Numbers 29

In the serene climate of Arabia and Judea, its first faint crescent is, for the most part, visible to all; and it is probable, that there was some pious celebration of the return of this beautiful luminary, in honour of the true God, long before the introduction of the absurd rites of idolatry.” —Bagster. Guar. XXIX. Ver. 1—40. This chapter continues to repeat, with some variation, laws already given.—Second month… first day.—*The month Tisri, the seventh month of their ecclesiastical year, but the first of their civil year, answering to our September. This, which was their new year’s day, was a time of great festivity, and ushered in by the blowing of trumpets; whence it was also called the feast of blowing the Trumpets.

In imitation of this Jewish festival, different nations began the new year with sacrifices and festivity. The ancient Egyptians did so; and the Persians also celebrated their nawee rooz, or new year’s day, which they held on the vernal equinox, and which lasted ten days, during which all ranks seemed to participate in one general joy. The rich sent presents to the poor; all were dressed in their holiday clothes; all kept open house: and religious processions, music, dancing, a species of theatrical exhibition, rustic sports, and other pastimes, presented a heated, and the [feast] continued round of varied amusements. Even the ideal beings, were not forgotten; rich viands being placed on the tops of houses and high towers, on the flavour of which the Peris, and spirits of their departed heroes and friends, were supposed to feast.”

After the Mohammedan conquest of Persia, the celebration of this period sensibly declined, and at last totally ceased, till the time of Jelaladdin, (about A. D. 1082,) who, coming to the crown at the vernal equinox, re-established the ancient festival, which has ever since been celebrated with pomp and acclamations.”—Bagster.

Notes on the verses

Cua. XXIX. Ver. 12. Fifteenth per Ry was the feast of Tabernacles, kept in commemoration of their dwelling in tents in the wilderness for forty years. The first and last days were to be kept as sabbaths, on which there were solemn assemblies; and for seven days sacrifices were offered. On the other festivals, two bullocks sufficed, (ch. xxviii. 11, 19, 27.) and on the festival at the beginning of this month, only one was appointed; but, on the first day of this festival, thirteen young bullocks were appointed; and so on each successive day, with the decrease of only one bullock, till on the seventh day, there were only seven, making in all seventy bullocks. The lambs, and the rams also, were in a double proportion to the number sacrificed at any other festival. This was an expensive service; but more easy at this time of the year than any other, as Bp.

Patrick observes, because now their barns were full, and their wine-presses overflowed; and their hearts might well be supposed to be more enlarged than at other times, in thankfulness to God for the multitude of his mercies. The Jewish doctors give this reason for the daily diminution of the number of the bullocks: the whole number, say they, was according to the languages of the nations of the world; and the diminution of one every day signified, that there should be a gradual diminution of those nations till all things were brought under the government of the Messiah; in whose days “no sacrifices shall remain, but those of thanksgiving, prayer, and praise.”]—Bagster. Ver. 35. Eighth day—Though this day was properly a distinct festival, and esteemed the chief or high day of the feast, yet fewer sacrifices are appointed for it than for any of the foregoing seven.

On every one of them two rams and fourteen lambs were offered; but on this day there were but half as many; and whereas seven bullocks were the fewest that were offered on any of those days, on this there was only one. By this, says Bp. Patrick, God consulted perhaps the weakness of mankind, a naturally grow weary both of the charge and labour of such services, when they are long continued; and therefore he made them every day less toilsome and expensive; and put them in mind likewise, that the multitude of the sacrifices did not procure their acceptance with God, and that in length of time they would come to nothing, and be utterly abolished, to establish something better in their room. At this feast, there was an extraordinary ceremony of which the rabbins inform us, though there is not the least hint of it in the law of Moses; namely, the drawing water out of the pool of Siloam, and pouring it, mixed with wine, on the sacrifice as it lay on the altar.

This they are said to have done with such expressions of joy, that it became a common proverb, “He that never saw the rejoicing of drawing of water, never saw rejoicing in all his life.” The Jews pretend to ground this custom on the following passage of Isaiah, ((Numbers 12:3).) “With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation;” and to this ceremony Jesus is supposed to refer, when “in the last day, the great day of the feast, he stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink: he that believeth on me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water,” ((John 7:37-38);) thereby calling off the people from their carnal mirth and festive and pompous ceremonies, to seek spiritual refreshment for their minds.

]—Bagster. Ver. 39. Set feasts. [It appears from the account in these two chapters, that there were annually offered to God, at the public charge, independently of a prodigious number of voluntary, vow, and trespass-offerings, the following number of beasts: 15 Goats, 21 Kids, 72 Rams, 132 Bullocks, 1101 Lambs, in all, 1241 beasts. But how little is all this compared with the lambs slain every year at the passover, which amounted in one year to the immense number of 255,600 slain at the temple itself; for this was the answer which Cestius, the Roman general, received, when he asked the priests, how many people had come to Jerusalem at their annual festivals; the priests, numbering the people by the lambs that had been slain, said, “twenty-five myriads, 5000, and 600.”]—Bagster.