And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
The assembly was gathered together. "The assembly" is an indefinite and a general term; but it is evidently used to describe those who were actually present. According to the ordinary use of language, "the assembly" would be synonymous with "all the congregation," although the Israelites might not have been universally present; just as when the parish, the city, the county is convened, or the House of Commons is summoned to the House of Lords, it is said, in current style, the parish, the city, the county, the Commons, did so and so, although comparatively few attended the meeting.
The observation is especially applicable to the phrase "all the congregation," which occurs in cases where it was physically impossible that it can be interpreted in a literal sense-as when "all the congregation" is said to have stoned the blasphemer (Leviticus 24:14) and the sabbath breaker (Numbers 15:35-36), it is impossible to conceive that every man, woman, and child acted a personal part in the execution of those offenders; and therefore the general term must be taken in a limited sense, as meaning only an appointed portion of the people.
There is reason to believe that х haa`eedaah (H5712)] "the assembly" very often denotes 'the appointed assembly,' the body of elders, representatives of the people (cf. Numbers 35:12; Numbers 35:24-25 with Joshua 20:4; Joshua 20:6; Joshua 20:9; Exodus 12:3 with 21; 9:5 with 1:23,24). This is the view of Dr. Benisch, and of Michaelis ('Commentary on Laws of Moses,' vol. 1:, p. 229, Smith's Translation), who quotes Numbers 1:16; Deuteronomy 29:10. At the same time, admitting it to be true that Moses is represented sometimes as speaking to the people, when his communications were made through the elders, there seems to be no necessity for considering "the assembly" as consisting exclusively of this representative body. For the order given to Moses was to gather together not the elders, not the Levites, but "all the congregation;" not to receive a divine revelation, but to assist at the sacred ceremonial; and in the circumstances there would be an immense gathering.
Colenso assumes that none but those who stood in the front row could witness the ceremony. Like every large collection of people, those who were near would see best-those who were further off would see less distinctly. Nor would there be anything of the dense packing and squeezing among the assembled multitude which the imagination of this cavilling objector has conjured up.
There was an area or vacant space of 2,000 cubits - i:e., about two-thirds of a mile-in every direction around the outside of the court of the tabernacle, into which the people of the congregation did not come unless when specially summoned. On the outskirts of that unoccupied ground the whole congregation were encamped, each tribe by itself "far off" (Numbers 2:2), or right opposite the tabernacle, the twelve tribes being ranged in four divisions, so that three were stationed respectively on the north, south, east, and west, the tabernacle forming the center. From these different quarters of the encampment, then, the people, when summoned to the door of the tabernacle, would press forward to that sacred tent as a common point of attraction. Each person, of course, would strive to make his way to the door; but as such immense masses from every tribe, converging to one spot, must necessarily have obstructed each other's way, so that it would be impossible for any but a few to reach the door, the crowd would be gathered around the tabernacle itself; and supposing, on Colenso's own hypothesis, that this congregated multitude consisted of the 600,000 adults-each of whom had, according to his estimate, two square feet of ground for standing on-an irregular circle would have been formed of about 1,800 feet in diameter. In other words, instead of the line extending twenty miles off, the radius of such a circle would be no more than 900 feet.
It is further natural to suppose that, on such an occasion, the curtains which enclosed the court would be withdrawn, so that the ceremony of inauguration could be seen by numbers of the bystanders, both in front and on the two sides of the tabernacle; and although a large proportion of those standing behind at a distance might have to content themselves with merely knowing what was being done within the court, all would be in a position to witness the grand object of interest-the anticipated descent of the heavenly fire (cf. Leviticus 9:24), which attested the divine acceptance of the first national offering in Israel.