1
Nu 3:1-51.
简体中文
英文原文
Nu 3:1-51.
THE LEVITES' SERVICE.
1. These . . . are the generations of Aaron and Moses, &c.--This chapter contains an account of their families; and although that of Moses is not detailed like his brother's, his children are included under the general designation of the Amramites
(Nu 3:27),
a term which comprehends all the descendants of their common father Amram. The reason why the family of Moses was so undistinguished in this record is that they were in the private ranks of the Levites, the dignity of the priesthood being conferred exclusively on the posterity of Aaron; and hence, as the sacerdotal order is the subject of this chapter, Aaron, contrary to the usual style of the sacred history, is mentioned before Moses.
in the day that the Lord spake with Moses in mount Sinai--This is added, because at the date of the following record the family of Aaron was unbroken.
2
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2-4. 亚伦儿子的名字如下——亚伦的四个儿子全都受膏承接圣职供祭司的职分。两个长子的任期十分短暂
(Le 10:1, 2; Nu 3:4; 26:61)；
但另外两个——以利亚撒和以他玛——却尽忠职守，在其父亲在世之日，作为他的助手并在其监督之下履行圣事。
英文原文
2-4. And these are the names of the sons of Aaron--All the sons of Aaron, four in number, were consecrated to minister in the priest's office. The two oldest enjoyed but a brief term of office
(Le 10:1, 2; Nu 3:4; 26:61);
but Eleazar and Ithamar, the other two, were dutiful, and performed the sacred service during the lifetime of their father, as his assistants, and under his superintendence.
5
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5-10. 使利未支派近前来——希伯来文的“使……近前来”一词是献祭用语，指将供物献与神；因此将此词用于利未人，意味着他们被当作供物献归圣所，不再担任任何普通的职务。他们从属于祭司，唯独祭司享有进入圣所的特权；但他们被派去履行许多属于圣所的较为卑微的职务，以及各种对百姓的宗教与道德大有裨益且十分重要的职事。
英文原文
5-10. Bring the tribe of Levi near--The Hebrew word "bring near" is a sacrificial term, denoting the presentation of an offering to God; and the use of the word, therefore, in connection with the Levites, signifies that they were devoted as an offering to the sanctuary, no longer to be employed in any common offices. They were subordinate to the priests, who alone enjoyed the privilege of entering the holy place; but they were employed in discharging many of the humbler duties which belonged to the sanctuary, as well as in various offices of great utility and importance to the religion and morals of the people.
9
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9. 他们都是从以色列人中全然给他的等——祭司站在神的地位上，而利未人借其对祭司的顺服，作为神的仆人。
英文原文
9. they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel, &c.--The priests hold the place of God, and the Levites are the servants of God in the obedience they render to the priests.
11
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11-13. 我拣选了利未人等——这支派的奉献并非源于摩西立法的智慧，而是出于神特别的拣选；神选他们代替一切头生的。因着记念在埃及所行的最后那场庄严之灾（以色列人的家宅奇异地免于此灾），一切头生的都被献给神
(Ex 13:12; 22:29)；
如此，在特殊情形下，神似乎采纳了先祖时代立长子为家庭祭司的习俗。但头生者所获允准的赎回之权，为变更开了出路；于是，在摩西律法体制全面建立之时，先前交托给头生者的圣事管理权，便从他们转移到利未人身上。利未人领受此尊荣，部分作为对摩西和亚伦的敬意，部分因这支派在金牛犊事件中以其热心自显
(Ex 32:29)，
也因他们是众支派中最小的，难以在工作谋生上找到合适的出路。（参
De 33:8）。
指定一个特殊阶层担任宗教的圣职，是一项明智的安排；因为百姓定居迦南之后，事务繁忙，未必有闲暇伺候圣所的事奉，而圣事也可能因种种原因被忽略。但指派一整支派归于神的事奉，便确保了宗教礼仪的规律举行。本章余下的部分论及这支派的正式替代。
我是耶和华——意即我定规如此；我既拥有至高的权柄，便期望完全的顺服。
英文原文
11-13. I have taken the Levites, &c.--The consecration of this tribe did not originate in the legislative wisdom of Moses, but in the special appointment of God, who chose them as substitutes for the first-born. By an appointment made in memory of the last solemn judgment on Egypt (from which the Israelitish households were miraculously exempt) all the first-born were consecrated to God
(Ex 13:12; 22:29),
who thus, under peculiar circumstances, seemed to adopt the patriarchal usage of appointing the oldest to act as the priest of the family. But the privilege of redemption that was allowed the first-born opened the way for a change; and accordingly, on the full organization of the Mosaic economy, the administration of sacred things formerly committed to the first-born was transferred from them to the Levites, who received that honor partly as a tribute to Moses and Aaron, partly because this tribe had distinguished themselves by their zeal in the affair of the golden calf
(Ex 32:29),
and also because, being the smallest of the tribes, they could ill find suitable employment and support in the work. (See on
De 33:8).
The designation of a special class for the sacred offices of religion was a wise arrangement; for, on their settlement in Canaan, the people would be so occupied that they might not be at leisure to wait on the service of the sanctuary, and sacred things might, from various causes, fall into neglect. But the appointment of an entire tribe to the divine service ensured the regular performance of the rites of religion. The subsequent portion of the chapter relates to the formal substitution of this tribe.
I am the Lord--that is, I decree it to be so; and being possessed of sovereign authority, I expect full obedience.
14
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14-31. 你计算利未的子孙——他们也像其余支派一样被数点；但数点的原则不同——在其余支派中，男丁的统计是从二十岁及以上算起
[Nu 1:3]，
而利未支派则是“从一个月以外”算起。这一区别的理由是显而易见的。其余支派的调查是为战争之用
[Nu 1:3]，
而利未人完全免于兵役。利未人被指派的工作，是他们一旦能领受教导便可开始的。他们以利未的儿子革顺、哥辖、米拉利之名被提及，是这支派所分三个分支的首领或先祖之首。他们的职责是：百姓在各营地之间搬迁时协助搬运帐幕，扎营时则充任其守卫——革顺人驻于西边，哥辖人驻于南边，米拉利诸家族驻于北边。哥辖人在帐幕周围居首要地位，负责照管最珍贵最神圣之物——他们获此尊荣，大概是因为亚伦家族属于利未支派的这一分支。革顺人因最年长，获派次尊的位置，而苦工的重担则落在米拉利分支身上。
英文原文
14-31. Number the children of Levi--They were numbered as well as the other tribes; but the enumeration was made on a different principle--for while in the other tribes the number of males was calculated from twenty years and upward
[Nu 1:3],
in that of Levi they were counted "from a month old and upward." The reason for the distinction is obvious. In the other tribes the survey was made for purposes of war
[Nu 1:3],
from which the Levites were totally exempt. But the Levites were appointed to a work on which they entered as soon as they were capable of instruction. They are mentioned under the names of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, sons of Levi, and chiefs or ancestral heads of three subdivisions into which this tribe was distributed. Their duties were to assist in the conveyance of the tabernacle when the people were removing the various encampments, and to form its guard while stationary--the Gershonites being stationed on the west, the Kohathites on the south, and the families of Merari on the north. The Kohathites had the principal place about the tabernacle, and charge of the most precious and sacred things--a distinction with which they were honored, probably, because the Aaronic family belonged to this division of the Levitical tribe. The Gershonites, being the oldest, had the next honorable post assigned them, while the burden of the drudgery was thrown on the division of Merari.
32
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32. 族长——更准确说，是利未人的"众族长"。此处提到三人分别作这三组的族长
[民 3:24, 30, 35]。
以利亚撒统管他们；因此他被称为"第二祭司"
(王下 25:18)；
大祭司因病或其他必要缘故缺席时，便由他履行职务
(王上 4:4)。
英文原文
32. chief--rather, "chiefs" of the Levites. Three persons are mentioned as chiefs of these respective divisions
[Nu 3:24, 30, 35].
And Eleazar presided over them; whence he is called "the second priest"
(2Ki 25:18);
and in the case of the high priest's absence from illness or other necessary occasions, he performed the duties
(1Ki 4:4).
38
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*38. 在帐幕前安营的，*等等——那一面既是入口，便是尊位，因此保留给摩西和祭司家族。但摩西的儿子们在此没有位置。
英文原文
38. those that encamp, &c.--That being the entrance side, it was the post of honor, and consequently reserved to Moses and the priestly family. But the sons of Moses had no station here.
39
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39. 二万二千——这次数点的结果，虽然是在对利未最有利的条件下进行的，却证明它是以色列中最小的支派。
民 3:22, 28, 34
所记各组的数目相加，共得二万二千三百。那遗漏的三百人有不同的解释——有人说，他们可能是已经归给神的长子，不能算为替代者；也有人说，按圣经的笔法，总数是按整数计算的。最可能的推测是：因希伯来文以字母作数字，在抄写过程中，一个字母被误作另一个形状相似而数值较小的字母。
英文原文
39. twenty and two thousand--The result of this census, though made on conditions most advantageous to Levi, proved it to be by far the smallest in Israel. The separate numbers stated in
Nu 3:22, 28, 34,
when added together, amount to twenty-two thousand three hundred. The omission of the three hundred is variously accounted for--by some, because they might be first-born who were already devoted to God and could not be counted as substitutes; and by others, because in Scripture style, the sum is reckoned in round numbers. The most probable conjecture is, that as Hebrew letters are employed for figures, one letter was, in the course of transcription, taken for another of like form but smaller value.
40
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*40-51. 以色列人中头生的男子，*等等——数点利未人所依据的原则，现在要应用到其他支派上。要从一个月以外的男丁起计算他们的数目，以便与利未人的数目作比较，正式接纳利未人代替头生的。利未人共二万二千，用以交换其他支派中同等数目的头生子；余出二百七十三名；这些人既没有替代者，便每人要付赎价银子五舍客勒
(民 18:15, 16)。
每个以色列人自然都希望自己的儿子能由利未人赎出，不必付这笔税银；但有些人总得付这笔费用，因为利未人不够均等交换之数。犹太作者说，这事是掣签而定的：摩西在一个壹里放了二万二千片羊皮纸，每片上写"利未之子"；另放二百七十三片，上写"五舍客勒"。摇匀之后，他吩咐每个头生的人伸手取一片。若取的是前者，那孩子便由利未人赎出；若取的是后者，父母就要付赎银。这赎银——若以舍客勒作半克朗计——每人为十二先令六便士，归圣所使用。全百姓中头生的比利未人多出来的数目如此之小，唯一可作解释的，要么是只数了仍住在父母家中的男丁，要么是只数了自出埃及以来所生的头生子——那时神将一切头生的都归为自己特别的产业。
英文原文
40-51. Number all the first-born of the males of the children of Israel, &c.--The principle on which the enumeration of the Levites had been made was now to be applied to the other tribes. The number of their male children, from a month old and upward, was to be reckoned, in order that a comparison might be instituted with that of the Levites, for the formal adoption of the latter as substitutes for the first-born. The Levites, amounting to twenty-two thousand, were given in exchange for an equal number of the first-born from the other tribes, leaving an excess of two hundred seventy-three; and as there were no substitutes for these, they were redeemed at the rate of five shekels for each
(Nu 18:15, 16).
Every Israelite would naturally wish that his son might be redeemed by a Levite without the payment of this tax, and yet some would have to incur the expense, for there were not Levites enough to make an equal exchange. Jewish writers say the matter was determined by lot, in this manner: Moses put into an urn twenty-two thousand pieces of parchment, on each of which he wrote "a son of Levi," and two hundred seventy-three more, containing the words, "five shekels." These being shaken, he ordered each of the first-born to put in his hand and take out a slip. If it contained the first inscription, the boy was redeemed by a Levite; if the latter, the parent had to pay. The ransom-money, which, reckoning the shekel at half a crown, would amount to 12s. 6d. each, was appropriated to the use of the sanctuary. The excess of the general over the Levitical first-born is so small, that the only way of accounting for it is, by supposing those first-born only were counted as were males remaining in their parents' household, or that those first-born only were numbered which had been born since the departure from Egypt, when God claimed all the first-born as his special property.
41
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41. 利未人的牲畜——这些牲畜在他们城邑郊区的牧场上牧放，为家人供应乳类和肉食；这些牲畜也被取来代替以色列人当时所有牲畜中一切头生的。由于这交换，头生的牲畜便不像后来那样带到坛前交给祭司。
英文原文
41. the cattle of the Levites--These, which they kept to graze on the glebes and meadows in the suburbs of their cities, to supply their families with dairy produce and animal food, were also taken as an equivalent for all the firstlings of the cattle which the Israelites at that time possessed. In consequence of this exchange the firstlings were not brought then, as afterwards, to the altar and the priests.
Nu 3:1-51.
利未人的 职事。
1. 亚伦和摩西的……后代如下等——本章记述他们的家族；虽然摩西的家族不像其兄长那样详尽地列出，但他的儿女被归在暗兰人这一通称之下
(Nu 3:27)，
该词涵盖了他们共同的父亲暗兰的所有后裔。摩西的家族在这记录中如此不显眼，原因在于他们只居于利未人的普通行列；祭司的尊荣唯独赐给了亚伦的后裔。因此，因本章的主题是祭司的等次，亚伦便一反神圣历史惯常的记述次序，被列在摩西之前。
耶和华在西奈山与摩西说话的日子——之所以加上这句，是因为在以下记录的日期，亚伦的家族尚无缺损。