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Peor; the fact thatZimri, a prince of the tribe of Simeon, had been such a notable
offender (Numbers 25:6-14) leadingto the inference that the tribe itself had been
largely implicated in the sin.
It has already been noted, that the Levites were taken for the ministry of the sanctuary
in place of thefirstborn of Israel. (Numbers 3:11, 12) The number of the latter
amounted to 22,273. (Numbers3:43) But this statement is not intended to imply that,
among all the Jewish males, amounting toupwards of a million of all ages - from the
grandfather to the infant lately born - there were only22,273 "firstborns." The latter
figure evidently indicates only the number of the firstborn since thedeparture from
Egypt. With reference to those born previously to the Exodus we are expressly
told:(Numbers 3:13; 8:17) "all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I smote all the
firstborn of Egypt Ihallowed unto Me all the firstborn in Israel."
Hence the fresh hallowing of the firstborn of Israel, and their subsequent numbering
with a view tothe substitution of the Levites for them, must have dated from after the
Paschal night. Thus the22,273 firstborn sons, for whom the Levites were substituted,
represent those born after thedeparture from Egypt. If this number seems
proportionally large, it should be remembered that theoppressive measures of Pharaoh
would tend to diminish the number of marriages during the latterpart of Israel's stay in
Egypt, while the prospect of near freedom would, in a corresponding
manner,immensely increase them. Besides, it is a well-known fact that even now the
proportion of boys togirls is very much greater among Jews than among Gentiles.
Viewed in this light, the account ofScripture on this subject presents no difficulties to
the careful reader.
As already explained, the Levites were not numbered with the other tribes, but
separately, (Numbers3:15) and appointed ministers to Aaron the priest "for the service
of the Tabernacle," in room of thefirstborn of Israel (3:5-13). Not being regarded as
part of the host, they were counted "from a monthold and upward," the number of
their males amounting to 22,000, which at the second census (afterthe thirty-eight
years' wanderings) had increased to 23,000. (Numbers 3:39; 26:62) This has
beencomputed to imply about 13,000 men, from twenty years and upwards - a number
less than half thatof the smallest of the other tribes (Benjamin, 35,400).
With this computation agrees the statement (Numbers 4:48) that the number of Levites
"from thirtyyears old and upwards, even unto fifty years old, every one that came to
do the service of theministry," amounted in all to 8,580.
The same proportion between Levi and the rest of the people seems to have continued
in after times,as we gather from the results of the census taken by King David, (1
Chronicles 23:3) when Levi hadonly increased from 23,000 to 38,000, while the rest
(^)