תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

ferve in the Wars, or to have any Allotment or Inheritance in the Land of Canaan, they might the better continue to reckon themselves by the original round Number Twelve; in Commemoration of the twelve Sons of Jacob. Omitting that of Levi therefore, they were as follows. 1. Reuben. 2. Simeon. 3. Judah. 4. If

fachar. 5. Zebulun. 6. Dan. tali. 8. Gad. 9. Afsher.

11. Manasseh.

7. Naph

10. Ephraim.

12. Benjamin. However, the Scripture does not, always, place them in this Order; and, to do Honour to the Name of Jofeph, each of the Tribes of Ephraim and Manaffeh are fometimes call'd thereby.

The Ifraelites continuing to multiply wonderfully faft, the Egyptians began to be jealous of them, upon account of their Strength and Numbers; and therefore, thought it advisable, in point of Policy, by some means or other to prevent their Increase, and to fubdue and break their Spirits with all manner of rigorous Impofitions. At which Time, God, to fulfill the Promifes he had made to Abraham, reveal'd himself to Mofes, a Great-Grandson of

Levi, as he was keeping the Flock of Jethro his Father-in-law, in the Deserts of Arabia; and gave him a Commiffion and Power, together with Aaron his Brother, to undertake the Deliverance of his People, out of the Hands of the merciless and tyrannical Egyptians. This he effected accordingly; and by the extraordinary Assistance of God conducting the Ifraelites, to the Number of * fix hundred thousand men, befides children, through the Red Sea, led and govern'd them, in the vast Wilderness of Arabia beforemention'd, forty Years.

Soon after their Entrance into this Wildernefs, God again reveal'd himself to Mofes; and, delivering to him a Conftitution or Form of Government, confifting of Statutes and Ordinances, political and religious, for the Good of his People; at the fame time, enter'd into a Covenant with them, and engag'd to be their Protector in all their Diftreffes, as long as they continu'd to worship Him, by obferving the Laws and the Commandments which He

* An Increase almost incredible in fo fhort a Time, did we not confider the repeated Promifes of God in relation to that Particular,

had

had given them. Notwithstanding which they prov'd to be so refractory and intractable, that God fuffer'd them to wander and fojourn in the Defert, forty Years, before they could attain the promised Land; even all the Days of Mofes.

Upon his Death, Joshua the Son of Nun, of the Tribe of Ephraim, undertook the Administration of the Government; having been thereto appointed, by God himfelf, during the Life of Mofes. Under his Conduct, the Ifraelites paffing over the River Jordan, took Poffeffion of the Land of Canaan, conquering the one and thirty Kings thereof; and wrefting it, by Force of Arms, out of the Hands of the Inhabitants, reduced the whole Country under their Subjection. Joshua divided it among them, partly by Discretion, and partly by Lot. The Tribes of Reuben and Gad, and half of the Tribe of Manaffeb, had chofen and, by the Confent of Mofes, been allow'd to take their Proportion of the conquer'd Countries, out of the Lands of Sibon King of the Amorites, and Og the... King of Bafhan, on the other fide, before they paffed over Jordan. To the Tribes of Judab

4

[ocr errors]

Judah and Ephraim, and the other Half of the Tribe of Manaffeb, was affign'd that Part of the Country which lies between Jordan and the Sea. The rest of the Land was divided, by Lot, among the other feven Tribes; Simeon, Benjamin, Dan, Ifachar, Zebulun, Naphtali, and Aber; in fuch a manner, that the Tribe of Judah got those Parts that border upon Arabia; thofe of Naphtali and Afher were fettled over-against them, in that Part of the Country that joins to Syria. So that their Allotment in the whole, as to the utmoft Extent of it, reach'd from the City of Dan to that of Beersheba; one of which lay contiguous to Syria, the other to Arabia.

But the Tribe of Levi had no Part or Inheritance affign'd them; but, in lieu thereof, by the fpecial Appointment of God, were to have perpetual Poffeffion of the Priesthood, and all other Employments about Religion; and to be fuftain'd out of the Revenue of First-Fruits and Tythes, Sacrifices and Oblations. And, befide the Six Cities which God order'd to be as Sanctuaries for thofe to take Refuge in

[blocks in formation]

who had committed unpremeditated Murder, Forty-eight Cities with their Suburbs, difpers'd up and down among the nine Tribes on this fide Jordan, were given to the Levites; fo as to fuffice for Habitations for themselves, and Pafturage for their Cattle. After which they were very rarely reckon'd as a Tribe, of themselves; but were faid to be of that Tribe in whose Territories they happen'd to live: Agreeably to the Inftructions God had given to Mofes, when he commanded him to numNumb. i. ber the reft of the Tribes. But the Levites, after the tribe of their fathers, were not number'd among them. For the LORD had Spoken unto Mofes, faying; Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the fum of them among the children of Ifrael. But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of teftimony, and over all the veffels thereof; and they shall minifter unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle. And therefore we read, of a young man out of Bethlehem Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite. And Elkanah the

47.

Judges

xvii. 7.

1 Sam.. Father of Samuel is faid to be an Ephratite, because he dwelt upon Mount Ephraim;

1.

whereas

« הקודםהמשך »