Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
Moses stood in the gate. The camp is supposed to have been protected by a rampart after the attack of the Amalekites.
Who is on the Lord's side? - i:e., who will support the cause of God against idolatry and idolaters?
Unto me - let him join me, and follow my directions.
And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. The universal word all is here to be taken, as in many other passsges, with limitations, as denoting the majority, or a very large number, who were inflamed with a holy zeal; for some of them were involved in the guilt of the golden calf, and perished.
Verse 27. Slay every man his brother. "Every" is not to be taken literally, as if each individual of the 22,000 Levites was to kill a brother, a companion, and a neighbour; for in that case the number of the slain must have exceeded 60,000. The words are х 'iysh (H376) 'et (H854) 'aachiyw (H251)], a man his brother, a man his companion. [The Septuagint renders it as hekastos, each a brother.] Besides, as intermarriages between the tribes were not permitted, and the Levites, as commissioned officers of justice, were to inflict capital punishment upon flagrant transgressors in all the tribes, the phrase, a man his brother, does not denote a brother by consanguinity. It denotes here, as elsewhere (Isaiah 19:2; Jeremiah 31:34; Jeremiah 34:17), one man another; and the meaning simply is, that the ringleaders were to be put to death, without indulgence to the nearest relative or most familiar friend (cf. Deuteronomy 33:8-10).
The blessing which their father Levi had lost (Genesis 34:25) was restored to the tribe through the noble conduct of his descendants on this occasion. The zeal and courage of Moses were astonishing, considering he opposed himself to an intoxicated mob. The people were separated into two divisions, and those who were the boldest and most obstinate in vindicating their idolatry were put to death, while the rest, who withdrew in shame or sorrow, were spared. Nothing but a conviction of the divine mission of Moses could have produced the silent submission of those numerous offenders.