Deuteronomy 10:8

10:1-11 Moses reminded the Israelites of God's great mercy to them, notwithstanding their provocations. There were four things in and by which the Lord showed himself reconciled to Israel. God gave them his law. Thus God has intrusted us with Bibles, sabbaths, and sacraments, as tokens of his presence and favour. God led them forward toward Canaan. He appointed a standing ministry among them for holy things. And now, under the gospel, when the pouring forth of the Spirit is more plentiful and powerful, the succession is kept up by the Spirit's work on men's hearts, qualifying and making some willing for that work in every age. God accepted Moses as an advocate or intercessor for them, and therefore appointed him to be their prince and leader. Moses was a type of Christ, who ever lives, pleading for us, and has all power in heaven and in earth.

Deuteronomy 10:8 . At that time — About that time, that is, when I was come down from the mount, as was said, Deuteronomy 10:5 . To stand before the Lord — A phrase used concerning the prophets, 1 Kings 17:1 ; 1 Kings 18:15 , this being the posture of servants, Hence the angels are said to stand, 2 Chronicles 18:18 ; and Luke 1:19 . To bless — The people, by performing those holy ministrations for them, and giving those instructions to them, to and with which God’s blessing was promised; and this they did in God’s name, that is, by command and commission from him. Let it be observed here, that a settled ministry is a great blessing to a people, and a special token of God’s love to them. But they who are blessed with it should take care that it do not become a curse through their abuse or non-improvement of it.

(8) At that time — i.e., at Sinai, after Moses’ second descent from the mount, not at the time of Aaron’s death. Yet the death of Aaron and the separation of the tribe of Levi are similar events in their way: both alike lose territorial inheritance through bearing the burden of the Law. To bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in his name.—A recent critic has said that the writer of Deuteronomy knows no distinction between priests and Levites. (See on this point Deuteronomy 11:6.) Rashi’s note on this verse is better: “To bear the ark (He separated)—the Levites; to stand before Jehovah to minister to Him, and to bless in His name—the priests.”

Verses 8, 9. - Moses, here resuming the form of address, refers to the separation of the tribe of Levi to the holy service. Verse 8. - At that time ; the time when the covenant was restored at Sinai, not the time when Aaron died. The appointment of the tribe of Levi for service took place in connection with that of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood ( Numbers 3:4 ). The service to which the tribe of Levi was chosen appertained to the tribe as such, including the priests as well as the non-priestly Levites, though parts of it specially belonged to the one class rather than the other. Thus the bearing of the ark was the special duty of non-priestly Levites, the Kohathites ( Numbers 4:4 , etc.; 1 Chronicles 15:15 ); but was also, on peculiarly solemn occasions, discharged by the priests ( Joshua 3:6 , etc.; Joshua 6:6; 8:33; 1 Kings 8:3, 6 , etc.). To stand before the Lord to minister unto him was the special function of the priests ( Deuteronomy 17:12 ; Deuteronomy 21:5 ; Ezekiel 40:46 ; Ezekiel 44:15, 16 ); but as the service of the Levites was also a sacred service, they too are said to stand to minister before the Lord ( Deuteronomy 18:7 ; 1 Chronicles 15:2 ; 2 Chronicles 23:6 ; 2 Chronicles 29:4, 5, 11, 12 ). To bless in his name does not mean, as some propose, to invoke the Name of God, or to praise his Name, but to pronounce a benediction or invoke a blessing on the people in his Name (cf. 2 Samuel 6:18 ; 1 Chronicles 16:2 ). This was the special duty of the priests (cf

At that time, about that time, i.e. when I was come down from the mount , as was said Deu 10:5 ; for these words manifestly look to that verse, the sixth and seventh verses being put in by way of parenthesis, as was said before. Or, if it relate to the words immediately foregoing, this may be meant of a second separation of them upon Aaron’s death; and having mentioned the separation of Eleazar to the office of the high priest in his father’s stead, Deu 10:6 , he now repeats it, that the Levites who were his, as they had been his father’s servants, were separated as before, or were confirmed in their office. To stand before the Lord; a phrase used concerning the prophets, 1 Kings 17:1 18:15 , this being the posture of ministers. Hence the angels are said to stand, 2 Chronicles 18:18 Luke 1:19 . To bless in his name; either, 1. Particularly, to pronounce the solemn blessing of God upon the congregation, which was done in God’s name, of which see Leviticus 9:23 Numbers 6:23 , &c. But that work was peculiar to the priests, not common to all the Levites. Or, more generally, to bless, either, 1. God, i.e. to praise him, which being a considerable part of the Levites’ work, 1Ch 16 , it is not probable it would be omitted here, where their office is so particularly described. Or, 2.

At that time - i. e., that of the encampment at Sinai, as the words also import in Deuteronomy 10:1 . Throughout the passage the time of the important events at Sinai is kept in view; it is reverted to as each incident is brought forward by Moses, alluded to sufficiently for his purpose, and dismissed. Moses is evidently here speaking of the election by God of the tribe of Levi at large, priests and others also, for His own service.

6-9. the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera—So sudden a change from a spoken discourse to a historical narrative has greatly puzzled the most eminent biblical scholars, some of whom reject the parenthesis as a manifest interpolation. But it is found in the most ancient Hebrew manuscripts, and, believing that all contained in this book was given by inspiration and is entitled to profound respect, we must receive it as it stands, although acknowledging our inability to explain the insertion of these encampment details in this place. There is another difficulty in the narrative itself. The stations which the Israelites are said successively to have occupied are enumerated here in a different order from Nu 33:31. That the names of the stations in both passages are the same there can be no doubt; but, in Numbers, they are probably mentioned in reference to the first visit of the Hebrews during the long wandering southwards, before their return to Kadesh the second time; while here they have a reference to the second passage of the Israelites, when they again marched south, in order to compass the land of Edom. It is easy to conceive that Mosera (Hor) and the wells of Jaakan might lie in such a direction that a nomadic horde might, in different years, at one time take the former first in their way, and at another time the latter [Robinson].

8 . At that time ] Cp. Deuteronomy 9:20 , Deuteronomy 10:1 . If, as we have seen to be most probable, Deuteronomy 10:6-7 are a later intrusion and out of place where they stand, that time is not that of the sojourn at Yoṭbathah after Aaron’s death (though the editor who inserted Deuteronomy 10:6-7 may have meant to imply this; see the general note to these vv .), but the time at Ḥoreb ( Deuteronomy 10:1 ).

This conclusion is confirmed ( a ) by the subsequent Deuteronomy 10:10 , in which the retrospect still rests on Ḥoreb; ( b ) by the natural connection between the mention of the making of the Ark and that of the appointment of its bearers; ( c ) by the fact that another line of tradition, P, assigns to Ḥoreb the consecration of Levites to priestly duties, and also makes this follow the order to build the ark (and sanctuary); and ( d ) because, although no such setting apart is recorded in JE, these lines of the tradition may also have originally contained it and even hint at it in Exodus 32:29 , immediately after the account of the zeal of all the sons of Levi in the punishment of the people’s apostasy with the golden calf (see Dillmann on that and on this passage; also Driver’s note on Exodus 32:29 ). the Lord separated ] set apart , with a solemn religious sense, as for Himself; the verb is used when He takes Israel from other peoples, Leviticus 20:24 (H); or when Moses is directed to separate the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, Numbers 16:9 (P), that the Levites may be mine , Numbers 8:14 (P); or of the separation of the cities of refuge, Deuteronomy 4:41 , Deuteronomy 19:2 ; Deuteronomy 19:7 ; and even of separating a person to evil, Deuteronomy 29:21 (20), and putting aside beasts that are unclean, Leviticus 20:25 . the tribe of Levi ] Unambiguous, leaving no question possible as to whether they are meant in part or whole—a question which would have ari