2. Division of Me tribe of Levi.—As different functions were assigned to the separate houses of the Levitical branch of the tribe, to which frequent references are made, we subjoin the following Table from Exod. vi. 16-25, italicising the Aaronic or priestly branch, in order to facilitate these refe rences.
It will thus be seen that the Levitical order com prises the whole of the descendants of Gershon and Merari, and those of Kohath through Izhar and Uzziel, as well as through Amrarn's second son, Moses ; whilst Aaron, Amram's first son, and his issue, constitute the priestly order. It must here be remarked, that though Kohath is the second in point of age and order, yet his family will be found to occupy the first position, because they are the nearest of kin to the priests.
3. Age and qualifications for Levitical service.— The only qualification for active service specified in the Mosaic law, is mature age, which in Num. iv. 3, 23, 30, 39, 43, 47, is said to be from thirty to fifty ; whilst in Num. viii. 24, 25, it is said to com mence at twenty-jive. Various attempts have been made to reconcile these two apparently contradic tory injunctions. The Talmud (Cholin 24, a), Rashi (Comment., in loco), and Maimonides (Iod lIa-Chezaka, Hilchoth Kele Ha-lifikdash, iii. 7. 3), who are followed by some Christian commentators, affirm that from twenty-five to thirty the Levites attended in order to be instructed in their duties, but did not enter upon actual duties until they were full thirty years of age. But this explanation, as Abravanel rightly remarks, is at variance with the plain declaration of the text, that the Levites were called at twenty-five years of age to wait 11P071 the service of the Tabernacle, which clearly denotes not instruction for thcir ministry, but the ministry itself' (Conzment. on Num. viii. 24). Besides, the text itself does not give the slightest intimation that any period of the Levitical life was devoted to in struction. Hence Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, and Abra vanel, who are followed by most modern expositors, submit that the tvventy-five years of age refers to the Levites' entering upon the lighter part of their ser vice, such as keeping watch and performing the lighter duties in the fabernacle; whilst the thirty years of age refers to their entering upon the more onerous duties, such as carrying heavy weights, when the tabernacle was moved about from place to place, which required the full strength of a man (pn tvnri Inv Nvn rrnz3.6 rue7 1171Z1b); maintaining that this distinction is indicated in the text by the words Ntythl in3b, for labour and burdens, when the thirty years' vvork is spoken of (Num. iv. 30, 31), and by the omis
sion of the word Nrn, burden, when the twenty five years' work is spoken of (Num. viii. 24, etc.) But it may fairly be questioned, whether man is more fitted for arduous work from thirty to thirty five than from twenty-five to thirty. Besides the Gershonites and the Merarites, who had the charge of the heavier burdens, did not carry them at all (comp. Num. vii. 3-9, and infra, sec. 4). Accord ing to another ancient Jewish interpretation given in the siphn; and adopted by Bahr (Synzbolik, 41) and others, Num. iv. treats of the necessary age of the Lavites for the immediate requirements in the wilderness ; whilst Num. viii. gives their age for the pronzised land, vvhen they shall be divided among the tribes and a larger number shall be wanted (Siphri 07Z NUM. viii.) Somewhat similar is Philippson's explanation, who affirms that at the first election of the Levitical order the required age for service was from thirty to fifty, but that all _future Levites had to commence service at twenty five. Whilst the Sept. solves the difficulty by uni formly reading twerny-five instead of tbirty.
4. Duties ana' classification of the Levites.—The Levites were given as a gift (D'YTU) to Aaron and his sons, the priests, to wait upon them, and to do the subordinate work for them at the service of the sanctuary (Num. viii. 19; xvii. 2-6). They had also to guard the tabernacle and take charge of certain vessels, whilst the priests had to watch the altars and the interior of the sanctuary (i. 50-53; viii. 19; xviii. 1-7). To carry it out effectually, the charge of certain vessels and portions of the Taber nacle, as well as the guarding of its several sides, were assigned to each of the three sections into which the tribe was divided by their respective descent from the three sons of Levi, e., Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, as follows ;— The Kohathites, who out of 8600 persons yielded 275o qualified for active service according to the prescribed age, and who were under the leadership of Elizaphan, had to occupy the south side of the Tabernacle; and, as the family to whom Aaron the high-priest and his sons belonged, bad to take charge of the holy things (vim the ark, the table of shew-bread, the candlestick, the two altars of incense and burnt-offering, as well as of the sacred vessels used at the service of these holy things, and the curtains of the holy of holies. All these things they had to carry on their own shoulders when the camp was broken up (Num.