understood to have been Joshua. But a careful inspection of the passage will remove this impression. The young man alluded to is plainly distinguished from Joshua. Nor is Joshua called a young man in this passage. The translator makes the passage say that he was 66 one of the young men"; but the word one is not in the original, as being printed in italics, indicates. Joshua was of the young men. He was the commander of the army, that was made up of young men, there being none over fifty and many much younger than this. It was quite common afterwards to call soldiers young men. The " young men of David, may be referred to as an example. It has troubled commentators to tell how Joshua could be a young man, when he appears at the time to have been considerably advanced in life. The above view will obviate this difficulty.

436. What is here called prophesying, we take to mean the exercise of the office to which they had been appointed. Two of the seventy, who had been "written," or written down as proper for that office, did not go out to the Tabernacle; but feeling a divine influence, they went about the duties they were expected to take upon themselves without any further sanction.

NUMBERS XI.

31 T And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.

32. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least, gathered ten homers; and they spread them all abroad

for themselves round about the camp.

33. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people; and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.

34. And he called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.

35. And the people journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah unto Hazeroth; and abode at Hazeroth.

437. The supply of quails was a natural event intensified. Those animals are often brought together,

in that country, in immense quantities; and as they move with the wind, they would settle down when the wind ceased. That they covered the whole face of the ground, to the distance of a day's journey, on all sides of the camp, and fell so as to be two cubits high on the face of the earth, that is, so as to make one solid mass two cubits thick, is a statement that we need not derive from the text. That view suits the sceptic the best, because he can, with the more propriety say the thing is impossible. But with that sense of the passage, how is the next verse to be understood? It is there said that the people stood up and gathered them all one day and night; and he who gathered the least, did not gather less than ten homers. Did it take a man all one day and night to gather ten homers, when all he had to do was to pick them up from a vast body all over the surface, and three feet deep? Indeed, with this view, there could be no such thing as gathering them—they were already gathered. But with this view, too, the language "to stand up," and gather them, is out of place. And again, it is said, that, having gathered them, they spread them round about the camp; to cure them, I suppose, so as to keep them for future use; but with the view we are noticing, there was no place to spread them, for the whole space was occupied with living quails. Undoubtedly some other interpretation must be given. It must, we conceive be one of the following: Either the meaning is, that the quails, in descending to the earth, were, in some instances, thrown together into heaps as high as two cubits; or that they settled down upon the trees and shrubs so as to bring them within two cubits of the surface, and thus make them easy of access to the people.

438. We suppose the last of these theories to be the true one, and especially as we find it to. accord with the statements of travellers in that country, and to

agree with the connection of the passage and all the circumstances here recorded. I am also reminded of the statement of a friend, who, years ago, was an Indian trader, and who reports that, at certain seasons of the year, the pigeons were so numerous around the shores of the western lakes, that, when they lodged in the trees, they so loaded the branches as to bend them down within reach of the hunters, who had only to knock them off with a club or staff so as to kill them; and in this way could easily gather bushels of them. This was no miracle, nor was the other, any further than the coincidence of the abundant supply with the need or demand of the people.

439. We quote a few statements from others :

66

"The sense appears to be, that they were so spent with their journey, and the force of the mighty wind that brought them, that they hovered round the camp, not being able to rise above two cubits (between three and four feet) from the ground." They flew as high as a man's heart, so that there was no difficulty in gathering them, in large quantities; and when killed, the Israelites spread them abroad on the sands to dry, as they still do."*

This

440. An excess in the use of this kind of meat, to which they had not been accustomed, would be likely to prove fatal, as we see it did in many cases. was the plague they brought upon themselves for their sins. This punishment, from the nature of the case, would fall only on the guilty; for others would naturally be restrained from partaking largely of food that had been the result of rebellion, and had been announced as bringing a just punishment on the offenders. Others, baving no such motives to restrain them, would feel the full force of the divine judgment.

Cottage Bible.

SEC. VII.-SEDITION OF AARON AND MIRIAM.

NUMBERS XII.

1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman.

2. And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.

3. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

4. And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came

out.

5. And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.

6. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make my self known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.

7. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all my house.

8, With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even, apparently; and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid

to speak against my servant Moses ?

9. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed.

10. T And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and behold Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam; and behold, she was lep

rous.

11. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas! my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.

12. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half-consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb.

13. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.

14. T And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.

15. And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.

16. And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.

may

441. The Ethiopian woman, whom Moses had married, may have been the Midian woman before alluded to, as his wife; as the orignal may mean; or she have been another wife. We can hardly conceive it possible that the marriage with the Midian woman, that took place long before they left Egypt, and while he resided in Midian, could have become an occasion of reproach to him at this late day. It is more proba

ble that it was another wife, whom he had recently taken; and the charge against him was, that he had selected a foreigner rather than one of his own people. No fault seems to be implied in what is said of this transaction; but only that it was displeasing to Miriam and Aaron; and hence we may conclude that there were reasons for this marriage that rendered it suitable and right, though they are not here given.

442. That Miriam was a woman of more than common ability and influence, may be inferred from her relation to Moses and Aaron. Besides, the part she took at the Red Sea, in the song of triumph that was sung on that occasion, and the lead she took in the dance, would establish this point. It was no ordinary sin, therefore, that she committed in murmuring against Moses, and thus encouraging discontent and insubordination among the people.

443. When it is said that the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud,"into" the pillar of cloud, would be equally correct, and more in harmony with what we conceive to be the intention. The cloud settled down to the door of the tabernacle, and from it an audible voice was uttered. The rising and lowering of the cloud was a divine act; but it is interesting to know that it could be brought about by natural means, which we can all understand. It depended on the condition of the atmosphere, which is under the control of Deity at all times.

444. The comparison contained in verse 12th, seems to be this: If Miriam is cut off now, it will be like one who perishes by an untimely birth. The death of Miriam, before she entered on the promised land, would be like the death of one before entering the world.

445. The distinction here spoken of between a prophet and Moses, relates, I suspect, not to the manner or mode of communication, so much as to the clearness and certainty of the facts communicated to him. God