Commentaria in Numeros
Tropologically, the Levites signified the ecclesiastical state of the clergy of the new law: hence they watched between the tabernacle and the camp; because ecclesiastics by their office are in the middle between God and the people. Their holy mysteries are beautifully signified by their very names in verse 17. For Levi in Hebrew means “added” and “taken,” namely by God for the ministry of the tabernacle. Gerson means “stranger.” For ecclesiastics ought to bear themselves as pilgrims and strangers of the earth, since they are fellow-citizens of the saints and domestics of God. Caath means “grieving and mourning”; for caa, that is … grieved, becomes kehat, that is Caath, by interchange of kindred letters, namely aleph and he, and caph into coph: for ecclesiastics ought to mourn the sins of the people; hence they are clothed in black, that is mourning, garments. Merari means “bitterness”: for ecclesiastics ought assiduously to turn over in mind death and the other last things, which are bitter, and from this to stir themselves to the affliction and mortification of the flesh. Lebni means “whiteness,” that is chastity and purity of life. Semei means “hearing” and obedience. Amram means “a lofty people,” who say: Our conversation is in heaven. Jesaar means “noon” or “of noon,” one who fully receives the rays of the sun of justice, namely Christ, and of his grace; “the path of the just, as a shining light, goes forward and increases even to perfect day.” Hebron means “society,” namely social love and discipline. Oziel means “my God is my strength.” Moholi means “a choir,” namely of those singing psalms. Musi means “touching” or “taking away,” namely sins in the Sacrament of penance. Eleazar means “my God is helper.” Ithamar means “where is the palm?” because ecclesiastics look and wait for the things in heaven. So Rabanus here, folio 33 and the two following, and in part Rupert.
Verse 7. AND OBSERVE WHATSOEVER PERTAINS TO THE SERVICE OF THE MULTITUDE.—… the camp is pitched round the tabernacle, that they may guard it and its vessels, with which the whole multitude of the people worships God. The Hebrew has, “that they may keep his charge,” namely Aaron’s, “and the charge of the whole congregation,” which Aaron and the whole congregation of the people ought to keep. As if to say: The Levites ought to serve the tabernacle for the people and for Aaron the pontiff, and to guard it, as is explained in what follows. In the worship of God and of the tabernacle the Levites therefore did what the whole people ought to have done; but since it could not do this by itself, the Levites were chosen in place of the people to perform it in an orderly, honourable, becoming and reverent manner.
Secondly, some understand by the guard of the congregation the guard of the people. For priests and Levites by right are guardians and preservers both of the people and of the tabernacle, so that they take care that the people in the sight of the tabernacle and of God behave becomingly and reverently. Theirs, then, it was to keep watch lest anything be done by the people against the honour and will of God, lest it be entangled in false opinions, or given over to delusions or superstitions; but on the contrary to teach it with what rite, worship, piety and probity God is to be worshipped. In the priests, therefore, the whole guard of the people is placed, because all the good and ill of the people depends on religion: which, if it be right and pious, produces numberless goods; if corrupt and perverse, numberless evils. This is what the Lord says, Isaias 62:6: “Upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen, all the day and all the night they shall never hold their peace”; and …
Verses 9 and 10. AND THOU SHALT GIVE THE LEVITES AS A GIFT TO AARON AND HIS SONS (as if to say: You shall present the Levites to Aaron and the priests, to serve them, and that freely and without price; for the priests are not enough for all the ministries of the tabernacle: whence the Levites were given them in aid), TO WHOM THEY ARE DELIVERED (in Hebrew “given, given,” or “surrendered, surrendered,” that is absolutely given and presented to Aaron; or rather they are to be given: for they had not yet in fact been given, but were just about to be given for ever) BY THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL—that by this gift made to Aaron they might redeem their firstborn from God, as is plain from verse 45. The Levites were therefore what the deacons are with the priests: hence the Levite Laurence is so called because he ministered to holy Sixtus as deacon.
Verse 10. BUT AARON AND HIS SONS THOU SHALT APPOINT OVER THE SERVICE OF THE PRIESTHOOD—that is, to perform the sacred functions of the priesthood, which in the old law were four: namely first to sacrifice; second to burn incense; third every Sabbath to set the loaves of proposition on the table before God; fourth to light the lamps every evening.
Verse 12. I HAVE TAKEN—I have decreed to take, and now in fact I take and receive to myself the Levites.
FOR EVERY FIRSTBORN THAT OPENS THE WOMB—that is born first of its mother. See Exodus 13:2.
Verse 13. FOR ALL THE FIRSTBORN ARE MINE.—“Mine,” not only by creation, but properly by redemption and deliverance, whereby I delivered your firstborn from the angel who struck the firstborn of the Egyptians, Exodus 12:23. Again, “mine” by the just and equitable exaction of this my precept, who am the absolute Lord of all.
I HAVE SANCTIFIED TO MYSELF WHATSOEVER IS FIRST BORN IN ISRAEL.—“I have sanctified” means I have appointed and decreed that they be sanctified to me, that is offered and consecrated.
Note: God here demands the Levites in place of the firstborn of the Hebrews due to himself, and chooses the tribe of Levi for the priesthood and for his worship in the tabernacle, and that first on account of the zeal with which this tribe avenged the injuries done to God, by slaying the idolaters of the golden calf, Exodus 32:26 and 29; and this is what is said of Levi and the Levites in Deuteronomy 33:9: “Who hath said to his father and to his mother: I know you not; and to his brethren: I know you not; and their own children they have not known: these have kept thy word, and observed thy covenant … let them put incense in thy wrath, and a holocaust upon thy altar.” Secondly, because the tribe of Levi was smaller than the rest, and therefore could easily be supported by the people; which was altogether to be done, since that tribe was without any inheritance; and on the other hand it was sufficient to perform the ministries of the tabernacle. For these causes, therefore, the right of the priesthood, which was owed to Ruben as Jacob’s firstborn, was transferred to Levi as a penalty for the incest he committed; just as the right of the kingdom and of primacy among his brothers was transferred from the same Ruben to Juda; and the right of the double inheritance, which was properly the right of primogeniture, was transferred to Joseph, namely to Ephraim and Manasses, Joseph’s sons, as is plain from 1 Paralipomenon 5:1 and 2.
Verse 15. NUMBER THE CHILDREN OF LEVI, etc., EVERY MALE FROM ONE MONTH AND UPWARD.—“From one month,” that by this means a larger number of Levites might be had, which would nearly answer to the number of the firstborn of Israel, for whom the Levites are substituted by God; elsewhere, however, the Levites are numbered from the 25th or 30th year, because there their ministry in the tabernacle is in question, which boys could not perform, nor, even if they could, would it be fitting or decent that they should.
Verse 17. AND THERE WERE FOUND THE SONS OF LEVI BY THEIR NAMES, GERSON, AND CAATH, AND MERARI.—“Were found,” not in life but in this census and number; hence the Hebrew has “and these were the sons of Levi.” For they themselves had long since died: for they had entered Egypt with their grandfather Jacob 217 years before; for the Hebrews lived 215 years in Egypt: but this census of the Levites took place in the second year after the departure from Egypt; and no one at that age lived so long, indeed Caath lived only 133 years,
Verse 23. THESE SHALL PITCH BEHIND THE TABERNACLE.—The descendants of Gerson, then, or the Gersonites, fixed their camp behind the tabernacle and court, on the west, the Merarites on the north, the Caathites on the south, but Moses and Aaron on the east.