It appears throughout that no such tribe as Levi established itself as occupants of any district of the realm.

Hence when the pentateuchal fiction constituted the levites a distinct tribe with a patriarchal descent, it was necessary to make provision for them among the other tribes, and 48 cities are ascribed to them.

But this ascription is equally fictitious. There is no indication in the historical books that they ever possessed any one of them as their own.

While the kingdoms were united under David and Solomon, the levites spread over the land, their head-quarters still in the sacerdotal region. On the establishment of the temple, the courtly levites settled themselves in and about Jerusalem. But the ancient party still clung to Shiloh with Ahijah at its head.

This heresy played its part in the disruption of the kingdom, but so unsuccessfully for itself, that many of its disciples sought refuge among their orthodox brethren in Judah. Still they were only a class or order, there is no recognition of them as a tribe.

On the disruption of the kingdom of Solomon, it is said that his son Rehoboam retained the sovereignty over two of the tribes. Judah and Benjamin are indicated as constituting his realm. But portions of Benjamin still from time to time constituted part of the northern state. On the other hand, with Judah were combined the remnants, if any, of Caleb, Simeon, and Dan.

The northern state is called the 10 tribes; but it consisted permanently only of Ephraim, Western Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun. It claimed, but rarely enjoyed, suzerainty over the Asherites and the Naphtalites, and a somewhat more recognized sovereignty over Eastern Manasseh, Reuben, and the remnant, if any, of Gad, and the little city of Dan, in the extreme north-8 or 9 tribes at most.

Contrast with this reality the fictitious accounts of the pentateuch, irrespective of the fabulous numbers and mighty men of each tribe. The warriors of any one of them, if real, would under an Attila have been sufficient to subdue all Palestine and the surrounding petty states.

Dan emigrated to the north in the time of Judges 600 fighting men. According to Numbers ii. 26, it marched out of Egypt 62,700, and according to Numbers xxvi. 42, it marched into Palestine 64,400 strong.

Pentateuchal story of the tribes. -In Genesis the 12 tribes are

described as constituted by, 1. Reuben, 2. Simeon, 3. Levi, 4. Judah, 5. Zebulun, 6. Issachar, 7. Dan, 8. Gad, 9. Asher, 10. Naphtali, 11. Joseph, and 12. Benjamin-Ephraim and Manasseh being treated as 1 tribe, Joseph; perhaps to make room for Levi in the duodecade.

Genesis xlix. 3. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: unstable as water, thou shalt not excel.

5. Simeon and Levi are brethren, instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

7. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. 8. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise, &c. 9. Judah is a lion's whelp. . .

10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. . .

13. Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for a haven of ships: and his border shall be unto Zidon.

14. Issachar is a strong ass couching between two burdens : and he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute. 16. Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way. . .

19. Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

20. Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

21. Naphtali is a hind let loose; he giveth goodly words.

22. Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. .

27. Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

28. All these are the 12 tribes of Israel: and this is that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

29. And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave, that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite. . .

33. And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

Pentateuchal story of the levites and the priests.-Numbers iii. 5. And Adoni spake unto Moses, saying, Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle. And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the Bene Israel to do the service of the tabernacle.

9. And thou shalt give the levites unto Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given unto him out of the Bene Israel.

10. And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

11. And Adoni spake unto Moses, saying, And I, behold, I have taken the levites from among the Bene Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the Bene Israel; therefore the levites shall be mine.

Numbers iii. 13, iv. 49, contain directions as to numbering the levites and their offices.

Numbers viii. 5-21, contain directions for the consecration of the levites.

21. And the levites were purified and they washed their clothes, and Aaron offered them as an offering before Adoni; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.

22. And after that went the levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron and before his sons; as Adoni had commanded Moses concerning the levites, so did they unto them.

23. And Adoni spake unto Moses, saying, This is that belongeth unto the levites; from 25 years old and upward they shall go in and wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation ; and from the age of 50 years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more; but shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service.

Numbers xviii. contains, ver. 1, the charges of the priests and levites; 9, the priests' portion; 21, the levites' portion; 25, the heave offering to the priests out of the levites' portion.

A levite coming to Jerusalem.-Deuteronomy xviii. 6. And if a levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourneth, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the

place which Adoni shall choose; then he shall minister in the name of Adoni his god as all his brethren the levites do, which stand before Adoni. And they shall have like portions to eat, beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony.

Observation. The name of the place which Adoni should choose is of course not mentioned, as the book is represented to have been written before any such place existed; but this had become a vernacular description of Jerusalem. The direction as to the levite from other places, was, probably, introduced with reference to the levites mentioned as having migrated from Israel to Judah in and after the reign of Jeroboam.

Phinehas' everlasting priesthood.-Numbers xxv. 10. And Adoni spake unto Moses, saying, Phinheas the son of Eleazer, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the Bene Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the Bene Israel in my jealousy.

12. Wherefore say, Behold I give unto him my covenant of peace and he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his god, and made an atonement for the Bene Israel.

Contrast this with the story of Eli and his descendants already given.

The council of 70.-According to the pentateuch, Moses was directed to appoint a council of 70 of the elders. There is not the slightest indication that down to the time of Ezra any such council ever existed. The entire absence of any such must be assumed from the character of the government from Samuel to the end of the Hebrew kings; and before the time of Samuel such an institution is inconsistent with the whole tenor of Judges.

Numbers xi. 16. And Adoni said unto Moses, Gather me 70 men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there; and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

The Judges. According to the pentateuch, Moses established a systematic scheme of judicature; judges of tens, of hundreds, and judges of thousands, with an appeal to himself.

According to Deuteronomy, in cases of difficulty the rural judges

were to seek advice as to their decision from a judicial court in the place which Adoni should choose, and the judgment which that court, constituted of the priests, the levites, and the judge, should communicate, was to be obeyed under penalty of death.

There is not the slightest indication of any such judicature in the times of Judges or of Samuel; or, indeed, that we can find throughout the history of the kings. Samuel is described as making his circuits to certain places, to which the people were to bring their causes, and as having appointed his 2 sons the judges in the south.

Exodus xviii. 24. So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

26. And they judged the people at all seasons; the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

Deuteronomy xvi. 18. Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which Adoni thy god giveth thee throughout the tribes; and they shall judge the people with just judgment.

19. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift; for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

20. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which Adoni thy god giveth thee.

Deuteronomy xvii. 8. If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates then shalt thou arise and get thee up into the place which Adoni thy god shall choose; and thou shalt come unto the priests, the levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment.

10. And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which Adoni shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee: according to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall show thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.