Numbers 1:51

Whosoever is not of the tribe of Levi.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(51) And the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.—The word zar (stranger) here denotes one who was not of the tribe of Levi (Lev_22:10; Lev_22:12).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

51. the stranger] Not a ‘foreigner,’ but one who does not belong to the particular class mentioned in the context—here and in Num_18:4, the Levites; in Num_3:10; Num_3:38, Num_18:7, the priests.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And when the tabernacle setteth forward,.... Or was about to set forward; that is, the congregation were about to journey, and take the tabernacle with them, as they always did, when and wherever they journeyed:

the Levites shall take it down; unpin it, take the boards and pillars out of their sockets, and the bars out of their places, and the whole into pieces, in order to be put into wagons prepared to carry them, of which mention is made in a following chapter:

and when the tabernacle is pitched, the Levites shall set it up; at whatsoever place the congregation encamped and took up their abode for any time: the tabernacle was pitched in the manner as tents are, when the Levites put the several parts together, laid the sockets, put in the boards and the bars, and also the pillars of the court and elsewhere, and hung the hangings upon them; and set the candlestick, tables, altars, ark, and all the vessels of the sanctuary in their proper places:

and the stranger that cometh nigh; to meddle with or touch the above things, to assist in taking down or setting up the tabernacle, or bearing any of the vessels of it: by a stranger is meant, not one of another nation, nor a proselyte, whether of the gate or of righteousness; but, as Aben Ezra interprets it, one that is a stranger from the sons of Levi, who is not of that tribe, even though an Israelite:

shall be put to death; either the sanhedrim or court of judicature shall condemn and put him to death, as the same writer observes; or he shall die by the hand of heaven, as Jarchi; that is, by the immediate hand of God, or with flaming fire from before the Lord, as the Targum of Jonathan; as Uzzah was smote, and died by the ark of God for touching it, Sa2 5:6.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Stranger, even of any other tribe. (St. Augustine, q. 3.) (Worthington)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The

stranger elsewhere is one of another nation, here one of another tribe, one no Levite. That cometh nigh, so as to do the offices mentioned Num 1:50.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

51. The stranger that cometh nigh — Every non-Levite is prohibited from intrusion upon the sacred precincts. So, also, with respect to the priestly office, every Levite not an Aaronic priest is a stranger. The profaned censers used by Korah the Levite, and his host of princes, were made into plates for the covering of the altar, “to be a memorial (warning) unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the Lord.” Num_16:36-40.

Shall be put to death — We find no directions to the Hebrew judiciary in such a case, and no instance of the infliction of the death penalty for this sacrilege by the human magistrate, but a record of the special interposition of Jehovah in the case of Nadab and Abihu, (Lev_10:1-2,) supposed to have been drunk, because of the prohibition of wine immediately subjoined, (Lev_10:8-10,) and also of Uzzah, 1Ch_13:10. Hence we infer that this crime was punished by the immediate stroke of the Divine hand only. To the objection that this punishment was too severe and too summary, we reply that it was designed to teach the holiness of God in an impressive manner. We know too little of the Divine government to criticise its acts.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The stranger. The word appears to mean here any unauthorized person. (see Num_16:40) This is the first intimation given of the extreme and awful sanctity of the tabernacle, as the tent of the Divine Presence. It is, however, quite of a piece with the anxious warnings against intrusion upon the holy mount at the time of the giving of the law. (Exo_19:21, sq. ) The great necessity for Israel was that he should understand and believe that the Lord before whom he had trembled at Sinai was really in the midst of him in all his travail and his danger. This could only be impressed upon his dull mind and hard heart by surrounding the presence chamber of Jehovah with awful sanctities and terrors. At a subsequent period, when the religious reverence here thrown around the tabernacle had been transferred to, or rather concentrated upon, the ark alone, Uzzah was actually smitten for breaking this law. (1Ch_13:10) The tumult raised against St. Paul (Act_21:27, sq. ) was justified by a supposed violation of the same.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That cometh nigh - The stranger elsewhere is one of another nation, here one of another tribe. So as to do the offices mentioned, ver. 50.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

When the tabernacle is to be set up

This can be stated in active form. AT: "When it is time to set up the tabernacle" (See: Active or Passive)

Any stranger ... must be killed

This can be stated in active form. AT: "Any stranger ... must die" or "You must kill any stranger who comes near the tabernacle" (See: Active or Passive)

the banner

a large flag

his armed group

"his military division"

translationWords

Israel

tent

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

יורידו אתו [AND WHEN THE DWELLING SETTETH FORWARD] THE LEVITES SHALL TAKE IT DOWN — Understand יורידו as the Targum does: they shall take it apart. Whenever they were about to set out on a journey in the wilderness from one station to another (cf. Rashi Exodus 40:38) they took the structure apart (lit., they took it apart from its state of being put up) and carried it to the place where the cloud afterwards abode, and there they encamped and erected it (the Tabernacle).

והזר הקרב AND THE LAYMAN THAT COMETH NIGH to this service of theirs,

יומת SHALL BE PUT TO DEATH by heaven (not by sentence of the court) (cf. Sanhedrin 84a).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.