Commentaria in Numeros
On the contrary, Damatria killed her son who had returned to her, because he had behaved timidly and unworthily in the war. Another Spartan woman wrote to her son who had been saved by flight: “An ill report is spread of you; either wash it away, or cease to live.” Another, when her sons had fled from the battle and came to her, said: “Whither did you wish to flee, bad slaves? Or to return hither (showing her womb) from which you came?” Another, seeing her son coming from flight, asked in what state the affairs of the country stood; and when he answered that the citizens were slain, she killed him with a tile, saying: “Did they then send you to us as the messenger of ill news?” When someone told a mother that her brother had fallen by an honourable death: “Is it not shameful,” she said, “that you lost the occasion of such a company?” What then shall the faithful say, what the soldier in the camp of the Church? Let him say with the Machabees: Let us die bravely in battle, and let us not stain our glory. Let us extend the kingdom of Christ, preach the gospel throughout the whole world; if we fall, if we are slain, we shall rise Martyrs.
Particularly, however, St. Ambrose, book 2 on Solomon, chapter 2, compares Christ to an eagle, when twelve are the Apostles, by whose prayers and doctrine the Church is fortified.
On the east is Juda, because Christ, whose name is the East, sprang from Juda. Again, by the East, where the entrance of the tabernacle was, is signified the primitive Church and the beginning of the conversion of the faithful to Christ: here is Juda, that is confession; and Issachar, that is reward; and Zabulon, that is dwelling of strength: because the Confessors of Christ have an entrance through Christ into the Church, which is the strongest house of God, that in it they may labour for an eternal reward.
The southern quarter signifies the ancient people of God, formerly enlightened by God: here are Ruben, Simeon and Gad; because the holy Fathers, who sharpened well the gaze of the mind to see the will of God the Father, duly gave to him the zeal of obedience, girding themselves with the arms of justice against the roaring lion and the noonday demon, and said as it were to themselves: Be Ruben, that is, see that you are a son of the eternal Father; to whom you must be Simeon, that is, obedient; that you may be Gad, that is, girded against the demons. Again, be Ruben, that is, see that you beget sons for God.
The north signifies the multitude of the Gentiles, who until Christ had been benumbed by the darkness and cold of unbelief: here is Dan, that is judgment; Aser, that is blessed; and Nephthali, that is struggling, or enlarged: because, the Jews spurning the word of the Lord, by the just judgment of God the people of the Church, enlarged by the multitude of believing Gentiles and struggling, ceases not to hope for and seek eternal beatitude.
The west, or the last part of the tabernacle, signifies the fulfilment of the Church, which will come at the end of the world, when all Israel shall be saved: here are Ephraim, that is, increasing; Manasses, that is, forgetfulness; and Benjamin, that is, son of the right hand: because then in the persecution of Antichrist the elect will be proved and grow in merits, and then will come the hour in which, the impious being delivered over to the perpetual forgetfulness of death, the just will be placed at the right hand of God to reign for ever with the Lord. Thus far Rabanus.
Question the fourth: What do this camp signify tropologically and anagogically? For the literal sense is easy here; but the spiritual sense, which is hidden here, is illustrious. I answer: Every faithful and holy soul is a tabernacle of God, as I said on Exodus 26:31. Tropologically: The aspect toward the east signifies the enlightening and purification of the mind, which is accomplished by Juda, that is true confession; and Zabulon, that is strong penance; and Issachar, that is hope of reward. The south signifies the inflaming and ardour of the mind, which Ruben accomplishes, that is the vision and begetting of sons in the Spirit; and Simeon, that is obedience; and Gad, that is fortitude in adversities. The north signifies the temptations of the demon and other enemies, against which we are fortified by the camp of Dan, that is the fear of the last judgment; and Nephthali, that is continual struggle; and Aser, that is the memory of eternal beatitude. The west signifies the perfection of the soul, which Ephraim supplies, that is the fruits and continual increase of good works; and Manasses, that is forgetfulness of temporal things; and Benjamin, that is the right hand and power of our Father God: almost all these things Abulensis has here, last Question. Anagogically, this camp signifies the heaven of the Blessed and the heavenly city. Hence in Apocalypse 21:16 the city is said to be laid out as a square, just like the camp; and to have twelve gates, namely three on every side and quarter, inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: for the twelve tribes signify all true Israelites, that is the elect, who shall dwell in that city. So a good priest, who has presided well over the priesthood, will enter heaven by the gate of Levi, or as Levi; a good prince, who has presided well over the people, will enter by Juda, or as Juda; those who were obedient to their superiors will enter as Simeon; Monks and Religious, who trample on present pleasures, fixed on the hope of an eternal reward, will enter as Issachar or Manasses; those who abounded in the fruits of mercy will enter by the gate of Ephraim; just judges, by Dan. Gather and apply the rest from the tropology assigned a little before. So
Verse 9. BY THEIR TROOPS THEY SHALL SET FORTH FIRST.—Not that all the tribes set out together at an equal pace: for that would often have been impossible on account of the narrowness of the roads, but that the descendants of the tribe of Juda would be first, and would go before all the other tribes.
The twelve tribes, then, were distributed into four lines, which advanced in this order. The first line, and the strongest, was the tribe of Juda: this was not accompanied at an equal pace, but was followed behind, next by Issachar, then Zabulon: and thus these three tribes formed one, namely the first line, of 186 thousand warriors, as is plain from verse 9. The second line was the tribe of Ruben, which followed the tribe of Zabulon: after Ruben marched Simeon, after him Gad: and this second line, like the first, was threefold, being made up of the three tribes just named, and contained 150 thousand warriors, as is plain from verse 16. After this second line, in the midst of the whole camp, marched the Levites with the tabernacle, which was taken down in parts and carried distributed among various bearers. After the Levites followed the third line of Ephraim, to which was joined, and followed, the line of Manasses, then Benjamin: this line contained 108 thousand warriors, as is plain from verse 24. After this followed the fourth line of Dan, to which at the rear was joined Aser, then Nephthali. Nephthali therefore closed the whole column and all the other tribes; this line contained 157 thousand warriors, as is plain from verse 31.
Verse 17. AND THE TABERNACLE OF THE TESTIMONY SHALL BE TAKEN DOWN BY THE OFFICES OF THE LEVITES—as if to say: The tabernacle, taken down, shall be carried by the Levites according to their distinct ministries, which God assigned to each in the following chapter.
Note: The Levites marched in the safest place, namely in the middle of the camp, when it set out; for they had before them two battle-lines, namely the six tribes already mentioned, and after them they had likewise two lines, namely the six other tribes; hence the Hebrew has, “the tabernacle of the testimony shall set forward, and the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps.” Understand this not as if all the Levites were precisely in the middle together, as some have held, but that the Gersonites and Merarites followed the first line, or the first three tribes; but the Caathites followed the second line, and were precisely in the middle of the camp, as is expressly told in chapter 10, verses 17 and 21. So Andrew Masius on Josue 6.
AS IT SHALL BE SET UP, SO SHALL IT BE TAKEN DOWN.—These words are not in the Hebrew at this place, but in chapter 4, whence they seem to have been transferred here by the Latin interpreter for the sake of light and clearness.
Verse 31. NEPHTHALI.—Note: For the sake of concord God gave this fitting order to these four tribes, namely that, since there were four sons of Jacob’s handmaids, Bala’s Dan and Nephthali, and Zelpha’s Gad and Aser, and since therefore one had to be joined to another line and standard (which consisted of only three tribes), Gad was joined to Ruben, and Dan and Nephthali, the sons of Bala, embraced between them Aser, the son of Zelpha, for the sake of love and union.