- and Aaron:
- The word וֹאֹהֹרֹןֹ, weaharon, "and Aaron," has a point over each of its letters, probably designed as a mark of spuriousness. The word is wanting in the Samaritan, Syriac, and Coptic, and also in eight of Dr. Kennicott's and in four of De Rossi's manuscripts. Moses alone, as Houbigant observes, was commanded to number the Levites ("And the LORDª spakeª° unto¹ Moses,ª saying,ª°" {Num 3:5} + "And the LORDª spakeª° unto¹ Moses,ª saying,ª°" {Num 3:11} + "And the LORDª saidª° unto¹ Moses,ª Numberª° all¹ the firstbornª of the malesª of the childrenª of Israelª from a monthª oldª¹ and upward,ª and takeª°¹ the numberª of their names.ª" {Num 3:40} + "And the LORDª spakeª° unto¹ Moses,ª saying,ª°" {Num 3:44} + "And Mosesª gaveª°¹ the moneyª of them that were redeemedª²° unto Aaronª and to his sons,ª according to¹ the wordª of the LORD,ª as¹ the LORDª commandedª°¹ Moses.ª" {Num 3:51}) for as the money with which the first-born were redeemed was to be paid to Aaron and his sons ("And thou shalt giveª° the money,ª wherewith the odd numberª° of them is to be redeemed,²¹ unto Aaronª and to his sons.ª" {Num 3:48}), it was decent that he, whose advantage it was that the number of the first-born should exceed, should not be authorized to take that number himself. twenty and two thousand. This total does not agree with the particulars; for the Gershonites were 7,500, the Kohathites 8,600, and the Merarites 6,200, which make a total of 22,300. Several methods of solving this difficulty have been proposed by learned men. Houbigant supposes there is an error in the enumeration of the Kohathites in "In the numberª of all¹ the males,ª from a monthª oldª¹ and upward,ª [were] eightª thousandª and sixª hundred,ª keepingª° the chargeª of the sanctuary.ª" {Num 3:28}; the numeral shesh, "six," being written instead of shalosh, "three," before "hundred." Dr. Kennicott's mode of reconciling the discrepancy, however, is the most simple. He supposes that an error has crept into the number of the Gershonites in "Those that were numberedª° of them, according to the numberª of all¹ the males,ª from a monthª oldª¹ and upward,ª [even] those that were numberedª° of them [were] sevenª thousandª and fiveª hundred.ª" {Num 3:22}, where instead of 7,500 we should read 7,200, as ך, caph final, which stands for 500, might have been easily mistaken for ר, resh, 200 (Dr. Kennicott on the Hebrew Text, vol. II. p. 212). Either of these modes will equally reconcile the difference. "From thirtyª yearsª oldª¹ and upwardª even unto¹ fiftyª yearsª old,ª every one¹ that cameª° to doª° the service¹ of the ministry,ª and the serviceª of the burdenª in the tabernacleª of the congregation,ª ... Even those that were numberedª° of them, were¹ eightª thousandª and fiveª hundredª and fourscore.ª" {Num 4:47-48} + "And those that were numberedª° of them were¹ twentyª and threeª thousand,ª all¹ malesª from a monthª oldª¹ and upward:ª for¹ they were not¹ numberedª° amongª the childrenª of Israel,ª because¹ there was no¹ inheritanceª givenª° them amongª the childrenª of Israel.ª" {Num 26:62} + "Becauseª straitª [is] the¹ gate,ª andª narrowª° [is] the¹ way,ª whichª leadethª° untoª life,ª andª fewª there beª° that findª° it.ª" {Mtt 7:14}
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