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of the tribes had more than doubled. TheLevites were arranged into families after their
ancestors, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the threesons of Levi. (Numbers 3:14-43)
The Gershonites (again subdivided into two families, andamounting to 7,500), under
their leader Eliasaph - "My God that gathers" - had charge of "theTabernacle," or
rather of "the dwelling-place;" of "the tent," of "the covering thereof;" and of
"thehanging (or curtain) for the door of the tent of meeting;" as also of "the hangings
of the court" (inwhich the Tabernacle stood); of the curtain for its door; and of all the
cordage necessary for these"hangings."
We have been particular in translating this passage, because it proves that the common
view, whichplaces the curtains "of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and
scarlet," (Exodus 26:1) outside theboards that constituted the framework of the
Tabernacle, is entirely erroneous. Evidently thesehangings, and not the boards,
constituted "the Tabernacle," or rather "the dwelling" - "the tent,"outside the
framework, consisting of the eleven curtains of goats' hair, (Exodus 26:7) and
"thecovering" of the whole being twofold - one "of rams' skins dyed red," and another
"of badgers'skins." (Exodus 26:14)
Whilst the Gershonites had charge of "the dwelling," "the tent," and the hangings of
the outer court,the care of the "boards of the dwelling," with all that belonged thereto,
and of "the pillars of the courtround about" - in short, of all the outer solid framework
of the Tabernacle and of the court -devolved upon the Merarites, under their chief,
Zuriel ("My Rock is God"). Finally, the mostimportant charge - that of the contents
and vessels of the sanctuary - was committed to theKohathites, under their chief
Elizaphan ("My God watcheth round about").
Viewed as a whole, the camp of Israel thus formed a threefold square - a symbolical
design, furtherdeveloped in the Temple of Solomon, still more fully in that of Ezekiel,
and finally shown in all itscompleteness in "the city that lieth foursquare."
The innermost square - as yet elongated and therefore not perfect in its width (or
comprehension),nor yet having the perfect form of a cube, except so far as the Most
Holy Place itself was concerned(which was a cube) - was occupied by "the dwelling,"
covered by "the tent," and surrounded by its"court." Around this inner was another
square, occupied by the ministers of the Tabernacle in theEast, or at the entrance to the
court, by Moses, Aaron, and his sons; in the South by the Kohathites,who had the
most important Levitical charge; in the West by the Gershonites; and in the North
bythe Merarites. Finally, there was a third and outermost square, which formed the
camp of Israel. Theeastern or most important place here was occupied by Judah,
bearing the standard of the division.With Judah were Issachar and Zebulon (the sons
of Leah), the three tribes together a host of186,400 men. The southern place was held
by Reuben, with the standard of that division, campedprobably nearest to Zebulon, or
(^)