XXXIIId Chapter of this Book See v. 41 42. And pitched in Oboth Where it is probable they found Water of the want of which they complained See XX. 2. Ver. 11. And they journeyed from Oboth and pitched Verse 11 in Jie-Abarim Not that Mount Abarim where Moses died XXVII 12. but another place in the Confines of Moab as it here follows See what I have observed XX. 2. In the Wilderness which is before Moab Called the Wilderness of Moab II Deut. 8. Towards the Sun-rising On the East part of it as Jephthah observes a great many Years after this That they came by the East side of the Land of Moab XI Judges 18. Ver. 12. And from thence they removed As they Verse 12 were about to remove from this last place they received a Command from God not to meddle with the Country of Moab II Deut. 9. Which is the reason as Abarbinel observes that Moses here sets down briefly whence and whether they went and where they pitched that it might appear they did not transgress that Command And pitched in the Valley of Zared Or as some translate it in Nachal-Zared which is called Dibon-Gad XXXIII 45. For this place had two Names as the same Author observes and it was just eight and thirty Years since the Spies went up to Survey the Country from Kadesh-barnea till their passing this Brook as we translate it II Deut. 14. But I take Dibon-Gad rather to have been a place which lay upon the Brook Zered Ver. 13. And from thence they removed and pitched Verse 13 on the other side of Arnon The Hebrew word meheber may be translated on this side or on the other side And some think they were now on this side of the River and not yet gone over it Nor did they immediately come hither from their former Station but first to Almon-Diblathaim XXXIII 46. which is also called Beth-Diblathaim in the Wilderness of Moab XLVIII Jerem. 22. and Diblah VI Ezek. 13. And then passing by Ar in the Confines of Moab and approaching to the Country of the Children of Ammon God commanded them not to invade the Ammonites being Descendants from Lot as well as the Moabites II Deut. 18 19 37. but to pass over the River Arnon II Deut. 24. to that side of it which belonged to the Amorites For this River at that time divided the Moabites from the Amorites as it here follows Which is in the Wilderness that cometh out of the Coasts of the Amorites Runs by the Wilderness of Kedemoth unto which the Amorites extended their Dominion II Deut. 26. For Arnon is the Border of Moab between Moab and the Amorites This River flowed from the Mountains of Arabia where it had its rise and fell into the Dead Sea as Josephus saith Lib. IV. Antiq. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bounding the Country of the Moabites and of the Amorites the Country of Moab lying on one side of it and that of the Amorites on the other For though the Moabites formerly possessed the Country on both sides of Arnon as far as Heshbon yet the Amorites had driven them out of that part of it which lay next to them and made the River the Boundary of their two Kingdoms v. 26 27. This Moses recites the more exactly that it might appear the Israelites invaded none of the Moabites Possessions but what was now possessed by the Amorites By which Jephthah defended the Right of the Children of Israel in future times against the Ammonites who pretended this Country belonged to them XI Judges 13 14 15 c. Ver. 14. Wherefore it is said in the Book of the Wars Verse 14 of the LORD A proof of this Moses thought good to alledge out of an Authentick Record in those Countries containing the History of all the Wars that had been in those Parts which are here called the Wars of the LORD because he is the great Governour of the World as Abarbinel interprets it from whom and by whom are all things who putteth down one and setteth up another as the Psalmist speaks at his good pleasure This Book he thinks was written by some of the Wise men of those Naons and so thinks Nachmanides who looking upon this Conquest made by Sihon as a very memorable thing put it down in their Annals which after the way of those Countries were written he thinks in a Poetical manner There are those who are of opinion that this Book was written by Moses himself who left in it directions to Joshua how to proceed in the Wars of the LORD when he conquered Canaan So Dr. Lightfoot conjectures and Bonfrerius doth not much differ from him But I take the former account to be the more probable that Moses justifies what he writes concerning this Conquest out of their own Books which he quotes just as St. Paul in the New Testament doth one of the Greek Poets What he did in the Red Sea These are the words of the Book out of which he quotes a small Fragment And the Marginal Translation of them is most proper Vaheb in Supheh only the word eth is omitted which makes the Sence to be this against Vaheb in Supheh That is he came some such word must be understood against Vaheb a King of the Moabites and overthrew him in Suphah a place in the Frontiers of Moab See I Deut. 1. Others understand by Vaheb the place where Sihon gave the Moabites this blow which he did by falling upon them on a sudden with a terrible Fury So Nachmanides understands these words besuphah he stormed the City and made a furious Assault when they thought not of it For Suphah signifies a Whirlwind or stormy Tempest V Isai 28. And in the Brooks of Arnon The same Nachmanides takes the word veeth which we translate and in to signifie rather and with and these being still the words of the Book before-mentioned the sence is this In the same manner he smote the Brooks or Torrents of Arnon upon which he fell like a Tempest and carried all before him Verse 15 Ver. 15. And at the Streams of the Brook None I think hath given a better account of these words than the same Nachman who by Esched hannechalim which we translate the Streams of the Brooks understands either a Cliff from whence the Torrents flowed as Aschdod and Happisgah III Deut. 17. are the Hills from whence the Springs gushed or the Valley through which the Torrents ran where they made a great broad Water which is here called an Effusion of Torrents as R. Levi ben Gershom interprets the Hebrew words Esched hannechabim That goeth down to the dwelling of Ar. Which extends it self as far as Ar a City of Moab v. 28. R. Levi ben Gersom takes the word Schebet which we translate dwelling to signifie a Place as well as Ar towards which these Torrents bent their Course And lyeth upon the Borders of Moab Which leaneth or belongeth unto Moab being in the Border of that Country Thus far are
to keep the Jews from following their Customs but they rather imitated what was practised among the Jews Particularly Bochartus observes out of Philostratus there were Waters in Cappadocia sacred to Jupiter which were very sweet and pleasant to those who were innocent and swore truly but quite contrary to those who were perjured Whose Eyes Hands and Feet were presently seiz'd and infected with Blotches and filthy Ulcers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the very Disease here mentioned if we believe Josephus who saith the Woman's Belly swelled by the Dropsie till at last it burst And Philostratus adds that the whole Body of such People grew Consumptive nor could they stir from those Waters but there they lay deploring their Misery See Bochart L. I. Canaan cap. 28. p. 589 590. Which agrees so perfectly with what the Jews say of this bitter Water that it is most likely this Story of the Cappadocian Water was derived from thence For they say not only the Belly of the Woman swelled and her Thigh rotted but every Member of her Body felt the Effects of this deadly Poyson which spread to the very Hairs of her Head as they tell us in Ratboth quoted by Wagenseil upon the Mischna which saith the same cap. 1. Sotae sect 7. And therefore Huetius justly thinks the Fable of the Stygian Lake and several other Rites of finding out the truth of secret Crimes were invented by the Greeks from this Example Demonst Evang. Propos IV. cap. 11. n. 2. Many Authors have collected several sorts of Trials of this kind and lately Guil. Saldenus in his Otia Theologica Exercit. V. n. 24 25. But above all see Huetius his Quaestiones Alnetunae L. II. cap. 12. n. 22. where he gives a large account how far this Rite of trying Womens Chastity by drinking this Water was spread among the most barbarous Nations And the Woman shall say Amen Amen The word Amen is doubled to express her full consent and her earnest desire that God would deal with her according to her deserving The Mischna will have the first Amen refer to those words The LORD make thee a Curse and the second to the next words and an Oath among thy People So that she prayed God both might come upon her if she were guilty We may as well say that one of these Amens relates to the first part of the Adjuration v. 19. and the other to the second part v. 21. Or as Abarbinel doth that there being a double Curse one that her Belly should swell and another that her Thigh should rot she said a double Amen praying both might befal her if she were guilty And as the Talmudists understand it they were an Imprecation upon her self For so they say in Schevnot Whosoever saith Amen to an Oath or Curse seems to pronounce the Oath or Curse with his own Mouth See Wagenseil upon Mischna Sotae cap. 2. sect 5. Annot. 3. Where he produces a great deal more out of the Scripture it self in confutation of the Opinion of our Learned Fuller who in his Miscellanies affirms That Amen is only an Asseveration but never a Form of Swearing Ver. 23. And the Priest shall write these Curses Verse 23 Several Opinions are related in the Mischna concerning the words that were to be written Which some would have to begin at v. 19. If no Man have lien with thee c. and to continue to this Verse But others think they began at those words v. 21. The LORD make thee a Curse and an Oath c. and that the last words were omitted The Woman shall say Amen Amen Which of these Opinions is the true neither the Gemara nor Maimonides have determined In a Book Every Scroll of Parchment wherein any thing was written the Jews call Sepher a Book In which it hath been commonly said the Name of the Woman was written together with the Curse but there is nothing either in the Scripture or in Antiquity to countenance this And he shall blot them out with the bitter Water Or rather Into the bitter Water That is he was to scrape out the words he had written into the Water and so make the Woman drink it Or as the Jews explain it wash the words he had written with the bitter Water till they were quite blotted out See Wagenseil in Mischna Sotae cap. 3. sect 3. Who observes a great many Curiosities which the Jews have about the Parchment and the Ink upon and with which these Curses were written and that they were not valid if they were written by a Lay-man or by a Priest that was not of Age or if they were written before she was adjured or if he blotted out one word before the rest were written c. See there cap. 2. sect 4. Hottinger forgot himself when he said The Scroll it self was thrown into the Water Thesaur Philolog L. II. cap. 2. for no such thing appears Verse 24 Ver. 24. And he shall cause the Woman to drink c. viz. After he had offered the Jealousie-Offering upon the Altar v. 26. And if she refused to drink the Water into which the Curses were scraped they forced her to it with this preceding Admonition My Daughter if thou art confident of thine Innocence do not fear to drink this Water which will do thee no more hurt than dry Poison laid upon the Flesh of a living Creature c. If hereupon she confessed that she had been poluted the Water was straightway poured out because there was no holiness in it as Maimonides saith For it is called holy v. 17. not because it was sanctified to this use but only because it was taken out of the Laver which was an holy Vessel See Selden L. III. Vxor Hebr. cap. 15. who observes also in the foregoing Chapter that if after a Man had brought his Wife to this Trial he chanced to die before this Adjuration she was freed from taking the Potion but lost her Dowry And the Water that causeth the Curse Or that is loaded with Curses which have been scraped into it Shall enter into her and become bitter Produce those direful Effects before-mentioned if she be guilty Ver. 25. Then the Priest shall take the Jealousie-Offering Verse 25 out of the Woman's hand Into which he had put it before he adjured her v. 18. And shall wave the Offering before the LORD How this Waving was performed hath been shown before upon Leviticus Rasi here expresses it in four words he moved the Oblation to and fro up and down Something like to which Pythagoras seems to intimate in that Symbol of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Worship turning round Which Plutarch ascribes to Numa in whose Life he says a great many observable things concerning turning round in their Sacred Offices Which was a Rite in use among the Gentiles who when they saluted their Gods standing with their Heads uncovered turned about their Bodies to the Right-hand As Christoph Arnoldus observes out of Suetonius and others in his
here again when we thought we had been at the end of our Travels At this rate we shall never get out Whereupon he presently smote the Rock twice in a fume whereas God bad him only speak to it v. 8. To sanctifie me in the Eyes of the Children of Israel i. e. Openly to assert me to be the holy One of Israel faithful to my Promises as well as infinite in Power of which they had given the Israelites occasion to doubt by declaring some distrust of what God said to them v. 8. For these words plainly show that their Sin did not consist only in an inward Diffidence but in such outward Expressions of it in their Anger and Impatience as might be apt to breed Unbelief in the Israelites who were already too prone thereunto And it is no improbable Conjecture of a Jewish Doctor in his Book of the Death of Moses that the Divine Glory not appearing now upon this Rock as it did at Horeb XVII Exod. 6. which perhaps they expected it gave some occasion to their Unbelief Which he thinks was not so great a Sin in it self as to have deserved the following Punishment had not God in passing this Sentence had a respect to the Excellency and Dignity of their Persons in whom a Fault of this Nature was far more grievous than in an ordinary Man Therefore ye shall not bring this Congregation into the Land which I have given them They brought them into the Land of Sihon and of Og but not into Canaan which was properly the Land promised to them Verse 13 Ver. 13. This is the Water of Meribah Called Meribah-kadesh XXXII Deut. 51. to distinguish it from that Meribah mentioned XVII Exod. 7. where the Israelites were guilty of the same Crime Because the Children of Israel strove with the LORD Expostulated with him most undutifully and accused him of unkindness to them v. 3 4. And he was sanctified in them The Hebrew Doctors differ very much in their Opinions about this also Whether he was sanctified in the Waters or in the People of Israel or in Moses and Aaron Some fancy it is meant of the Waters viz. that God did himself great honour in bringing Waters again out of a Rock and therefore the Name of the place was called Kadesh from his being sanctified there Thus Chaskuni But it seems to have been called so before this being a place well known to the Edomites v. 16. The common Opinion is that he speaks of Moses and Aaron for God's Name saith R. Solomon is much revered when he doth not spare even his holy Ones X Lev. 3. But Nachmanides expounds it of the Israelites before whose face as he expounds sanctified in them God's Power and Faithfulness and Goodness appeared and who alone are mentioned in this verse not Moses and Aaron But all three Opinions in the Issue concur in this one that God made his Power c. appear in the Eyes of all the Israelites by bringing Water out of a Rock and at the same time demonstrated his Holiness and impartial Justice in punishing his greatest Friends for their Unbelief Ver. 14. And Moses sent Messengers By God's Verse 14 order as his words seem to import in II Deut. 2 3 4. From Kadesh On the Confines of the King of Edom's Country Vnto the King of Edom. When the Israelites came out of Egypt Moses speaks of Edom as governed by Dukes XV Exod. 17. for the Sons of Esau at first had no higher Title XXXVI Gen. 15 c. Not long after it seems their Posterity became Kings and now Nine and thirty Years after the Israelites coming out of Egypt they were still under Kingly Government And this King to whom Moses now sends Messengers the great Primate of Ireland takes to have been Hadar the last of those that Moses mentions XXXVI Gen. 39. who for his Inhumanity to the Children of Israel was shortly after punished with Death and the Kingdom turned again into the Government by Dukes For Moses as he thinks writing the Book of Genesis in the latter end of his Life or then adding what was necessary to what he had written before reckons immediately after Hadar several Dukes reigning all at one time in several parts of the Country which they had shared among them See Vsser Chronolog Sacra cap. 11. Thus saith thy Brother Israel In the Language of those times all that were near of Kin called one another Brethren and these two Nations descended from two twin Brothers Thou knowest For they could not but have received Intelligence before this time of such publick things All the Travel that hath befaln us How we and our Fathers before us have travelled from place to place without any certain Habitation See CV Psalm 13. Verse 15 Ver. 15. How our Fathers After several Removals from one part of Canaan to another Went down into Egypt Which was so publick a thing they being invited by Pharaoh who sent Carriages for them that the Edomites could not be ignorant of it And we have dwelt in Egypt a long time See XII Exod. 40 41. and what I have observed there And the Egyptians vexed us and our Fathers See I Exod. 11 12 13 c. Verse 16 Ver. 16. And when we cried unto the LORD he heard our voice II Exod. 23 24 25. III. 7 8. And sent an Angel See III Exod. 2 c. Maimonides here by Angel understands Moses himself for the Prophets are sometimes called Angels i. e. Messengers sent from God II Judg. 1. This he asserts in the first part and more than once in the second part of More Nevochim but it is very unreasonable to think that Moses would thus magnifie himself to the King of Edom who understood not such Language and could not but be more moved to hearken to his Embassy if he believed the Israelites were under the Conduct of a heavenly Minister who as other Jews think was Michael the Prince of the heavenly Host whom they commonly understand by the Angel here mentioned But many great Men particularly Masius think this is short of the Truth unless we understand by Michael the Eternal Son of God who was as he speaks the perpetual Prince and Director of the People of God For though he was then properly made the Messenger of the Father when he took on him our Flesh and dwelt here among us yet from the beginning it was his constant care to reconcile Men to God and preserve Religion among them So that he might be called the Angel of God before he became a Man because God the Father by him communicated with Men about all things necessary for their Good And the Jews seem to have had some obscure Notion of this For what else could Moses Gerundensis mean when he saith the Angel whom Moses saw in the Bush was the same whom Jacob calls the God of Bethel and whom he calls the Angel Redeemer of whom Moses he saith speaks in this place and in VI Deut. 21.
Empires especially the Roman Ver. 24. And Ships shall come from the Coast of Chittim Whether this Prophecy hath respect in the word Chittim to the Greeks or to the Romans or to both it was plainly fulfilled as the learned Huetius Verse 24 observes But it must be noted that not only St. Hierom but Onkelos and Jonathan and the Hierusalem Interpreter and the Arabick understand by Chittim the Country of Italy or some part thereof And Bochartus proves by many Arguments that the People of that Country did descend from Chittim See X Gen. 4. Yet it is not likely that Chittim being the Son of Javan who peopled Greece went so far at first from the rest of his Brethren but his Children peopled some part thereabouts From whence in after times when they were increased they sent Colonies into Italy Particularly Macedonia is called by the Name of Chittim in the Book of Maccabees 1 Macc. I. 1. VIII 5. And therefore I take the Greeks under Alexander to be here intended in the first place and then the Romans in the next each of them fulfilling the several parts of this Prophecy And shall afflict Assur This was done by Alexander who over-threw the Persian Empire which ruled over the Chaldaeans and Assyrians So Theodoret understands the word Chittim to signifie Alexander and his Macedonians whose Country was anciently called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Hesychius tells us they being a mixture as Mr. Mede probably conjectures in his XLVIII Discourse p. 377. of the Sons of Madai and Chittim The Romans indeed afterwards overthrew the Greek Empire but we do not read that they made War against the Assyrians till the time of Trajan who subdued them and reduced them into a Province as Dio relates Lib. LXVIII And shall afflict Eber. This was done by the Romans not by the Grecians For we are to understand by Eber the Hebrew Nation called the Children of Eber X Gen. 21. So the LXX translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Name of Hebrews being as plainly derived from Eber as that of Jews from Judah Now they were not afflicted by Alexander in his Conquests but rather kindly treated by him And therefore this cannot be meant of the Greeks unless we will think it fulfilled in the time of Antiochus who descended indeed from the Macedonians but did not come from that Country nor did he afflict them long much less make them desolate as the Romans under Vespasian and Titus did which seems to be here intended And they also shall perish for ever This doth not refer to Eber but to the Nation that afflicted him viz. the Roman Empire which he prophesies shall not always afflict others but at last be utterly destroyed it self Aben-Ezra indeed refers it to the Kingdom of the Seleucidae or the Greek Empire but R. Isaac before-mentioned thinks the destruction of the Romans is intended in this Prophecy only he fancies it is to be accomplished by a Christ not yet come Verse 25 Ver. 25. And Balaam rose up and went As Balak had commanded him v. 11. And returned to his place Unto his Country viz. Mesopotamia But he was detained by the Midianites in his passage thither among whom he was slain as we read in the XXXIth Chapter For Men are said to do that which they design and endeavour to do VIII Exod. 18. XIV Numb 40. If this be not the meaning then after he came to his own Country he returned to the Midianites at their intreaty or by his own inclination and either as he was going home or when he came back gave that impious Counsel which was executed not long after this as we find in the next Chapter For that he was the Author of it we are assured by three Divine Writers See 2 Pet. II. 15. Jude v. 11. II Revel 14. It is a strange Exposition which Baal-hatturim gives of his going to his place that is saith he he went down into Hell But it may serve to confirm the common Interpretation of that which is said of Judas I Acts 25. And Balak also went his way To Kiriah-Huzoth I suppose mentioned XXII 39. CHAP. XXV Chapter XXV Ver. 1. AND Israel abode in Schittim A place Verse 1 in the Plains of Moab where they lay while all the forementioned things were transacted XXII 1. called Abel-Shittim XXXIII 49. but it is usual to cut off the former part of a places name for shortness sake As in this very Book XXXII 38. Baal-meon for Beth-Baal-meon as it is called XIII Josh 17. And Hermon commonly for Baal-Hermon and Nimrim for Beth-Nimrim To which may be added Salem for Jerusalem LXVI Psal 3. This Station was the last which the Israelites made while they remained in the Wilderness in which the rest of the things that follow to the end of the Book of Deuteronomy were done And the People begun to commit Whoredom Both bodily and spiritual into which they fell not long after Balaam was gone from Balak Though not all the People fell into this Guilt but a great many of them as appears from what follows v. 4 5 6. With the Daughters of Moab And of Midian also as we learn from v. 6 17 18. But those of Moab are here alone mentioned because it is likely they began this wicked practice I see no ground for what Greg. Nyssen saith That the Israelites having vanquished the Moabites in a Battle fell in love with the Captives which they had taken being overcome by Lust when they had been victorious in War as he speaks Lib. de vita Mosis p. 186. It is something more probable that the Prophecy of Balaam being spread abroad among the Moabites concerning the great Blessings God designed to bestow upon the Israelites particularly that of the MESSIAH it might excite in the Women of Moab a desire to have Children by the Men of Israel that they might partake in their Blessings Unto which they might think they had some title being descended from the eldest Daughter of Lot the Son of Abraham's Brother This might pass for truth if it were not very evident from the following story that the Daughters of Moab exposed themselves by Balaam's counsel to the Lust of the Israelites that by this means they might seduce them to Idolatry and so make them lose the Blessing intended for them For that this was done by Balaam's advice there is no doubt See XXXI 16. And the Jews have also a conceit that he ever had been an Enemy unto Israel being one of Pharaoh's Privy Council who advised him to drown their Children as the Tale is told in the Talmud in the Title Sanhedrim cap. ult But this is to make him to have been now of a greater Age than we have reason to believe viz. Two hundred and ten years old according to their own Computation and quite contrary to what others of them say that he lived but half his time according to the Psalmist LV Psal 23. Ver. 2. And they That is the Daughters of
two preceding verses I shall not here examine It is sufficient to note that Onkelos hath expressed the Hebrew Text word for word and the LXX do not depart from the sence of it Verse 10 Ver. 10. Even as the LORD commanded Moses so did the Daughters of Zelophehad Accordingly they followed this direction when they came into the Land of Canaan and had received their Portion there Now there being no such words added here as there are in other Cases this shall be unto the Children of Israel a Statute of Judgment XXVII 11. much less a Statute of Judgment throughout your Generations XXXV 29. it led I conjecture the Talmudick Doctors into the fore-mentioned Opinion that this Law concerned only the present Generation Ver. 11. For Mahlah Tizzah and Hoglah and Verse 11 Milkah and Noah the Daughters of Zelophehad Thus they are called both in XXVI 33. XXVII 1. though they are not there mentioned in the same order for Tirzah is there named last who here is named in the second place Perhaps they are set down here in the order wherein they were disposed in Marriage and Tirzah who was the younger was married in the second place Were married unto their Fathers Brothers Sons For Hepher no doubt had other Sons besides Zelophehad who had Issue-male though Zelophehad had not What their Names were or how many of them we do not know but some suppose them to have been six one of which died in the Wilderness without Issue See Selden de Successionibus cap. 23. where he discourses at large of the Portion which fell to them in the Land of Canaan Ver. 12. And they were married into the Families Verse 12 c. In the Margin more exactly out of the Hebrew to some that were of the Families i. e. to one of the Families of Manasseh from whom several Families descended XXVI 29 c. And their Inheritance remained in the Tribe of the Family of their Father The word for Tribe signifies sometimes merely a Family in a Tribe And so the LXX as Grotius observes in the place before-named in this very business uses sometimes the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the former of which signifies a part of a whole Tribe And thus Josephus also uses the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie a Family Mr. Selden hath the same Observation in his Book de Successionibus cap. 18. that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sometimes translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and then it signifies not a Tribe but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 familiam cognationem seu genus sanguine proximum a Family a Kindred or those that are next in Blood But there is no need of these Observations if the words be translated as they may rightly and their Inheritance remained in the Tribe and the Family of their Father See v. 6. Verse 13 Ver. 13. These are the Commandments and the Judgments which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to the Children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho He began to deliver the Precepts here intended at the XXVIth Chapter See v. 3. and continues them to this place By Commandments seem to be meant the Precepts about the Worship of God Chapt. XXVIII XXIX XXX and by Judgments the Civil Laws about dividing their Inheritances and regulating their Descent to their Posterity and establishing Cities of Refuge for Man-slayers which are expresly called a Statute of Judgment XXVII 11. XXXV 29. Some other things are interspersed as God's Commandment to number the People which was in order to the assigning them their Inheritances proportionable to their Families to execute Judgment on the Midianites and to set down in Writing their Travels in the Wilderness of which I have given an account in their proper places FINIS By reason of the Distance of the Author these ERRATA have hapned which the Reader is desired to Correct Page 5. Line 7. read are reckoned Page 73. Line 29. r. See Levit. II. 15. Page 74. Line 22. r. were signs Page 82. Line 12. r. Rabboth Page 96. Line 4. r. aquatiles Line ult r. so that they might not Page 107. Line 13. r. other shoulder Page 110. Line 2. r. Chaskuni Page 123. Line 31. r. XL. Exod. Page 140. Line 30. r. may teach Page 152. Line 5. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 158. Line 31. r. Acropolis Page 163. Line 10. r. Choten Page 166. Line 31. r. the following story Page 167. Line 3. r. Rise up Page 171. Line 22. r. it is likely Page 190. Line 12. r. Setting forth the Praises Line 20. r. such credit Page 191. Line penult r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 195. Line 21. r. whose Presence Page 198. Line 1. r. kadim Page 201. Line 11. r. but besides that there is Line 12. r. and it is Page 210. Line 28. r. as were never bred Page 216. Line 18. r. not deigning to stay Page 221. Line 21. after July begin a new line Page 227. Line 2. r. Torquatus Page 228. Line 3 4. r. a stony place Page 241. Line 1. dele and that Page 251. Line 7. r. Bitter Line 31. r. Spirit with him Page 282. Line 1. r. The Man shall be Page 284. Line 31. r. And the Garment the Jews say in the Selvedge c. Page 284. Line 33. r. Talith Page 316. Line 19. r. it being broke out Page 332. Line 3. r. where as Page 333. Line 21. r. within the veil Page 335. Line 11. r. Zeback Page 358. Line 7. r. more fit to treat Page 367. Line 7. r. as we may call it Page 387. Line 26. r. Successors of Esau Page 402. Line 19. r. by way of apposition Page 404. Line 24. r. the words are Page 406. Line 30. r. Bootius Page 420. Line 6. r. from Arnon Page 426. Line 1. r. whence Hesychius Line 22. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 433. Line 18. r. Kosem Page 446. Line 9. r. proffer'd him Page 468. Line 9. r. per juga Page 469. Line 7. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 470. Line 15. r. Sepher Cosri Page 482. Line 2. r. Dei nutu Page 501. Line 4. r. Baal-Peor Line 26. r. were called Baalim Page 519. Line 30. r. are reckoned Page 523. Line 14. r. Zelophehad Page 532. Line penult r. who was born Page 539. Line 21. r. being but reason Page 555. Line ult r. pouring out upon Page 556. Line 4. r. Heliogabalus Page 564. Line 18. r. and so doth Page 598. Line 19. r. and what I have Page 618. Line 22. r. Jogbehah Page 634. Line 22. r. to have been places Page 635. Line 9. r. anciently called Abel-shittim Page 673. Line 14. r. XXXI XXXII 2. Books written by Symon Patrick D. D. now Lord Bishop of Ely and Printed for Richard Chiswell THe Parable of the Pilgrim written to a Friend The Sixth Edit 4 to 1681. Mensa Mystica Or a Discourse concerning the Sacrament of the Lords Supper In which
the Ends of its Institution are so manifested our Addresses to it so directed our Behaviour there and afterward so composed that we may not lose the Profits which are to be received by it With Prayers and Thanksgivings inserted To which is annexed Aqua Genitalis A Discourse concerning Baptism In which is inserted a Discourse to perswade to a confirmation of the Baptismal Vow 8 vo Jewish Hypocrisie A Caveat to the present Generation Wherein is shewn both the false and the true way to a Nations or Persons compleat Happiness from the sickness and recovery of the Jewish State To which is added A Discourse upon Micah 6.8 belonging to the same matter 8 vo Divine Arithmetick A Sermon at the Funeral of Mr. Samuel Jacomb Minister of St. Mary-Woolnoth-Church in Lombard-street London With an Account of his Life 8 vo A Sermon preached at the Funeral of Mr. Tho. Grigg Rector of St. Andrew-Vndershaft London 4 to An Exposition of the Ten Commandments 8 vo Heart's Ease Or a Remedy against all Troubles With a Consolatory Discourse particularly directed to those who have lost their Friends and Relations To which is added Two Papers printed in the time of the late Plague The sixth Edition corrected 12 mo 1695. The Pillar and Ground of Truth A Treatise shewing that the Roman Church falsly claims to be That Church and the Pillar of That Truth mentioned by St. Paul in 1 Tim. 3.15 4 to An Examination of Bellarmin's Second Note of the Church viz. ANTIQVITY 4 to An Examination of the Texts which Papists cite out of the Bible to prove the Supremacy of St. Peter and of the Pope over the whole Church In Two Parts 4 to A private Prayer to be used in difficult Times A Thanksgiving for our late wonderful Deliverance A Prayer for Charity Peace and Unity chiefly to be used in Lent A Sermon preach'd upon St. Peter's Day printed with Enlargements 4 to A Sermon Preached in St. James's Chappel before the Prince of Orange Jan. 20. 1688. on Isaiah 11.6 A Second Part of the Sermon before the Prince of Orange on the same Text. Preached in Covent-Garden A Sermon Preached before the Queen in March 1688 9. on Colos 3.15 A Sermon against Murmuring Preached at Covent-Garden in Lent 1688 9. on 1 Cor. 10.10 A Sermon against Censuring Preached at Covent-Garden in Advent 1688. on 1 Cor. 4.10 A Fast-Sermon before the King and Queen April 16. 1690. on Prov. 14.34 A Thanksgiving-Sermon before the Lords Nov. 26. 1691. for reducing of Ireland and the King 's safe Return On Deut. 4.9 A Fast-Sermon before the Queen April 8. 1692. On Numb 10.9 Easter-Sermon before the Lord Mayor 1696. on 2 Tim. 2.8 A Sermon before the Lords Nov. 5. 1696. on Dan. 4.35 A Commentary on the First Book of Moses called Genesis 4 to 1695. A Commentary on the Second Book of Moses called Exodus 4 to 1697. A Commentary on the Third Book of Moses called Leviticus 4 to 1698. A Commentary on the Fourth Book of Moses called Numbers 4 to 1699. Memoirs of the most Reverend Father in God Thomas Cranmer sometime Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Wherein the History of the Church and the Reformation of it during the Primacy of the said Archbishop are greatly illustrated and many singular Matters relating thereunto now first published In Three Books Collected chiefly from Records Registers Authentick Letters and other Original Manuscripts By John Strype M. A. Fol. Origo Legum Or a Treatise of the Origine of Laws and their Obliging Power As also of their great Variety and why some Laws are immutable and some not but may suffer change or cease to be or be suspended or abrogated In seven Books By George Dawson Fol. The History of the Troubles and Trial of the most Reverend Father in God William Laud Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Wrote by himself during his Imprisonment in the Tower To which is prefixed the Diary of his own Life faithfully and entirely Published from the Original Copy and subjoined a Supplement to the preceding History The Archbishop's Last Will His large Answer to the Lord Say's Speech concerning Liturgies His Annual Accounts of his Province delivered to the King And some other things relating to the History Fol. Animadversions on Mr. Hill's Book Entituled A Vindication of the Primitive Fathers against the Imputations of Gilbert Lord Bishop of Sarum in a Letter to a Person of Quality 4 to Of Sincerity and Constancy in the Faith and Profession of the True Religion in several Sermons by the most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Being the first Volume Published from the Originals by Ralph Barker D.D. Chaplain to his Grace The Second Edition 8 vo Sixteen Sermons preach'd on several Occasions By the most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson late Ld. Archbishop of Canterbury Being the second Volume Published by Ralph Barker D. D. Chaplain to his Grace 8 vo Sixteen Sermons preached on several Subjects being the Third Volume by the same Author Published by Dr. Barker 8 vo Several Discourses viz. Of the great Duties of Natural Religion Instituted Religion not intended to undermine Natural Christianity not Destructive but Perfective of the Law of Moses The Nature and Necessity of Regeneration The Danger of all known Sin Knowledge and Practice necessary in Religion The Sins of Men not chargeable on God Being the fourth Volume by the same Authour Published by Dr. Barker 8 vo Reflections upon a Pamphlet Entituled Some Discourses upon Dr. Burnet and Dr. Tillotson occasioned by the late Funeral Sermon of the former upon the latter By the Right Reverend Father in God Gilbert L. Bishop of Sarum 8 vo His Sermon preached before the King at Whitehal on Christmas-day 1696. 4 to Gal. 4.4 His Sermon preached before the King at Whitehal on the Third Sunday in Lent being the Seventh of March 1696. 1 Ephes 5.2 His Essay on the Memory of the late Queen The second Edition 8 vo Dr. Williams now Ld. Bishop of Chichester his 8 Sermons at Esquire Boyle's Lecture for the year 1695. 4 to Any of them may be had single to perfect sets His 1st 2d 3d 4th Sermons at the same Lecture for the year 1696. 4 to His Sermon preached at St. Lawrence Jewry before the Lord Mayor c. on Saturday the 28th of September 1695. at the Election of the Lord Mayor for the Year ensuing Joshua 22.31 4 to His Sermon preached before the honourable House of Commons on Wednesday Dec. 11. 1695. being a solemn day of Fasting and Humiliation appointed by his Majesty for imploring the Blessing of Almighty God upon the Consultations of this present Parliament 4 to 1 Sam. 11.30 His Sermon upon the Resurrection preached before Sir Edward Clark Lord Mayor c. on Easter-Monday April 5. 1697. on Acts 10.40 41 42. Reflections upon a Libel lately Printed Entituled The Charge of Socinianism against Dr. Tillotson Considered 4 to The Church History of Ethiopia wherein among other things the two great splendid Roman Missions into that Empire are placed in their true Light to which are added an Epitome of the Dominican History of that Church And an Account of the Practices and Conviction of Maria of the Annunciation the famous Nun of Lisbon Composed by Michael Geddes D.D. Chancellor of the Cathedral Church of Sarum 8 vo Fourteen Sermons preached in Lambeth Chappel before the most Reverend Dr. William Sancroft late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury In the Years 1688 and 1689 by the Learned Henry Wharton M. A. Chaplain to his Grace with an Account of the Author's Life 8 vo Dr. William Owtram's 20 Sermons On several Occasions The 2d Edition 8 vo Sermons preached on several Occasions By John Conant D.D. The first and second Volumes Published by Dr. Williams now Ld. Bishop of Chichester 8 vo The Fathers vindicated Or Animadversions on a late Socinian Book Entituled The Judgment of the Fathers touching the Trinity against Dr. Bull 's Defence of the Nicene Faith By a Presbyter of the Church of England 8 vo A Fifth Volume of Archbishop Tillotson's Discourses published by his Chaplain Dr. Barker on these following Subjects viz. Proving Jesus to be the Messias The Prejudices against Jesus and his Religion consider'd Jesus the Son of God proved by his Resurrection The Danger of Apostacy from Christianity Christ the Author and Obedience the Condition of Salvation The Possibility and Necessity of Gospel-Obedience and its consistence with Free Grace The Authority of Jesus Christ with the Commission and Promise which he gave to his Apostles The Difficulties of a Christian Life consider'd The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus Children of this World wiser than the Children of Light 8 vo 1698. A second Volume of Sermons preached in Lambeth Chappel before Archb. Sancroft 1690. By the Learned Mr. Henry Wharton his Graces Chaplain Which with the first Volume lately published are all that he preached A New Account of India and Persia being Nine Years Travel began 1672. and finished 1681. Containing Observations made of those Countries namely Of their Government Religion Laws Customs Of their Soil Climates Seasons Health Diseases Of their Animals Vegetables Minerals Jewels Of their Housing Cloathing Manufactures Trades Commodities And of the Coins Weights and Measures used in the principal Places of Trade in those Parts By John Fryer M. D. Cantabrig and Fellow of the Royal Society Fol. 1698. SCRIPTORUM ECCLESIASTICORUM Historia Literaria facili perspicua methodo digesta Pars Altera Qua plusquam DC Scriptores novi tam Editi quam Manuscripti recensentur Prioribus plurima adduntur breviter aut obscure dicta illustrantur recte asserta vindicantur Accedit ad finem cujusvis Soeculi CONCILIORUM omnium tum Generalium tum Particularium Historica Notitia Ad Calcem vero Operis Dissertationes tres 1 De Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis incertae aetatis 2 De Libris Officiis Ecclesiasticis Graecorum 3 De Eusebii Caesariensis Arianismo adversus Joannem Clericum Adjecti sunt Indices utilissimi Scriptorum Conciliorum Alphabetico-Chronologici Studio labore Gulielmi Cave S.T.P. Canon Windesoriensis Fol. Dr. Cave's Primitive Christianity The Fifth Edition 1698. Bp Wilkins of the Principles Duties of Natural Religion The 3d Edition A Sixth Volume of Archbishop Tillotson's Discourses Published by Dr. Barker Being upon the Divine Attributes and Perfections 1699.
A COMMENTARY UPON THE Fourth Book of MOSES CALLED NUMBERS BY The Right Reverend Father in GOD SYMON Lord Bishop of ELY LONDON Printed for Ri. Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-yard MDCXCIX A COMMENTARY UPON NUMBERS A COMMENTARY UPON THE Fourth Book of MOSES CALLED NUMBERS CHAP. I. Chapter I THIS Book is called by the Name of NVMBERS in our Language because it begins with an Account of the Numbering of the People in the beginning of the second Year after they came out of Egypt though it contain a great many things besides that particularly another Numbering of them Chapter XXVI towards the conclusion of their Travels in the Wilderness For this Book comprehends an History of about thirty eight Years though the most of the things related in it fell out in the first and in the last of these Years and it doth not appear when those things were done which we read of about the middle of the Book from the XVth to the XXth Chapter Verse 1 Verse 1. And the LORD spake unto Moses Who undertook nothing without order from God In the Wilderness of Sinai Where they had continued near a full Year as appears by comparing XIX Exod. 1. with this place and shortly after this removed from it X. 11. In the Tabernacle of the Congregation From whence the LORD delivered those Laws which we read in the foregoing Book See on I Lev. 1. and now seems to have admitted him into the Tabernacle whereas before he only spake to him out of it On the first day of the second Month in the second year after they were come out of the Land of Egypt All that is related in the foregoing Book seems to have passed in the first Month of the second Year after their coming out of Egypt In the beginning of which the Tabernacle was set up XL Exod. 2 17. and in the middle of it the Passover was kept as appears by this Book IX 1 2 c. Verse 2 Ver. 2. Take ye the sum There had been a Muster as we may call it of the People before the Tabernacle was erected XXX Exod. 12. and consequently some Months before this for it was in order to a Contribution which every one was to make towards that holy work XXXVIII Exod. 26. Whereas this was for the better disposing of their Camps about the Tabernacle now that it was set up and for their more regular march when they removed from Mount Sinai which they were to do shortly Of all the Congregation of the Children of Israel Who alone were numbred all except the Levites but none of the mixt Multitude that came with them out of Egypt XII Exod. 38. After their Families It appears by VII Joshua 16 17 c. that the several Tribes of Israel were divided into Families and those Families into Housholds and those Housholds had every one of them an Head or Chief who is called the Father of it There were LXX of these Families in all but some Tribes had more others fewer according to the number of Souls as they are called that is Persons who were in each when they went down into Egypt XLVI Gen. 27. By the House of their Fathers Every Family as I said being distributed into Houses which we now call Families these Houses were denominated from their Chief whom they called their Father For no Houses were denominated from the Mother as the Jews say With the number of their Names The Names of every Person in the several Houses were set down and registred that they might be the better known Every Male by their pole But no Women for the reason which follows Ver. 3. From twenty years old and upward Which Verse 3 was ever after this the Age when Men were thought fit for War All that are able to go forth to war in Israel One would think by this they were not to number very aged and decrepit People because they were no more able to go to war than Women and Children and those under twenty years old And if we may believe Josephus L. II. Antiq. cap. 9. after fifty Years old Men were not bound to pay the half Shekel which was due in such Musters and therefore we may reasonably think were excused from going to war unless they had a mind themselves Thou and Aaron Who had the highest Authority in the Nation Shall number them by their Armies This seems to import that in taking the account of them they distributed them into certain Troops or Companies out of which were formed Regiments as we now speak and greater regular Bodies which composed several Armies We do not read this was required in the former numbering XXX Exod. that being for another end as I now observed not for their more orderly march in their remove from Mount Sinai And here I cannot but take notice what a vast difference there was between this method and that rude way which Cecrops the first King of Attica after the Ogygian Flood which hapned about the time of Moses took to know the number of his People which the Greek Writers say was by requiring every one of them to bring a Stone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and throw it down before them which he counting found them Twenty thousand So the Scholiast upon Pindar Od. IX and others in Meursius de Regibus Atheniens L. I. cap. 7. Verse 4 Ver. 4. And there shall be with you a Man of every Tribe Whom they were to take for their Assistants Every one Head of the House of his Fathers The LXX and the Vulgar understand this to signifie the principal Persons in each Tribe who were best acquainted with every Family and Houshold in that Tribe And so it is expounded v. 6. And many think these were the First-born in their Tribe But there is this Objection against it That Nahshan who is named for the Tribe of Judah v. 7. was not descended from the First-born of that Tribe For Pharez was not Judah's eldest Son Selah being before him who had Children as we find XXVI of this Book v. 20. Besides when the Princes of the Tribes rre reckoned again XXXIV of this Book in the last Year of their abode in the Wilderness none of them are derived from these Men here mentioned but from others And therefore these were the most eminent Men in the several Tribes upon a different account either for Wisdom or Valour or some other excellent quality Ver. 5. And these are the Names of the Men that shall Verse 5 stand Be Assistants With you i. e. With Moses and Aaron Of the Tribe of Reuben Elizur the Son of Shedeur There is little to be observed concerning these Tribes but that they are here placed not in the order of their Birth but of their Mothers who bare them First the Children of Leah who are all reckoned in the same order wherein they were born of her ver 6 7 8 9. Then the Children of Rachel v. 10 11. And after them the
a just Right to them and by that solemn Dedication which he then commanded to be made of them unto his uses XIII Exod. 2 12 13. I hallowed unto me all the First-born in Israel c. He separated them unto himself by sparing them when he killed all other First-born but only theirs Mine they shall be Both by that Act of his own and by the Act of the Children of Israel whom he commanded to Sanctifie them to him XIII Exod. 2. XXII 29. they became God's By which it appears that he had not a peculiar Right in the First-born more than in any other of their Children till their coming out of Egypt And therefore the taking of the Levites to be his instead of the First-born is no Argument that the First-born had hitherto been the Priests who ministred unto God till this Exchange of them for the Levites So our learned Dr. Lightfoot seems to infer in his Notes upon this passage The First-born saith he had been Priests till the Consecration of the Levites but now that Function must be confined to that Tribe In which words with due respect be it spoken to that excellent Man's Labours there are several Mistakes For as the Priesthood was not now confined to this Tribe but to one Family in this Tribe that of Aaron so it was not confined to it upon this occasion but he and his Sons were Consecrated before this Exchange of the Levites for the First-born Who were now given to minister unto them but had nothing to do with the Priesthood no more than the First-born had for whom they were exchanged that peculiar Right which God had in the First-born being since their coming out of Egypt Upon all which Considerations we may look upon this Exchange as an Argument rather that the First-born were not Priests in former times than that they were as the Jews fancy and as many have suggested from this very taking of the Levites to be God's portion in their stead For so Menochius himself L. II. de Repub. Jud. cap. 1. asserts from this very place Jus Sacerdotum in Levitas translatum eos loco primogenitorum acceptos quibus hoc jus debebatur that the Right of Priests was transferred to the Levites and they were accepted in stead of the First-born to whom that Right belonged In which there is not a word of truth but only that the Levites were accepted instead of the First-born who had the same Right to the Priesthood that the Levites had that is none at all I am the LORD Who may take whom I please to be imployed in my Service and think it reasonable that those whom I spared when I slew the Egyptian First-born should be mine Ver. 14. And the LORD spake unto Moses There was some reason no doubt why Moses alone is commanded to take the number of the Levites upon this occasion as he alone did v. 16. when Aaron Verse 14 is joined with him in numbring the Israelites I. 3. and in numbring the Levites themselves who were fit for service IV. 2 41 45. nay the chief of the Israelites assisted therein v. 46. And it is most probable he alone was employed to take this account because Aaron was a party in it the Money that was to be paid for so many of the first-born as exceeded the number of the Levites being given to him and to his Sons v. 48. In the Wilderness of Sinai This Command immediately followed the other in the two preceding Chapters before they departed from the Wilderness of Sinai where they had been ever since God delivered the Law to them from that Mountain Ver. 15. Number the Children of Levi after the House Verse 15 of their Fathers by their Families Just as they had numbred the rest of the Children of Israel See I. v. 2. Only those they numbred from Twenty years old and upward but the Levites from a Month old and upward Every Male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them The reason of this difference was that this was the Age at which they were to redeem their First-born XVIII 16. in whose stead the Levites were to be given unto God See v. 40. of this Chapter Ver. 16. And Moses numbred them according to the Verse 16 word of the LORD c. This Charge was committed to him alone v. 10. and he alone as I there observed performed it Ver. 17. And these were the Sons of Levi by their names Gershon and Kohath and Merari The same account we had before XLVI Gen. 11. VI Exod. 16. Verse 18 Ver. 18. And these are the Names of the Sons of Gershon by their Families Libni and Shimei The same is said VI Exod. 17. Verse 19 Ver. 19. And the Names of the Sons of Kohath c. They are mentioned in the same order in that VI Exod. 18 19. Verse 20 Ver. 20. These are the Families of the Levites according to the House of their Fathers These were the principal Families in this Tribe from whence the several Housholds and the Persons in them were derived Verse 21 22. Ver. 21 22. Of Gershon was the Family c. From his two Sons sprung two Families who had in them Seven thousand and five hundred Male Children from a Month old and upward Verse 23 Ver. 23. And the Families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the Tabernacle westward Where the most holy place was and where they under the Standard of Ephraim lay in the great Camp of Israel II. 18. between whom and the Tabernacle this part of the Camp of Levi pitched Verse 24 Ver. 24. And the Chief of the House of the Father of the Gershonites c. The Commander in Chief as we may stile him or the principal Officer in this part of the Camp of the Levites was Eliasaph the Son of Lael but of what Family he was whether of the Libnites or Shimites is not related Verse 25 Ver. 25. And the Charge of the Sons of Gershon That which was committed peculiarly to their care In the Tabernacle of the Congregation In the things belonging to the Tabernacle for none went into it but the Priests alone Shall be the Tabernacle Not the Boards and Pillars and Bases of it for they belonged to the care of the Sons of Merari v. 36. but the Ten Curtains which were the inward Hangings of it and are called the Mischcan or Tabernacle XXVI Exod. 1. and see the next Chapter of this Book v. 25. And the Tent. The outward Curtains of Goats Hair which are called Ohel the Tent XXVI Exod. 7.12 The Covering thereof The Michse as the Hebrews call it or the Covering of the Tent were the Rams Skins and Badgers Skins which lay outmost of all upon the Curtains of Goats Hair XXVI Exod. 14. And the hanging for the Door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation The outward Vail mentioned XXVI Exod. 36. for the inward Vail which hung before the most holy Place was the Charge of the Kohathites Ver. 26.
the whole number of Males descended from Kohath compare this with III. 28. there was a fourth part and better that were fit for Service Ver. 37. These were they that were numbred of the Families of the Kohathites all that might do Service in the Tabernacle Such Service as is particularly mentioned from v. 4. to v. 16. Verse 37 Ver. 38. And these are they that were numbred of the Verse 38 Sons of Gershon c. He proceeds in the same order to number them which he observed in giving them their Charge beginning with the Children of the second Son of Levi and then going back to the eldest Ver. 39. From thirty years old and upward c. Verse 39 This Verse is the very same with 35. Ver. 40. Two thousand and six hundred and thirty Verse 40 A third part and little more of their Males were fit for Service Compare this with III. 22. Ver. 41. These are they that were numbred of the Families Verse 41 of the Sons of Gershon of all that might do Service in the Tabernacle c. Such Service as is described from v. 24. to v. 29. Ver. 42 43. These two Verses are the same with Verse 42. 43. v. 38 39. Ver. 44. Even those that were numbred of them after Verse 44 their Families were three thousand and two hundred It is very remarkable the Descendants from the youngest Son of Levi III. 17. which had the fewest Males in it of a Month old and upward had the most robust Men fit for Service For here are above half compare this with III. 34. of the whole number of Males grown up to Thirty Years of Age. Which was a singular Providence the heaviest Burden lying upon them who were to carry the Boards c. of the Tabernacle Not indeed upon their shoulders but in Waggons which they were to load after they had taken them down and unload when they were to set them up again and for that reason had more Waggons allowed them than their Brethren the Gershonites VII 7 8. Verse 45 Ver. 45. These are those c. whom Moses and Aaron numbred Who were principally employed in this business According to the Word of the LORD by the hand of Moses To whom the Command is expresly directed v. 21. Verse 46 Ver. 46. All those that were numbred of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron and the Chief of Israel numbred For they took in others to their assistance v. 34. which is here repeated to show that there was no fraud in the business there being Witnesses of every Tribe that they proceeded impartially and did not favour the Levites who were their Brethren Verse 47 Ver. 47. Every one that came to do the Service of the Ministry and the Service of the Burden in the Tabernacle c. The first of these the Service of the Ministry one would think related to their serving the Priest when the Tabernacle was standing and the later the Service of the Burden to their carrying the Tabernacle when it was taken down and removed and so I expounded those words v. 24. But he mentioning here only those that were numbred from Thirty Years old I think upon further consideration that there is no regard in these Expressions to the Service they did to the Priests in the Tabernacle unto which they were admitted at Twenty five Years old See v. 3. but only to the Service mentioned here in this Chapter which relates altogether to the taking down and carrying the Tabernacle And therefore these must be lookt upon as two Phrases for the same thing the former of which is not exactly translated for there is nothing of Ministry in the Hebrew but the words are Every one that cometh to serve the Service of the Service and the Service of the Burden or Carriage For it is the same word which being joyned with work we translate servile XXIII Lev. 7. and other places Ver. 48. Eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore Verse 48 If the three Sums mentioned v. 36 40 44. be put together they amount exactly to this Sum in the whole Ver. 49. According to the Commandment of the Verse 49 LORD they were numbred by the hand of Moses By the assistance of Aaron and others v. I 34 46. Every one according to his Service and according to his Burden I observed before v. 47. that Service and Burden are two Expressions of the same thing For though the Sons of Kohath had the noblest part of the Work yet their Employment is called both a Service and a Burden v. 19. as that of the Gershonites is v. 24. For which Service all the Tithes of the Country of Canaan were given to them and continued to be theirs when this kind of Service ceased as it did when the Temple was built For then there were no Burdens to be carried on their shoulders as Josiah speaks 2 Chron. XXXV 3. but their Duty was changed even by David before the Building of the Temple who made them Singers and Keepers of the Treasury as well as Porters at the Gates of God's House and likewise Judges and other Officers in the Country as we read in 1 Chron. XXVI But the alteration in their Service made no alteration in the Wages allotted to them for they still enjoyed all the Tithes Thus were they numbred of him as the LORD commanded Moses This is so often repeated v. 37 41 45. that all Posterity might reverence these Ordinances as Divine Institutions and not merely Humane Appointments And so we are to look upon all these Laws as wise Orders made by the Soveraign of the World for the better Government of that People whom he had taken for his own peculiar And it argues a very profane Spirit in those as Conr. Pellicanus here observes who can admire and praise Ovid de Fastis and such like Books and have no regard at all if they do not ridicule them to these Sacred Writings which are of such venerable Antiquity CHAP. V. Chapter V Verse 1 Ver. 1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses saying It is not said when this was spoken which here follows but it 's likely immediately after the foregoing Commandments upon which it hath some dependance Verse 2 Ver. 2. Command the Children of Israel that they put out of the Camp every Leper and every one that hath an Issue and whosoever is defiled by the dead There were three Camps as Maimonides and a great many other mentioned by Mr. Selden observes L. II. de Synedr cap. I. n. 5. the Camp of the SCHECHINAH or of the LORD viz. the Sanctuary with its Courts which are called the Tents of the LORD 1 Chron. XXXI 2. And next the Camp of the Levites who with Aaron and his Sons made a Camp about the Tabernacle Chapter III. of this Book and then the Camp of Israel Chapter II. which incompassed them all Answerable to these when the Temple was built they reckoned the Temple it self from the East-Gate to be the Camp of
and Feasting and Publick Largesses and at last their Feasts became Anniversary as the Feast of Dedication among the Jews was after the times of Antiochus num 6 7. In which Feast there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Illuminations as we now speak by setting up of Candles or Lamps in token of Joy cap. 13. num 9. This was the Offering of Nahshon the Son of Amminadab And was the pattern which all the rest followed Ver. 18. On the second Day Their Offerings Verse 18 were thus distributed to be offered on several Days that Confusion might be avoided and that every Tribe might distinctly express their Devotion to God and be graciously accepted by him and the Solemnity be made the more remarkable by continuing it so long as twelve Days For which reason the Feast of Dedication after Mattathias had purged the Temple and the Altar after the prophanation of them by Antiochus was kept eight days by the Jews in following times And this Parascha as they call it of the Law from VI. 22. to VIII 4. of this Book was wont to be read at that Feast as the same Mr. Selden observes cap. 13. n. 7. As among the Romans he observes cap. 14. n. 7. there was a Feast of like nature kept six Days Nathaniel the Son of Zuar Prince of Issachar did offer This Tribe and Zebulun being under the Standard of Judah are the next that offer And so they proceed in the same order Reuben and those under his Standard offer next because they incamped next to them v. 30 36 42 c. Verse 19 Ver. 19. He offered for his Offering one silver Charger the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty Shekels c. It may be observed once for all that there is no difference in the Offerings of these Princes but all offered Plate of equal weight and an equal number of Sacrifices without the least variation Either by common Agreement or by the Divine Appointment that the Vanity of vying one with another might be prevented and none might brag of their out-doing their Brethren and all might be confident that they were equally interested in the Altar and accepted by the Divine Majesty Verse 24 Ver. 24. On the third day Eliab the Son of Helon c. Here it may be observed that Moses thought fit to set down distinctly and at length the Offerings of the Princes of every Tribe as he doth here and in the following part of this Chapter though they were the very same without any difference that an honourable mention being made of every one apart none might think themselves in the least neglected Ver. 30. On the fourth day Elizur c. There is nothing new to be noted of him or any of the rest because the same thing is repeated for the reason fore-mentioned Verse 30 Ver. 48. On the seventh day Elishama c. offered Verse 48 This Solemnity was not interrupted by the Sabbath but the Offerings continued then as upon other days Ver. 84. This was the Dedication of the Altar By Verse 84 these Oblations and Sacrifices which were simple and plain though costly and magnificent With which the Gentiles were not content but used sometimes barbarous Rites in their Dedications as appears by their TAUROBOLIA and CRIOBOLIA in honour of the Mother of the Gods c. See Selden in the fore-named Book cap. 14. n. 8 9. In the day when it was anointed The Dedication lasting twelve Days it is apparent the word day in this place necessarily signifies the Time were it more or less wherein a Thing was done as I observed v. 1. and see v. 88. By the Princes of Israel From whose Examples Princes and great Men should learn as Conradus Pellicanus well applies all this to be devoutly Religious and to possess the Fear and Reverence of the LORD God in their Breasts to be strong in Faith far from Covetousness unanimous in their indeavours to do Honour to God to give a good Example of Faith and Good Works to others to seek the Profit of their Subjects assist the Servants of God lend their helping Hand to the Proficiency of true Piety provide the Ministers of the Church with all things necessary that Religion be not neglected and contemned by their Poverty for the sake of God whom they serve to do them honour by word and deed and follow their godly Admonitions c. This is a profitable Allegory saith he of this History and we need not seek for one more ingenious As for those who highly value the allegorical Sence of all these things Habent alios qui gustui suo consulent curiositati They may find other Commentators to please their Taste and satisfie their Curiosity Twelve Chargers of Silver twelve silver Bowls c. In these and the following words the whole Sum of the Oblations and Sacrifices is set down by Moses that every Reader in all future Times might see without the trouble of casting up the account how devout and generous their Ancestors were Verse 87 Ver. 87. All the Oxen for the Burnt-offering were twelve Bullocks c. Whether there were any Prayers made for a gracious acceptance of the Sacrifices which should be hereafter made on this Altar we are not told But the Sacrifices themselves were in the nature of Supplications and its likely they that offered them made their humble Petitions with them And so the Gentiles always did at the Dedication of their Temples or Altars An instance of which is observed out of Gruter by Fort. Scacchus and by Selden in these words HANC TIBI ARAM JUPPITER OPT. MAX. DICO DEDICOQUE UTI SIS VOLENS PROPITIUS MIHI COLLEGISQUE MEIS c. Which is a Dedication of an Altar to Jupiter with a Prayer that he would be gracious to him that dedicated it and to his Friends and Neighbours The like Dedication there is of a Temple to PRIAPUS near Padua with this Prayer that he would constantly guard their Fields c. Myroth Sacr. Elaeochris 2. c. 28. L. III. de Synedr c. 14. p. 290 309. With their Meat-offering Which was brought in the twelve Chargers and Bowls as a necessary Appendix to the Burnt-offerings and the Peace-offerings as is fully explained XV. 8 9. Ver. 88. This was the Dedication of the Altar Which Verse 88 is repeated here again to show why it was called the Dedication because this was the first solemn Sacrifice which was offered for the Tribes or particular Persons among them and therefore was the more sumptuous After that it was anointed Here the word day is omitted which is used v. 1. and v. 84. Moses intending only to let Posterity know that this Dedication followed not long after the anointing of the Tabernacle and the Altar whereby it was sanctified to God's Service Ver. 89. And when Moses was gone into the Tabernacle Verse 89 of the Congregation to speak with him That is with God This seems to be here mentioned because he had lately had a special occasion to
but that word as Dr. Lightfoot observes signifies a blast which put the quavering Sound before and after and the plain Note in the midst which is contrary to the Jewish description of it See Temple Service chap. 7. sect 2. Hottinger makes no other distinction between the foregoing Sound v. 3. called Tekiah and this called Teruah but that the former was equal and this was quick and concise Analect Dissert III. p. 152. Then the Camps that lye on the East parts shall go forward viz. If this Alarm was blown only once as appears from Verse 6. then the Hosts that were under the Standard of Judah began to march See Chapt. II. 3. Verse 6 Ver. 6. When ye blow an Alarm the second time c. Having ceased for a while if the Alarm was blown again then those Tribes which were under the Standard of Reuben Chapt. II. v. 10 11 c. began to move who lay on the South-side They shall blow an Alarm for their Journeys That is they shall blow a third and fourth Alarm for the moving of the other two Standards So the LXX rightly explain it in so many words at length Ye shall blow an Alarm the third time and the Camps that lye towards the Sea i. e. on the West-side shall take their Journey and ye shall blow the fourth Alarm and they shall lye towards the North c. In what order the Camp of the Levites moved is related afterwards v. 17 21. Verse 7 Ver. 7. And when the Congregation is to be gathered together you shall blow but you shall not sound an Alarm Here is a manifest distinction between plain blowing and sounding an Alarm which were for different purposes and accordingly to be used v. 3 5. Verse 8 Ver. 8. And the Sons of Aaron the Priests shall blow with the Trumpets None else was permitted to use them either for calling the Assembly together or for their March or at their Feasts because God would have the greater regard paid to the Sound which was made by his Ministers as if he himself called upon them to attend his Summons And they shall be to you for an Ordinance for ever throughout your Generations These Trumpets shall be used by you not only while you stay in the Wilderness but in future Ages as long as you are a Nation Ver. 9. And if you go to war in your Land against Verse 9 the Enemy that oppresseth you c. This is thought to be a third use of the Trumpets when they were going to give Battel to their Enemies Which may be confirmed from XXXI 6. and from 2 Chron. XIII 12. But this doth not exclude another meaning which is that they called the People together to Fast and pray to God before they went out to Battel For it is certain that a Fast was proclaimed by blowing of the Trumpet II Joel 15 c. Which justifies what Maimonides saith in Taanioth cap. 1. that they blow with the Trumpet not only when they were in danger from their Enemies but in all other Distresses by Famine or Pestilence c. For he makes this blowing with the Trumpets in this place to be the same with that Precept L Psal 14. Call upon me in the day of Trouble More Nevoch P. III. cap. 36. The only Objection that I can find against this Exposition which is very ancient is that Moses speaks here of blowing an Alarm with the Trumpets which was not used v. 7. for calling the Assembly together but for the motion of the Camps v. 5. yet one cannot conceive how they should be gathered together to make an Army to sight with their Enemies but by some sort of Sound with the Trumpet See III Judg. 27. VI. 34. and being met it is highly probable they called upon God by Prayer and Fasting for good Success as the latter part of this Verse intimates Besides these silver Trumpets seem to have been used only at the Sanctuary and other Trumpets were used when they went to War For at the Siege of Jericho the Priests blew with Horns not with these silver Trumpets Therefore they may well be thought here to have called them to the Sanctuary to pray to God before they went to War and that by blowing an Alarm whereby they understood the meaning of the Summons And if we may believe the Jews they used when the Temple was built to blow an Alarm every Morning at the opening of the Gates of it particularly at the opening of the East Gate called the Gate of Nicanor as Dr. Lightfoot observes in the place above-named For which though there was no express Command yet it was grounded on this Reason That the Levites who were God's Host as they are often called in this Book IV. 3 c. VIII 24. might be awakened to come and attend their Service in the House of God And ye shall be remembred before the LORD your God He will be merciful to you and grant your Request as the next words explain it And ye shall be saved from your Enemies Which is to be understood with this Condition That they turned to him with unfeigned Repentance which was the proper intention of their Prayer and Fasting Verse 10 Ver. 10. Also in the days of your gladness Here is a fourth use of these Trumpets which were blown when they rejoyced for the good Success suppose of their Arms or any other great Deliverance like that mentioned IX Esther 19. when they feasted upon the Peace-offerings which were then offered And thus it was when Solomon built the Temple 2 Chron. V. 12. VII 6. and at the laying the Foundation of the second Temple after the Captivity III Ezra 10. and at the Dedication of the Walls of Jerusalem XII Nehem 27 35. And in your solemn Days Mentioned in XXIII Levit. which were proclaimed by Sound of Trumpet See there v. 2. and there were great Feasts upon many of them at which the Levites the Poor and the Widows were entertained XVI Deut. 11. VIII Nehem. 10 12. But they were not all Feasts which are there mentioned for one of those Solemn Days was a Fast viz. the great Day of Atonement And therefore the Hebrew word MOED should rather be translated Days of Assemblies as our Mr. Thorndike observes who in his Book concerning the Service of God at Religious Assemblies notes that Moses here distinguishes three sorts of Solemnities First The Days of your Gladness which signifie Solemnities to be celebrated with cheerfulness of heart i. e. Feasts Then The Solemn Days of Assemblies as he translates it containing besides those Assemblies for Humiliation as the Day of Atonement And lastly The beginnings of your Months to which there was a peculiar Service appointed XXVIII 11. And in the beginning of your Months On the New Moons which the Jews observed not like those other Festivities and Days of Assemblies upon which they abstained from all Servile Work but with special Sacrifices which God appointed to be offered to him upon them XXVIII
it fell into the Hands of the Moabites again as may be gathered from XLVIII Jerem. 32. And they took the Villages thereof As well as the City it self And drove out the Amorites that dwelt there If it had not been possessed by them they would not have meddled with it Ver. 33. And they turned Or returned as the LXX have it from Jaazer And went up by the way of Bashan A famous Verse 33 Mountain LXVIII Psal 15. lying more Northerly than the Country of Sihon and belonging also to the Amorites where was very rich Pasture and an excellent Breed of Cattle XXXII Deut. 14. XXII Psal 12. and stately Oaks XXVII Ezek. 6. And Og the King of Bashan The whole Country of which he was King had its Name from that Mountain and was called the Kingdom of Og in Bashan III Deut. 10. where he is said as well as Sihon to be a King of the Amorites v. 8. and v. 11. that he was of the Remnant of the Giants or of the Rephaim who were a mighty People in that Country of Bashan See XIV Gen. 5. which in after Ages was called Batanaea Went out against them To oppose their Passage He and all his People With all the Men of War in his Country To the Battle at Edrei A City near that Country afterward called Adara as St. Hierom tells us in his Book de Locis Hebraicis He offered the Israelites Battle which by God's order they accepted Verse 34 Ver. 34. And the LORD said unto Moses That he might report it to the People Fear him not They had reason to be courageous and not affrighted because he was a Giant having lately overcome a mightier King than he of which God puts them in mind in the end of this verse For I have delivered him into thy hand and all his People c. For their greater incouragement he adds his Promise on which he bids them rely as if they saw it already done that he would give them the Victory over Og and all his Forces and bestow upon them his Country This History Moses reports more at large III Deut. 1 2 3 c. Ver. 35. So they smote him and his Sons and all his Verse 35 People until there was none left him alive After they had overthrown him and his Army they pursued the Victory till they had destroyed all the People of the Country Some part of which held out longer than the rest as appears from XXXII 39 c. but at length was wholly subdued by Jair the Son of Manasseh who had all the Region of Argob given him for his pains XXXII 41. III Deut. 14. And they possessed his Land Wherein were sixty walled Cities besides a great many small Towns III Deut. 4 5. XIII Josh 30. All which was given to the half Tribe of Manasseh III Deut. 13. XIII Josh 29 30. 1 Kings IV. 13. CHAP. XXII Chapter XXII Ver. 1. AND the Children of Israel set forward Verse 1 In what Month of the fortieth Year this which follows fell out we cannot tell but it is likely in the seventh when they removed from the Mountains of Abarim XXI 20. XXXIII 48. And pithed in the plains of Moab Which had formerly belonged to the Moabites from whom it took its name but had been taken from them by the Amorites and now was in the possession of the Israelites On this side Jordan Unto which River this Plain extended and they pitched near to it from Beth-Jesimoth unto Abel-Shittim XXXIII 49. where they stayed till under the Conduct of Joshua they came to Jordan and passed over it III Josh 1. By Jericho Rather against Jericho as the LXX translate it For Jericho was on the other side of Jordan directly opposite to the place where they now pitched And therefore the Vulgar Latin translates or rather paraphrases it Where Jericho is situated beyond Jordan i. e. passing the Ford they came directly to Jericho Verse 2 Ver. 2. And Balak the Son of Zippor Who was King of the Moabites at this time and descended it is likely from the ancient Kings of that Country XXI 26. Saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites To Sihon and Og the two Kings of the Amorites as they are called III Deut. 8. who were such near Neighbours to Balak that he not only saw but considered as the word implies what a speedy Conquest the Israelites had made of their Country Verse 3 Ver. 3. And Moab was sore afraid of the People Lest they should expel them out of their Country as they had done the Amorites for they knew nothing of God's Command to the Israelites not to disturb them in their Possessions Some imagine but I see no good ground for it that they were afraid the Israelites should get possession of the Land of Canaan unto which they thought themselves perhaps to have a better Title being descended from the eldest Daughter of Lot who was the Son of Abraham's elder Brother for Abraham was the youngest Son of Terah But no Body can see any Right that this Descent gave Lot or his Children there being no Promise made of it by God to any Person but Abraham and his Posterity Because they were many Too strong for the Moabites to deal withal having conquered those who had been too hard for them and taken a great Territory from them XXI 26. And Moab was distressed because of the Children of Israel As Moses in his Song after they had passed the Red Sea foretold they would be XV Exod. 15. Ver. 4. And Moab said By Messengers which Verse 4 were sent it is most likely by the King and the Princes of the Country Vnto the Elders of Midian Who were their Neighbours and Confederates The Title of Elders it appears by this was given in other Nations as well as among the Israelites to the greatest Persons in their Countries or the Israelites after their manner so called Men every where who were in high Authority For these Persons who are here called Elders are called Kings XXXI 8. and Princes XIII Josh 21. In like manner they who in the seventh verse of this Chapter are called the Elders of Moab are in the next verse called the Princes of Moab Which it is evident was the ancient Language among the Egyptians L Gen. 7. unless we suppose Moses as I said to have spoken in the Language of the Jews and it is very likely was also the ancient Language of Phoenicia and the Countries thereabouts and perhaps in much remote parts For it is a known Story That when the Phoenicians fled before Joshua and forsook the Land of Canaan they fixed in Asrick where they left this name of Elders among the Carthaginians See Mr. Selden Lib. I. de Synedr cap. 14. p. 587 c. Midian This is not the Country wherein Jethro was a Prince for that was not far from Mount Sinai as appears from III Exod. 1. whereas this was remote from that place adjoyning to the Moabites and near
20. and did not send the Angel to forbid what he had allowed Verse 35 But the word that I shall speak unto thee that thou shalt speak These words are something different from those in v. 20. importing both that he should not presume to speak a word but what he ordered and that he should not forbear to speak what he bad him And Balaam went with the Princes of Balak Whom he overtook after this stop either at the place where they lodged or where they staid for him but he did not tell them what he met withal in the way Ver. 36. And when Balak heard that Balaam was Verse 36 come By some Messenger sent before to acquaint him with his coming He went out to meet him Partly out of joy and partly out of respect to him Vnto a City of Moab which is in the border of Arnon This City seems to have been Ar XXI 15. Which is in the utmost Coast He did him the honour to meet him at the very entrance of his Country and did not think it sufficient to send some of his Court to receive him Ver. 37. And Balak said unto Balaam did not I Verse 37 earnestly send unto thee to call thee After this Complement was paid to Balaam the King could not forbear to let him know he did not think himself well used by him whom he had earnestly intreated to come to him and at the first he would not Wherefore camest thou not unto me As soon as I sent for thee Am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour Dost thou doubt of my power to make thee a great Man if thou gratifiest me in my desire And his readiness he showed by this honourable Reception of him Verse 38 Ver. 38. And Balaam said unto Balak Lo I am come unto thee Say no more of that but be satisfied that I am now come Have I now any power at all to say any thing Yet he would not have him expect that he should do all that Balak desired or he himself was inclined to do for he was under an higher over-ruling Power which he could not gainsay The word that God putteth in my mouth that shall I speak He seems to acquaint him that he had received such a Command from God v. 35. and he must be obedient Verse 39 Ver. 39. And Balaam went with Balak This did not discourage the King of Moab from carrying Balaam along with him into his Country where he hoped he might be perswaded to do as he would have him And they came unto Kirjath-huzoth The Royal City it is likely for it signifies in our Language the City of Streets that is a large City which had many Streets and consequently Inhabitants in it Verse 40 Ver. 40. And Balak offered Oxen and Sheep In thankfulness that he had procured Balaam's assistance as he hoped against his Enemies And sent to Balaam They were such Sacrifices as the Jews called Peace-offerings of which the Offerers had a share for themselves and for their Friends and the Sacrifice being over Balak invited Balaam to come to the Feast he made thereupon And to the Princes that were with him The Princes I suppose of Midian and of Moab who were sent on the Embassy to him and had succeeded in it v. 7 15. Ver. 41. And it came to pass that on the morrow Verse 41 Having rested one Night after his Journey Balak would have him immediately go about his business and see what he could do for him Balak took Balaam Into his Chariot And brought him up into the High-places of Baal All Nations worshipped their Gods in High-places and Baal was the God of this Country who was worshipped in more High-places than one unto all which he brought Balaam that he might see where he could take the fullest view of the Israelites and which of them would be fittest for his purpose These High-places were full of Trees and very shady as I observed XXVI Lev. 30. which made them the fitter both for the solemn Thoughts and Prayers of such as were devout and for the filthy Inclinations and Intentions of the wicked Baal was the Name of several Gods both Male and Female as our Selden shows in his Syntagma II. de Diis Syris cap. 1. And I suppose Chemosh the God of Moab is here called by this Name signifying a Lord though that great Man seems to take it for Baal-Peor cap. 2. of that Book That thence he might see the utmost of the People i. e. All their Armies to the very skirts of their Camp CHAP. XXIII Chapter XXIII Verse 1 Ver. 1. AND Balaam said unto Balak build me here Upon one of the High-places which Balaam it is likely pitched upon as fit for his purpose Seven Altars The number Seven was much observed we find among the Hebrews by God's order See IV Lev. 6. but we never read of more than one Altar built by the Patriarchs when they offered their Sacrifices nor was more than one allowed by Moses Therefore in this there was something of the Heathen Superstition who worshipping the Sun who is principally meant by Baal offered also to all the seven Planets Unless we allow the Conjecture of Fortunatus Scaccus who imagines that as Moses erected twelve Pillars according to the number of the Children of Israel when he entred them into the Covenant of God XXIV Exod. 4. so Balaam ordered seven Altars to be erected according to the number of the principal Houses of Moab Myrothec Sacr. Elaeochrism P. II. cap. 59. But there is no ground for the conceit of Abarbinel who in his Preface to Leviticus sect 4. saith Balaam ordered this in emulation of the seven acceptable Altars to God built by seven Men famous for Piety viz Adam Abel Noah Abraham Isaac Jacob and Moses There is more certainty in this that these Altars were erected in honour either of the most High or of the greatest of their Gods For according to the account which both Festus and Servius have given us of the ancient times they sacrificed to the Caelestial Gods Only upon Altars which were so called because they were arae altae built high and lofty whereas to the Terrestrial they sacrificed upon the Earth and to the Infernal Gods in holes digged in the Earth And prepare me here seven Oxen and seven Rams To offer one of each upon the several Altars as it follows v. 2. This number was used by pious Persons both in these days XLII Job 8. and in after times 1 Chron. XV. 26. Ver. 2. And Balak did as Balaam had spoken Caused Verse 2 the Altars to be built which was soon done either of Stones or of Turf and the Sacrifices to be brought And Balak and Balaam offered on every Altar a Bullock and a Ram. Kings in ancient times were Priests also as appears by Melchizedek But perhaps Balak only presented the Sacrifices to be offered for him and for his People and Balaam performed the Office of a Priest The only doubt
is to whom these Sacrifices were offered I suppose each of them had their several Intentions Balak supplicating Baal by them and Balaam making his Prayer to the LORD though with such Superstitious Ceremonies it is likely as were used by the Worshippers of Baal in one of whose High-places these Sacrifices were offered But it may also be supposed that Balaam telling Balak he could not effect any thing without the LORD the God of Israel perswaded him to joyn with him at present in his Worship that they might prevail with him to withdraw his presence from the Israelites For there is no reason to think that Balaam would go to enquire of the LORD when he had Sacrificed to other Gods And it appears evidently from v. 4. that he pretended to Sacrifice unto God and would not have presumed surely to tell him so if he meant otherwise Verse 3 Ver. 3. And Balaam said unto Balak When he had laid the pieces upon the Altars Stand by the Burnt-offering Attend thy Sacrifice and pray to God to accept it By this it appears that these Sacrifices were of a different Nature from those mentioned in XXII 40. being Burnt-offerings which were wholly consumed And one of them seems to have been offered particularly for Balak which he calls his Burnt-offering as the rest were for the Princes of Moab who it is likely stood by them representing all the People And here it is to be observed that in old time before the Law of Moses was given Burnt-offerings served for all purposes in Divine Worship whether they gave thanks for Blessings or deprecated evil things or prayed for good Thus Noah when he returned Thanks to God for his preservation in the Ark offered Burnt-offerings VIII Gen. 20. And when Job beseeched God to pardon his Sons I. 5. and his Friends XLII 8. he offered Sacrifices of this sort and so did Balak and Balaam here use them to procure Blessings upon Moab and a Curse upon Israel And I will go By my self into some private place to consult with God and to exercise his Inchantments as may be gathered from XXIV 1. whereby he thought he might prevail for such a power as he desired of Cursing the People of Israel Peradventure the LORD will come to meet me He durst not be confident because he had lately opposed his proceeding XXII 31. in a frightful manner And whatsoever he sheweth me Whatsoever he reveals to me either by word or otherwise I will tell thee Deal faithfully with thee and conceal nothing from thee And he went to an High-place Or rather into a Valley for he was now in an High-place when he Sacrificed and did not go into another High-place but down into the Plain as the Hebrew word properly signifies where he might in some solitary Retirement address himself to God and expect his Presence with him So we translate it in the Margin he went solitary Therefore if we retain the other translation it must be understood of some part of the High-place where he might be solitary viz. into the Grove which High-places seldom wanted In these High-places they built their Temples and had their Oracles as we learn from Justin Lib. XXIV cap. 6. where he saith the Temple of Apollo positum est in monte Parnasso c. was seated upon the Mountain Parnassus and from Pausanias who speaking of the Cave of Trophonius in Boeotia saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Oracle is in a Grove upon a Mountain The like might be observed of other Oracles which may countenance this Conjecture that some such pretended Oracle might be in this High-place where Balaam went for direction from God Ver. 4. And God met Balaam Appeared unto Verse 4 him as he had been wont to do in other places XXII 9 20. where the word Elohim is constantly used as it is here and every where else till we come to verse 16. Which strengthens the opinion that the LORD hitherto spake to him only by an Angel And he said unto him i. e. Balaam said unto God when he saw him appear I have prepared seven Altars and have offered upon every Altar a Bullock and a Ram. This shows he sacrificed unto God and not unto Baal and he represents it to God that he might be moved thereby to condescend to his desire For Sacrificing was a form of Supplication as we find in other places particularly 1 Sam. XIII 12. and that which he begged of God was in all likelyhood that he would give him power to Curse Israel Ver. 5. And he put a word into Balaam's mouth Told him what he should say And therefore saith Maimonides he spake by the Spirit of God which he makes account was the second degree of Prophecy Whence that Description Balaam gives of himself he hath said who heard the words of God P. II. More Nevochim c. 45. And said Return unto Balak and thus shalt thou speak He commanded him to speak unto Balak at his return to him as he was instructed and no otherwise The words he bad him speak are those that we read below v. 7 8 c. Verse 6 Ver. 6. And he returned unto him and lo he stood by his Burnt-sacrifice He found him in the very same posture wherein he left him v. 3. Which shows Balaam did not go far nor stay long before he returned and that Balak was earnest in his Supplications He and all the Princes of Moab Who were concerned in the good Success of this Negotiation Verse 7 Ver. 7. And he took up An Hebrew phrase for speaking aloud His Parable Or Prophetical Speech which was sometimes delivered in Parables properly so called that is not in plain Words but in apt Figures and Resemblances concerning which see Maimonides P. II. cap. 43. But here the word Parable signifies as it doth in the Book of Job a weighty Speech expressed in sublime and majestick words XXVII Job 1. XXIX 1. And said Balak the King of Moab hath brought me from Aram. See XXII 5. From the Mountains of the East The Country of Mesopotamia lay Eastward of Moab and in that part of it towards Arabia was stony and mountainous See Bochartus in his Phaleg Lib. II. cap. 6. Saying Come curse me Jacob and come defie Israel Two different Expressions for the same thing only the latter word which we translate defie imports something of fury because he would have had him curse them in such a Prophetick Rage as should have the most direful Effects upon them Ver. 8. How shall I curse him whom God hath not Verse 8 cursed c. As much as if he had said Balak desires of me that which is impossible In the Hierusalem Targum this verse is thus paraphrased How shall I curse the House of Jacob when the WORD of the LORD hath blessed them or how shall I diminish the Family of Israel when the Word of the LORD hath multiplied them Ver. 9. For from the top of the Rocks Upon which Verse 9 he then stood when
to deliver what follows Verse 14 Ver. 14. And now behold I go to my People And now I will obey thee as well as God and be gone to my own Country Come therefore and I will advertise thee c. But before I go permit me to give thee some Advice So the Hebrew word Jaatz constantly signifies to give Counsel And so the Vulgar here translates it but took it for the wicked Advice which we read in the next Chapter was executed after Balaam's departure and of which he was certainly the Author XXXI 16. and therefore thus translates the next words What thy People shall do unto this People But the Hebrew Text and the LXX are directly contrary unto this being as we translate the words What this People shall do to thy People Therefore Onkelos to take in the foregoing sence without altering the latter part of the verse puts in one word and makes the whole run thus I will give thee counsel what to do and will show thee what this People shall do to thy People in the latter days And the Hierusalem Targum more largely and plainly I wll advise thee what thou shalt do to this People make them to sin Otherwise thou shalt not have dominion over them but this People shall domineer over thy People in the latter end of days In the latter days In future Ages This shows the foregoing words do not speak of what Moab should do to Israel by his Advice for that was done as soon as he was gone Ver. 15. And he took up his Parable and said Balaam Verse 15 the Son of Beor hath said c. This was the Preface to his foregoing Prophecy See v. 3. Ver. 16. He hath said who heard the words of God Verse 16 c. This verse also is the same with the fourth only a few words added And knew the knowledge of the most High Which he adds to show his intimate acquaintance with the Supreme LORD of the World For he speaks of God in the very same stile which Moses doth calling him both El and Schaddai and Eljon and Jehovah Which demonstrates that he was not a Stranger to the true God though corrupted with bad Affections and addicted also to foul Superstitions Verse 17 Ver. 17. I shall see him Or I do see him for the Future Tense is often used for the Present that is he saw the Person of whom he was going to speak represented to him in a Vision But not now He saw him not as in being now at present but to come in future times I shall behold him but not nigh The same thing in other words but more plainly telling them they must not expect this Person in their time nor in the next Generation but in remoter Ages There shall come a Star out of Jacob. A Star denotes a great Person and being understood to be spoken of Christ it denotes his Caelestial Original And both Onkelos and Jonathan and the Hierusalem Targum take the Messiah to be here meant and so doth R. Moses Haddarsan and Bereschith Rabbath and a great many Christian Interpreters as Huetius observes in his Demonstr Evang. Propos VII sect 9. particularly Eusebius and Cyril of Alexandria Who in his VIIIth Book against Julian confutes his Exposition of these words which is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That this belongs to David and to his Successors is sufficiently manifest To which St. Cyril replies That if Balaam had spoken of David and the Kings of Israel he would have said There shall arise Stars out of Jacob c. whereas he speaks of one alone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as very illustrious among the Stars which it is evident can be none but Christ Unto which I shall add the words of a later Writer of the Jewish Nation R. Isaac in his Illumin Fidei set forth not long ago by the learned Wagenseil Where he argues this cannot be understood of David or any other King of Israel because none of them ever reigned over all the Earth i. e. over all the Children of Seth whom none of them destroyed but it is meant he concludes of the MESSIAH who is compared to a Star because of the perennity of his Kingdom and the splendor of his Dominion and his great Acts throughout the World p. 72 and 80. Where he makes this a Prophecy of one Kingdom alone to be in the World viz. that of the Israelites who are called the People of the Saints of the most High VII Dan. 27. Which is true enough if he had understood the right meaning of Israelites who are those not after the Flesh but after the Spirit It is not fit to conclude this without one Observation more that so long ago as the time of the Emperour Adrian this was understood by the generality of the Jews to be a Prophecy of the Messiah For they followed one whose Name was Chocab i. e. a Star to whom the famous R. Akiba a Doctor who they say had Four and twenty thousand Scholars applied these words of Balaam and calling him Barchoceb i. e. the Son of a Star anointed him their King and carried a Sword before him crying Behold the very King Messiah This is reported by the Jews themselves in Tzenach David and several other Books All which I think doth not hinder but that King David may be hereby signified in the first sence though as a Type of the MESSIAH the great Son of David in whom it was compleated And a Scepter shall rise out of Israel This some think may first have a respect to David and then to the MESSIAH the King of Israel But the Chaldee paraphrast refers the whole to Christ whose words are these A King shall arise out of the House of Jacob and the Messiah shall be anointed of the House of Israel Nor is it any wonder that Balaam should prophesie of him so many years before he was born and so plainly that Moses himself doth not speak in plainer terms but it is to be lookt upon as the effect of God's infinite Goodness who would not have those that were not of the Seed of Abraham to be wholly ignorant of what he intended to do for all Mankind And this was necessary to be plainly told them because otherwise they would not have understood it And shall smite the Corners of Moab The latter part of this Prophecy Huetius thinks belongs to David as the former part to Christ. Which was the opinion of Maimonides who divided the Prophecy between them And this was indeed literally fulfilled in David who subdued the Moabites intirely as we read 2 Sam. VIII 8. LX Psal 8. CVIII 9. Some translate these words He shall smite through the Princes of Moab So the LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth not alter the sence And it is no unusual thing with the Prophets when they intend to speak of something nearer to them to be transported by the Spirit of God to speak of things a great deal more
Verse 2 Moab Called the People Invited them to a Feast For the ordinary Charms unto Idolatry were good Victuals and bad Women Vnto the Sacrifices of their Gods To eat of the Sacrifices which had been offered to their Gods particularly to Baal-Peor These Feasts upon their Sacrifices were very magnificent among the Heathen being accompanied with Musick and Dancing and sometimes pompous Processions which inticed youthful Minds to partake of them Here the Israelites casting their Eyes upon the Daughters of Moab which doubtless on this occasion appeared in the best Dress and richest Ornaments were smitten with their Beauty and courted their Enjoyment Who would not yield to this Motion but upon condition that they would first worship their Gods whereupon pulling a little Image of Peor out of their Bosom they presented it to the Israelites to kiss it and desired them to eat of the Sacrifices that had been offered to him Thus the Jewish Doctors tell the story And indeed it hath been observed by the Writers of the Church that Women have been the most dangerous Seducers of Men from the true Religion being from the beginning the Spreaders of the old Heresies For Simon Magus advanced his Heresie Helenae meretricis adjutus auxilio being assisted by the help of the Harlot Helena Nicolaus of Antioch also choros duxit foemineos The famous Marcion sent before him some Roman Ladies to prepare his way Apelles Montanus Arius Donatus did all take the same course as St. Hierom shows in his Book adversus Pelagianos And the People did eat Which was an act of Idolatry as to eat of the LORD's Sacrifices was an Act of Divine Worship whereby they owned themselves the Servants of the Gods of Moab See XXXIV Exod. 15. And bowed down to their Gods This was still a more plain act of idolatrous Worship expresly forbidden by God in the second Commandment Verse 3 Ver. 3. And Israel was joyned unto Baal-Peor This seems to signifie that they were devoted to the Service of this Idol in great affection with which they performed the forenamed actions The Jews commonly take this Baal-Peor to have been no better than a Priapus and the worship of him to have consisted in such obscene Practices or Postures at least as are not fit to be named Particularly their great Commentary upon Numbers saith That the Israelites being unwilling to enjoy their Women upon those terms they told them they needed only uncover their Nakedness before Baal-Peor which was all the Worship required of them unto which they easily submitted This Maimonides himself relates for a truth that his Worship consisted in revealing their Secret Parts before him More Nevochim P. III. cap. 45. But Solomon Jarchi goes further making this Worship to consist in Actions as ridiculous as they were beastly All which seems to me very unlikely and so it doth to several Men of great Judgment particularly Mr. Selden who thinks with great probability that Peor as I observed before XXIII 28. being the name of a Mountain in the Country of Moab the Temple of Baal stood upon it by whom some understand Saturn others the Sun which is most likely and thence he was called Baal-Beor because there he was especially worshipped as Jupiter was called Olympius because he was worshipped in a famous Temple which stood on the Mountain Olympus And every one knows that anciently they chose the highest Mountains before all other places for the Divine Service insomuch that at Jerusalem the Temple was set upon the Hill of Sion which the Psalmist saith God preferred before all other places LXXVIII Psal 68. Or Peor perhaps was the name of some great Prince as the same Mr. Selden conjectures translated into the number of the Gods for the Psalmist saith CVI Psal 28. that when they worshipped Baal-Peor they are the Sacrifices of the dead Which seems to signifie that in him they worshipped some dead Man who perhaps was the first Institutor of this Worship whatsoever it was Another great Man of our own Nation hath said much to strengthen this Opinion having shown at large that the ancient Heathens were wont to Deify the Souls of Men and Canonize them after Death and these we called Baalim Being accounted an inferiour sort of Deities who they fancied were Ministers for them to their Caelestial Gods See Mr. Mede Book III. p. 724 c. Yet it must be acknowledged that there are others of great note who take all for truth which the Jewish Writers report concerning the filthy Worship of Baal-Peor and imagine that Fornication was a part of it as in future times it was both among the Greeks and Romans in the Worship of some of their Gods For what the Jews found then practised they fancied was done in these early days But it is observable that the more ancient the Books of the Jews are which speak of this matter the less they say of the impurities in the Service of Baal-Peor For Example the Hierusalem Talmud hath none of that leud stuff in it which Solomon Jarchi upon this place took out of the Babylonian which was composed long after the former And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel As appeared immediately by the severe punishment he inflicted on them both for their Idolatry and for their Fornication Verse 4 Ver. 4. And the LORD said unto Moses take all the Heads of the People and hang them up The plain meaning seems to be that he should take i. e. cause to be apprehended the Heads of the People i. e. the Rulers of Thousands and Hundreds and other principal Persons in their Tribes who had been guilty of the foul Idolatry before-mentioned and by hanging them up put a stop to the Peoples lewdness when they saw these great Men made Publick Examples of God's Displeasure For it is very likely more of the Princes of the People were guilty besides Zimri especially if it be true which the Samaritan Chronicle affirms that the Daughters of the chief Men of Moab were sent finely dressed to allure the Israelites and one of the King's Daughters among the rest But though the LXX and the Vulgar and Symmachus thus understand it that he commanded the Heads of the People to be hanged up yet a great many other ancient Translators and many famous Doctors take the word Otham them whom he commanded to be hanged up not to refer to the Heads of the People but to such as had joyned themselves to Baal-Peor and they interpret the foregoing words as if he had bid him take unto him i. e. to his assistance the Heads of the People as they think he did as is related in the next verse The Judges indeed there mentioned seem to me to be distinct from the Heads of the People and Moses did not take them to his Assistance but commanded them to do their duty Yet it must be acknowledged that there is a great current of Interprepreters which runs the other way as if Moses was commanded to
order the Judges to assemble and call before them such as were suspected and having examined the Fact accordingly proceed against them and punish such as had offended Thus the Samaritan Copy reads it expresly and so Onkelos and the Paraphrast called Vzielides and the Hierusalem Targum and the Arabick Translation of Saadia Gaon and both the Talmudists and Karaites agree in this sence as Mr. Selden shows at large Lib. II. de Synedriis cap. 1. n. 10. And Joh. Coch upon the Gemara of the Sanhedrim cap. 4. sect 4. where he observes that Aben-Ezra and Solomon Jarchi thus interpret it and takes the meaning to be certain that the Heads of the People should divide themselves into several Courts of Judgment and examine who had committed Idolatry and after Conviction cause them to be hang'd For there is great reason to think the Constitution of Judges by Jethro's advice continued all the time they were in the Wilderness who might easily find out the Guilty in their several Divisions Before the LORD i. e. Before the Sanctuary as Men who had forsaken the Worship of their God and by his Sentence were adjudged to die Against the Sun Openly that all the People might see and fear to Sin So both R. Solomon and Aben-Ezra expound it For this was a peculiar mark of the Divine Displeasure against Idolaters and Blasphemers that they should be hanged up and publickly exposed after they had suffered death For none were hang'd alive among the Hebrews but first stoned which was the common Punishment of the fore-named Offenders and then hanged up in the eyes of all as R. Solomon expounds this Phrase against the Sun That the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned from Israel By their Zeal to vindicate the Divine Honour Verse 5 Ver. 5. And Moses said unto the Judges of Israel Some take these for the LXX Elders mentioned XI 25. Slay ye By hanging them up as some understand it But the Hebrew word imports killing with the Sword which they commanded their Officers to do with the assistance of such as abhorred the wickedness of their Neighbours Every one his Man The LXX Elders being appointed to be coadjutors to Moses in the Government made a division of the People it is most likely into so many districts and each of them having the charge of one all the People therein are called his Men of whom he was to give an account That were joyned unto Baal-Peor Who were so well known that there was no danger of slaying the innocent Verse 6 Ver. 6. And behold This which follows is the more wonderful if the Judges had already begun to execute the foregoing command and argues Zimri to have been very impudently wicked who thought himself so great a Man that no Judge durst meddle with him One of the Children of Israel came and brought unto his Brethren In the Camp of Israel or into the Tent where his own Family dwelt A Midianitish Woman By which it appears that both Nations Moab and Midian were in this Plot against Israel In the sight of Moses A high contempt of his Authority and of God's also whose Servant Moses was And in the sight of all the Congregation of the Children of Israel This seems to be a further aggravation of his Sin that he was not content to go to the Women who invited them v. 2. but brought one of them along with him into the Camp of Israel and this he did before the face of all the People as well as of Moses and that when they were mourning for this Sin as it here follows Who were weeping before the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation This shows that though there were great numbers ingaged in this Defection yet the generality of the People clave unto the LORD and bewailed the Wickedness of their Brethren most earnestly imploring God's Mercy towards them Ver. 7. And when Phineas the Son of Eleazar the Son Verse 7 of Aaron the Priest c. A Man of great Authority being next to the High-Priest whom he succeeded in his Office as he did Joshua if we may believe some Writers in the Government of all Israel He rose up His Spirit as St. Luke speaks of St. Paul was stirred in him and being inspired with an holy Zeal was moved to do what follows From among the Congregation Who were weeping at the Door of the Tabernacle or rather from among the Judges with whom he was assembled being one of them So Jonathan he rose up from the midst of the Sanhedrin For as Bonav Cornel. Bertramus thinks Eleazar after the death of Aaron appointed his Son Phineas to be Prince of the Levites Which he thinks appears not only from his rising up here from the midst of the Judges of Israel but from the Embassy wherein he was employed by Joshua unto the Reubenites c. beyond Jordan XXII Josh 14. and from 1 Chron. IX 20. where he is said to be Ruler over the Korahites Which signifies he thinks such a preheminence as Eleazar himself had over the Levites while his Father Aaron lived De Repub. Jud. c. 15. And indeed the Psalmist saith that Phineas stood up and executed Judgment CVI. 39. Which seems to import that he acted as a Judge but by an extraordinary motion which made him kill the Offenders with his own Hands without a Judicial Process against them And took a Javelin in his hand Or a Sword as Josephus calls it which he snatcht out of the hand of Moses as the tradition is in Pirke Elieser cap. 47. Verse 8 Ver. 8. And he went after the Man of Israel into the Tent. It is an unusual word in the Hebrew which we translate Tent importing a private secret place like a Cave as Kubba or Kobba is thought to signifie which the Arabians call Alcobba From whence comes the word Alcove which signifies as Bochart observes conclave camerati operis quo lectus circumdatur A Room of arched Work which incloses a Bed in it See his Hierozoicon Pars I. p. ult And thrust both of them through the Man of Israel and the Woman This he did saith Philo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the command of Moses But should rather have said by a Divine Instigation which he followed when the rest of the Judges were afraid as some conceive to meddle with so great a Man as Zimri was And upon this Fact the Jews ground that which they call the Judgment of Zeal which authorized them who were full of Zeal to punish such as blasphemed God or prophaned the Temple c. in the presence of ten Men of Israel without a formal Process against them Thus Matthias killed a Jew who sacrificed after the manner of the Greeks 1 Maccab. II. 24. and three hundred others were killed by their Country-men as is related in the Book commonly called the Third Book of Maccabees And upon the pretence of such Zeal St. Stephen was stoned and St. Paul intended to be killed c. as Grotius
in Egypt See this there explained And she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their Sister Who seems to have been born before Moses if not before Aaron II Exod. 4. Ver. 60. And unto Aaron was born Nadab and Abihu Eleazar and Ithamar VI Exod. 23. where he tells the name of their Mother Ver. 61. And Nadab and Abihu died when they offered Verse 60 strange Fire before the LORD See X Lev. 2. Verse 61 and the third Chapter of this Book v. 4. But Eleazar who was the eldest next to them was now alive and made High-Priest and it is likely Ithamar also being under Twenty years old when the People murmured upon the Report of the Spies and so not cut off with that wicked Generation XVI 29. All this is here recounted to show that the Tribe of Levi was preserved by the blessing of God as well as the rest of the Israelites though they were to have no Inheritance in the Land of Canaan Ver. 62. And those that were numbred of them were Verse 62 twenty and three thousand c. So they were a thousand more than at the last numbring III. 39. For they were not numbred among the Children of Israel But by themselves for the reason following Because there was no Inheritance given them among the Children of Israel For God was their Inheritance as he told them XVIII 20 c. And therefore they were ordered not to be numbred Thirty eight years ago no more than now I Numb 49 c. The Jews are something curious in their Observations upon these words among or in the midst of the Children of Israel from whence they conclude that the Levites might have Lands out of the Bounds of the Land of Canaan though not within it among their Brethren Ver. 63. These are they that were numbred by Moseâ— Verse 63 and Eleazar the Priest who numbred the Children of Israel in the plains of Moab c. By a special command of God v. 1 2 c. Ver. 64. But among these there was not a Man of them whom Moses and Aaron the Priest numbred when they numbred the Children of Israel in the Wilderness of Verse 64 Sinai See the first Chapter of this Book v. 1 2 c. so exactly were God's Threatnings fulfilled as well as his Promises Chapter XXVII Verse 65 Ver. 65. For the LORD had said of them they shall surely die in the Wilderness He had pronounced this irreversible Sentence upon the whole Congregation XIV 23 28 29. where he swears they should not enter into the Land of Canaan because they had brought or entertained an evil report of it See also II Deut. 14 15. And there was not left a Man of them save Caleb the Son of Jephunneh and Joshua the Son of Nun. Whom God promised to spare because they were of another Spirit XV. 24 30 38. And their survival was as remarkable an instance of the truth of God's word as the Death of all the rest CHAP. XXVII Verse 1 Ver. 1. THEN came the Daughters of Zelophehad the Son of Hepher c. Who are mentioned before XXVI 33. just as they are here only their Genealogy is here more fully set out that their Father was the Grandson of Manasseh the Son of Joseph from whom he was lineally descended but left no Sons behind him Now these young Women hearing Moses say as he doth in the foregoing Chapter that the LORD commanded the Land of Canaan should be divided among those that were now numbred and observing that only Males from Twenty years old were numbred v. 2. presently apprehended that they being Females were excluded from having any Inheritance among the Israelites and so the Family of the Hepherites XXVI 32. would be extinguished This was the ground of what follows Whereby it appears that every body was immediately acquainted with the Laws which Moses received from God and that there was a faithful Register kept of every one that was born in every Family and Tribe to prevent all Disputes about the true Heirs to Mens Estates Ver. 2. And they stood before Moses c. To represent Verse 2 before him and the rest of the Judges who were now assembled the Case which I have mentioned Before Moses and Eleazar the Priest and before the Princes and all the Congregation These made up the greatest Court of Judicature that at any time sate For by Princes are meant either the Heads of the Tribes or the highest of the Judges appointed XVIII Exod. called the Heads of the People v. 25. And by all the Congregation is meant the LXX Elders mentioned in this Book XI 24. For they are called col ha edah the whole Congregation and sometimes only Edah the Congregation as R. Solomon observes See Bertram de Republ. Jud. p. 72. Now at the Head of all these sat Moses and next to him Eleazar the Priest By the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation Near to which this august Assembly it is likely was wont to sit when they met together that Moses might presently if there were occasion go and consult with God himself in any difficult matter that came before them And thus Mr. Selden observes out of Maimonides that in future times the great Sanhedrim followed the Tabernacle sitting sometimes in one place sometimes in another according as that was settled As after they came to Canaan it was first at Shiloh then at Mizpeh and afterwards at Gilgal Nob Gibeon the House of Obed-Edom till at last it was fixed in Jerusalem Lib. II. de Synedr cap. 15. n. 4. As concerning that which the Talmudists say concerning the proceedings in this case of Zelophehad's Daughters nothing certain can be determined But they give this account of it That they first brought this Cause into the Courts appointed by the advice of Jethro XVIII Exod. 21. and began with the Rulers of ten who knowing not what to say to them they went to those of fifty and from thence to the Centurions and at last to the Chiliarchs None of which durst adventure to give Judgment but referred the Cause by reason of its difficulty to Moses who brought it to the SCHECHINAH as they speak i. e. to the Divine Majesty Seld. ib. cap. 16. n. 1. Verse 3 Ver. 3. Saying Our Father died in the Wilderness Among the rest mentioned v. 64 65. of the foregoing Chapter They seem to have drawn up their Cause in the form of a Petition or as Mr. Selden speaks in the Legal Phrase presented a Libel to the Court containing the intire matter of their Petition and that artificially enough And he was not one of them that gathered themselves together against the LORD in the Company of Korah They use the very words of Moses concerning that rebellious Company XVI 11. And instance in this Sin rather than any other either to show that their Father had a due regard to the Authority of Moses who they hoped therefore would be the more favourable to his Posterity or
rather to insinuate that he was not guilty of such a Crime as might make Men justly forfeit what they had for their Children as well as for themselves For all the Family of Dathan and Abiram perished and it is taken notice of as a singular Mercy that the Children of Korah did not XXVI 10 11. But died in his own Sin i. e. For his own Sin which God had declared should not affect the Children XIV 31. For to that General Sin in which all the People were engaged these words seem to refer And so it was his own sin not with respect to the rest of the People for they were all alike guilty but with respect to his Children it being a personal Guilt in which they were not concerned The Jews commonly say that Zelophehad was the Man that was stoned for gathering Sticks on the Sabbath-day For which they have no authority but a fancy of R. Aquiba who is sharply reproved for it by another considerable Rabbi who saith it is a rash Judgment for if it were true since the Scripture conceals it he ought not to have revealed it but hath reproached a just Man for any thing that appears See Selden Lib. II. de Synedr cap. 1. sect 9. And had no Son As was found when the People were numbred XXVI 33. Ver. 4. Why should the name of our Father be done Verse 4 away from among his Family One Family of the Tribe of Manasseh viz. the Hepherites being in danger to be wholly extinguished R. Judah will have the word Name in this place to signifie as much as hereditary possession and so he thinks it signifies XXV Deut. 6. as Mr. Selden observes out of Pesikta Lib. de Successionibus cap. 14. Because he hath no Son Merely for want of Issue-Male when he hath left many Daughters Give unto us therefore a possession among the Brethren of our Father Let us come in for a share among those that are descended from Manasseh Which if they did the Name of their Father could not be thereby preserved but by the Son of one of these Daughters taking upon him not the Name of his Father that begat him but of his Mother's Grand-father viz. Hepher which was ordered afterwards by a general Law XXV Deut. 6. Verse 5 Ver. 5. And Moses brought their Cause before the LORD This was too difficult a Cause though there seemed to be a great deal of Reason on their side to be judged by the great Court before-mentioned and therefore it was referred to Moses alone as other weighty Causes used to be See XV. 32. XXV 4. for neither Eleazar nor any other Person before whom it was brought v. 2. are here mentioned as the Judges of this matter And he durst not judge it though the equity appeared very plain without bringing it before the LORD for his direction which he could have upon all important occasions XXV Exod. 22. VII Numb 89. Verse 6 Ver. 6. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying This shows that the Cause was devolved upon Moses alone for the LORD tells him and no other Person how it should be determined Verse 7 Ver. 7. The Daughters of Zelophehad c. The LORD approves of their Claim and gives a Sentence in their favour Thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their Father's Brethren Because the word for them in the Hebrew is of the Masculine Gender some think it signifies they were to be considered as if they had been Sons And thou shalt cause the Inheritance of their Father to pass unto them So that they were to enjoy what would have faln to his share had he been alive ob indutam defuncti patris personam as the Lawyers speak because they stood in the place of their dead Father and represented his Person And accordingly they put in their Claim at the Division of the Land and had their Portion therein according to this Decision XVII Josh 2 3 c. How the Portion was divided among them according to the Hebrew Doctors Mr. Selden shows at large in his Book de Successionibus in bona defunctii cap. 23. Ver. 8. And thou shall speak unto the Children of Israel Verse 8 saying Upon this occasion he passes this special Case into a General Law to be hereafter observed If a Man die and have no Son then ye shall cause his Inheritance to pass unto his Daughter It being a reason as Maimonides observes More Nevochim P. III. cap. 42. that what a Man leaves should come to his Family and to those who are next of Kin to him for the nearer any Person is to us we are inclined by natural affection to have the greater regard to him But all this is to be understood of Land as for Money and moveable Goods which were of his own getting the Father might dispose of them by his Will to whom he pleased Ver. 9. And if he have no Daughter then ye shall give his Inheritance unto his Brethren Unless his Father was alive who undoubtedly the Jews say was Verse 9 the next Heir but not mentioned because it was not necessary Or as some say because it was too sad a thing to speak of a Fathers burying all his Children without Issue See Selden de Success in bona defuncti cap. 12. Where he observes that according to the Rule v. 11. it must come to the Father because he is nearest of kin to it And therefore the Jews interpret this as if Moses had said If he have Daughter he shall give his inheritance to the next of his Kindred to his Father for instance and afterwards ye shall give it to his Brethren i. e. the Children of his Father And the same is to be said of the Grandchildren unto whom the Brethren of a Father dying without issue are heirs For the Grandfather stands in the same relation to a Father that a Father doth to his Son Verse 11 Ver. 11. And if his Father have no Brethren then ye shall give it to his Kinsman that is next of Kin to him of his Family and he shall possess it To his Brothers Children or to those who are descended from them or from his Fathers ' Brethren But no consideration was to be had of his Mother's Kindred as the Jewish Lawyers say who could never be capable of the Inheritance Which they gather not only from these words which determine the Inheritance to his Family i. e. the Family of the Father before-mentioned not to the Family of the Mother but from the frequent mention of the Father of Mischpachoth which we translate Families or rather Kindreds of the Fathers in the Books of Moses Chronicles Ezra and others From whence this solemn Maxim of the Talmudists The Family or Kindred of the Mother is never called by the name of Kindred That is it hath not the effect of a Kindred in Successions to Inheritances Which is the same with that in the ancient Book Siphri Families follow the Fathers as Mr. Selden
Command In the first Month on the fifteenth day of the first Month on the morrow after the Passover Which they had kept in Egypt on the Fourteenth XII Exod. 46. The Children of Israel went out of Egypt with an high hand XIV Exod. 8. In the sight of the Egyptians Who thrust them out XII Exod. 39. Ver. 4. For the Egyptians buried all their first-born Verse 4 They were so terrified with the sudden Death of all their First-born that they pressed them to be gone lest they should be slain also XII Exod. 33. And were so employed in Mourning for them and giving them decent Burial that they thought not of pursuing the Israelites till some days after Which the LORD had smitten among them At midnight between the fourteenth and fifteenth days XII Exod. 29. Vpon their Gods also the LORD executed Judgment Which still more astonished them XII Exod. 12. XVIII 11. 2 Sam. VII 23. just as he did with Babylon afterwards XXI Isa 9. Ver. 5. And the Children of Israel removed from Rameses Verse 5 and pitched in Succoth XII Exod. 37. Here they received the Command to set apart all the First-born unto the LORD in memory of God's sparing them when he slew all the First-born of the Egptians XIII Exod. 1 12 13 c. Verse 6 Ver. 6. And they departed from Suecoth and pitched in Etham c. See XIII Exod. 20. where it immediately follows That they were conducted hither by a miraculous Cloud which ever after led them in all their Journeys Verse 7 Ver. 7. And they removed from Etham and turned again unto Piha-hiroth So it is expresly recorded XIV Exod. 2. Hither they were led on purpose that they might see the wonderful Power and Goodness of God in a place where they had high Mountains on each side of them and the Army of Pharaoh behind them and the Red-Sea before them Through which God made them a passage rather than let them fall again under the Egyptian Tyranny Here is also the Singular Number for the Plural in the word turned again as was observed before in another word XXXII 25. but the observation of the Hebrew Doctors upon it seems to be frivolous That with one heart they did what Moses commanded Which is before Baal-Zephon and they pitched before Migdol This is explained in XIV Exod. 2. Verse 8 Ver. 8. And they departed from before Piha-hiroth and passed through the midst of the Sea XIV Exod. 23. Where Pharaoh and his Host were drowned as they could not but call to mind when they read this brief History Which it might be expected would also call to remembrance their own distrust of God notwithstanding which he most graciously delivered them XIV Exod. 11 12 c. Into the Wilderness and went three days journey in the Wilderness of Etham Called in XV Exod. 22. the Wilderness of Shur where they were very much distressed for want of Water And pitched in Marah Where God obliged them by a new Miracle in making the bitter Water sweet XV Exod. 23 25. Ver. 9. And they removed from Marah and came to Verse 9 Elim and in Elim were twelve Fountains of Water c. See XV Exod. ult Ver. 10. And they removed from Elim and encamped Verse 10 by the Red Sea Not by that part of it where they lately came out of it but by a more Southerly part of it where it bends towards Arabia For the Red Sea which Ptolomy calls the Arabian Gulph runs a long way like the Adriatick now called the Gulph of Venice or the Baltick Sea as David Chytraeus observes Who compares these three together as much of a length and all in some places broader and some narrower This Station is not mentioned in the Book of Exodus Ver. 11. And they removed from the Red Sea and Verse 11 encamped in the Wilderness of Sin XVI Exod. 1. where Manna first began to rain upon them with which God fed them forty years Ver. 12. And they took their journey out of the Wilderness Verse 12 of Sin and encamped in Dophkah This and the next Station Alush are not mentioned in Exodus because nothing remarkable it is supposed fell out in these two places as there did in the next And they made no long stay there Ver. 13. And they departed from Dophkah and encamped Verse 13 in Alush The Jewish Doctors find something remarkable here though Moses saith nothing of it For as the Sabbath was first commanded at Marah which was their fifth Station so it was first observed here at Alush as they fancy which was their Tenth And more than that this was the only Sabbath in their opinion which they exactly kept the very next being prophaned See Selden Lib. III. de Jure Nat. Gentium c. cap. 11. Lib. II. de Synedr cap. 1. The Author of Sepher Cosri saith the ancient Tradition is That at this place the Manna first descended P. II. sect 20. Verse 14 Ver. 14. And they removed from Alush and encamped at Rephidim XVII Exod. 1. Where was no Water for the People to drink And thereby an occasion given to the Almighty Goodness to shew his wonderful Power in bringing Water out of a Rock for them v. 5 6. And here also Amalek lay in wait for Israel in the way when they came out of Egypt 1 Sam. XV. 2. and smote some that lag'd behind XXV Deut. 16. but were vanquished by Joshua in a pitcht Battle XVII Exod. 8 9 c. And here Jethro also came to see Moses and gave him advice about the government of the People with more ease both to himself and them XVIII Exod. Verse 15 Ver. 15. And they departed from Rephidim and pitched in the Wilderness of Sinai XIX Exod. 1 2. This was forty seven days after they came from Rameses on the first day of the third Month. Three days after which viz. on the fiftieth day after they came out of Egypt God gave them his Law from Mount Sinai Where Moses was called up to him and staid with him twice forty days And was instructed there how to make the Tabernacle and to set it up when it was made with all the Furniture belonging to it All sorts of Sacrifices were ordered while they remained in this Place Priests consecrated Laws given about clean and unclean things and about Marriages and Feasts and the Year of Jubilee with several other things mentioned in the Book of Leviticus Here also the People were numbred their encampment ordered a second Passover kept Laws given about the Water of Jealousie and the Nazarites with several other Matters And then after they had lain here eleven Months and twenty days they are commanded to leave this famous Station the most remarkable of all other X Numb 11 12. Ver. 16. And they removed from the Desert of Sinai Verse 16 and pitched at Kibroth-hattaavah A place in the Wilderness of Paran three days Journey from Mount Sinai X Numb 23. XI 34. where there was a dreadful