The camp set around the tent in the same order as the gifts
Palladius: You are right; the observation is very subtle indeed.
Cyril: And you will see very easily that this is no false conclusion. For Scripture at once bears us out from other points as well. God prescribed that the sons of Israel must break camp, and also halt, that is, encamp together, in fitting order, and he expressly commanded them to go around the tent, in keeping, I think, with what the blessed David sings so gracefully: ‘And I will go around your altar, O Lord, that I may hear the voice of your praise’ (Psalm 26:6–7), or again: ‘I went around and offered in his tent a sacrifice of joyful shouting’ (Psalm 27:6). But what they were commanded to do as in a type hints at something else as well. For we must not keep ourselves apart from God, but be seen, so to speak, standing near and all around him, with no sin coming between, no worldly pleasure setting us apart, while an upright steadiness of mind and a readiness for every admirable thing gather us into spiritual unity. For those who have chosen to win approval in this way, it is above all fitting that they bear fruit. For it is written: ‘All who are around him shall bring gifts’ (Psalm 76:11). So he commanded them to set out together with the tent and to march around it, and again in an order: not one that matched their ages and kept strict sequence from the first to the last, but with them joined together as they were, group by group, just as in the bringing of the gifts.
It is written thus in Numbers: ‘And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: Each man keeping to his own division, by their standards, according to their ancestral houses, let the sons of Israel encamp before the Lord; around the tent of witness the sons of Israel shall encamp’ (Numbers 2:1–2). Then he shows the place assigned to each, where and how they encamped, and who they were. For he goes on thus: ‘And those who encamp first, toward the east, are the division of the camp of Judah with their host; and those encamping next to them, the tribe of Issachar; and those encamping next, the tribe of Zebulun’ (Numbers 2:3–7). Then he mentions a second company and says: ‘The division of the camp of Reuben toward the south with their host; and the leader of the sons of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur; his host, those counted, numbered forty-six thousand five hundred. And those encamping next to him, the tribe of Simeon; and those encamping next to him, the tribe of Gad’ (Numbers 2:10–14). And at once he adds a third, saying: ‘The division of the camp of Ephraim by the sea with their host; and those encamping next, the tribe of Benjamin’ (Numbers 2:18–22). And then at once he mentions a fourth company, saying: ‘The division of the camp of Dan toward the north with their host; and those encamping next to him, the tribe of Asher; and those encamping next to him, the tribe of Naphtali. All those numbered,’ he says, ‘of the camp of Dan were one hundred fifty-seven thousand six hundred; they shall set out last…
Greek
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθῶς ἔφης· ἰσχνὴ γὰρ ἄγαν ἡ ἐπιτήρησις.
{ΚΥΡ.} Καὶ μὴν ὅτι τὸ χρῆμα οὐκ ἐψευσμένον, εἴσῃ τοι καὶ λίαν εὐπετῶς. Ἐμπεδοῖ γὰρ ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐξ ἑτέρων εὐθὺς ἐννοιῶν ὁ λόγος· ἐν κόσμῳ γὰρ τῷ καθήκοντι πράττεσθαι δεῖν ἐτύπου Θεὸς τάς τε ἀναζεύξεις, καὶ μὴν καὶ ἱδρύσεις, ἤτοι συγκαταυλισμοὺς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, κύκλῳ τε ἰέναι τῆς σκηνῆς εὖ μάλα προστέταχε, κατά γε τὸ, οἶμαι, πρὸς τοῦ μάκαρος Δαβὶδ ἀστείως ὑμνούμενον· «Καὶ κυκλώσω τὸ θυσιαστήριόν σου, Κύριε, τοῦ ἀκοῦσαί με φωνῆς αἰνέσεώς σου,» ἤγουν τὸ, «Ἐκύκλωσα καὶ ἔθυσα ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ αὐτοῦ θυσίαν ἀλαλαγμοῦ.» Ὑποσημαίνεται δέ τι καὶ ἕτερον, τὸ ὡς ἐν τύπῳ δράσαι κεκελευσμένον. Χρὴ γὰρ ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἀπονοσφίζεσθαι Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' οἱονείπως ἀγχοῦ καὶ ἐν κύκλῳ φαίνεσθαι περιεστηκότας, οὐ μεσολαβούσης ἁμαρτίας, οὐ διαστάσης ἡμᾶς κοσμικῆς ἡδονῆς, ἀλλ' εἰς ἑνότητα τὴν πνευματικὴν συλλέγοντος ὀρθοῦ διανοίας παραστήματος ἑτοιμότητός τε τῆς πρὸς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν τῶν τεθαυμασμένων. Πρέπει γὰρ ἂν ὅτι μάλιστά γε τοῖς οὕτως εὐδοκιμεῖν ᾑρημένοις τὸ χρῆναι καρποφορεῖν. Γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι «Πάντες οἱ κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ οἴσουσι δῶρα.» Οὐκοῦν συναπαίρειν αὐτοὺς ἐκέλευε τῇ σκηνῇ, καὶ κύκλῳ βαδίζειν, καὶ ὡς ἐν τάξει πάλιν, οὐ ταῖς ἡλικίαις πρεπούσῃ καὶ ἀσυγχύτως ἰούσῃ πρὸς τοὺς ἐσχάτους ἀπὸ τῶν πρώτων, συνημμένους δὲ οὕτω, καὶ ἀνὰ μέρος, καθάπερ ἐν τῇ τῶν δώρων προσαγωγῇ. Γέγραπται δὲ οὕτως ἐν τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς, «Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν καὶ Ἀαρὼν λέγων· Ἄνθρωπος ἐχόμενος κατὰ τάγμα αὐτοῦ καὶ κατὰ σημασίας κατ' οἴκους πατριῶν αὐτῶν, παρεμβαλέτωσαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἔναντι Κυρίου, κύκλῳ τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου παρεμβαλοῦσιν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ.» Εἶτα τὸν ἑκάστῳ τόπον ἐκνεμηθέντα δεικνύει· ὅποι τε καὶ ὅπως καὶ τίνες οἱ παρεμβάλλοντες. Ἐπιφέρει γὰρ ὡδί· «Καὶ οἱ παρεμβάλλοντες πρῶτοι, κατὰ ἀνατολὰς, τάγμα παρεμβολῆς Ἰούδα σὺν δυνάμει αὐτῶν, καὶ οἱ παρεμβάλλοντες ἐχόμενοι φυλῆς Ἰσάχαρ, καὶ οἱ παρεμβάλλοντες ἐχόμενοι φυλῆς Ζαβουλών.» Εἶτα διαμέμνηται συμμορίας δευτέρας καί φησι· «Τάγμα παρεμβολῆς Ῥουβὴμ πρὸς νότον σὺν δυνάμει αὐτῶν, καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν υἱῶν Ῥουβὴμ, Ἐλισοὺρ, υἱὸς Σεδιοὺρ, δύναμις αὐτοῦ οἱ ἐπεσκεμμένοι ἓξ καὶ τεσσαράκοντα χιλιάδες καὶ πεντακόσιοι. Καὶ οἱ παρεμβάλλοντες ἐχόμενοι αὐτοῦ, φυλῆς Συμεὼν, καὶ οἱ παρεμβάλλοντες ἐχόμενοι αὐτοῦ, φυλῆς Γάδ.» Καὶ τρίτην εὐθὺς ἐπισυνάπτει λέγων· «Τάγμα παρεμβολῆς Ἐφραῒμ παρὰ θάλασσαν σὺν δυνάμει αὐτῶν, καὶ οἱ παρεμβάλλοντες ἐχόμενοι φυλῆς Βενιαμίν.» Καὶ μὴν καὶ τετάρτης συμμορίας εὐθὺς διαμέμνηται λέγων, «Τάγμα παρεμβολῆς Δὰν πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν σὺν δυνάμει αὐτῶν· καὶ οἱ παρεμβάλλοντες ἐχόμενοι αὐτοῦ φυλῆς Ἀσὴρ, καὶ οἱ παρεμβάλλοντες ἐχόμενοι αὐτοῦ φυλῆς Νεφθαλεὶμ, πάντες οἱ ἐπεσκεμμένοι, φησὶ, τῆς παρεμβολῆς Δὰν, ἑκατὸν πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑπτὰ χιλιάδες καὶ ἑξακόσιοι, ἔσχατοι ἐξαροῦσι