46<\/strong>. make atonement for them<\/em> ] The offering of incense was an unusual way of making atonement; the shedding of blood was generally required. But since the sin had been the burning of incense, the means for its atonement was similar. Cf. the bronze serpent (Num 21:6-9<\/span>). A converse application of the same principle is seen in the laws of retaliation ‘an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’<\/p>\n there is wrath gone out<\/em> ] lit. the wrath has gone out<\/em>. The divine wrath is thought of almost as an emanation; it has, so to speak, an existence independent of Jehovah, as soon as it proceeds from Him. Cf. 2Ch 19:2<\/span>, where, however, ‘wrath’ is without the article.<\/p>\n A censer – <\/B>Rather, the censer. i. e. that of the high priest which was used by him on the great Day of Atonement: compare Lev 16:12<\/span>; Heb 9:4<\/span>.<\/P><\/p>\n Verse 46<\/span>. The plague is begun.<\/B><\/I>] God now punished them by a secret blast<\/I>, so as to put the matter beyond all dispute; his hand, and his alone, was seen, not only in the plague, but in the manner<\/I> in which the mortality was arrested. It was necessary that this should be done in this way<\/I>, that the whole congregation might see that those men who had perished were not the people of the<\/I> Lord<\/I>; and that GOD, not Moses<\/I> and Aaron<\/I>, had destroyed them.<\/P> <\/p>\n Put on incense; <\/B>which was a sign of intercession, Psa 141:2<\/span>, and was to be accompanied with it, Luk 1:9<\/span>,10<\/span>. <\/P> Go quickly unto the congregation, <\/B>with the incense, to stir up the people to repentance and prayer to prevent their utter ruin. This he might do upon this extraordinary occasion, having Gods command for his warrant, though ordinarily incense was to be offered only in the tabernacle. <\/P> The plague is begun, <\/B>in cutting off the people by a sudden and miraculous stroke. <\/P> <\/p>\n And Moses said unto Aaron, take a censer<\/strong>,…. Which lay in the tabernacle:<\/p>\n and put fire therein from off the altar<\/strong>; the altar of burnt offering, from whence fire only was to be taken for burning incense; and lest Aaron in his hurry should forget to take it from thence, but elsewhere, and offer strange fire as his sons had done, Moses expresses the place from whence he should take it:<\/p>\n and put on incense<\/strong>: upon the fire, in the censer, which he was to do when he came into the camp, and not as soon as he took the fire from the altar: the censer with fire in it he carried in one hand, and the incense in the other; and when he was in the midst of the congregation, he put the incense on the fire, and burnt it, as appears from<\/p>\n Nu 16:47<\/span>: this was an emblem of prayer, and a figure of the intercession and mediation of Christ, Ps 141:2<\/span>;<\/p>\n and go quickly unto the congregation<\/strong>; the case required haste:<\/p>\n and make an atonement for them<\/strong>; which was usually done by the sacrifice of a sin or trespass offering, but now there was no time for that, and therefore incense, which was of quicker dispatch, was used for that purpose instead of it:<\/p>\n for there is wrath gone out from the Lord<\/strong>; some token of it, some disease was inflicted, which Moses had information of from the Lord, and therefore expressly says,<\/p>\n the plague is begun<\/strong>; a pestilence was sent among the people.<\/p>\n 46. And Moses said unto Aaron. The expiation of so great a sin did not indeed depend on the incense-offering, nor are we to imagine that God is appeased by the savor of frankincense; but thus was a symbol set before this grosshearted people, whereby they might be alike aroused to repentance and faith; for however insensible they might be in their rebellion, yet the dignity of the priesthood was so conspicuous in the censer, that they ought to have been awakened by it to reverence. For who would not view his impiety with horror, when he is made conscious of having despised and violated that sanctity wherein the Divine power displays itself for life or death? The sight of the censer might have justly availed to subdue their hardness of heart, so that at last they might begin to condemn and detest their unrighteous act. The second warning which it gave them was no less profitable, i.e., that they might perceive that God was only propitiated towards them by virtue of a mediator; but., in so far as the actual state of things allowed, the visible type directed them to the absent Savior. Since, however, men corrupt and obscure the truth by their fond inventions, His majesty is asserted by the Divine institution of sacrifice. Whilst Aaron, the typical priest, stands forth, until the true, and only, and perpetual Mediator shall be revealed. <\/p>\n The verb כפר, caphar, properly signifies, as I have said elsewhere, to reconcile God to men through the medium of an expiation (piaculum;) but, since here it refers to the people, the sense of Moses is rightly expressed by a single word, as one may say, to purge, or lustrate from pollution. <\/p>\n (46) Take a censer.<\/strong>Better, the censer. <\/em>The reference appears to be to the golden censer of the high priest. Incense was an emblem of prayer, and a figure of the intercession and mediation of Christ. (See Psa. 141:2<\/span>; Rev. 8:3-4<\/span>.)<\/p>\n And go quickly.<\/strong>Or, and carry it quickly. 46<\/strong>. <\/strong> Fire off the altar <\/strong> See Lev 6:13<\/span>, note. <\/p>\n Put on incense <\/strong> The symbolism of incense is thus explained by Baehr: “Prayer among all Oriental nations signifies calling upon the name of God. The oldest prayers consisted in the mere enumeration of the several titles of God. The Scriptures place incense in close relationship to prayer, so that offering incense is synonymous with worship. Hence incense itself is a symbol of the name of God.” But to us it rather seems to be an emblem of that which makes prayer acceptable, the intercession of Christ. Rev 8:3<\/span>.<\/p>\n Atonement <\/strong> This is the only place where atonement is made without blood. But here the incense-offering, embodying the high priestly prayer, does not secure pardon, but only a reprieve; it shields the sinner from instant destruction and prolongs the forfeited lives of many adult Israelites. Thus the people were furnished with a practical proof of the power and operation of the true and divinely-appointed priesthood. <\/p>\n There is wrath gone out <\/strong> Since Moses and Aaron have been accused of killing the people, an invisible destroyer is sent forth into the camp whose work cannot be ascribed to any human origin. Now the hand of Jehovah only will be seen in sending and in staying the plague. Thus Moses and Aaron are vindicated.<\/p>\n At Moses’ Word Aaron Stays the Plague by Offering Incense on His Censer ( Num 16:46-50<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> ).<\/strong> <\/p>\n The purpose in what followed was to demonstrate that Aaron with his censer was a totally different thing from the rebels with their censers. Aaron’s pleas were effective because he was the rightful intermediary for the people. In a sense he was the people. Theirs had been unsuccessful because they were frauds. <\/p>\n Num 16:46<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire in it from off the altar, and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them, for there is wrath gone out from Yahweh. The plague is begun.” ’ <\/p>\n Moses had already been made aware that Yahweh’s judgment had begun and that a deadly plague was spreading through the people. There was no time for intercession. The judgment was already at work and spreading rapidly. He recognised that there was only one hope. He turned to Aaron and commanded him to take his censer, put fire in it from the altar, from the burning coals that had received so much of the offerings of Israel (compare Isa 6:6<\/span>), and then to burn incense on it. He was to do it with all speed. Then he was to race among the Israelites, making atonement for them, as the incense ascended as intercession for mercy to Yahweh, burning in the coals from the altar which had regularly burned offerings, and offered by the one who stood for the whole people. All had to be hurry. For Yahweh’s holy justice and aversion to sin was being revealed and the deadly plague had already begun. <\/p>\n Num 16:47<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘And Aaron took as Moses spoke, and ran into the midst of the assembly, and, behold, the plague was begun among the people. And he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people.’ <\/p>\n Aaron instantly obeyed. He ran into the midst of ‘the assembly’ and even as he did so was aware of people dying around him. So putting the incense on to the coals in his censer he made atonement for the people. The incense smoke, and the smoke from the coals, rose upwards and as Yahweh looked down on His chosen representative offering atonement for the people His holy justice was appeased. Because of the multiplicity of offerings that had been slain and had been offered on the altar, and because of the intercession of His chosen servants, and in this case especially His High Priest, He was enabled to righteously forgive. <\/p>\n Num 16:48<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.’ <\/p>\n And there Aaron stood between the dead and the living. The dead were gone, seemingly drawing others after them, but he brought hope and protection to the living. Death was driven back. As a holy intercessor he prevented death from reaching more of the people. Now all would know without any doubt who was the chosen of Yahweh, and who had the sole right to offer incense on behalf of the people. <\/p>\n One day Another would even more effectively stand between the dead and the living as He hung on a cross, and a greater plague would be stayed, for His death would be sufficient for the sins of the whole world (1Jn 2:2<\/span>). Indeed He would hold the keys of Sheol and of death, opening them and releasing all who were His (Rev 1:18<\/span>). <\/p>\n Num 16:49<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘Now those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides those who died about the matter of Korah.’ <\/p>\n And the number who died from that plague, on top of those who had died in the matter of Korah, was fourteen ’eleph and seven ‘hundreds’. If ever there was a symbolic number this was it. Fourteen was twice seven indicating the revelation of the divine choice and perfection in judgment and the doubling of the reception of the punishment for sin (compare Isa 40:1<\/span>). This was then followed by seven intensified indicating the divine perfection of the judgment demanded. We are probably to translate, 14 leaders and the equivalent of seven military units (or fourteen families, the equivalent of seven military units). <\/p>\n Num 16:50<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘And Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the tent of meeting, and the plague was stayed.’ <\/p>\n Having done his duty Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the Tent of meeting and the plague ceased. Hopefully the people would now settle down and return to normality. While this whole incident is not dated, the highly charged state that it reveals the people to have been in seems to indicate that it could not have been long after their great disappointment about the land. <\/p>\n The lessons for us are clear. They are that we recognise the importance of doing God’s work in God’s way, that we honour those whom He honours, and that we do not rebel against His chosen leaders who prove themselves worthy of Him, and whom He authenticates by the power of their ministry. The lessons are that we do not seek to trespass on things that are not God’s will for us, but accept from His hand what He is willing to give us. They are that we remember that He is holy, and that we should walk carefully and reverently before Him, always recognising His great holiness, for though greatly privileged we must never take God for granted. <\/p>\n From this we also learn of One Who can, as it were, come among us and offer up the incense of intercession and atonement on our behalf, ever living to make intercession for us (Heb 7:25<\/span>). <\/p>\n Num 16:46<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>Take a censer, <\/em><\/strong>&c.<\/strong> Incense could regularly be offered no where but at the golden altar, within the sanctuary: but now, in this extraordinary case, Aaron is sent with it unto the camp; that so, the plague being stopped upon his offering incense, and making intercession for the people, they might have a new and convincing testimony of the authority of his ministry. Accordingly, getting intelligence in what part of the camp the plague raged, Aaron situated himself, Num 16:48<\/span> between the infected and the sound quarters of it; and upon his offering, and praying, it stayed, <\/em>and went no farther. Thus, to use the words of St. Jerome, the anger of God, poured forth with rapidity, was arrested by the prayers of the high priest. In this, Aaron was a remarkable type of the happy effects of the intercession of our great high priest Jesus Christ, Rev 8:3<\/span>. If Aaron’s sacrifice was thus accepted, says Bishop Hall, how much more shall the high-priest of the New Testament, by interposing himself to the wrath of his Father, deliver offenders from death? The plague had entered upon all the sons of men: O Saviour! thou stoodest between the living and the dead, that all who believe in thee should not perish. Aaron offered, and was not stricken; but thou, O Redeemer, wouldest offer and be struck, that by thy stripes we might be healed. So stoodest thou betwixt the living and the dead, that thou wert both alive and dead; and all this, that we, when we were dead, might live for ever. <\/p>\n Num 16:46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.<\/p>\n Ver. 46. For there is wrath.<\/strong> ] Moses is quick sighted, and spies it at first setting out. By how much more faithful and familiar men are with God, so much earlier do they discern his wrath.<\/p>\n atonement. See note on Exo 29:33. <\/p>\n from = from before. <\/p>\n from off: Lev 9:24, Lev 10:1, Lev 16:12, Lev 16:13, Isa 6:6, Isa 6:7, Rom 5:9, Rom 5:10, Heb 7:25-27, Heb 9:25, Heb 9:26, Rev 8:3-5 <\/p>\n and put: Psa 141:2, Mal 1:11 <\/p>\n an atonement: Exo 30:7-10, Lev 16:11-16, 1Jo 2:1, 1Jo 2:2 <\/p>\n there is wrath: Num 1:53, Num 8:19, Num 11:33, Num 18:5, Lev 10:6, 1Ch 27:24, Psa 106:29 <\/p>\n the plague is begun: God now punished them by a secret blast, so as to put the matter beyond dispute; His hand, and His alone, was seen, not only in the plague, but in the manner in which the mortality was arrested. It was necessary that it should be done in this way, that the whole congregation might see that these men who had perished were not “the people of the Lord,” and that God, not Moses and Aaron, had destroyed them. <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Exo 33:5 – Ye are Num 12:13 – General Num 14:12 – smite Num 16:6 – General Num 16:47 – and he put Num 25:8 – So the plague Deu 28:21 – General Deu 33:10 – they shall put incense 1Sa 8:6 – prayed 1Sa 25:18 – made haste 2Sa 24:15 – the Lord 1Ch 6:49 – make an atonement 1Ch 21:14 – the Lord 1Ch 23:13 – to burn incense 2Ch 7:13 – I send 2Ch 13:11 – sweet incense 2Ch 19:10 – wrath come 2Ch 26:18 – not unto thee Job 42:10 – when Psa 91:3 – and from Psa 106:18 – General Jer 52:19 – General Eze 14:19 – if I Hab 3:2 – in wrath Hab 3:5 – went 1Co 10:10 – were Heb 5:1 – for men Heb 5:4 – General<\/p>\n 16:46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the {r} altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.<\/p>\n (r) For it was not lawful to take any other fire, but of the altar of burnt offering, Lev 10:1.<\/p>\n And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. 46. make atonement for them ] The offering of incense … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 16:46”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4249\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
<\/em><\/p>\nFuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"