Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/3_100_t.lzh/3_121.TXT

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Levi: and Sherebiah ; or rather even Sherebiah ; so
Aben Ezra; for he is the understanding man that is
meant, and described by his pedigree: with his sons
and his brethren,. 18; all together made this number.
Vet. 19. And Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the
sons ofMcrari, &c.] These were of the same eftvi-
sion of Levites as Sherebiah: his brethren and their
sons, 20; these 3S, with those they came with, were
all Levites; the Nethinim tbllow.
Vet. 20. Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the
princes had appointcd for the service of the Levites, &c.]
To wait upon them, and minister to them, as they
did to the priests; some think those were the same
with the Gibeonites, whom Joshua gave to the service
of the sanctuary, and David confirmed; but others
are of opinion these were different from them, and an
addition to them: 220 Nethinims : all of them were ex-
pressed by name; in the history that Iddo sent of them
to Ezra; and so the names of the Levites, though not
here expressed, only the names of those they came
with.
Ver. 2l. Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river
Ahava, &c.] After the messengers to Iddo were re-
turned with those they brought with them: that we
might afflict ourselves before our God; humble them-
selves before him for their sins, confess thetn, and de-
clare their repentance of them, and ask tbrgiveness
for them: to seek of him a right way for us; to take
from thence towards Jerusalem, to be directed by
him in it: ei.ther by a prophet, or by a vision in a
dream, as Eben Ezra; or rathcr by the guidance of
his providence; this they sought in prayer by the river-
side, where it had been usual with them, and since has
been, to perforth religious exercises, see Ezek. i. 1. and
iii. 15. Acts xvi. 13. hence Tertullian {z} calls the prayers
of the Jews orationes littorales; they sought not so
much which was the shortest and easiest way for them
to travel in, as which was the safest: and for our little
ones and for all our substance; for the safe conveyance
of them; this sbews, 'that though males only are num-
bered, as before, yet they had their wives and chil-
dren with them; for little ones cannot be supposed
without women to take care of them.
Ver. 22. For I was ashamed to require of the kings band
of soldiers and horsemen, &c.] Which he might have had,
only asking for them; so great was the interest he had
in the king's favour: to help us against the enemy in
the way; the Arabs, Samaritans, and others, that might
lie in wait tbr them, to rob them of their substance:
because we had spolcen unto the Icing: of the special fa-
your of God to them, his singular providence in the
protection of them: saying, the hand of our God is upon
all them for good that seek him; that pray unto him,
serve and worship him; his hand is open to them to
bestow all needful good upon them, temporal and spi-
ritual, and Iris power and providence are over them,
to protect and defend them from all evil: but his power
and his wrath is a.5.fainst all them that.forsake him.; his
word, his ways and worship; Iris powerful wrath, or
the strength and force of it, is exerted against them
and they are sure to feel the weight and dreadful ef-
fects of it: and now all this being said to the king,
after this, to desire a guard to protect them, it would
look as if they had not that fayour in the sight of God,
and did not believe what they had said, but distrusted
his power and providence towards them; therefore,
rather than reflect any dishonour on God, they chose
to expose themselves to danger, seeking his thee and
fayour, and relying on his goodness and power.
Vet. 0,3. So we fitsted, and besought our GodJbr this,
&c.] Sought the Lord by fasting and prayer for a
good journey, and preservation in it: and he was ca-
treated of us; accepted their prayer, as Jarchi, so that
they came safe to Jerusalem.
Ver. 24. Then I separated twelve of the chief of the
priests, &c.] That were in company with him; so that
it seems there were more than the two mentioned, vet.
_o. very probably their families, or some of their bre-
thren, were with them: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten
of their brethren with them; these men named were Le-
rites, and not priests, vet. 18, 19. and therefore the
copulative and must be supplied: and Sherebiah, &c.
or with the l2 priests, Sherebiah, &c. and 10 Levites
more with them; so that the number of priests and Le-
rites were equal, and in all
Vet. 25. And I weighed unto them the silver, and the
gold, and the vessels, &c.] When he delivered them
to them; this he did as a proof of his own integrity
and faithfulness, and as a security against any charge
or accusation of embezzling any part of them, and
to set them an example, and also that they might be
under no temptation of acting such a part, and
might be vindicated should they be charged with
it: even the offering of the house of our God; what
was freely offered for the service of it: which the
king' and his counsellors, and his lords, and all Israel
there present, had offercd; as free-will offerings, see
vii. 15, 16.
Ver. 0,6. I even weighed unto their hand 650 ta-
lents ofsilver, &c.] Which, according to Scheuchzer
amount to 975,000 imperials, and, of our money,
2,229,450 pounds sterling: and silver vessels 100 talents;
which came to 35,300 pounds, or 50,000 imperials;
according to Jarchi, there were 100' vessels, and every
vessel weighed a talent, and so Aben Ezra, which,
with Brerewood {b}, was 375 pounds: and of gold 100
talents; which, according to Scheuchzer{c}, were equal
to 1,222,000 ducats of gold; the value of gold now is
above 14 and a 3d to the value. of silver, by which
may be judged the difference between one hundred
talents of gold and one hundred talents of silver; ac-
cording to David de Pomis a, there were two sorts
of talents; common talents, which weighed 60 pounds,
and the talent of the sanctuary, which weighed doa-.-
ble to that.
Vet. 27. Also c20 basins of gold, of 1,000drachms, &c.]
Which were upwards of 1,000 pounds of our money;
for Bishop Cumberland says{e}, the Persian daric,
drachma, or drachm, weighed twenty shillings and-
four-pence; and, according to Dr. Bernard, it ex-


{z} Ad natives, l. 1. c. 13. Vid. lib. de jejuaiis, c. 16.
{a} Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 651.
{b} De Pond. & Pret. Vet. Num. c. 4.
{c} Ut supra.
{d} Tzemach David, fol. 57. 3.
{e} Scripture Weights and Measures, ch. 4. p. 115.