of in

69 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering:

70 One kid of the goats for a sin-offering: 71 And for a sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

72 On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ocran, prince of the children of Asher, offered:

t Ch. 1. 14. & 2. 14.-u Ch. 1. 10. & 2. 18-v Ch. 1. 10. & 2. 20-w Ch. 1. 11. & 2. 22-x Ch. 1. 12. 2. 25-y Ch. 1. 18. & 2 27.

their services to the Lord? We have already seen that every act was a religious act; and we may rest assured, that no day was too holy for the performance of such acts as are recorded here.

Verse 72. On the eleventh day] The Hebrew form of 397 expression here and in the 78th verse, has something curious in it. nwy wy on beyom âshtey âsar yom-In