With him - i. e. as marginal, "with God," not (as some) with himself.

He heard the voice of one speaking - Rather, he heard the voice speaking, or conversing. The effect was as though Moses was audibly addressed by another person: how this effect was produced we are not told.

Thus was the promise of Exodus 25:20-22 fulfilled; and that as an immediate response on the part of God to the cheerful readiness with which the tribes had made their offerings, and supplied everything needful for the Holy place and its service. All being now complete as God had appointed, and the camp purified from defilements, God meets Moses the mediator of the people, not as before on the peak of Sinai far away, but in the midst of them, in the dwelling-place which He henceforth vouchsafed to tenant.

To speak with him - To confer with God, and to receive farther discoveries of his will. He heard the voice of one speaking unto him - Though Moses saw no similitude, but only heard a voice, yet he had the fullest proof of the presence as well as of the being of the Almighty. In this way God chose to manifest himself during that dispensation, till the fullness of the time came, in which the Word was made flesh, and Dwelt Among Us. No man hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

The mercy-seat - See the note on Exodus 25:17. As God gave oracular answers from this place, and spoke to Moses as it were face to face, hence the place was called the Oracle, דביר debir, or speaking place, from דבר dabar, he spoke, 1 Kings 6:23. And as this mercy-seat represented our blessed Redeemer, so the apostle says that God, who had at sundry times, and in divers manners, Spoken in time past to the fathers by the prophets, hath, in these last days, Spoken unto us by his Son. Hebrews 1:1, Hebrews 1:2. Hence the incarnated Christ is the true דביר debir or oracle, in and by whom God speaks unto man. On this occasion we find there were offered

12 silver chargers each weighing 130 shekels.

12 silver bowls, each 70 shekels.

Total amount of silver vessels 2,400 shekels.

12 golden spoons, each weighing 10 shekels.

Total amount of golden vessels 120 shekels.

oz. dwts. gr. A silver charger at 130 shekels reduced to troy weight makes 75 9 16 8/31 A silver bowl at 70 shekels amounts to 40 12 21 21/31 Total weight of the 12 chargers. 905 16 3 3/31 Total weight of the 12 bowls 487 14 20 4/31 Total 1393 10 23 7/31 Which, at 5s. per oz., is equal to 348 7s. 9d.

oz. dwts. gr. The 12 golden spoons, allowing each to be 5 16 3 3/31 Amount to 69 13 13 5/31 Which, at 4 per ounce, equals 278 14s. 2 1/2 d And added to the amount of the silver 348 7s. 9d. Make a total of 627 1 Samuel 11d.

Besides the above there were

Bullocks 12 Rams 12 Lambs 12 Goats 24 Rams 60 He-goats 60 Lambs 60 - Total 240 clean beasts for sacrifice.

By which we may at once see that though the place in which they now sojourned was a wilderness, as to cities, villages, and regular inhabitants, yet there was plenty of pasturage, else the Israelites could not have furnished these cattle, with all the sacrifices necessary for different occasions, and especially for the passover, which was celebrated during their sojourning in the desert, and which itself must have required an immense number of lambs, (see Numbers 9) when each family of the 600,000 males was obliged to provide one for itself.

And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation, to speak with him,.... With God, to consult him on some affair or another, or to learn whether he had anything else to communicate to him, to be delivered to the children of Israel; or whether he had any directions and instructions to give him about the presents and gifts of the princes, since this seems to be immediately after their offerings:

then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him; the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it, the voice of the Spirit; but rather the voice of the Shechinah, or Word of God, the eternal "Logos", is what was heard; who in the fulness of time was to be made flesh, and dwell among men, and be heard, and seen, and handled by them; for as for the voice of the Father, the was not heard at any time, John 5:37,

from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; upon the ark in which the law was, called the testimony, was the mercy seat; over that were placed two cherubim shadowing it, and between these was the seat of the divine Majesty, which he had now taken, and from hence the voice of him speaking, was heard; which, as it follows upon the presents and offerings of the princes, may be interpreted, of the divine approbation and acceptance of them, since it was promised by the Lord to Moses, that upon their building a tabernacle for him he would dwell in it; and upon the making a mercy seat with the cherubim over the ark, he would there meet with Moses, and commune with him; all which being done to his mind he fulfils his promise: though it seems that at this time Moses did not go into the most holy place, only into the tabernacle of the congregation, the outward sanctuary, the court of the tabernacle; and there he heard the voice, as Jarchi observes, coming out of the most holy place, and from the mercy seat there, which was so loud, clear, and distinct, as to be well heard and understood by him; he supposes the voice went out from heaven to between the two cherubim, and from thence to the tabernacle of the congregation: and he spake unto him; what he spoke is not said, unless it is what follows in the next chapter.

Whilst the tribe-princes had thus given to the altar the consecration of a sanctuary of their God, through their sacrificial gifts, Jehovah acknowledged it as His sanctuary, by causing Moses, when he went into the tabernacle to speak to Him, and to present his own entreaties and those of the people, to hear the voice of Him that spake to him from between the two cherubim upon the ark of the covenant. The suffix in אתּו points back to the name Jehovah, which, though not expressly mentioned before, is contained implicite in ohel mod, "the tent of meeting." For the holy tent became an ohel mod first of all, from the fact that it was there that Jehovah appeared to Moses, or met with him (נועד, Exodus 25:22). מדּבּר, part. Hithpael, to hold conversation. On the fact itself, see the explanation in Exodus 25:20, Exodus 25:22. "This voice from the inmost sanctuary of Moses, the representative of Israel, was Jehovah's reply to the joyfulness and readiness with which the princes of Israel responded to Him, and made the tent, so far as they were concerned, a place of holy meeting"' (Baumg.). This was the reason for connecting the remark in Numbers 7:89 with the account of the dedicatory gifts.

And when Moses was gone into the {h} tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from {i} between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.

(h) That is, the sanctuary.

(i) According as he had promised in Ex 25:22.

7:89 To speak with him - To consult God upon occasion. The mercy - seat - Which Moses standing without the veil could easily hear. And this seems to be added in this place, to shew that when men had done their part, God was not wanting in the performance of his part, and promise. God's speaking thus to Moses by an audible voice, as if he had been cloathed with a body, was an earnest of the incarnation of the Son of God, when in the fulness of time the Word should be made flesh, and speak in the language of the sons of men. That he who spake to Moses was the Eternal Word, was the belief of many of the ancients. For all God's communion with man is by his Son, who is the same yesterday, to - day and for ever.

with him: that is, with God

89. And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him-As a king gives private audience to his minister, so special license was granted to Moses, who, though not a priest, was admitted into the sanctuary to receive instructions from his heavenly King as occasion demanded.

then he heard the voice of one speaking to him-Though standing on the outer side of the veil, he could distinctly hear it, and the mention of this circumstance is important as the fulfilment, at the dedication of the tabernacle, of a special promise made by the Lord Christ Himself, the Angel of the Covenant, commanding its erection (Ex 25:22). It was the reward of Moses' zeal and obedience; and, in like manner, to all who love Him and keep His commandments He will manifest Himself (Joh 14:21).

7:10-89 The princes and great men were most forward in the service of God. Here is an example to those in authority, and of the highest rank; they ought to use their honour and power, their estate and interest, to promote religion and the service of God in the places where they live. Though it was a time of joy and rejoicing, yet still, in the midst of their sacrifices, we find a sin-offering. As, in our best services, we are conscious that there is sin, there should be repentance, even in our most joyful services. In all approaches to God we must by faith look to Christ as the Sin-offering. They brought their offerings each on a day. God's work should not be done confusedly, or in a hurry; take time, and we shall have done the sooner, or, at least, we shall have done the better. If services are to be done for twelve days together, we must not call it a task and a burden. All their offerings were the same; all the tribes of Israel had an equal share in the altar, and an equal interest in the sacrifices offered upon it. He who now spake to Moses, as the Shechinah or Divine Majesty, from between the Cherubim, was the Eternal Word, the second Person in the Trinity; for all God's communion with man is by his Son, by whom he made the world, and rules the church, who is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.