Reference: Encampment
Fausets
Below is represented the Israelite order of march and encampment (Numbers 2). This would be varied according to local requirements; but the ideal was reproduced in the square court with which the temple was surrounded, and in the heavenly city of Eze 48:20; Re 21:16; 20:9. The earthly camp exhibited the perfect symmetry of the church; the tabernacle in the middle denoted the dependence of all on Jehovah and the access of all to Him. The area of the camp was about three square miles. Living in families they did not occupy so much room as the same number of soldiers would occupy. The "standard" (degel, a glittering emblem on a pole) marked the division or camp, the "ensign" ('ot) the family.
Thus there were four standards, one for each "camp" of three tribes: according to tradition the four cherubic forms, the lion (Judah, Ge 49:9; Re 5:5), the ox (Ephraim, De 33:17), the man, and the eagle (Eze 1:26; 10:1; Re 4:4, etc.). Judah had the post of honor in front of the curtain of the tabernacle, along with Issachar and Zebulun, all three Leah's children, and led the van on march. Reuben, Leah's oldest son, with Simeon, Leah's second, and Gad, oldest of Leah's handmaid Zilpah's sous, formed the second camp. Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, Rachel's descendants, formed the third camp. Dan, oldest of the handmaids' children, with Asher and Naphtali, handmaids' children, formed the fourth camp.
In coincidence with this arrangement, Nu 10:14, etc., represents Judah taking the lead in the march out of the wilderness of Sinai, Reuben was next, Ephraim was next, and Dan was rearward. The signal for march was given by a blast of two silver trumpets. The sanctity of the camp was maintained even in time of war. Among other nations ordinary rules of morality and propriety were then relaxed, as Lucan x. 407, observes: "no faith or regard for religion exists among men in camp" (nulla fides pietasque viris qui castra sequuntur). But in war especially Israel was to "keep from every wicked thing," and even from any breach of decorum or cleanliness, "for the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp to deliver thee and to give up thine enemies before thee, therefore shall thy camp be holy, that He see no unclean thing in thee and turn away from thee" (De 23:9-14).
All refuse was to be carried outside the camp. There the dead were to be buried (Le 10:4; 6:11). Contact with the dead, until purification, and leprosy excluded from it (Nu 5:2; 31:19). Ashes from the sacrifices were poured out in an appointed place outside the camp, where the entrails, skin, and horns, and all that was not offered in sacrifice, were burnt (Le 4:11-12; 6:11; 8:17; 24:14). There criminals were executed, and the sin offering bullock was burnt.
(compare as to the antitype Joh 19:17,20; Heb 13:12). So late as Hezekiah the temple was called "the tents of Jehovah" (2Ch 31:2; Ps 78:28; compare "a great host like the host of God" applied to David's adherents, 1Ch 12:22). The military camp was generally fixed on a hill and near water (1Sa 13:2-3,16,23; 17:3; 28:4; 29:1). The baggage wagons or else an earthwork formed a barrier round the camp. The machineh were movable camps as distinguished from the matsab, or netsib, standing camps (2Ch 17:2).
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A lion's whelp, is Judah, From the prey, my son hast thou come up! He hath stooped - hath crouched As a lion - or as a lioness, Who shall rouse him?
But, as for the skin of the bullock and all its flesh with its head and with its legs, - and its inwards, and its dung, he shall take forth the entire bullock - unto the outside of the camp, unto a clean place unto the outpoured heap of fat-ashes, and shall burn it up on wood in the fire, - upon the outpoured heap of fat-ashes, shall it be burned up.
Then shall he put off his garments, and put on other garments, - and shall carry forth the fat-ashes unto the outside of the camp, unto a clean place,
Then shall he put off his garments, and put on other garments, - and shall carry forth the fat-ashes unto the outside of the camp, unto a clean place,
But the bullock itself, and its skin and its flesh and its dung, consumed he with fire, outside the camp, - As Yahweh commanded Moses,
Then called Moses unto Mishael, and unto Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel, uncle of Aaron, - and said unto them - Draw near bear away your brethren from before the sanctuary, unto the outside of the camp.
Bring forth him that reviled unto the out-side of the camp, then shall all that heard him lean their hands upon his head, - and all the assembly shall stone him.
Command the sons of Israel, that they send forth out of the camp, every leper, and every one that hath a flux, - and every one that is unclean by the dead:
So the standard of the camp of the sons of Judah set forward first, by their hosts, and over his own host, was Nahshon, son of Amminadab;
Ye, then, pitch outside the camp, for seven days, - whosoever hath killed a person and whoever hath touched the slain, cleanse yourselves (from sin) on the third day and on the seventh day ye and your captives,.
When thou goest forth into camp against thine enemies, then shalt thou beware of everything foul. When there is in thy midst a man who is not clean through a mischance of the night, then shall he go forth unto the outside of the camp, he shall not come into the midst of the camp; read more. but it shall be, when the evening cometh on, he shall bathe himself in water, - and at the going in of the sun, he shall come into the midst of the camp. And a place aside, shalt thou have, without the camp, - whither thou canst go forth abroad; and a blade, shalt thou have upon thy staff, - so shall it be, that when thou wouldest sit down outside, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which hath passed from thee: for, Yahweh thy God, walketh to and fro in the midst of thy camp, to rescue thee, and to deliver up thine enemies before thee, so shall thy camps be holy, - and he shall see in thee no shameful thing, that he should turn away from following thee.
His firstborn ox, be an honour to him. And the horns of a buffalo, be his horns, With them, let him thrust, peoples, All at once, to the ends of the earth, - Yea, with these, the myriads of Ephraim, And, with those, the thousands of Manasseh.
Saul chose him three thousand men out of Israel, of whom there were with Saul, two thousand in Michmash and in the hill-country of Bethel, and, a thousand, were with Jonathan, in Gibeah of Benjamin, - but, the rest of the people, he let go, every man to his own home. Then did Jonathan smite the garrison of Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it, - and, Saul, blew with a horn throughout all the land saying, Let the Hebrews hear!
Now, Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were found with him, were abiding in Geba of Benjamin, - but, the Philistines, had encamped in Michmash.
And, the Philistines, were standing near the hill on one side, and, the Israelites, were standing near the hill on the other side, - while, the valley, was between them.
So then the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came in, and encamped in Shunem, - and Saul gathered together all Israel, and they encamped in Gilboa.
Now the Philistines gathered together all their hosts, towards Aphek, - and, the Israelites, were encamping by the fountain, that is in Jezreel.
for, from day to day, there came unto David, to help him, - until it was a great camp, like a camp of God.
and put forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, - and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had captured.
And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests, and the Levites, over their courses, every man according to the requirements of his service, both priests and Levites, for ascending-sacrifice and for peace-offerings, - to be in attendance and to give thanks and to offer praise, in the gates of the camps of Yahweh;
And let them fall in the midst of their camp, - Round about their habitations.
And above the expanse that was over their heads, as the appearance of a sapphire stone, was the likeness of a throne, - and upon the likeness of a throne, was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above.
Then looked I. and lo! in the expanses which was over the head of the cherubim as a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne, appeared over them.
All the offering shall be five and twenty thousand, by five and twenty thousand, - foursquare, shall ye offer up the offering of the holy portion, towards the possession of the city.
And, bearing for himself the cross, he went forth unto the so-called Skull-place, which is named, in Hebrew, Golgotha;
This title, therefore, read many of the Jews, because, near, was the place to the city where Jesus was crucified; ad it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, in Greek.
Wherefore, Jesus also, that he might hallow the people through means of his own blood, outside the gate, suffered:
And, round about the throne, were four and twenty thrones; and, upon the thrones, four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and, upon their heads, were crowns of gold.
And, one of the elders, saith unto me - Do not weep! Lo! the lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath overcome, to open the scroll and the seven seals thereof.
And they came up over the breadth of the land, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city. And there came down fire out of heaven, and devoured them;
And, the city, four-square, lieth, and, the length thereof, is as great as the breadth. And he measured the city, with the reed, - twelve thousand furlongs: the length, and the breadth, and the height thereof, are, equal.
Smith
primarily denoted the resting-place of an army or company of travellers at night,
and was hence applied to the army or caravan when on its march.
Ge 32:7-8; Ex 14:19; Jos 10:5; 11:4
The description of the camp of the Israelites, on their march from Egypt, Numb 2,3, supplies the greatest amount of information on the subject. The tabernacle, corresponding to the chieftains tent of an ordinary encampment, was placed in the centre, and around and facing it,
arranged in four grand divisions, corresponding to the four points of the compass, lay the host of Israel, according to their standards.
In the centre, round the tabernacle, and with no standard but the cloudy or fiery pillar which rested over it, were the tents of the priests and Levites. The former, with Moses and Aaron at their head, were encamped on the eastern side. The order of encampment was preserved on the march.
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Then was Jacob greatly afraid, and in distress. So he divided the people that were with him and the flocks and the herds and the camels into two camps, And he said. Should Esau come upon the one camp, and smite it, yet shall the camp that is left escape.
So the present passed over before him, - whereas he himself tarried that night in the camp.
And the messenger of God who was going on before the camp of Israel removed, and came on behind them, - and the pillar of cloud removed from before them, and stood behind them;
And it came to pass, in the evening, that there came up quail, and covered the camp, - and in the morning was the outpouring of dew, round about the camp;
So then the sons of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man, near his own camp, and, every man, near his own standard, by their hosts;
Then spake Yahweh onto Moses and onto Aaron saying: Every man - near his standard with the ensigns belonging to their ancestral houses, shall the sons of Israel encamp, - at a distance round about the tent of meeting, shall they encamp.
Then shall set forward the tent of meeting - the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps, - as they encamp, so, shall they set forward, every man at the side thereof by their standards.
So they gathered themselves together and came up, even the five kings of the Amorites - the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, - they, and all their hosts, - and encamped near Gibeon, and made war against it.
and they came out - they, and all their hosts with them, much people, like the sand that is upon the seashore for multitude, - with horses and chariots very many.