(5) Aaron shall come, and his sons . . . --Under ordinary circumstances the high priest himself might only enter the most holy place on one day in the year. At the time of the moving of the camp, however, the Divine Presence seems to have departed from the Holy of Holies, and to have ascended in the cloud which gave the signal for the removal.
The covering vail.--Better, the vail of the hanging or curtain--viz., that which separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place. (Comp. Numbers 3:31.)
4:4-20 The Kohathites were to carry the holy things of the tabernacle. All the holy things were to be covered; not only for security and respect, but to keep them from being seen. This not only marked the reverence due to holy things, but the mystery of the things signified by those types, and the darkness of the dispensation. But now, through Christ, the case is altered, and we are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace.
And when the camp setteth forward,.... Upon the cloud's removing and the trumpets blowing:
Aaron shall come, and his sons; into the holy place:
and they shall take down the covering vail: the vail that divided between the holy and the most holy place, which covered all in the holy of holies out of sight:
and cover the ark of testimony with it; together with the mercy seat and cherubim on it, that they might not be seen nor touched by the Levites when they carried them. Now though the high priest himself might not go into the most holy place but once a year, on the day of atonement, yet on this occasion, when the tabernacle was to be taken down, and the things in it to be removed, both he and his sons might enter without danger; since, as Bishop Patrick observes, the divine Majesty was gone from thence in the cloud which gave the signal for the motion of the camp, and the taking down of the tabernacle.
The covering vail.--Better, the vail of the hanging or curtain--viz., that which separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place. (Comp. Numbers 3:31.)
Aaron shall come, and his sons; into the holy place:
and they shall take down the covering vail: the vail that divided between the holy and the most holy place, which covered all in the holy of holies out of sight:
and cover the ark of testimony with it; together with the mercy seat and cherubim on it, that they might not be seen nor touched by the Levites when they carried them. Now though the high priest himself might not go into the most holy place but once a year, on the day of atonement, yet on this occasion, when the tabernacle was to be taken down, and the things in it to be removed, both he and his sons might enter without danger; since, as Bishop Patrick observes, the divine Majesty was gone from thence in the cloud which gave the signal for the motion of the camp, and the taking down of the tabernacle.