[746] Sunt octo voces quæ scriptæ sunt in textu, sed non leguntur quas adducit. Masora, Ruth. 3. 12.
[747] Contra hos disputat Elias Levita in præfat. 3. l. masoreth hammasoreth.
In the third place, the Proposition followeth; namely, Seeing that the Masorites passed their censure on many words for their irregularity in their vowels and accents; therefore, the vowels originally were not from the Masorites, but of the same antiquity with their words; and in truth, otherwise they had been a body or carkass without a soul.
CHAP. VIII.
Of Israels pitching their Tents, or of their Camps.
Whiles the Israelites wandred thorow the Wilderness, their Church was a Tabernacle; and their habitations, Tents: so that their whole Camp might be termed a moveable City. It was divided into three parts. In the centre or middle of all was the Tabernacle it self, with its Courts, this they termed the Camp of the Divine Majesty. Next round about, pitcht the Priests and Levites, to whom the charge of the Tabernacle belonged, (and therefore the nearest adjoyning place of habitation might be the convenientest for them) this was called the camp of Levi. In the utter parts, round about Levi, the twelve Tribes pitcht their Tents; this they termed the Camp of Israel. The first Camp resembled a great Cathedral Church, with its Church-yard. The second a Priviledg-place about the Church, as it were for Colledges for the habitation of the Clergy. The third, the body of a City, wherein the Towns-men or Laity dwelt. The form of the whole, is probably thought to be four-square, some say twelve miles long, and twelve miles broad.[748]
[748] Uziel. Num. 2. 3.
In the Eastern part pitched these three Tribes, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon. On the South-side, Reuben, Simeon, and Gad. On the West, Ephraim, Manasses, and Benjamin. On the North, Dan, Asher, and Napthali: and these made up the outward Camp, termed the Camp of Israel. Between each Tribe, in every one of those four quarters, there were distant spaces like Streets, where there was buying and selling as in a market, and tradesmen in their shops in manner of a City leading to and fro.[749] This Camp is thought[750] to be round a mile distant from the Tabernacle, that is a Sabbath daies journey; and this is gathered from Josh. 3. 4. where the distance between the People and the Ark is commanded to be two thousand cubits.
[749] Οὐδενί τε ἄλλῳ ἢ πόλει μετανισταμένῃ καὶ καθιδρυμένῃ ἐῴκει. Joseph. l. 3. Antiq. c. 11. p. 97.