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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Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up; he stooped down, he couched as a lion and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
And the skin of the bullock and all its flesh, with its head and with its legs, and his intestines and his dung, even the whole bullock he shall carry forth outside the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes with the burnt fat are poured out and burn it on the wood with fire, where the ashes with the burnt fat are poured out shall it be burnt.
Then he shall put off his garments and put on other garments and carry forth the ashes with the burnt fat outside the camp unto a clean place.
Then he shall put off his garments and put on other garments and carry forth the ashes with the burnt fat outside the camp unto a clean place.
But the bullock and its hide, its flesh, and its dung, he burnt with fire outside the camp, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.
Bring forth the one that has blasphemed outside the camp and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
Command the sons of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper and every one that has an issue and anyone who is defiled by the dead.
In the first place went the standard of the camp of the sons of Judah according to their armies, and over his host was Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.
And ye must abide outside the camp seven days; and whoever has killed any person and whoever has touched any dead body ye shall remove the sin from them on the third and on the seventh day, both of yourselves and of your captives.
When the host goes forth against thine enemies, then keep thyself from every evil thing. When there is among you any man that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chances by night, then he shall go abroad out of the camp; he shall not come within the camp. read more. And it shall be when evening comes, he shall wash himself with water, and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again. Thou shalt have a place also outside the camp where thou shalt go forth abroad; and thou shalt have a stake among thy weapons; and it shall be when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig with it and shalt turn back and cover thy excrement; for the LORD thy God walks 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.
His beauty is like the firstborn of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns; with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth; these are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and these are the thousands of Manasseh.
Saul chose three thousand men of Israel, of which two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in Mount Bethel and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and of the rest of the people he sent each one to his tent. And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul caused the shofar to be blown throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.
And Saul and Jonathan, his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.
And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side; and there was a valley between them.
And the Philistines gathered themselves together and came and pitched camp in Shunem, and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched camp in Gilboa.
Now the Philistines gathered together all their camps to Aphek, and the Israelites pitched camp by a fountain which is in Jezreel.
For at that time help came every day to David until it was a great camp, like the camp of God.
And he placed forces in all the fenced cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah and likewise in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa, his father had taken.
And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses, each man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister and to give thanks and to praise in the gates of the tents of the LORD.
And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.
And above the heaven that was over their heads was the figure of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the figure of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man seated upon it.
Then I looked, and, behold, above the heaven that was above the head of the cherubim there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.
All the lot of twenty-five thousand by twenty-five thousand square: ye shall separate by lot for the sanctuary and for the possession of the city.
And he, bearing his cross , went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha,
And many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near to the city; and it was written in Hebrew and Greek and Latin.
Therefore, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate.
And round about the throne were twenty-four thrones, and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, who has overcome to open the book and to loose its seven seals.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth and compassed the camp of the saints about and the beloved city; and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.
And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth; and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs; and the length and the breadth and the height of it 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 Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed, and he divided the people that were with him, and the sheep and the cows and the camels, into two bands and said, If Esau comes to the one company and smites it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
So the present went over before him, and he lodged that night in the company.
And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and likewise the pillar of cloud went from before their face and stood behind them.
And it came to pass, that in the evening quail came up, and covered the camp; and in the morning the dew descended round about the host.
And the sons of Israel shall pitch their tents, each man by his own camp and each man by his own standard, throughout their hosts.
And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, Each man of the sons of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, according to the ensigns of the houses of their fathers; round about the tabernacle of the testimony shall they pitch.
Then shall set forward the tabernacle of the testimony, the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps, in the manner that they encamp, so shall they set forward, each one in his place by their standards.
Therefore, 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, gathered themselves together and went up, they and all their hosts and encamped before Gibeon and made war against it.
And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, many people even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with a great multitude of horses and chariots.