John Gill Commentary Numbers 8

And the Lord spoke unto Moses
Whether immediately after the offerings of the princes, or at another time, is not certain; Aben Ezra thinks it was in the night God spoke unto him, because then the lamps were lighted and burning:

saying ;
as follows.

Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him
It being his work to light the lamps, though, as Ben Gersom observes, it was not incumbent on an high priest alone to do this, for it also belonged to the sons of Aaron, who were common priests, (Exodus 27:21); though it is probable that as this was the first time of lighting them, it might be done by Aaron himself, his sons attending and assisting him; in which he was an eminent type of Christ, the great High Priest, who lights the lamps in all his golden candlesticks, the churches, (Revelation 1:20), and from whom they have all their light and all the supplies of it:

when thou lightest the lamps;
which was done at evening, (Exodus 30:8); pointing at the great light set up by Christ, the light of the world, in the evening of it, in the last days:

the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick;

The Targum of Jonathan is, ``at the same time of your lighting the lamps over against the candlestick, there shall be seven lamps giving light: three on the west side and three on the east side, and the seventh in the middle:''

And in the like order Jarchi places them, who observes, that the three eastward looked over against the middlemost, the wicks that were in them; and so the three westward, the tops of the wicks were over against the middlemost: and he also observes, that the middlemost lamp was no other than the body of the candlestick, and so all the rest of the lamps were over against and looked to that;

And this is the sense of Maimonides ^F13, and other Jewish writers; but the truer meaning of the phrase is, that the seven lamps gave light, as they were to do, to that part of the holy place that was opposite to the candlestick, the north part of it, where stood the shewbread table, the candlestick being in the south, (Exodus 40:22Exodus 40:24); that the table of the Lord might have light, as it was proper it should; and the priests might see to set on and take off the bread, which otherwise they could not, there being no window in the place; (See Gill on Exodus 25:37).

FOOTNOTES:

• F13: Hilchot Beth Hacbehirah, c. 3. sect. 8.

And Aaron did so, he lighted the lamps thereof over against
the candlestick
As God had taken up his residence in the most holy place, as appears by the voice speaking from off the mercyseat, (Numbers 7:89); and sacrifices were begun to be offered in the outward court on the altar of burntoffering, it was proper that the service of God in the holy place should also be set on foot; as placing ofthe shewbread on the shewbread table, and burning incense on the golden altar of incense; which could notwell be done until the lamps were lighted, and therefore orders were given for the lighting them, which wasaccordingly done by Aaron:

as the Lord commanded Moses ;
(Exodus 25:37).

And this work of the candlestick [was] of beaten gold
As it is also said to be; (See Gill on Exodus 25:31); and (See Gill on Exodus 25:36):

unto the shalt thereof, unto the flowers thereof, [was] beaten work ;
of which, see (Exodus 25:31) ;

according unto the pattern which the Lord had showed Moses ;
when on Mount Sinai with him:

so he made the candlestick ;
that is, ordered it to be made, and took care that it was made exactly to the pattern he had of it; otherwise Bezaleel was the artificer; and so the Targum of Jonathan here expresses him by name.

And the Lord spoke to Moses
the same time the order about lighting the lamps was given; and this section is joined to the former, Aben Ezra thinks, to show that Aaron employed himself in lighting the lamps, but in the rest of the services the Levites helped him, and stood before him to do what he commanded them: they were ordered to be taken and given to Aaron before; and they were numbered, and their services appointed to each division of them;

and now they are ordered to be ordained and consecrated to their office:

saying ;
as follows.