And when Moses was gone into the 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 between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him. 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.
Commentary on the Bible, by Adam Clarke [1831].