THERE have been alfo various conjectures concerning the reafon of its fituation, and facing of the weft, which we shall not dwell upon the best we meet with from the Jews is, that it was done in oppofition to the heathen, who worshiped towards the rifing fun. As for the mystical interpretations of fome Chriftian divines, they are out of our prefent province. THE altar of burnt-offerings was placed, as we have ob- Altar of ferved before, at the eaft end of the court; and one may burnt-offuppofe it to have stood at such a convenient distance from ferings. the tabernacle, that neither the fmoke of its conftant fire, nor that of the victims which were burned upon it, might damage its outward veil. This altar is alfo called the outward, to diftinguish it from that of incenfe, which was within the fanctuary. We have already taken notice, that it was made of fhittim-wood, and covered over with brass, It was five cubits fquare, and three cubits high; and because it was portable, like the other, it had four brafs rings, through which the two bars were put, by which it was carried upon the priests fhoulders. It had four horns at the four corners, of the fame wood, and covered with the fame metal, but whofe fhape is equally uncertain with thofe of the other altar. In the cavity of it, which probably went through, and may be fuppofed as capacious as the bignefs of the altar will admit, was hung, by four brafs rings, a croís-bar grate, which reached down to the middle of the cavity, and through which the afhes fell. This, was to be placed under that part which is generally rendered the compass of the altar h; but is varioufly understood, or rather fanfied, in order to fave the wood from being con b Exod. xxvii. 1, 5, & feqq. to it, in order to lay their hands on the heads of the victims, and to stay the whole time of the ceremony, as the letter of the law feems to require; or, whether they were not met by the priests or Levites at the entrance into the court, and, having performed the ceremony of impofition of hands and confeffion of fins there, did go to behold the remainder of it, from the openings of the inclofure. If the 1 former be admitted, it must be fumed fumed within the copper-work. We fhall content ourfelves with giving our readers, in the margin, the most probable and approved conjecture, which is that of the author of the differtations upon the pentateuchi (E). It was on this altar that the facred fire, which defcended from heaven at the confecration of the tabernacle, was tó be continually kept. If it be asked how this could be done in their marches, when this and all other utenfils were wrapped up in feveral coverings, the uppermoft of which was of badgers fkins, without either burning those coverings, or extinguishing the fire, we need not have recourse SAURIN's difcours fur le pentat. difc. liv. (E) He fuppofes the cavity of the altar to have been about feven feet and an half wide, from fide to fide, and the shittim-wood to have been cover'd with brass, within as well as without. The cross-bar grate. he fuppofes to have been a veffel, made in the most convenient form to receive and keep up the fire, which was conftantly fupplied with fresh wood, and to have been hung about a foot deep within the cavity. As for the carcob, which we render the compafs, or circuit, he thinks that it was another copper veffel, whofe form he leaves to the difcretion of the reader, capacious enough to contain the flesh of the victims, which were to be confumed upon, or in it. This veffel being likewife fufpended by four brafs rings over the grate, at a convenient distance, was confequently furrounded by the continual flames from below, and might confume all that was in it in a very little time, without endangering the wood of which the altar was made; and both the carcob and the grate, being thus fufpended, might be eafily taken on and off, whenever the altar was to be cleared or tranfported. Thus far our author; the reader may see his reafons for these fuppofitions in the original; to which we may venture to add, that the whole might be fo artificially contrived, that the flesh being thus embraced on all fides, by a fierce and constant fire, and this by the circumambient air, might concentre the heat to fuch a degree, as to confume every particle, and yet be intirely free from that offenfive smell which fuch quantities of flesh and fat muft have neceffarily caused. But this we fubmit to our readers, and fhall only add, that we have seen, both in France and Holland, fuch kinds of hearths, made in the form of a chafing-dish, which would confume the moft fetid, as well as the most odoriferous materials, without cafting either smoke or smell beyond the limits of its focus. to miracles, as the rabbies do here and every-where else (G). We may reasonably suppose, that the carcob, or vessel which held the fire, and was to be taken off when they removed, was carried in fuch a manner as to preserve fire enough to kindle a greater one, when occafion required, as on the morning and evening facrifice. The great THE brazen laver is the laft confiderable utenfil that was in the court of the tabernacle. It was conveniently fituatelaver. between the east end of it and the altar of burnt-offerings. Its shape and capaciousness not being mentioned by Mofes,we can affirm nothing certain about them. Its ufe was twofold. First, it ferved for the priests to wash their hands and feet, who were exprefly forbid, under fevere penalties, to prefume upon any part of their function till they had performed that ceremony m. Secondly, to wash the entrails and legs of the victims. Some Jews fanfy, that there was another refervoir of water for this laft ufe ; which is not im m Exod. xxx. 19, & feqq. Vide KIMCH. in loc. (G) It is by the fame miraculous power that they pretend it was preferved against violent winds and rains, to which the altar was exposed, by ftanding in such an open place; but we may more reasonably fuppofe, that they took proper means to shelter it from both, fuch as Mofes might leave to their difcretion. We need not tell our readers how early this facred fire was in use among the Chaldeans and Perfians, from whom it paffed to the Greeks, Romans, and other nations. It was called, in the old Perfic, Orifmada, which fome critics pretend to be derived from the Hebrew words urim efb yah, light and fire of GOD, or from or efb men yah, light and fire from GOD; and from thence infer, that they had this custom from the Jerus (1): but that is n Vide Levit. xxii. 18, & feqq. what we will not venture to probable, not only as it was more decent, but because we find it fo ordered in Solomon's temple, where the brazen sea was for the fole washing of the priests, whilft there were ten other lavers befides for the washing of the victims P. If this was not the cafe here, we muft fuppofe, that they only took the water out of the laver into fome other veffels, to wash those entrails in; for it was not even lawful for a prieft to wash his hands and feet in the fame water. For this reason they suppose, that this laver had a quantity of cocks, at which the water was fet to run upon their feet firft, and then upon their hands, and was received into a bafon underneath 9. This fountain was to be kept continually replenished with water; and this office belonged to the Levites, unless they made perhaps the Nethinims bring it to them to the entrance of the court (F). P 2 Chron. iv. 6. 1 Mishn. ap. (F) Mofes tells us in another chapter, that this brafs laver and its foot were made of the looking-glaffes of the women that came in crouds to the door of the tabernacle (3): which has given ground for various fpeculations; and fome interpreters have even ventured to turn the brafs there mentioned into fteel (4), as if thofe antient mirrors had been made of no other metal. For our part, we take it for granted, that they were made of other metals also, fuch as brass, tin, filver, and the like, and fome with brafs, mixed with tin or filver; the laft of which, Pliny tells us (5), were the moft esteemed; but we are apt to think, that there is an error crept into the text, or an exchange of one letter for another like it; and that it fhould be rendered, he made Το ARR. MONTAN. in loc. the laver and its foot of a brass, like the looking-glaffes of the women that croud about the door of the tabernacle; by which is meant, that he made them either of the fame metal, or that he gave them the fame degree of brightness and fmoothnefs. And, if what an antient father tells us be true, of the Egyptian women (6), that they used to go into the temple with a looking-glafs in one hand, and a timbrel in the other, it will ftill give us a greater light into the meaning of the Hebrew women wearing fuch an ornament when they came to the tabernacle. As for what is faid of their repairing thither in crouds, it was no more than what they ufually did, as appears from other places of Scripture (7). Those who understand the original know, that it is far from improbable, that the (3) Exod. xxxviii. 8. (4) Vide Tremel, in loc. (6) Cyril. Alexand. de adorat. in spirit, lib, ii, ap. (7) Vide 1 Sam, ii, 22, & alib. (5) Lib. xxxiii. c. 9. Calm, fub voc. Miroir. |