Commentaria in Numeros
Again, Ephraim is here placed before Manasses, because he was preferred to him by their grandfather Jacob, Genesis 48:19; and therefore Josephus, Antiquities, book III, chap. xi, says that Ephraim succeeded his father and is also called the tribe of Joseph; but that Manasses was substituted for Levi to make up the number of 12 tribes, according to the 12 sons of Jacob. For these were the 12 Patriarchs, that is, the twelve heads and princes of the tribes begotten from them. For Levi here and elsewhere is not numbered, as is plain from verse 49.
… (whom the Spaniards call by a similar word criados del Rey), that is, the called of the congregation, namely those who were called out of the tribe by Moses and chosen as princes of the tribes, and who used to be summoned by him to the council in which the common good of the people and of the tribes was treated. So Vatablus and Oleaster. The Chaldee renders it, “these were named of the congregation,” that is, these illustrious and famous men, being princes of the tribes.
In three ways, then, these twelve princes are called kerie, that is, called: first, because they were called by God and by Moses, to be princes and leaders of the people through the desert into Canaan. Secondly, because they were called to the senate and council. Thirdly, called, that is named, famous, distinguished, illustrious among the people. St. Paul alludes to this when, in Romans 1:1 and often elsewhere, he says: “Paul, called to be an apostle.” For these twelve called princes of the tribes were a type of the twelve Apostles. Hence, first, as these were called by Moses to the principate, so the Apostles were called to the apostolate, that is, the principate of the Church. Secondly, as these were the senate and council of the Synagogue, so the Apostles of the Church. Thirdly, as these were called, that is named and famous, so also the Apostles.
Verse 17. WHOM MOSES AND AARON TOOK WITH ALL THE MULTITUDE OF THE COMMON PEOPLE.—“They took,” that is, they enrolled and summoned them as the chiefs and princes of the people. The Hebrew, Chaldee and Septuagint refer “the multitude of the common people” to the following verse, but with almost the same sense. For they read: and Moses and Aaron took those men, whom they called, or declared by name, expressly; and they assembled all the congregation on the first day of the month, etc.
Verse 20. BY THEIR GENERATIONS, AND FAMILIES, AND HOUSES.—“Generation,” or kindred, is here common to family and house: the word therefore here signifies both families and houses; for a family means a wide generation, or kindred, and comprises under itself several houses; but a house is any particular family, or kindred.
In this order, then, the census of the people was made here: first Moses and Aaron took the number of the families of each tribe; then they numbered all the houses, or particular families, of each common family or kindred; thirdly they numbered the heads of each house.
Verse 47. BUT THE LEVITES IN THE TRIBE OF THEIR FAMILIES WERE NOT NUMBERED WITH THEM.—Not that the Levites were forbidden to go forth to war and fight: the contrary is plain in the Machabees, who, though Levites, were nevertheless most warlike, and in the Levites who with Moses slew the worshippers of the golden calf, Exodus 32:28. For the Levites of the old law did not handle such sacred things as the priests of the new law handle, who therefore ought to abstain from war and the shedding of blood: but that in that …
… is, all the vessels and all the furniture belonging to the worship, rites and ministries of the tabernacle; hence the Hebrew has, “and whatsoever belongs to it,” namely to the tabernacle.
AND ROUND ABOUT THE TABERNACLE THEY SHALL PITCH THEIR TENTS.—By the tabernacle here understand also its court; as if to say: the Levites, as its guards and ministers, shall pitch their camp round about the court, lest others, being laymen, pitch their camp nearer to the court and tabernacle, and that for the worship and reverence of the court and tabernacle and of God himself.
Moses and Aaron were therefore at the door of the tabernacle, namely on the east; the Gersonites on the west of the tabernacle; the Merarites on the north; the Caathites on the south, as is said in chapter 3; and round these the twelve tribes spread themselves on every side.
Verse 51. WHEN THEY ARE TO ENCAMP—when the camp is to be placed and fixed; for the pitching of the camp is opposed to its setting out.
WHATSOEVER STRANGER COMES TO IT SHALL BE SLAIN—as if to say: If any one who is not of the tribe of Levi shall come near to pitch his camp with the Levites by the court, or shall presume to take down or set up the tabernacle, or to carry it, he shall be put to death, either by the judge or by a particular vengeance of God. God ordained this, as I said, out of reverence for the sacred place, namely the tabernacle, which was as it were the movable temple of the Hebrews through the desert; hence he adds: “lest there be an indignation upon the multitude of the children of Israel,” namely if they, against this my command, should presume to approach the court of the tabernacle and pitch their camp there.
Verse 52. BY THEIR TROOPS AND COMPANIES.—In Hebrew, “by their standards,” of which in the following chapter.
Verse 53. AND THEY SHALL WATCH IN THE GUARD OF THE TABERNACLE OF THE TESTIMONY—as if to say: The Levites shall watchfully guard the tabernacle and its vessels, chiefly that no stranger approach or defile it. It is called “the tabernacle of the testimony,” that is, of the law, because it contained the stone tables of the divine law, or the Decalogue, as I said on Exodus 25:16.
Allegorically, the Israelites and their twelve tribes signify the faithful of all nations, who have been numbered and inscribed in the catalogue of the Church and in the book of Life, at least inchoately. Christ alludes to this in Matthew 19:28, where he says that the Apostles shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel, that is, all the faithful of all nations;
and St. Paul, Romans 9:8, where he teaches that any of the faithful are Israelites and children of Abraham, not according to the flesh but according to the spirit. And St. John, Apocalypse 21:10 and 12, where he saw the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven, having twelve gates, and on them the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; for the twelve tribes signify the universality of the Saints: for twelve is a perfect number, and therefore a symbol of universality; of this I shall say more on chapter 2, verse 2, Question 2.
Tropologically, Rupert says: These names, he says, signify our profession, who run in the present life, and were baptized not in the cloud and in the sea, but in that which was signified by these, and ate spiritual food and drank spiritual drink from the rock, which now is not in figure but in truth Christ. Ruben, then, is he who bears many sons to God: for Ruben in Hebrew means “seeing the sons.” Elisur means “my God is strong”; Sedeur, “the light of the breasts”; Simeon, “hearing sorrow,” or “obeying”; Salamiel, “God repaying me,” or “God is my peace”; Surisaddai, “holding my breasts,” or “my strong Lord”; Judas, “confession”; Nahasson, “serpent-like” (prudent, and a serpent), or “augury”; Aminadab, “of my people willing”; Issachar, “reward”; Nathanael, “the gift of God”; Suar, “small”; Zabulon, “dwelling of strength,” or “of sorrow”; Eliab, “my God is father”; Helon, “strength of the host”; Joseph, “increase”; Ephraim, “fruitful,” or “increasing”; Elisama, “my God has heard”; Ammiud, “my people renowned”; Manasses, “forgetfulness”; Gamaliel, “recompense of God”; Phadassur, “redemption of the strong”; Benjamin, “son of the right hand”; Abidan, “my father is judge”; Gedeon, “succession of iniquity”—for Rupert, following St. Jerome in the Book of Hebrew Names (which book does not seem to be St. Jerome’s, or at least these and similar unfitting things have been inserted in it by some smatterer), wrongly thinks Gedeon to mean “temptation of iniquity”; Dan, “judgment”; Ahiezer, “my brother is helper”; Amisaddai, “my people sufficient”; Aser, “blessed”; Phegiel, “meet me, O God”; Ochran, “he has troubled them,” namely the infernal powers; Gad, “girded”; Eliasaph, “my God has gathered”; Duel, “know God”; Nephthali, “wrestling” or “struggling.” Rupert, following St. Jerome, says that Nephthali means “he has enlarged me”; but this is not the origin of the name Nephthali, but the former already given, as is plain from Genesis 30:8; Ahira, “friend of my brother”; Henan, “cloud.” Such ought true Israelites to be, children of Abraham, that is the faithful; above all the Princes and Prelates of the Church, to whom Rabanus applies all these severally.