priests were seated partly in the tribe of Judah where the Temple was afterwards to be built and partly in the two bordering tribes of Simeon and Benjamin and so whilst they shall approve their piety and devotion to the service of God in being content to leave their dwellings to go up unto Jerusalem in their turns to attend upon the service of God yet withall God provides for their ease that their journeys might not be over long and burthensome to them As for their assigning as it is here said of thirteen cities to the priests herein God and the governours of Israel had respect unto succeeding times when the posterity of Aaron should be encreased for at present there were but a few priests not enough to inhabit the half part of one city but in the mean time they were given them for their possession which they might dispose of according to the right they had in them For that they might so do and that the cities of the Levites were given them not onely for their habitation but also for their possessions and inheritance is evident in severall places See Levit. 25.32 Vers 9. And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon these cities c. Judahs and Simeon cities are reckoned together because Simeons portion lay within Judahs Chap. 19.1 And the second lot came forth to Simeon even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah Vers 11. And they gave them the city of Arbah the father of Anak which is Hebron in the hill-countrey of Judah c. This city with the land adjoyning was formerly given to Caleb which makes it more probable that the cities for the Levites were taken by lot because it was not likely that both Hebron and Debir should be taken out of his inheritance without the Lords speciall direction But God requiring it Caleb willingly yields the rather because the countrey and land about was the chief of his possession which was not taken from him and besides no doubt they desired to have the Levites who were to instruct them in the Law of the Lord to be seated amongst them Vers 15. And Holon with her suburbs Called Hilen 1. Chron. 6.58 Vers 16. And Ain with her suburbs and Juttah with her suburbs c. This citie Ain is not reckoned 1. Chron. 6. amongst the cities given to the sonnes of Aaron nor Gibeon here named vers 17. As for Juttah it is called Ashan 1. Chron. 6.59 Some indeed conceive that it is Ain that is there called Ashan but there is an argument against that which seems to me unanswerable to wit that Ashan and Ain are in one verse distinctly named amongst the cities of Simeon chap. 19.7 and so also Almon vers 18. is called Alemeth 1. Chron. 6.60 Vers 22. And Kibzaim with her suburbs Called Jokneam 1. Chron. 6.68 Vers 23. And out of the tribe of Dan Eltekeh with her suburbs Gibbethon with her suburbs These two cities are omitted 1. Chron. 6. And Aijalon and Gath-rimmon are there ioyned with the cities of Ephraim but that they were given out of Dans portion is evident by this place Vers 25. And out of the half tribe of Manasseh Tanach with her suburbs c. To wit that half of the tribe which was seated within Jordan next Dan and Ephraim Tanach here mentioned is called Aner 1. Chron. 6.70 as also Gath-Rimmon is there called Bileam Vers 27. And Beeshterah with her suburbs Called Ashtaroth 1. Chron. 6.71 Vers 28. And out of the tribe of Issachar Kishon with her suburbs c. Which is called Kedesh as also Dabareh is called Deberath and Jarmuth Ramoth and Engannim Anem 1. Chron. 6.72.73 Vers 30. And out of the tribe of Asher Mishal with her suburbs c. Called Mashal 1. Chron. 6.74 as also Helkath is there called Hukok Vers 32. And Hammoth-dor with her suburbs c. Called Hammon 1. Chron. 6.76 as also Kartan is there called Kirjathaim Vers 34. Out of the tribe of Zebulun Jokneam with her suburbs c. Jokneam and Kartah are omitted 1. Chron. 6.77 and Dimnah is there called Rimmon and Nahalal Tabor Vers 36. And out of the tribe of Reuben Bezer with her suburbs and Jahazah with her suburbs It is said that Bezer was a city of refuge chap. 20.8 though it be not here expressed as it is in the rest vers 13.20 27. which why it is here omitted we cannot say As for Jahazah it is called Jahzah 1. Chron. 6. Vers 41. All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were fourty and eight cities with their suburbs It may seem strange why in the 19. chapter we reade of but two and twenty cities given to the tribe of Asher nineteen to the tribe of Naphtali yea but twelve cities to the tribe of Zebulun and yet the Levites which were nothing so many in number as they have here eight and fourty cities given them I answer first that besides the cities mentioned the other tribes had many towns and villages wherein they dwelt which the Levites had not secondly that the chief cities are onely there mentioned it is evident in severall places that many cities which were in the severall portions of those tribes are not there set down thirdly others did no doubt inhabit these cities besides the Levites and fourthly it is no wonder though God deals bountifully with the Levites that were to be imployed in his speciall service Vers 43. And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers and they possessed it and dwelt therein Though there were much of the land out of which the Canaanites were not yet expelled we cannot therefore call this truth in question for First he had given them all by lot divided amongst them which was a kind of actuall enstating them in it Secondly he had put them into possession of the greatest part of it neither had he promised them otherwise but that they should possesse it by degrees See Exod. 23.29 So both clauses of that which is here said are true to wit first That God had given them all the land which he swore to give unto their fathers and secondly That they possessed it and dwelt therein onely we must conceive of them severally thus to wit 1. That he had already actually given them the whole land and enabled them to divide it amongst their tribes and 2. That they possessed it and dwelt therein to wit by degrees a great deal of it they had already in their possession and the rest by degrees came into their hands as God had promised and sooner then they did they might have enjoyed it had it not been for their sinnes CHAP. XXII Vers 3. YE have not left your brethren these many dayes unto this day That for which Joshua here
is said in the foregoing verse it was because the inhabitants did all so obstinately stand it out against the Israelites none of them attempting to procure conditions of peace from them save onely the Gibeonites Vers 20. For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts c. See the note upon Exod. 7.13 Vers 21. And at that time came Joshua and cut off the Anakims from the mountains from Hebron and from Debir c. Concerning these Anakims see what is noted before upon Numb 13.22 where it is also expressely said that the Israelites that were at first sent to search the land of Canaan saw these Anakims about Hebron from whence Joshua did now drive them It is evident that Hebron yea and Debir too or else another city of the same name was formerly taken by Joshua and the Israelites in that their expedition against those five kings that had joyned their forces together to besiege Gibeon as we may see chap. 10.36 37.38 That therefore which is said here that Joshua cut off the Anakims from Hebron from Debir c. must be understood of his cutting them off from the mountains that were about Hebron and Debir It seems that these gyants being a kind of wild salvage men monsters rather then men did chiefly abide in dens and caves that were in the mountains or at least that when Joshua had prevailed in that part of the land and had taken the severall towns and cities there and destroyed the inhabitants many of these monsters had withdrawn themselves to those their fastnesses and strong holds from whence afterwards they brake forth into the countreys adjoyning and so thereupon Joshua went out against them with his forces and cut them off some at one time and some at another from the mountains from Hebron from Debir from Anab that is the mountains adjoyning to those cities and from all the mountains of Judah and from all the mountains of Israel that is the mountains in that portion of the land which fell to the tribe of Judah and indeed from all the mountains throughout the land of Canaan which fell to the rest of the Israelites for Judah by reason of their dignity is often mentioned as distinct from the other tribes and in this regard I conceive this expression is used from all the mountains of Judah and from all the mountains of Israel and not with reference to that division of the land betwixt the kingdome of Judah and the kingdome of Israel in Jeroboams revolt it being most probable that this book was written before that time even before David had cast out the Jebusites out of Jerusalem as may be gathered from that place chap. 15.63 As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem the children of Judah could not drive them out but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day The greatest difficulty in this place is this that here it is said that Joshua cut off the Anakims from Hebron from Debir c. cities that he had taken before from the inhabitants chap. 10.36 c. and yet afterwards chap. 15.14 it is said that Caleb took Hebron and drove the Anakims thence To this some answer That though Joshua took Hebron and afterwards cut off the Anakims from the mountains about Hebron as it is here said yet in processe of time the inhabitants and especially these Anakims did again seise upon Hebron and possesse it and so were after Joshuas death driven out thence by Caleb for though this be related chap. 15.14 yet that it was not done till after the death of Joshua is evident they say in the first chapter of Judges vers 9. where the same story is again related But because it is evident in the fourteenth chapter of this book vers 12. that Caleb whilest Joshua was yet living desired Hebron and the mountainous countrey about it to be given him for his inheritance as Moses had promised it should be undertaking withall that with Gods help he would drive out the Anakims thence Give me saith he this mountain c. If so be the Lord will be with me then I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said nor is it probable that ever the Lord suffered the Canaanites to recover one foot of that land out of which Joshua had expelled them till after the death of Joshua when by their sinnes they provoked the Lord against them nor that the valourous Caleb would suffer the Canaanites to roost so long in that place which was given him for his inheritance as till after the death of Joshua therefore I conceive that the truer answer for the resolving of this difficulty is this That it was Caleb that did drive out the Anakims out of the mountains about Hebron as is related chap. 15.14 onely it is here ascribed to Joshua because Joshua was their chief Generall and so it was done under his government and command though it were done by Caleb However the destroying the Anakims throughout the land of Canaan is here particularly recorded that in Gods goodnesse and power in cutting them now off they might see the folly of their forefathers infidelity who were so scared with the sight and report of the formidable stature of these giants that they would not enter the land notwithstanding all that Moses Joshua and Caleb could say to them Vers 22. There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel onely in Gaza in Gath c. These were cities of the Philistims whose land was also within the compasse of the promise made to the Israelites Exod. 23.31 And I will set thy bounds from the red sea even unto the sea of the Philistims though because of their sinnes they prevailed not as yet so farre In these cities there were of these Anakims these giants still remaining many years after for Goliath was of Gath see 1. Sam. 17.4 c. and those foure huge giants mentioned 2. Sam. 21.16 c. were all of the Philistims Vers 23. And Joshua took the whole land according to all that the Lord said unto Moses c. That is he vanquished the whole land before mentionâ—d or he is said to have taken the whole land because he had so far subdued it that none of the inhabitants durst take up arms against them or any way molest them so that they might now peaceably make a division of it amongst the tribes though there were some places which the Canaanites had yet in their possession as is largely expressed in the beginning of the 13. chapter yet they durst not stirre against the Israelites and therefore is that clause added in the last words of this chapter and the land rested from warre CHAP. XII Vers 1. NOw these are the kings of the land which the children of Israel smote c. In this chapter there are briefly presented as it were in a table or map the severall countreyes and kings vanquished by Moses Joshua and the
therefore he must suffer for it yea the father must deliver his own sonne to death this they demanded peremptorily and nothing else would serve their turn wherein we see how God tryed the faith of Gideon in this first act of his obedience to Gods command Vers 31. And Joash said unto all that stood against him Will ye plead for Baal c. It seems that Joash had hitherto himself been a worshiper of Baal either therefore God did now extraordinarily change his mind and move him thus to plead against Baal or else Gideon had acquainted his father with the vision he had seen and so wonne him to approve of his fact and to desire the suppressing of that idol-worship which formerly himself had practised or else being a man indifferent for matters of Religion he sayes this to save his sonne not being very zealous for his idol-god as pretending it a wrong to plead for Baal as if he could not plead for himself Vers 32. Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal saying Let Baal plead against him c. As it were in memorie of this fact and to testifie his resolution to defend him in it For Jerubbaal is by interpretation Let Baal plead for himself In 2. Sam. 11.21 he is called Jerubbesheth Vers 33. Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the East were gathered together and went over and pitched in the valley of Jezreel That is they came over Jordan for they came out of the east and pitched in the valley of Jezreel which was in the tribe of Manasseh Josh 17.16 And the children of Joseph said The hill is not enough for us and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron both they which are of Bethshean and her towns and they who are of the valley of Jezreel and borders upon Issachar Josh 19.18 and not farre therefore from Ophrah where Gideon was there was another Jezreel in the tribe of Judah Josh 15.56 But the city which gave the name to this valley was in the tribe of Manasseh where the kings of Israel had a stately pallace 1. Kings 21.1 And it came to passe after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel hard by the pallace of Ahab king of Samaria Vers 34. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon That is God by his Spirit did work upon him in an unusuall manner by stirring up in him a zealous desire to go against the Midianites and furnished him with all gifts requisite for the service he had called him to and because happely his carriage of himself in the businesse was such that every one might plainly see that it was a Spirit above that of mans that carried him on in this work therefore is it that in the Hebrew the word is clothed But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon And he blew a trumpet and Abiezer was gathered after him That is his own family the Abiezrites who now saw their folly in opposing him in Baals behalf or if not so were at least in their necessity glad to cleave to him Vers 35. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh c. That is both those within and those without Jordan And he sent messengers unto Asher and unto Zebulun and unto Naphtali and they came up to meet them The meaning is that he sent messengers to all the neighbouring tribes except Ephraim which occasioned that quarrell related afterwards in the eight chapter and so from all these tribes there came many in to Gideon for that is the meaning of the last clause And they came up to meet them that is from these tribes there came many to meet and to joyn themselves with those forces he had already gathered Vers 37. Behold I will put a fleece of wooll on the floore c. See the former note vers 13. No doubt Gideon had respect in these two following signes which he desired onely to be assured of Gods will concerning the event of his fighting with the Midianites and happely thereby to encourage his followers and souldiers whom he gathered together yet herein also we have a sweet resemblance of Gods dealing with the Jews first and afterward with the Gentiles the doctrine of salvation and spirit of grace are often in the Scripture compared to a dew distilling down from heaven Deut. 32.2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain my speech shall distill as the dew as the small rain upon the tender herb and as the showers upon the grasse Hos 14.5 I will be as the dew unto Israel he shall grow as the lillie and cast forth his roots as Lebanon A long time the Jews were filled with this dew whilst all the nations of the earth besides were dry and barren Psal 147.19 20. He sheweth his word unto Jacob his Statutes and judgements unto Israel He hath not dealt so with any nation and as for his judgements they have not known them But now since Christs coming this fleece the people of the Jews are become dry whilst all nations of the earth about them are continually watered with this dew of grace Psal 107.33 34 25. He turneth rivers into a wildernesse and the water springs into dry ground A fruitfull land into barrennesse for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein He turneth the wildernesse into a standing water and dry ground into water springs Esa 35.6 7. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart and the tongue of the dumbe sing for in the wildernesse shall waters break out and streams in the desert Esa 43.19 20. Behold I will do a new thing now it shall spring forth Shall ye not know it I will even make a way in the wildernesse and rivers in the desert The beasts of the field shall honour me the Dragons and the Owls because I give waters in the wildernesse and rivers in the desert to give drink to my peopleâ— my chosen CHAP. VII Vers 1. THen Jerubbaal who is Gideon and all the people that were with him rose up early and pitched beside the well of Harod Which signifieth fear probable it is therefore that it was so called from the fear of those cowardly Israelites which here forsook their Captain and brethren Vers 2. The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands lest Israel vaunt themselves c. The whole army that Gideon had gathered when they were all together was but two and thirty thousand and the Midianites on the other side were at least a hundred thirty and five thousand for there were an hundred and twenty thousand of them slain in the first overthrow and the remainder that were left with Zebah and Zalmunna were fifteen thousand chap. 8.10 So that the Midianites were above foure times so many as the Israelites when Gideon had his whole army together Now considering first this great disproportion that was already betwixt the forces of
answered c. and her father his father in law in severall places Why Bethlehem from whence this Levite had his concubine is called Bethlehem-Judah See in the note chap. 17.7 Vers 2. And his concubine plaid the whore against him went away from him unto her fathers house c. It seems upon some discoverie of her whoredome or at least some suspition the Levite had of it there arose some quarrell betwixt him and his concubine and thereupon she left him and went home again to her fathers house who was too ready to entertain her The sad effects that followed upon this Levites taking a concubine makes it manifest that even in those times though it were an ordinary thing amongst all sorts of men even amongst the Levites to have concubines yet God was not pleased with it from the beginning it was not so saith our Saviour Matth. 19.8 Vers 3. And her husband arose and went after her to speak friendly unto her and to bring her again having his servant with him and a couple of asses To wit to carrie their provision and happely that both himself and his concubine if she would return with him might sometimes ease themselves by riding as occasion served Vers 11. Come I pray thee and let us turn in unto this citie of the Jebusites and lodge in it For though the children of Judah had taken from the Jebusites that part of Jebus that is Jerusalem which was in their tribe chap. 1.8 The children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem and had taken it and had smitten it with the edge of the sword yet out of that part which belonged to Benjamin on which side the Levite was now travelling the Jebusites were not wholly expelled chap. 1.21 The children of Benjamin did not drive out the inhabitants of Jerusalem but the Jebusites dwell in Jerusalem with the children of Benjamin unto this day Vers 14. And the sunne went down upon them when they were by Gibeah which belongeth to Benjamin There was a Gibeah in the tribe of Judah Josh 15.57 to distinguish this from that it is here called Gibeah which belongeth to Benjamin and else where Gibeah of Saul 1. Sam. 11.4 it is thought to be the same which Josh 21.17 is called Gebah which was a citie given to tho Priests the sonnes of Aaron Against which it makes nothing that here it is said vers 16. the men of the place were Benjamites for the priests did not dwell alone in such cities though they were the lords and owners of them Vers 15. And they turned aside thither to go in and to lodge in Gibeah Though it were a pious resolution in the Levite rather to chose to lodge in Gibeah then in Jebus and that because Jebus was a citie wherein the idolatrous and uncircumcised Jebusites dwelt yet this proved fatall both to him and his as the best counsell may have the worst successe and that because there is a secret over-ruling hand of God that may by this means bring about what he hath determined for the punishment of some other sinnes which we mind not Vers 16. And behold there came an old man from his work out of the field at even which was also of mount Ephraim Though he were an old man yet he followed his work in the field and that untill the even which is doubtlesse noted to his praise As for that last clause that he was also of mount Ephraim that no doubt is expressed to intimate that this amongst other things made the old man the readier to entertain the Levite when he heard him say vers 18. that he was of mount Ephraim too Vers 18. But I am now going to the house of the Lord. The Tabernacle at this time was in Shiloh Josh 18.1 and Shiloh was in the tribe of Ephraim either therefore there the Levites dwelling was or else he meant first to go to the house of the Lord to do his service there and then afterwards to passe forward on his journey homeward However it is probable that he mentions his going to the house of the Lord that he might know him to be a Levite Vers 22. Behold the men of the city certain sonnes of Belial beset the house round about c. A like fact to this we have formerly related concerning the Sodomites of which see the note Gen. 19.4 as for this term Sonnes of Belial see Deut. 13.13 Vers 24. Behold here is my daughter a mayden and his concubine them I will bring out now c. See the note Gen. 19.8 Vers 25. So the man took his concubine and brought her forth unto them and they knew her c. In the foregoing words it is said that when the old man the Levites host proffered these varlets his daughter a virgin and the Levites concubine thereby to take them off from that unnaturall uncleannesse wherewith they meant to satisfie their lust upon the Levite himself the men would not hearken to him yet when immediately by the Levites means his concubine was indeed brought out unto them and left amongst them they fell upon her and defiled her and that in such an outrageous barbarous manner that she died of it which was doubtlesse because having once an object for their lust in their power they could not forbear and so forgetting their former resolutions they laid hold on her and abused her in a most inhumane and execrable manner Vers 26. Then came the woman in the dawning of the day and fell down at the doore of the mans house c. That is she fell down dead at the doore of the mans house and there lay till break of day when her husband going forth to see what was become of her found her dead and thus though her husband had pardoned her whoredome yet God punished it and that too with her own sinne adulterie was her sinne and adulterie was her death she had dealt treacherously against her husband one would not satisfie her but she exposed her self to the lust of a stranger and now she was abused to death by the lusts of so many barbarous wretches whom she knew not that by so abusing her they murdered her Vers 27. And her hands were upon the threshold This is added to implie the reason of that which follows why the Levite spake to her to rise vers 28. And he said unto her Vp let us be going to wit because she lay in such a manner her hands laid upon the threshold under her head as if she had been asleep Vers 29. He took a knife and laid hold on his concubine and divided her together with her bones into twelve pieces and sent her into all the coasts of Israel That is to each of the twelve tribes a piece for to the tribe of Levi that was dispersed through all the land there was none sent and this was done that the fight of her dead limbs might affect them the more and stirre them up to be the more zealous for the punishment
or else they were not seen without that is the staves were drawn out so little that in the most holy place they might be discerned or happely at the very doore where they went out of the most holy place into the Temple but further out in the Temple they could not be discerned Vers 9. There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone For though the pot of Manna Exod. 16.34 and Aarons rod Numb 17.10 and the book of the Law Deut. 31.26 were laid up before the ark yet they were not put into the ark as were the two tables of stone and accordingly we must understand that place Heb. 9.3 4. And after the second vail the tabernacle which is called the holiest of all Which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold wherein was the golden pot that had Manna and Aarons rod that budded and the tables of the covenant Vers 10. And it came to passe when the priests were come out of the holy place that the cloud filled the house of the Lord. When the priests had set the ark in his place and were come out immediately there were an hundred and twenty priests with trumpets and the Levite-singers standing at the east end of the altar with their Cymballs Psalteries and Harps appointed to sound forth the praises of God and whilest they were thus employed suddenly the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud so that the priests were not able to minister no not in the court where the brasen altar stood for thus it is expressed 2. Chron. 5.11 c. Vers 12. Then spake Solomon The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darknesse Solomon standing where he saw how on a sudden the house was filled with a cloud to wit upon the brasen scaffold that was built for him in the outward court which was therefore it seems right before the door of the priests court through which he might look 2 Chron. 6.13 For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold of five cubits long and five cubits broad and three cubits high and had set it in the midst of the court and upon it he stood c. apprehending rightly that it was sent of God as a signe of his presence in that rapture of his joy he brake forth into these following words the Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darknesse c. that is the Lord hath said he would appear in a cloud Levit. 16.2 I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat and by a cloud he hath usually testified his presence amongst his people as in the leading of the Israelites by a cloud Exod 13.21 in the thick cloud that was upon mount Sinai at the giving of the law Exod. 19 16. in the cloud that covered and filled the tabernacle so soon as it was reared up by Moses Exod. 40.34 and therefore saith Solomon doubtlesse by this cloud the Lord doth shew us that he hath favourably accepted our service in building this house and that he hath taken it to be the settled place wherein he will abide for ever Vers 14. And the king turned his face about and blessed all the congregation of Israel For hitherto he had stood with his face toward the altar observing what was done at the carrying in of the ark Vers 16. Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house c. See this more fully expressed 2. Chron. 6.5 6. Vers 18. Thou didst well that it was in thine heart See the notes 2 Sam. 7.5 6. Vers 22. And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord c. That is having turned himself from the people he stood upon the brasen scaffold with his face toward the altar and then kneeling down upon his knees as is expressed vers 54. and 2. Chron. 6.13 he lift up his hands towards heaven and so prayed unto the Lord. Vers 25. Therefore now Lord God of Israel keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him That is seeing thou hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him in raising me his son up to build a Temple for thee therefore now also keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him saying There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel c. Vers 27. Behold the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee See the note Deut. 10.14 Vers 30. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant and of thy people Israel when they shall pray towards this place Or in this place as it is in the margin even herein as in other things was this Temple a type of Christ As the prayers of Gods people were the more accepted of God when they prayed in the Temple or but with their faces towards the Temple so are now the prayers of Gods righteous servants accepted of God because they are put up in Christs name with an eye of faith fixt upon him as their Mediatour Joh. 14.13 14. Whatsoever ye ask in my name that I will do c. And when thou hearest forgive This clause is added first because pardon of sin is the chief thing to be begged of God in all our prayers for hereby a way is made for the obtaining of other blessings and besides there is no true comfort in obtaining any blessing if our sins should still remain unforgiven and secondly because the best are subject to so many failings in prayer that should not the Lord pardon the sin of their prayers there would be no hope that any prayer of theirs should do them good Vers 31. If any man trespasse against his neighbour and an oath be laid upon him c. That is if a man be charged that he hath trespassed against his neighbour and be brought before the altar to clear himself by oath as in case where sufficient proof and witnesse was wanting they used to do Exod. 22.8.11 Numb 5.12.19 do thou accordingly deal with the man that takes the oath punishing him if he be faulty and acquitting him if he be innocent Vers 33. When thy people Israel be smitten and shall turn again to thee and confesse thy name c. To wit thy Justice by laying all the blame upon themselves acknowledging that they have deservedly suffered and thy mercy and power by seeking to thee for pardon and succour Vers 34. And bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers This may be meant either of those that were taken prisoners in battel to wit that upon the prayers of their brethren in the Temple or their own prayers towards the Temple the Lord would be pleased to bring them again into the land or else of those that by the enemy should be driven out of their dwelling places yet not out of the land of Canaan to
citie of the Levites in the tribe of Ephraim Josh 21.21 22. Vers 18. And Baalath and Tadmor in the wildernesse in the land Baalath was a citie in the tribe of Dan Josh 19.40.44 as for that last clause of this verse in the land it may have relation to Tadmor alone to imply that it was in the land of Israel though in the utmost coasts thereof or else to all the towns and cities before mentioned and is added to shew that besides what Solomon built elsewhere all these before mentioned he built or repaired in the land of Canaan Vers 19. And that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon To wit in the place where the house of Lebanon stood or else in the mountain of Lebanon which was on the north bounds of the land of Canaan for there he might build certain forts or towns though the house of Lebanon were built not far from Jerusalem of which see the note chap. 7.2 Vers 21. Whom the children of Israel were not able utterly to destroy See the note Josh 15.63 Upon those did Solomon levie a tribute of bond-service unto this day That is not onely of money but also of personall service and that in more servile imployments then he would impose upon the Israelites fitter for bondmen then for free men as we may see 2 Chron. 2.18 and hence it was that the posteritie of these strangers were called Solomons servants Ezra 2.55 58. nor is it necessary that we should think that this was a transgression of that law Deut. 7.2 And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee thou shalt smite them and utterly destroy them thou shalt make no covenant with them nor shew mercy to them since that may be meant onely of the inhabitants that were in the land at their entring first into it not of their posteritie especially if the Israelites had made peace with them and much more if they had embraced the true religion Vers 23. These were the chief of the officers that were over Solomons work five hundred and fifty c. In the fifth chapter of this book and the sixteenth verse we reade of a far greater number to wit of three thousand and three hundred but there the storie speaks of those chief officers which were over the work in mount Lebanon where the materials were prepared for the building of the Temple and here it speaks onely of those chief officers that had the oversight of those that were imployed at home in building the greater difficultie is how to reconcile this place with that in the 2 Chron. 8.10 where it is said that the chief of King Solomons officers were but two hundred and fifty men but to this three answers may be given first that there the number of Solomons chief officers of state is expressed that bare rule over the people not as here of those that were imployed about his buildings or secondly there only those officers were numbred which were to take account of the builders and had the chief command over the work but that here the master builders that had the charge to oversee the rest and give direction for the building which were three hundred are also comprehended or thirdly though there were five hundred chief officers and fifty in a higher rank above them which were over the five hundred all which are here together numbred yet those five hundred did execute their places by turns two hundred and fifty at a time and that therefore there are but two hundred and fifty mentioned 2 Chron. 8.10 Vers 25. And three times in the yeare did Solomon offer burnt offerings c. That is at the three great feasts the feast of unleavened bread the feast of Pentecost and the feast of Tabernacles but under these by a Synechdoche all other parts of Gods worship required by the law are comprehended and therefore in 2 Chron. 8.13 there is mention made also of the daily sacrifices and of the sacrifices on the Sabbaths and on the new moons So he finished the house c. That is having finished the building of the house he imployed it in those services for which it was appointed and therefore 2 Chron. 8.14 it is also added that he appointed the priests and Levites to their severall charges in their courses according to the order which David by direction from the Lord had ordained Vers 26. And king Solomon made a navie of ships in Ezion-geber c. Though this be here first related yet evident it is that this navie was sent forth before the Temple was built because of the Almug-trees brought home by this navie And the king made of the Almug-trees pillars and terrises for the house of the Lord and harps and psalteries for singers chap. 10.12 and 2 Chron. 9.10.11 How Jehoshaphat attempted to enrich himself by sending out a navie after the same manner as Solomon had done before him and how he sped we may read Chap. 22.48 Vers 27. And Hiram sent in the navie his servants c. To wit because the Tyrians that were under Hirams government were always held the most expert sea-men neither did Hiram onely afford him mariners but was also at cost to build certain ships in Ezion-geber where Solomons navie was built that should go along in that voyage with the ships of Solomon for that must needs be the meaning of that place 2 Chron. 8.18 And Hiram sent by the hands of his servants ships and servants that had knowledge of the sea and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir and that because Hiram could not send ships ready built from Tyre which was in the midland sea to Ezion-geber which was in the red sea without fetching an infinite great compasse by sea which hath no appearance of likelyhood in it Vers 28. And they came to Ophir and fet from thence gold foure hundred and twenty talents c. Ophir is thought to be in the east Indies for thither indeed they might most easily fail from Ezion-geber which was in the red sea and whereas in 2 Chron. 8.18 we read of foure hundred and fifty talents it seems that thereof thirty talents went in expence for the charges of the fleet and for the wages of the men or it was the return of the adventure of some private persons and onely foure hundred and twenty as here came clear to the king CHAP. X. Vers 1. THe Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord. Sheba was a countrey that lay southward and far remote from Jerusalem Jer. 6.20 To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba and the sweet cane from a farre countrey and thence this Queen is called by our Saviour the Queen of the south Matth. 12.42 and is said to have come from the utmost parts of the earth to heare the wisedome of Solomon some conceive it to have been in Ethiopia others more probably in Arabia the happie however both her
Vers 4. Eleazar begat Phinehas Phinehas begat Abishua c. Eleazar succeeded his father Aaron in the high priesthood in the fourtieth yeare after their coming out of Egypt Numb 20.25 c. and 33.18 and was high priest all the time of Joshua and died immediately after him as may seem by the relation of their deaths together Josh 24.29 33. Phinehas his sonne that succeeded him was he that slew Zimri and Cozbi in the wildernesse and had thereupon a promise from God that the high priesthood should be settled upon him and his seed for ever see Numb 25.7 13. He succeeded his father Eleazar about the death of Joshua Josh 24.29 33. How long he lived high priest it is no where expressed but probable it is he was high priest all the time that the people served the Lord after Joshuahs death in the dayes of the elders that out-lived Joshua Judg. 2.7 and perhaps in the time of the first revolting of the people in the time of the Judges which must needs then be a matter of much grief to a man of such zeal as he was for it is evident that when the Israelites made warre against Benjamin he was high priest Josh 20.28 And Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar the sonne of Aaron stood before it in those dayes As for the next three that follow Abishau Bukki his sonne and Vzzi his sonne they were it seems high priests in those corruptest times of Israel under the Judges whereto agrees that which is by some said that in the dayes of Uzzi it was that Eli and so his posterity after him got the high priests office not being of Eleazars stock but of the stock of Ithamar and if so it were then the foure next following of the stock of Eleazar were never high priests to wit Zerahiah and Meraioth and Amariah and Ahitub but Zadok the sonne of Ahitub vers 8. was the first that recovered that dignity again which was in the dayes of Solomon who thrust out Abiathar of the posterity of Eli and of the stock of Ithamar from being high priest and put Zadok the sonne of Ahitub in his room 1. Kings 2.27 35. Vers 10. And Johanan begat Azariah he it is that executed the priests office in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem That is this is that Azariah of whom such honourable mention is made in the book of the Chronicles 2. Chron. 26.16 c. who did so worthily execute maintain the honour and office of the priesthood against the intrusion and usurpation of Uzziah the king of Judah and it is expressely noted that it was in the temple which Solomon built in Jerusalem because at the time when this was written there was another Temple in Jerusalem built by Zerub-babel Yet some understand these words of Johanan the father of Azariah that he was that Jehoiada that was high priest in the dayes of Athaliah by whom both the Temple and Common-wealth were preserved when they were in danger to be ruined by her Vers 13. And Shallum begat Hilâ—iah Who found the book of the Law in the dayes of Josiah 2. Kings 22.8 Vers 14. And Azariah begat Seraiah c. Seraiah was the high priest whom Nebuchadnezzar slew see 2. Kings 25.18 21. He was also the father or grand-father of Ezra Ezra 7.1 Now after these things in the reigne of Artaxerxes king of Persia Ezra the sonne of Seraiah the sonne of Azariah the sonne of Hilkiah c. and then Jehozadak his sonne was the father of Josuah who was so famous at the return of the Jews and the rebuilding of the Temple Hag. 1.1 In the second yeare of Darius the king in the sixth moneth in the first day of the moneth came the word of the Lord by Haggai the Prophet unto Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel governour of Judah and to Josuah the sonne of Josedech the high priest Vers 19. And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers That is of these before named were the severall families of the Levites called to wit the family of the Libnites c. Vers 20. Of Gershom Libni his sonne Jahath his sonne Zimmah his sonne c. Here follows a catalogue of those that were successively the Heads both of the Gershonites Kohathites and Merarites perhaps unto the dayes of David who did dispose of the Levites into new orders and whereas Zimmah is here said to be the sonne of Jahath thereby is meant that he was his grandchild for Shimei was the sonne of Jahath and Zimmah the sonne of Shimei vers 42 43. Vers 25. And the sonnes of Elkanah Amasai and Ahimoth The sonnes of Elkanah are here more particularly expressed because from him descended that Elkanah who was the father of Samuel Vers 26. As for Elkanah the sonnes of Elkanah Zophai his sonne c. This is another Elkanah who was the sonne of Mahath and grandchild of Amasai mentioned in the former verse as is evident vers 35 36. Vers 27. Jeroham his sonne Elkanah his sonne The father of Samuel Vers 31. And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the Lord c. That is these are they that David made chief in the three quires of singers after the Ark had rest that is after it was brought to Davids house for before it was removed from one place to another to wit these mentioned in the sequel of this chapter Heman of the Kohathites ver 33. who was the chief and therefore had the middle quire and Asaph who stood on Hemans right hand v. 39. and was of the Gershonites and Ethan who was also called Jeduthun chap. 25.1 and was of the Merarites and stood on Hemans left hand ver 44. These were in their times famous men as being the chief singers and withall Prophets and pen-men of some of the Psalmes 2. Chron. 29.30 Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer Vers 33. Heman a singer the sonne of Joel the sonne of Shemuel That is Samuel for Heman was Samuels grandchild Vers 50. And these are the sonnes of Aaron Eleazar his sonne Phinehas his sonne c. By occasion of the mention that is made of the severall offices and imployments of the priests in the foregoing verse the catalogue of the sonnes of Eleazar is here again set down unto the dayes of David by whom the priests were divided into foure severall orders Vers 57. And to the sonnes of Aaron they gave the cities of Judah c. And Simeon Josh 21.9 And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon these cities which are here mentioned by name Vers 60. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities To wit the eleven here mentioned and Ain in Judahs portion and Gibeon in Benjamins which are reckoned amongst the rest Josh 21.16 17. but
are not here mentioned Vers 61. And unto the sonnes of Kohath which were left of the family of that tribe were cities given out of the half tribe c. That is to the rest of the sonnes of Kohath to wit those that were not of the priests the sonnes of Aaron there were cities given out of the half tribe of Manasseh that was placed within Jordan yea and by lot there were given them in all ten cities to wit foure out of the tribe of Ephraim and foure out of the tribe of Dan and two out of the half tribe of Manasseh most of which are expressed by name vers 67 c. and more fully Josh 21.21 Vers 65. And they gave by lot these cities which are called by their names To wit above ver 57 c. Vers 66. And the residue of the families of the sonnes of Kohath had cities c. Here the cities that were given to the rest of the Kohathites are expressed also by name which were before spoken of ver 61. as they are also Josh 21.20 though indeed many of the names there and here differ concerning which see the notes there Vers 69. And Aijalon with her suburbs c. These were given them out of the tribe of Dan as also Eltekeh and Gibbethon which are not here mentioned Josh 21.23 24. CHAP. VII Vers 1. NOw the sonnes of Issachar were Tola and Puah Jashub c. This Puah and Jashub we called Phuvah and Job Gen. 46.13 Having before set down the genealogies of Reuben Simeon Levi and Judah Issachars is next here related because Issachar was Jacobs next sonne by Leah Vers 2. Whose number was in the dayes of David two and twenty thousand and six hundred To wit when he appointed Joab to number the people 2. Sam. 24.1 Vers 3. And the sonnes of Uzzi Izrahiah and the sonnes of Izrahiah Michael and Obadiah and Joel Ishiah five That is there were five descended of Uzzi to wit Izrahiah and his foure sonnes Vers 4. And with them by their generations after the house of their fathers were bands of souldiers c. Hereby it is evident that there were six and thirty thousand men of the posterity of Uzzi alone so that the two and twenty thousand six hundred mentioned before vers 2. was the number of the posterity of Tola by his other sonnes Uzzi being excepted whose posterity are here numbred by themselves as being more then all the rest together Vers 5. And their brethren among all the families of Issachar were men of might c. That is all the children of Issachar together were fourescore and seven thousand men of might when Joab numbred them Vers 6. The sonnes of Benjamin Bela and Becher and Jodiael three Jediael is called Ashbel Gen. 46.21 Zebulun was the sixth sonne of Leah born next after Issachar but neither Zebuluns nor Dans genealogie is at all here mentioned perhaps because at the return of the people out of Babylon when it is thought that Ezra wrote this book their genealogies were not found Benjamins genealogy is therefore next inserted who was the sonne of Rachel yet here are but onely three of Benjamins ten sonnes mentioned perhaps because the posterity of these onely were numbred when Joab numbred the people vers 2. Vers 12. Shuppim also and Huppim c. That is these also were of Benjamins posterity Vers 13. The sonnes of Naphtali Jahziel and Guni and Jezer and Shallum the sonnes of Bilhah That is the grand-children for Bilhah Rachels handmaid was the mother of Naphtali whose sonnes these were Vers 14. The sonnes of Manasseh Ashriel whom she bare c. There was an Ashriel that was the sonne or one of the posterity of Gilead Numb 26.30 31. These are the sonnes of Gilead of Jeezer the family of the Jeezerites of Helek the family of the Helekites And of Asriel the family of the Asrielites and of Shechem the family of the Shechemites either therefore this was another Ashriel the immediate sonne of Manasseh by his wife whereas Machir was Manassehs sonne by his concubine the Aramitesse or else Ashriel is here reckoned onely as one of the posterity of Manasseh whom she bare that is either the wife of Gilead or the wife of Hepher the mother of Zelophehad and thence it follows vers 15. that Zelophehad who was the sonne of Hepher the sonne of Gilead Num. 27.1 was the second that is the second sonne of Hepher the younger brother of Ashriel And if we thus take Ashriel for one of the posterity of Gilead the sonne of Machir then we must understand that the following words But his concubine the Aramitesse bare Machir c. are onely added to shew that this Ashriel and the rest afterward mentioned were not the posterity of Manasseh by his wife but by his concubine the Aramitesse Vers 17. These were the sonnes of Gilead c. To wit Ashriel and Zelophehad above mentioned but not Peresh and Sheresh and his posteritie the last here mentioned for they were the sonnes of Machir by Maachah and so the brethren of Gilead Vers 18. And his sister Hammoleketh bare Ishhad c. That is Gileads sister Vers 19. And the sonnes of Shemida were Ahian c. And Shemida was also the sonne or of the stock of Gilead see Numb 26.30 32. Vers 21. Whom the men of Gath that were born in that land slew c. Either this must be referred to all those before named vers 20. the sonnes of Ephraim Shuthelah and Bered his sonne and Tahath his sonne c. to wit as taking them all to be the severall sonnes of Ephraim namely that Shuthelah vers 20. was the sonne of Ephraim and so also Bered who seems to be mentioned as the sonne of Shuthelah was another sonne of Ephraim and Tahath another and so on forward who were all slain by the men of Gath when the Israelites were in Egypt or else if this seems not so probable because then Ephraim should have two sonnes called Shuthelah and two called Tahath then though those in the twentieth verse be taken as severall generations to wit that Shuthelah was the sonne of Ephraim and Bered his grandchild and Tahath his grandchild and so forward yet Zabad the first mentioned vers 21. must be reckoned another sonne of Ephraim and Shuthelah and Ezer and Elead his grandchildren whom the men of Gath slew or thirdly if all those before mentioned be reckoned as severall succeeding generations to wit that Shuthelah the sonne of Ephraim begat Bered and Bered Tahath and Tahath Eladah and Eladah Tahath and Tahath Zabad and Zabad Shuthelah and Ezer and Elead then the words whom the men of Gath slew c. must be referred onely to some of the former of these here mentioned or fourthly that which follows vers 22. And Ephraim their father mourned many dayes and his brethren came to comfort him must be meant of Zabad who was called also Ephraim perhaps onely because he was the head of that tribe
many are not since they are all my lords servants and ready alwayes to be employed in thy service Vers 4. Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem To wit after nine moneths and twenty dayes 2. Sam. 24.8 Vers 5. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand c. See 2. Sam. 24.9 Vers 6. But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them for the kings word was abominable to Joab That is because what Joab did in this businesse he did it altogether against his mind and in a manner was forced to do it therefore these two tribes he left unnumbred emboldened herein by the pretences he might make for it as for Levi that the enquiry being onely to know the numbers of those that were fit for warre there was no need of taking the number of that tribe and for Benjamin Jerusalem being the chief citie of that tribe the number of them might be taken there and that afterward at more leasure as likewise because the plague was begun c. 27.24 Vers 7. And God was displeased with this thing therefore he smote Israel Concerning these following passages unto the 18. verse see the notes 2. Sam. 24.10 c. Vers 18. Set up an altar unto the Lord in the threshing floore of Ornan the Jebusite See 2. Sam. 24.17 and thus the Lord did both begin the discovery of his purpose to David that this was the place wherein he would have the Temple built see chap. 22.1 and also brought the people to make the more precious account and the more reverently to esteem of that place by causing that sacrifice to be offered there whereby this grievous plague was stayed in which so many thousands in so short a time had been taken away yea happely at this very time the Lord made known to David by Gad that in that place the Temple should be built which seems the more probable because David would needs purchase the threshing floore of Ornan which he needed not have done if he had not intended to set it apart for Gods service in future times also Vers 25. So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight See 2. Sam. 24.24 Vers 26. And he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt-offering A signe both of Gods accepting of his sacrifice and granting his desire for the staying of the plague and likewise of his purpose to have that place set apart for the building of the Temple Vers 30. But David could not go before it to enquire of God c. This is added to shew the reason both why David did not of himself go presently to Gibeon when he saw the Angel of the Lord stand with a drawn sword threatning Jerusalem that there he might offer up sacrifices to appease his wrath but onely fell down and praied unto him and also why the Lord did not send him to Gibeon to sacrifice when he meant to accept a sacrifice for the staying of the plague Concerning which see the notes 1. Sam. 24.18 CHAP. XXII Vers 1. THen David said This is the house of our Lord God and this is the altar c. That is this is the place of which God spake long since by his servant Moses where he intended to have a house built which must be the settled place of his worship and service and where there must be an altar instead of this I have now set up wherein onely they must offer up sacrifices unto him Deut. 12.11 There shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there thither shall you bring all that I command you your burnt offerings and your sacrifices c. And this David knew either by the discovery of the prophet Gad who happely acquainted him with Gods purpose herein or else thorough the speciall instinct of Gods spirit himself gathered so much from Gods sending him to sacrifice there and from Gods miraculous testifying his acceptance of the service there done him by sending fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice chap. 21.26 28. Vers 2. And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel and he set Masons to hew c. And the building of the Temple by the help of strangers was a notable type of the calling of the Gentiles As for David that set them on work he had received from God the pattern whereby the Temple was to be built and every part thereof chap. 28.11 12 19. and accordingly therefore he prepared many materials and set these workmen on work about them to which Solomon afterward added what was not done when he came to enter upon the work 1. Kings 5.17 18. Vers 3. And brasse in abundance without weight So much that they weighed it not it would have been too great a trouble and charge to receive it in and deliver it out by weight Vers 5. And David said Solomon my sonne is young and tender c. See 1. Kings 3.7 Vers 8. Thou hast shed bloud abundantly and hast made great warres thou shalt not build an house unto my name c. Because the Temple was to be a type of Christ and of the Church and Christ is the king of peace Heb. 7.2 and the Church was to be gathered not by warre and bloud-shedding but by the preaching of the Gospel the tydings of peace therefore the Lord would not have the Temple built by David but by Solomon who was a peacable prince this is doubtlesse the principall ground of this reason given why David might not build the Temple as is evident because there is mention of the warres of David in the prosecution whereof David did God good service yet withall because David was the cause of shedding the bloud of Urijah and those that were slain with him the Lord might also have respect to that and by way of correction for it to shew how displeasing it was to him might take in that amongst the reasons why David might not have the honour to build the Temple Vers 10. He shall build an house for my name c. See the notes upon 2. Sam. 7.13 14. And I will establish the throne of his kingdome over Israel for ever A great question may be made how this promise made to David concerning his sonne Solomon was accomplished in Solomons posterity especially if we hold that which many eminent Divines do with much earnestnesse maintain namely that Christ was not the sonne of David by Solomon but by Nathan It is most probable that none of the posterity of Solomon did ever sit in the throne of David after Zedekiah was carried captive into Babylon nor yet ever had the supreme power of government after they returned from Babylon again now therefore if this promise were not made good in the eternity of Christs kingdome then it seems it was not made good at all but to this I answer First that by the
judgements he should be able readily to judge as it was in that Law determined and in all other things to order himself according to the directions which were there given Vers 11. Prepare you victuals for within three dayes you shall passe over Jordan For though as yet they had that manna from heaven yet where other meat might be had they were not debarred the eating of it See Deut. 2.6 Now though the story of the spies that were sent to view Jericho be related in the following chapter yet doubtlesse this charge given by the Officers to the people for preparing victualls for themselves against they were to passe over Jordan was given them after they were returned from Jericho For this charge was given but three dayes before they were to go over Jordan and the spies stayed three daies in the mountains for fear of those that pursued them as they returned from Jericho chap. 2.22 Vers 14. But ye shall passe before your brethren armed all the mighty men of valour That is you shall passe over Jordan together with your brethren and all that passe over shall be mighty men of valour or of the prime choice of your armies for that Joshua left garrisons in every city of these tribes for the guard of those they left behind them is evident See Numb 32.21 Vers 17. According as we hearkned to Moses in all things so will we hearken unto thee That is as we acknowledged Moses and obeyed him as our supreme Magistrate so will we likewise obey thee Nor need we wonder that they should thus expresse themselves because of the frequent rebellion of this people against Moses For first that mutinous generation were all destroyed in the wildernesse and it was their posterity that had been more obsequious to Moses that made this promise And secondly even the people formerly had ordinarily yielded obedience to Moses though now and then they brake into rebellion against him Onely the Lord thy God be with thee as he was with Moses That is the Lord prosper thee in all thy proceedings and attempts as he prospered Moses and this they adde either onely by occasion of the mention they had made of Moses in the former words the high precious esteem they alwayes had of him causing them thus abruptly to break forth into this wish or prayer That the Lord would be with him as he was with Moses or else to intimate an acknowledgment that however they would be ready to go over with their brethren and aid them against the inhabitans of Canaan yet it was not so much their help as the Lords help that must make them victorious We will say they passe over Jordan and do in all things what thou shalt enjoyn us onely the Lord that wrought so great things for us under the government of Moses afford us the same assistance and favour under thy government too CHAP. II. Vers 1. ANd Joshua the sonne of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spie secretly saying Go view the land even Jericho That is the citie of Jericho and the land about it This Joshua did before he gave that charge to the people which is related in the former chapter vers 10. though it be here inserted after it as is there noted Considering what a mischief formerly followed upon Moses his sending forth of spies to search the land Deut. 1.27 28. it may seem strange that Joshua durst take this course again but therefore it is most probable that Joshua did not this without some speciall direction from God and then no wonder it is though this succeeded well when that did not for that proceeded first from a motion made by the people out of some secret fear and distrust as is noted upon Numb 13.2 but here now the people had no hand in it and therefore there were not now twelve chief men chosen for this service out of all the tribes as there were then but Joshua onely chose two men whom he knew able and fit for this imployment and these two he sent away secretly without the knowledge of the people for that I conceive is implyed in this word secretly not onely that they were ordered to carry themselves closely and cunningly perhaps in some disguise that they might not be discovered which all spies are wont to do but also that they were sent away privily without any knowledge of the people that so the businesse might be carried the more covertly and therefore we see also that when these spies returned they gave an account of what they had done onely to Joshua vers 23 24. whenas those that Moses sent returned their answer to all the Congregation Numb 13.26 However if Joshua had not a speciall direction from God for the doing of this yet doubtlesse he did it not out of any secret distrust or fear but out of a necessary providence that became a Generall that he might the better know what course to take when they were gotten over into Canaan For though God had assured him that he should drive out the inhabitants of the land yet he knew that God expected that he should use all requisite means that might conduce thereto and therefore intending first to attempt Jericho which was the nearest city of note to the river Jordan he sent spies thither to view the city and land about it to see how it was fortified of what strength and courage the people were what preparations the inhabitants had made to resist them and which way they might best passe into the city And they went and came into an harlots house named Rahab c. In passing from Shittim to Jericho they must needs passe over Jordan which they might do by those foords mentioned vers 7. And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the foords and again Judg. 3.28 As for their taking up their lodging in Rahabs house when they came to Jericho this they did either because in her house built upon the town wall vers 15. they might the more conveniently view the fortifications and strength of the city or because in such an obscure corner they might be the better concealed and were not so likely to be discovered or because thence they might most conveniently slip away if they should be discovered The Hebrew word here translated an harlot is by some translated an hostesse or victualler but every where else signifieth an harlot and is so here taken by the Apostles testimony Heb. 11.31 By faith the Harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not James 2.25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works whence it was perhaps that vers 13. amongst those whose lives she pleads for there is no mention neither of husband nor children though she lived in a house apart from her father yet was this woman by the speciall grace of God not onely wonne to embrace the faith of Israel and to joyn her self to Gods people but besides after her conversion she was married
Jordan is described which was by Moses given to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the one half tribe of Manasseh and then afterwards is shown what each of them had severally Vers 11. And Gilead and the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites Even the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites are here mentioned as a part of the land without Jordan belonging to the two tribes and a half planted there because Moses had indeed given them their countrey together with the rest though as yet they had it not in their possession as is afterwards expressed verse 13. Vers 12. For these did Moses smite and cast them out To wit Sihon and Og before mentioned and their people For this cannot be referred to all the inhabitants of the land before named because it is expressely said in the following verse that the Geshurites and the Maachathites were not cast out Vers 13. Neverthelesse the children of Israel expelled not the Geshurites c. Though the land without Jordan was vanquished whilest Moses was yet living yet they did not then drive out these Geshurites Maachathites who inhabited the outmost skirts of the countrey to wit because having in their possession enough for the present use of the two tribes and a half that were planted there it was not judged requisite to delay their passing over Jordan till they had fully cleared all the utmost corners of that land Neither was it therefore any sinne in Moses and the Israelites thus at first to forbear a while the casting out of these people But yet when in after times they continued still to suffer them to roost amongst them that was an act of base sloth and is noted doubtlesse in the last words of this verse to their just reproch the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites untill this day Vers 14. Onely unto the tribe of Levi he gave none inheritance This which is in so many places repeated is here inserted to shew the reason of that verse 7. why God enjoyned Joshua to divide the land within Jordan unto the nine tribes and the half of Manasseh to wit because the tribe of Levi was to have no part of the land for had they been to have had a share too there would have been still ten tribes and a half to provide for Vers 15. And Moses gave unto the tribe of the children of Reuben inheritance according to their families That is proportionably according to the number of their families Now the bounds of each tribe are thus exactly set down to prevent all discord and division for the time to come Vers 16. And their coast was from Aroer c. That is it reached from Aroer exclusively Aroer indeed belonged to the tribe of Gad Num. 32.34 And the children of Gad built Dibon and Ataroth and Aroer So that the city of Aroer and the outsides of the plains of Medeba for the plain it self was a part of Reubens possession are here made the bounds for this tribe Vers 17. Heshbon and all her cities that are in the plain of Dibon c. This town is reckoned amongst Reubens possessions Num. 32.37 And the children of Reuben built Heshbon yet Josh 21.39 and 1. Chron. 6.81 it is reckoned amongst the cities of Gad given to the Levites The next city Dibon is indeed reckoned amongst the cities of Gad Num. 32.34 And the children of Gad built Dibon but the reason of this is because they stood in the confines of both tribes and so were in common inhabited by both Vers 21. And all the kingdome of Sihon king of the Amorites which reigned in Heshbon That is and all the kingdome of Sihon in those parts within the bounds before mentioned for it is expressely said verse 27. that the rest of the kingdome of Sihon king of Heshon was given to Gad. And this seems added partly to imply that though some of these cities had been the Moabites yet at that time they were Sihons and so according to Gods commandment they meddled not with the Ammonites and Moabites countrey Whom Moses smote with the princes of Midian Evi and Rekem c. These five princes of Midian were not slain at the same time and in the same battell wherein Sihon was slain at Jahaz Numb 21.23 24. but long after by a party that were purposely sent out by Moses against the Medianites Numb 31.8 and therefore it is very probably conceived by Expositours that the reason why the death of Sihon these princes is mentioned here together is because these princes though they were princes of Midian yet withall were as it follows here in the next words Dukes of Sihon dwelling in the countrey to wit in the countrey of the Amorites where Sihon reigned and so aided him in his warre against the Israelites and however they were not slain then together with Sihon but escaped away into the land of Midian and Sihon being now dead took upon them the power and title of kings for so they are therefore called Numb 31.8 in some cities of Midian that were happely before tributary to Sihon yet afterward in another expedition of the Israelites which they undertook by the direction of Moses against the Midianites they were slain as Sihon their Lord was before in a former battell and so the cutting off both of Sihon and these his vassals is here mentioned together Some Expositours do indeed otherwise conceive of that last clause Which were Dukes of Sihon dwelling in the countrey to wit that though they were the vassals of Sihon yet they were native Midianites and such as dwelt in that countrey and so were the more zealous for the defence of their countrey against the Israelites and so the slaying of Sihon and these princes of Midian is here mentioned together onely because both the one and the other were slain by the Israelites and much about the same time but that where the text is discribing the countrey of Sihon it should be said of these princes that they were Dukes of Sihon dwelling in the countrey meaning thereby the countrey of Midian may be justly thought somewhat improbable and therefore the first Exposition seems to me the best Vers 22. Balaam also the sonne of Beor the Soothsayer did the children of Israel slay c. See the note upon Numb 24.25 Vers 23. And the border of the children of Reuben was Jordan and the border thereof That is the banks or border or coasts of Jordan all along was the border to wit the western border of Reuben Vers 25. And their coast was Jasher and all the cities of Giliad That is all the cities of Gilead within the bounds afterward mentioned for half Gilead was given to the tribe of Manasseh vers 31. And half the land of the children of Ammon c. Which it seems Sihon had taken away from the Ammonites as he had also encroched upon the Moabites countrey Numb 21.26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites who
one having the names of the tribes that were to have their portion of the land assigned the other just so many lots in each of which such and such a part of the land was described and that some man appointed to that service happely Eleazar the high priest drew out of one pot one of the tribes and then out of the other pot one of the lots there and so then that tribe had their portion assigned them in that part of the land described and set forth in that lot and so accordingly with the rest And indeed though this be not expressed thus any where in the Scripture yet the phrase that is often used in the following chapters that such a lot came out such a lot came up may seem covertly to imply so much as chap. 19. v. 1.10 17 c. Some indeed hold that there was but one pot wherein there was so many lots as there were tribes that were to have their inheritance in the land within Jordan each lot having a severall portion of land described and set out therein and that there was a lot drawn for each tribe in their severall order as first there was a lot drawn for the tribe of Judah as is here said because that tribe had the chief Prerogative of the first-born conferred upon them in stead of Reuben and secondly there was lots drawn for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh that were descended of Joseph chap. 16.1 and that because they had also some part of the dignity of Reubens primogeniture or birthright of the first-born conferred upon them and so successively in the rest But I see not how this can so well stand with the expressions which the Scripture useth concerning the lots for those phrases which are used chap. 19. The second lot came forth to Simeon verse 1. and the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun vers 10. and the fourth lot came out to Issachar verse 17 c. do methinks very probably intimate that it was not by appointment but by lot also that such a tribe had the first lot and such a tribe the second c. even as the lots wherein their names were written came first to hand and surely herein the hand of God in ordering the lots was the more evident and wonderfull as for instance That Judahs lot should come out first and then that his lot should fall in the richest and best part of the kingdome how apparently were the people herein taught to take notice of the purpose of God in exalting this tribe above the rest As for the dividing of the land in severall lots it may be questioned whether there were not now at the first certain men sent out to view the land that they might the better know how to divide it into so many severall lots as they did afterward when after the work had been given over for a time they set upon it again chap. 18.4 5. Give out from among you three men for each tribe and I will send them and they shall rise and go through the land and describe it according to the inheritance of them and they shall come again to me they shall divide it into seven parts c. But because this is so fully expressed there and no mention is made of any such thing here therefore we may rather think that now at first they went not so exactly to work but onely set out to each lot a portion of land as well as they could guesse according to that knowledge they had got of the land by severall inrodes they had made into it till upon the three first lots that were drawn the people began to suspect that Judahs lot being so large there would not be a proportionable share left for the other tribes and so before they would set upon the work again there were certain men sent out purposely to make a more full discovery of the land that they might the more equally set out to each lot a severall share But however here we have the lot of Judah which by the singular providence of God came out first described by the severall bounds thereof as it was in the first division of the lots This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families even to the border of Edom and the last clause even to the border of Edom is added to shew that the description here given us of the bounds of Judahs portion shall begin at the east end of the south coast which was towards the wildernesse of Edom As for the south coast which is here largely described in the foure first verses of the chapter what is to be noted therein you may see Num. 34.3 4 5 c. Vers 5. And the east border was the salt sea even unto the end of Jordan That is their border on the east side was from the place where their south border was drawn vers 1. to wit the wildernesse of Zin all along the salt sea that is the lake of Sodome even unto the place where the river Jordan runnes into this lake And their border in the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the uppermost part of Jordan That is their border on the north side which divided the tribe of Judah from the tribe of Benjamin went from the bay of the dead sea where the river Jordan ran into it and so went up to Beth-hogla and then passed along on the North of Betharabah leaving Betharabah on the South in the lot of Judah verse 61. Indeed chap. 18.22 this city is reckoned amongst Benjamins cities But this is because it stood on the confines of Judah and Benjamin and so is reckoned as many others are to both tribes Vers 6. And the border went up to the stone of Bohan the sonne of Reuben That is Bohan the Reubenite In remembrance of some remarkable passage that concerned this man was this stone set up and called the stone of Bohan Vers 7. The border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor This is not that Debir taken by Othniel verse 17. for that was near Hebron and not so close upon Judahs border And so north-ward looking towards Gilgal that is before the going up to Adummim which is on the south-side of the river That is and so from Debir it turned northward at that place where Gilgal is called Geliloth chap. 18.17 right against Adummim which is on the south-side of the river Kidron so that he who should carry the line should have Gilgal before him north-ward and Adummim behind him on the south-side of the river Vers 8. And the border went up by the valley of the sonne of Hinnom unto the south-side of the Jebusite the same is Jerusalem That is it went from Enrogel or the fullers fountain which was not farre from Jerusalem for Adonijah and his conspiratours being at Enrogel heard the sound of the trumpets and the shouting of the people when Solomon
was anointed king at Jerusalem 1. Kings 1.9 49. by the valley of the sonne of Hinnom unto the south-side of the city Jebus which was afterwards called Jerusalem not the fort of Sion for that was more south-ward in Judahs portion but the city it self which by that means was shut out of Judahs lot and left in the portion of Benjamin see the following note upon verse 63. Vers 9. And the border was drawn to Baalah which is Kirjath-jearim Called Kirjath-baal verse 60. and chap. 18.14 Vers 10. And the border compassed from Baalah west-ward unto mount Seir c. That is having before fetched a compasse north-ward it now turned west-ward unto mount Seir which was not that in the land of Idumea but another of that name Vers 12. And the west-border was to the great sea and the coast thereof See chap. 13.23 Vers 14. And Caleb drove thence the three sonnes of Anak c. That is from the mountains about Hebron See the note upon chap. 11.21 Vers 15. He came up thence to the inhabitants of Debir c. There was a Debir taken before by Joshua chap. 10.38 39. but that which Joshua took I conceive was not this which lay so near to Hebron which Caleb now took but that mentioned above vers 7. in the borders of Judah and much nearer to Jordan whence it is happely that Joshua is said to have taken that in his return towards Gilgal chap. 10.38 and that here this city is expressely said to be that city which was formerly called Kirjath-sepher to distinguish it from Debir taken by Joshua Vers 16. He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher and taketh it to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife That is I will give my consent that he shall have my daughter we cannot hence inferre that he might lawfully force upon his daughter what husband he pleased for this he speaks as taking it for granted that his daughter would be guided by him Vers 17. And Othniel the sonne of Kenaz the brother of Caleb took it This was that Othniel which was afterwards the judge of Israel Judg. 3.9 And when the children of Israel cryed unto the Lord the Lord raysed up a deliverer to the children of Israel who delivered them even Othniel the sonne of Kenaz Calebs younger brother and happely for this exploit he became first famous amongst the Israelites and we may well think that this story is here inserted chiefly for his sake by brother here may be meant kinsman and so be referred to Othniel that he was the brother that is the near kinsman of Caleb but because of that word younger added Judg. 1.13 Othniel the sonne of Kenaz Calebs younger brother and so again Judg. 3.9 I conceive this word brother is to be referred to Kenaz that he was the father of Othniel and the brother of Caleb for though Caleb was the sonne or grandchild of Kenaz and thence called a Kenezite chap. 14.16 yet he might have a Kenaz to his brother too Vers 18. And it came to passe as she came unto him that she moved him to ask of her father a field c. This following passage concerning the enlarging of Achsahs dowry by a portion of land which her father gave her may well be added to shew how Caleb prized Othniel because of this his taking Debir It came to passe saith the text as she came unto him that is as she was going from her fathers to her husbands family she moved him to ask of her father a field that is taking the opportunity of her being now to leave her father for then the affections of fathers are wont to be moved towards their daughters she perswaded her husband to ask a field of her father to wit over and above that which he had already given her as an encrease of her dowry For Caleb had sonnes 1. Chron. 4.15 and in this case it is clear they might not give away any part of their inheritance from their sonnes to their daughters Numb 27.8 9. If a man die and have no sonne then ye shall cause his inheritance to passe unto his daughter And if he have no daughter then ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren and therefore we must know that the land which Caleb had already given his daughter and which she further now desired of him was to be given her onely as a dowry for term of life or till the yeare of Jubile Being it seems not content with that portion of land which her father had already given her vers 19. she moved her husband to ask or for so also the words may be understood she moved her husband that she might ask another field to wit as an enlargement of her dowry And she lighted off her asse and Caleb said unto her What wouldest thou We may two severall wayes understand this which is here said concerning Achsah Calebs daughter that she lighted off her asse for either the meaning may be that when they had set her upon an asse that she might ride home with her husband Othniel to his house she slipped down again as in discontent and seeming to be unwilling to go with her husband to wit because her husband had not as she had moved him desired of her father an enlargement of her dowry and so thereupon her father demanded of her what wouldest thou as perceiving that she was discontented and desirous to know what it was that troubled her Or else that having desired her husband as they were riding away from her fathers house to make sute to her father for another field to be added to what he had already given her when she perceived that he was loth to do it or perswaded her rather to undertake it her self she lighted off her asse as addressing her self to make her request to her father which her father perceiving demanded of her presently what she would have Vers 19. Who answered Give me a blessing for thou hast given me a south land give me also springs of water To intimate that the portion of land which he had given her was dry and not well watered she calls it a south land to wit either because the southern parts of Iudahs portion were dry and barren and hence such lands were called south lands or else because the southern parts of Calebs portion in particular were such And hereupon she desires him to give her also springs of water thereby intending either merely some springs of water which might be conveyed into the south land to make it fruitfull or else some portion of land that was well watered And he gave her the upper springs and the nether springs That is some higher grounds that were well watered and some lower or which tends much to one he gave her some springs or watered grounds on each side the land he had formerly given her for a dowry both above it and below it Vers 21. And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast
of Edom southward were Kabzeel c. It is called Iekabzeel Neh. 11.25 Vers 32. All their cities are twenty nine with their villages There are indeed eight and thirty cities or towns named in the foregoing verses and therefore for the clearing of this some hold that because nine of these were afterwards assigned to the tribe of Simeon therefore it is said here that all the cities of Iudah in those parts were nine and twenty But the better answer I conceive is that nine and twenty of them onely were walled cities the other were the most famous towns and villages in those parts And here in this first catalogue of Iudahs cities in the Southern parts the most noted towns are expressed by name as well as the walled cities that in the following catalogues we may conceive the same to wit that there were many towns of note besides the cities there mentioned though they be not expressed by name as here they are Vers 36. Fourteen cities with their villages There are fifteen named in the foregoing verses either therefore one of them was no citie but some noted town or rather it may be very probably conceived that Gederah and Gederothaim were but one citie and therefore some reade it as it is in the margin of our bibles Gederah or Gederothaim Vers 62. And Nibshan and the citie of salt This citie might have its name The citie of salt from the salt pits that were there and the abundance of salt that was dayly made by the inhabitants of the citie Vers 63. As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem the children of Judah could not drive them out It is a question much argued amongst writers whether Jerusalem stood in Judahs or in Benjamins portion By many places of Scripture it seems evident that it was in Benjamins portion For in the 18. chapter of this book vers 28. it is reckoned amongst the cities that were in Benjamins lot and we see that Moses did before his death prophesie concerning Benjamin that the Temple which was in Jerusalem should be built in Benjamins portion for that is the drift of those words Deut. 33.12 And of Benjamin he said The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him and the Lord shall cover him all the day long and he shall dwell between his shoulders yea and Jer. 6.1 the inhabitants of Jerusalem are expressely called the children of Benjamin O ye children of Benjamin gather your selves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem and Judg. 1.21 the same that is here said of the children of Judah is likewise there said of the children of Benjamin The children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day But now again by other places of Scripture it seems as evident that Jerusalem was in Judahs portion For first mention is here made of it as one of Judahs cities The Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day and secondly Jerusalem is said to have been taken by the children of Judah Judg. 1.8 and thirdly it is reckoned as the great priviledge of the children of Judah that the Lord in his Temple dwelt amongst them Psal 78.67 68 69. Moreover he refused the Tabernacle of Joseph and chose not the tribe of Ephraim but chose the tribe of Judah the mount Sion which he loved and he built his Sanctuary like high places c. but the truth herein is that Jerusalem stood in the border of these two tribes and so was part in Judahs and part in Benjamins portion and therefore the places of Scripture before cited do not any way contradict one another the fort of Sion and some of the south skirts of the city were in Judahs portion but the greatest part of the city in Benjamins and therefore it may well be that when they went about to expell the Jebusites that dwelt there both Iudah and Benjamin joyned their forces together as Judah and Simeon did in a like case Judg. 1.3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother Come up with me into my lot that we may fight aganst the Canaanites and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot As for that which is here said concerning Jerusalem to wit that the children of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites thence and the like we see is said concerning the children of Benjamin Judg. 1.21 we must know that the Iebusites continued in Ierusalem unto Davids time Indeed Adoni-zedek the king of Jerusalem was slain by Ioshua chap. 10.23 26. for he was one of those five kings that made warre against Gibeon though we find no mention there of his taking Ierusalem yea and it is expressely said Iudg. 1.8 that afterwards the children of Iudah took the city of Jerusalem and burnt it with fire that is some part of it Well but yet the fort of Sion which was the chief strength of Ierusalem was not at that time taken by them for that the Iebusites held till David took it 2. Sam. 5 6 7. yea and it seems that afterward the Iebusites did also by the help of this fort recover the city again at least so farre that they forced the Israelites to let the Iebusites dwell there amongst them as it is said here For in the dayes of the Iudges we see that Iebus that is Ierusalem was still inhabited by the Iebusites Iudg. 19.12 We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger that is not of the children of Israel saith the Levite there concerning Iebus we will passe over to Gibea But however we must not think that this which is said here that the children of Judah could not drive them out is added by way of excusing them no but rather to their shame and reproch for though the fort of Sion was a place of great strength so that when David set himself down with his army before it the Iebusites scorned him bragged that their lame and blind and impotent people should defend it against him 2. Sam. 5.6 Yet God would certainly have driven them out according to his promise had they not been wanting to themselves But they grew slothfull and faint hearted and by these and other their sinnes provoked the Lord to withdraw himself from them and so then indeed they could not drive out the inhabitants but were glad to purchase peace upon any tearms according to that Iudg. 2.20 21. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel and he said Because this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers and have not hearkned to my voice I also will not hence forth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died c. CHAP. XVI Vers 1. ANd the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho unto the water of Jericho on the east c. It is the opinion of some learned writers that
fewer then when they were numbred the first time at their first coming out of Egypt but for this we must know that though the tribe of Ephraim was so much decreased at that last numbring of the people yet since that time under the government of Joshua they might be greatly encreased again but however though at that time the sonnes of Ephraim were eight thousand fewer then when they came out of Egypt yet even at that time on the other side of the tribe of Manasseh there were twenty thousand and five hundred more then at the first numbring Num. 26.34 and therefore the sonnes of Joseph speaking here of themselves joyntly together both Ephraim and Manasseh they might well say they were a great people and that God had greatly blessed them in regard of their number Vers 15. And Joshua answered them If thou be a great people then get thee up to the wood countrey c. Thus he covertly retorts their plea upon them as making more for him then for them for sayes he being a great people the more able art thou to drive the Canaanites out of those parts allotted you for your proportion and the more shame is it that you should let them alone and yet complain of the narrownesse of your lot Get thee up saith Joshua to the wood countrey and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and the giants that is cut down the woods and drive out and destroy the inhabitants that lurk there in their fastnesses and strong holds and then if mount Ephraim be to narrow for thee that is the mountains out of which the Canaanites are already expelled whereof you have the possession at present you may by this means have land enough to dwell in and need not complain that your portion is too streight for you It is likely that when the sonnes of Joseph came to make their complaint to Joshua they assured themselves that they should find the more favour because he was of the tribe of Ephraim But in a point of justice we see they found Joshua farre from yielding to them in the least degree upon that ground Vers 16. And the children of Joseph said The hill is not enough for us c. These first words seem to have been spoken with some kind of anger and discontent Joshua had told them what they should do if mount Ephraim were too narrow for them now as men discontented are wont to do they snap at those last words of Joshua yes say they the hill is not enough for us meaning that mount Ephraim whereof Ioshua had spoken and then they adde And all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron as if they should have said Whereas you call upon us to enlarge our dwellings in the wood countrey by cutting down the wood by expelling and destroying the Perizzites and the giants that dwell there you may know that this we cannot do and that because the valleys we must passe through ere we can come to that mountainous wood countrey which you referre us to are inhabited by the Canaanites that have chariots of iron so that there is no hope for us to prevail over them This I conceive to be the best exposition of this place Yet some understand those first words The hill is not enough for us of that mountainous wood countrey to which Ioshua had referred them for the enlarging of their dwellings and so conceive the scope of this reply of the sonnes of Ioseph to be that even that mountainous countrey if they had it in their possession would not be enough for them and for the valleys there was no hope to subdue them because the Canaanites that dwelt there had chariots of iron that is as all Expositours agree chariots whose wheels were armed with sythes as I may say or hooks of iron wherewith when they broke in amongst their enemies they must needs mightily tear cut and mow down those that stood in their way and indeed these chariots could onely be usefull in the valleys and plains in the mountains and wood countreys they could not be used Vers 17. And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph even to Ephraim and to Manasseh saying Thou art a great people c. As if he should have said What I answered before I must answer again Thou art a great people by thine own confession and hast great power and therefore besides Gods promise ye have otherwise no cause of distrust thou shalt not have one lot onely that is thou shalt if thou wilt not be failing to thy self prevail over those places and then thou shalt find the portion allotted thee is more then one lot fully enough for two such numerous tribes Vers 18. But the mountain shall be thine for it is a wood and thou shalt cut it down and the outgoings of it shall be thine c. That is not onely the mountain shall be thine which when thou hast cut down the wood will be found good ground but also the outgoings of it that is the valleys round about the mountains shall be thine too CHAP. XVIII Vers 1. ANd the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled themselves together at Shiloh and set up the Tabernacle c. No doubt God appointed them to remove the Tabernacle to Shiloh so much may be gathered from that which is said Deut. 12.5 But unto the place which the Lord your God shall chuse out of all your tribes to put his name there even unto his habitation shall ye seek and thither thou shalt come as also Ier. 7.12 where it is plainly called the place where God set his Name at the first Hitherto both camp and Tabernacle had been in Gilgal a place in the very first entrance into the land of Canaan now they removed further into the land both the camp vers 9. And the men went and passed through the land and described it by cities into seven parts in a book and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh and the tabernacle as is here expressed both as a manifest signe of their taking possession of the land they had conquered and for the more convenient coming of the people to the tabernacle to worship And Shiloh God appointed to be the place a city in Ephraim therein God honouring Ioshua the ruler of the people who was of this tribe and withall it was brought nearer to the place which God had decreed to be the settled place of his worship to wit Ierusalem from this time therefore the people was bound to the strict observation of the Ceremoniall Law Deut. 12.8 9 10 11. Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day every man what is right in his own eyes For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance which the Lord your God giveth you But when ye come over Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth
you to inherit and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about so that you dwell in safety Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall chuse to cause his name to dwell there thither shall ye bring all that I command you your burnt offerings and your sacrifices your tithes and the heave offering of your hands and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord c. and here the Tabernacle continued unto the dayes of Samuel to wit above three hundred years And the land was subdued before them That is the land about Shiloh was subdued and the inhabitants driven out of it and those that dwelt further off were so stricken with the terrour of God that they durst not stirre to molest the Israelites Vers 2. And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance It may seem strange that the Israelites having begun in Gilgal to divide the land by lot went not on in that work but having drawn three lots which fell to Judah Ephraim and Manasseh gave over and intermitted this work and that as it seems a long time for so much is evident by Joshua his expostulation with them vers 3. though it be not expressely said how long it was How long saith he are you slack to go to possesse the land c. why they did this no reason is given in the text But this by Expositours is thought the most probable reason to wit that the other tribes perceiving what a large circuit of land was given to Judah out of which indeed more then the portion of one tribe was afterward taken see chap. 19.9 they began to murmure as supposing that there would not be left an equall share for them and the rather because they heard the sonnes of Joseph already complain and therefore pretending that there could not be any equall division made when the remote parts were no better known to them as being yet in the enemies possession they desired some stay of the work till they had further prevailed and might know the land they were to divide better then yet they could do And thus the work being put off for a time by degrees they began to mind it no more till Joshua finding them shamefully remisse urged them to set upon it again and for their better satisfaction to send forth men to search the land Vers 4. Give out from among you three men of each tribe c. To wit not onely of the seven tribes mentioned vers 2. but also of Judah Ephraim and Manasseh lest if these searchers should conceive that it was fit somewhat should be taken from those that had their lots already they might otherwise complain of partialitie in those that were sent to search the land As for the work that these men were to do namely to describe the land according to the inheritance of them it is meant doubtlesse of some catalogue they were to bring of the severall countreys and parts of the land that were not yet divided with the severall cities and towns and villages that were in each of them that so accordingly they might the better divide it into so many parts Vers 5. Judah shall abide on their coasts on the south c. The meaning of this is onely that the tribe of Judah and the sonnes of Ioseph Ephraim and Manasseh should continue seated the one on the South the other on the North in that part of the land wherein the lots that were drawn for them in Gilgal fell and not that they should have still the same quantity of land that was at first assigned them for we see afterward that the tribe of Simeon had their portion assigned them out of that which was at first in the lot of Iudah chap. 19.9 Vers 6. Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts and bring the descrition hither to me that I may cast lots here for you before the Lord our God This some say was spoken to the men that were chosen to describe the land But I conceive it might as well be spoken to the whole assembly to whom hitherto Ioshua had directed his speech Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts and bring the description c. that is ye shall take order that by the men you send out the land be described into seven parts and then that the description thereof be brought to me However the mention he makes in the last words of the account they were to give of what they had done before the Lord in the tabernacle was doubtlesse to intimate how carefull the men that were sent had need to be diligently and carefully to carry themselves in this great charge that was imposed upon them Vers 9. And the men went and passed through the land and described it by cities into seven parts c. They might use some likely means to prevent danger when they searched the countreys of their enraged enemies perhaps they divided themselves and went not all together they might also go under pretence of negotiation and it may be disguised that they might not seem Isralites But doubtlesse the astonishment and fear wherewith God had stricken the inhabitants upon the Israelites late victories were the best means of their safety and by their preservation in this dangerous service we may well think their brethren were much encouraged to set upon the getting of the remainder of the land into their possession Vers 11. And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up c. Thus had Benjamin the honour of having the first lot amongst the seven tribes and was by Gods providence seated the very next to his brethren Ephraim and Manasseh who likewise were of Rachel and had also the royall city of Ierusalem within his borders where God dwelt in his holy Temple wherein that was accomplished which Moses prophesied of this tribe Deut. 33.12 And of Benjamin he said The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him and the Lord shall cover him all the day long and he shall dwell between his shoulders Vers 12. And their border on the North was from Jordan c. This North border of Benjamin is the same with the South border of the sonnes of Ioseph described before chap. 16.1 concerning which therefore see the notes there Vers 14. And the border was drawn thence and compassed the corner of the sea southward c. Here begins the Western border of Benjamins portion for here the line turns from North to South and fetching a compasse about an inlet or creek of the sea goeth on southward till it comes to Kirjath-baal in Iudahs portion called by the Israelites to suppresse the name of their idol-god Kirjath-jearim Vers 15. And the south quarter was from the end of Kirjath-jearim c. See chap. 15.5 6. where you shall find the same to be made the north border of Judah onely that line is drawn
from east to west from the lake of Sodome to Kirjath-jearim this from the west to the east from Kirjath-jearim to the lake of Sodome concerning which see the note there Vers 18. And passed along toward the side over against Arabah north-ward and went down unto Arabah Which is called Beth-arabah chap. 15.6 Vers 21. Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho c. It is no wonder though in severall places of Scripture we find mention made of some cities belonging to the tribe of Benjamin that are not in this Catalogue For many cities might be built in after times And besides it is probable that all the cities in Benjamins lot are not here mentioned but such onely as were requisite to be known because by them the bounds of their lot are described or for the better understanding of some other passages in the sacred history where these cities are mentioned And the like we must conceive of the catalogues that are given us in the following chapter of the cities that were in the severall lots of the other tribes CHAP. XIX Vers 1. ANd their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah That is the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon the reason whereof is given vers 9. Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them It seems that they that were sent to search the land not yet divided that they might part it into seven lots for the seven remaining tribes chap. 18.4 found that the portion which Joshua and Eleazar and the other Commissioners for the dividing of the land had formerly at Gilgal assigned to the tribe of Judah was farre too large considering what they now found left for the other tribes upon this second review and therefore agreed unanimously with those said Commissioners for the dividing of the land that a whole portion for one of the tribes that had not yet their inheritance should be taken off that which was formerly given to Judah and so should make one of the lots for the seven tribes besides some other cities which they took also from Judah to be as part of another lot as is shown afterwards verse 40.41 and no doubt the children of Judah acknowledged the equitie thereof and were well contented with it and so when they came to draw the lots of the seven remaining tribes in the second place next after Benjamins came out this lot which was wholly taken out of Judahs portion for the tribe of Simeon And thus by the providence of God first there being one tribe to be seated within that portion formerly given to Judah the lot fell upon this tribe which was fewest in number of all the tribes as we may see by the account that was taken of them at the last numbring of the people Num. 26.14 and secondly this tribe of Simeon having their portion assigned them within the portion of Iudah and so being as it were intermingled with them nor having an inheritance apart by themselves that was now fulfilled which Jacob long since prophesied of them Gen. 49.7 I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel concerning which see what is noted there Vers 2. And they had in their inheritance Beer-sheba c. The bounds of this tribes portion is not described as are the bounds of most of the other tribes onely the chief cities and towns are named that were in their lot and that because their inheritance was within the inheritance of Judah whose bounds are formerly described chap. 15. As for Beersheba and Sheba that are first here mentioned they are but the longer and shorter names of one and the same city for it is said vers 6. that in this first catalogue there are thirteen cities and there are fourteen if Beersheba and Sheba be counted two severall cities and besides 1. Chron. 4.28 where these cities of the Simeonites are again reckoned up there is mention made of Beersheba onely Vers 3. And Hazar-shual and Balah and Azem c. Called Ezem 1. Chron. 4.29 as the following Eltolad is called also Tolad and Bethul Bethuel Vers 5. And Ziklag and Bethmarcaboth and Hazor-susah c. Which is called 1. Chron. 4.31 Hazar-susim as also in the following verse Bethlebaoth is called chap. 15.32 Lebaoth and in the 1. Chron. 4.31 Bethbirei and Sharuhen seems to be the same that is called Shauraim Vers 7. Ain Remmon and Ether c. Or Etam 1. Chron. 4.32 this with the rest here mentioned are there called villages and therefore are here severally reckoned by themselves Vers 9. For the part of the children of Judah was too much for them c. See the note above vers 1. Vers 10. And the border of their inheritance was Sarid c. This Sarid was the Southwest corner of Zebuluns portion from whence it is said that it went West-ward to Maralah and so to Dabbasheth which stood by the sea from whence it went Northward by the sea coast as farre as the river near Iokneam And thus having the midland sea on the West and the sea of Galilee on the East that was truly accomplished which Jacob said concerning this tribe Gen. 49.13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea and he shall be for a haven of ships and Moses also Deut. 33.18 And of Zebulun he said Rejoyce Zebulun in thy going out c. Vers 12. And turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunne rising c. As before the western border was drawn from Sarid vers 10. so here the south border begins also at Sarid and so is carried on eastward as farre as Japhia Vers 13. And from thence passeth on along on the east to Gittah-Hepher c. That is from Japhia a city in the south-east corner of Zebuluns portion the border turns northward along by the sea of Galilee and within a while goeth up into the land as farre as Remmon and Neah where is the going out of the utmost reach of the eastern border Vers 14. And the border compasseth it on the north side to Hannathon c. This is the north border which fetcheth a compasse and so ends in the valley of Jiphthah-el Vers 15. And Idalah and Bethlehem This was not that Bethlehem where Christ was afterward born for that was in the tribe of Judah this in the tribe of Zebulun Twelve cities with their villages There are more then twelve mentioned in the foregoing verses but it seems some of them were border towns that stood in the other tribes that had their lots next to Zebuluns and but twelve of them onely were belonging to the tribe of Zebulun Vers 18. And their border was toward Jezreel c. Because Issachars portion lay between Benjamins and Zebuluns whose borders have been already described
and so consequently Issachars also therefore the line of their borders is not here described as in the other tribes but onely the principal towns and cities are named first those that stood in the south border vers 18 19. secondly those in the west vers 20. and thirdly those in the north ver 21 22. Now this portion set apart for Issachar being in a fat and fruitfull soil that was fulfilled which Jacob foretold Gen. 49.14 And he saw that rest was good and the land that it was pleasant and bowed his shoulders to bear and became a servant unto tribute and Moses Deut. 32.18 Vers 24. And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher c. Even here also the hand of God is still observable in his ordering the lots Hitherto the lots had come out onely for those tribes that were descended of Jacobs two wives Leah and Rachel and the tribe of Gad who was the eldest of Jacobs sonnes by Zilpah Leahs handmaid had already received their inheritance without Jordan upon speciall suit made unto Moses so now the next lot came out for the tribe of Asher who was also the sonne of Zilpah the handmaid of Leah Jacobs first wife and therefore preferred before the two tribes of Dan and Naphtali that were descended of Bilhah the handmaid of Rachel his second wife Vers 25. And their border was Helkath c. The cities that are first here mentioned stood on the northwest border which is drawn all along the coast of the midland sea as far as to mount Carmel westward that is to the west side of mount Carmel and Shihor-libnah and so here the line turneth eastward vers 27. and makes the south bounds of this tribes portion and then fetcheth a compasse northward again like to the bending of a bow till it comes to Zidon on the north end of the sea coast then turneth southward again as far as Tyre c. Now by the mention that is here made of mount Carmel in the lot of this tribe we may see how the prophesie of Jacob concerning this tribe was folly accomplished Gen. 49.20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat and he shall yield royall dainties for mount Carmel and the land about it was a fruitfull soil and had many mines in it Isa 39.9 Sharon is like a wildernesse and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits and Isa 35.2 It shall blossome abundantly and rejoyce even with joy and singing the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it the excellency of Carmel and Sharon See also Deut. 33.24 25. And of Asher he said Let Asher be blessed with children let him be acceptable to his brethren and let him dip his foot in oyl Thy shoes shall be iron and brasse and as thy dayes so shall thy strength be Vers 27. And goeth out to Cabul on the left hand See the note upon vers 30. Vers 29. And the out-goings thereof are at the sea from the coast to Achzib That is all the coast from the sea even unto Achzib Vers 30. Vmmah also and Aphek and Rehob twenty and two cities with their villages That is Ummah Aphek and Rehob were cities of note in the portion of Asher though not before mentioned in describing the borders of their lot So that in all the cities here named belonging to the tribe of Asher are twenty and two Indeed he that reckons all the names of places before mentioned shall find them to be twenty and three but to this it is answered by some that Cabul mentioned vers 27. was not a city but a part of the countrey which Solomon gave unto Hiram and because of the censure which was then by him passed upon it was called Cabul 1. Kings 9.13 And he said What cities are these which thou hast given me my brother and he called them the land of Cabul unto this day And again others say that some one of the bordering cities before named belonged not to Asher but to some of the neighbouring tribes Vers 33. And their coast was from Heleph c. This is the east border of the tribe of Naphtali beginning at these towns which stood somewhat more northerly then the fountains of Jordan and so Iordan even as farre as the lake of Genezereth was the utmost southernly end of the eastern border Thus Naphtalies land lay along by the banks of Iordan in a large extent and so Iacobs prophesie was fulfilled Gen. 49.21 Naphtali is a hind let loose and that of Moses Deut. 33.23 And of Naphtali he said O Naphtali satisfied with favour and full with the blessings of the Lord possesse thou the west and the south Vers 34. Then the coast turneth westward to Aznoth-tabor c. Here now the south border of this tribes portion is described to wit that it turned from Iordan westward first to Aznoth-tabor and thence to Hukkok and so went on till it came to have as it follows in the next words Zebulun on the south side and Asher on the west side And indeed this last clause seems to have reference to that prophesie of Moses before mentioned concerning this tribe Deut. 33.23 Possesse thou the west and the south for however it is noted before upon that place as the opinion of some Expositours that thereby might be signified that the lot of their inheritance should be in the southwest part of the land yet it being so evident here that this tribe had their inheritance in the utmost northeast part of the land the meaning of that clause possesse thou the west and the south must needs be this that however this tribes lot was to be seated in the furthest northeast corner of the kingdome yet it should reach forth so far both westward and southward that they should enjoy all the benefits both of the western and southern parts and the rather by their commerce with those other tribes upon whom they bordered And reacheth to Zebulun on the southside and unto Asher on the westside and to Judah upon Jordan toward the sun-rising It may seem strange that this tribe should be said to border upon Iudah but either the river of Iordan belonged peculiarly to Iudah as a royalty given them of God above all the other tribes in regard whereof Naphtali is said to border upon Iudah in Iordan or else this is added to imply the convenient situation of this tribes portion by reason it lay along by the banks of Iordan in a large extent For by this means though this tribe were seated in the uttermost north part of the kingdome yet they might by the river have commerce with the other tribes as farre as Iudah between whom and Naphtali many other tribes were seated and so being the utmost north tribe might in that sense be said to border upon Iudah who were seated in the utmost south parts of the kingdome Vers 35. And the fenced cities are Ziddim Zer and Hammath Rakkath and Cinnereth Hammath was a city standing
in the utmost north-end of Canaan whence the length of the land is ordinarily described to be from the entrance of Hamath to the river of Egypt 1. Kings 8.65 See Num. 13.22 and Cinnereth was a city in the eastern parts whence the lake so often mentioned in Scripture was called the lake of Genezereth Vers 38. Nineteen cities with their villages For some of them mentioned before in drawing the border of their lot stood happely in the portion of the bordering tribes Vers 40. And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan. Though this tribes lot was not wholly taken out of that which was given to Judah as Simeons was yet that a part of it was is manifest by some of the cities mentioned here that chap. 15. are numbered amongst those that were at first in Judahs portion it was compassed with the sea and the borders of the other tribes formerly described and so the borders of this tribe are here omitted Vers 41. And the coast of their inheritance was Zorah and Eshtaol c. In this Zorah Samson was born Judges 13.2 and between Zorah and Eshtaol he was buried Vers 43. And Elon and Timnathah c. Whence Samson took a wife Judges 14.1 Vers 47. Therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem c. Or Laish The story we have Judges 18. This then happened after Joshuas death but here it is mentioned lest it should seem strange how the Danites came to inhabite the north parts of the land when their lot fell to them in the south parts even close by Judahs portion the reason was because being not able to drive out the Philistines out of their land they were streightned for room so went out and took Laish a city that was in Naphtalies lot though then in the Zidonians possession and transplanted a Colony thither calling it Dan from their father Dan the sonne of Jacob it stood almost in the furthest north part of the land Judges 20.1 The congregation was gathered together as one wan from Dan to Beersheba Vers 50. According to the word of the Lord they gave him the citie he asked even Timnath-serah in mount Ephraim c. To wit the word of the Lord which he spake to Moses not onely concerning Caleb but concerning Joshua for why indeed should he be left out see Iosh 14.7 to wit that he should chuse a peculiar portion to himself where he would yet it may be meant also of some direction given him by Eleazar the priest upon his inquiry of God for him However herein first was the modesty of Ioshua remarkable that he was content to stay till all the tribes had their portion ere there was any motion made of that which by way of speciall Prerogative was to be conferred upon him secondly That he was content to receive what God had promised him as by way of gift from the people he asked and they gave him the city he asked thirdly That whereas he might have chosen the fairest and goodliest city in all their tribes he chose his seat in a mountainous countrey nothing so pleasant and delightfull as many other places were yea and it seems a city that was ruinated so that he was fain to build it ere he dwelt in it for so it follows in the next words and he built the city and dwelt therein CHAP. XX. Vers 2. APpoint out for you cities of refuge c. Concerning these cities of refuge see the notes Numb 35.6 and 24 c. Vers 6. And he shall dwell in that city untill he stand before the congregation for judgement and untill the death of the high priest c. That is untill he be fetched thence to the place where the fact was done that it may be there tryed whether it were done wittingly or unwittingly so long he was to abide there however or untill the death of the high Priest if it were found that he did it unwittingly for then he was to be sent back to the city of refuge and to be kept there till the high priest dyed Concerning the mysticall reason of the man-slayers staying in the city of refuge till the death of the high priest see the note upon Num. 35.25 But to this some also do adde a literall reason to wit that hereby was implyed how hainous a fault it was to shed the bloud of a man and how displeasing to God in that the man that was but unwittingly defiled with the shedding of bloud must be thus shut up lest he should happen to come into the sight of him who did as it were represent Gods person amongst them to wit the high priest nor could be suffered to stirre from thence till he was dead Vers 8. And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward they assigned Bezer c. That is they confirmed and ratified these to be cities of refuge without Jordan which Moses himself had formerly chosen and set apart for that use See Deut. 4.41 42 43. CHAP. XXI Vers 1. THen came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest c. It was doubtles immediately after they had made an end of dividing the land that the Levites came thus to Eleazer and the rest of the Commissioners to receive from them the cities which God had appointed to be set apart for their dwelling For first it is not probable that there was any delay which might move the Levites to challenge their right and secondly it is as improbable that the Israelites did first settle themselves in these cities and then were afterwards put out to give way to the Levites Vers 2. The Lord commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in c. See the notes upon Numb 35.2 c. Vers 4. And the lot came out for the familie of the Kohathites God had expressed the number of cities that were to be given them to wit fourty eight Numb 35.7 So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be fourty and eight cities he had also given them directions to take these cities out of each tribe some according as their proportion was greater or lesser and therefore the Commissioners for the dividing of the land made choice no doubt of these cities as in their wisdome they found them most convenient for the Levites and for the people and then having divided the cities they had chosen into foure parts one for the priests a second for the Levites of Kohaths familie a third for the Gershonites and a fourth for the Merarites then was it at last decided in which of the tribes the priests should be placed and so of the rest or at least of those cities which were judged convenient they took the number agreed upon by lot See vers 11. And the children of Aaron the priest which were of the Levites had by lot out of the tribe of Judah c. Thus by Gods speciall providence the
spoken an expression this is therefore much like that Jer. 2.12 Be ye astonished O ye heavens at this and be horribly afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord. Vers 29. Joshua the sonne of Nun the servant of the Lord dyed being an hundred and ten years old It is manifest there were but foure hundred and eighty years betwixt the building of the Temple and the Israelites coming out of Egypt 1. Kings 6.1 And it came to passe in the foure hundred and fourescore years after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt in the fourth yeare of Solomons reigne over Israel in the moneth Zif which is the second moneth that he began to build the house of the Lord of which yielding fourty years to their travels in the wildernesse and then to Othniels government fourty years Judges 3.11 to Ehuds eighty years verse 30. to Shamgars some few moneths vers 31. to Deborah and Barak fourty Judges 5.31 to Gideon fourty Judges 8.28 to Abimelech three Judges 9.22 to Tolah three and twenty Judges 10.2 and to Jair two and twenty years verse 3. to Jephthe six Judges 12.7 and Ibzan seven verse 9. and Elon ten verse 11. and Abdon eight verse 14. to Samson twenty Judges 15.20 to Elie fourty 1. Sam. 4.18 to Samuel and Saul fourty years Acts 13.21 to David fourty 1. Kings 2.11 and then foure to Solomon ere he began the temple all together make foure hundred sixty and three and then the most left for Joshua will be seventeen though there should be no interregnum between the Judges Vers 32. And the bones of Joseph which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt buried they in Shechem c. Joseph had commanded the Israelites to carry his bones with them out of Egypt Gen. 50.25 which accordingly they did Exod. 13.19 Here now we are told where they buried his bones to wit in Shechem in a parcell of ground which Jacob bought of the sonnes of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver Which was doubtlesse the parcell of a field mentioned Gen. 33.19 which Jacob bought of Hamor the father of Shechem and which when he lay upon his deathbed he gave to Joseph as a speciall legacy Gen 48.22 and this might well be the reason why they buried Josephs bones here whereas it is evident that his forefathers and their wives too were buried in the cave of Machpelah Gen. 49.29 30 31. I am saith Jacob to be gathered unto my people Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying place There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife and there I buried Leah to wit because it was the inheritance peculiarly bequeathed him by his father Indeed by the words of Stephen Acts 7.15 16. it might seem that all the Patriarchs the sonnes of Jacob and so Josephs bones amongst the rest were buried not in the field which Jacob bought Gen. 33.19 but in the burying-place which Abraham bought of Ephron in Machpelah Gen. 23.17 18. For though Stephen saith they were buried in a field bought of the sonnes of Emor the father of Sichem yet withall he saith expressely that they were buried in a Sepulchre purchased by Abraham Acts 7.15 16. So Jacob went down into Egypt and died he and our fathers and were carried over into Sichem and laid in the sepulchre which Abraham bought for a summe of money Now we reade of no burying place which Abraham bought but that of the cave of Machpelah which he bought of Ephron the Hittite Gen. 23.16.17 c. wherein it is evident Gen. 49.29 30 31. that Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Rebekah and Jacob Leah were buried but to this I answer that many of our best Expositours are of opinion that this place in the Acts of the Apostles is corrupted by the carelesnesse or rather the mistake of those that transcribed the copies yet because it is dangerous to allow that the Greek copies of the new Testament are generally falsified in any one passage I think it is better answered that though Stephen said that the fathers were laid in the sepulchre of Abraham bought for a summe of money of Emor the father of Sichem yet he meant onely thereby that they were laid in the Sepulchre which the posterity or the sonne of Abraham bought of the sonnes of Emor and that was Jacob because that which the sonne doth the father may be said to do in him and if so then it seems that the bones of the other Patriarchs the sonnes of Jacob were buried here together with Josephs At what time they buried Josephs bones here it is not expressed yet by the last clause of this verse where it is said of this parcell of ground and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph it appears that it was done after they had rest in the land and had divided the whole countrey of Canaan amongst the tribes and so this part of Canaan where this parcell of land lay falling then by lot to the sonnes of Joseph to whom Jacob at his death had bequeathed it here they buried the bones of their father Vers 33. And they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his sonne which was given him in mount Ephraim Because the cities that fell to the priests by lot were taken out of the tribe of Judah and out of the tribe of Simeon and out of the tribe of Benjamin chap. 21.4 and thence it might seem strange that Eleazar or Phinehas his sonne should have any inheritance in mount Ephraim wherein for that cause Eleazar the high priest should be buried since mount Ephraim belonged to the sonnes of Joseph therefore in the last clause of this book it is expressely said that it belonged to Phinehas by warrant of a speciall and extraordinary gift and not by the designement of the lot which was drawn forth for the priests it was given him in mount Ephraim Whether this hill was given to Eleazar or Phinehas it is not fully and clearly expressed the words seem rather to imply that it was given to Phinehas they buried him in a hill which pertained to Phinehas his sonne which was given him in mount Ephraim but yet it may be that the place where Eleazar was buried is here said to be the hill of Phinehas or a hill that pertained to Phinehas not because it did not first pertain to Eleazar but with relation to future times whence it seems it was usually called the hill of Phinehas and the reason that Expositours give why this place in mount Ephraim was by extraordinary gift conferred upon the high priest whereas the priests had their dwellings by lot in the other tribes above mentioned are
they began presently to provoke the Lord with their sinnes For it is evident that these cities were not long after this inhabited by the Philistines chap. 3.1 2 3. Now these are â—he nations which the Lord left to prove Israel by them c. Namely five Lords of the Philistines c. and so again 1. Sam. 6.17 Now these are the golden Emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespasse-offering unto the Lord For Ashdod one for Gaza one for Askelon one for Gath one for Ekron one As for Ekron one of the cities here mentioned it was in Dans lot Josh 19.43 therefore it seems that the tribe of Judah joyned with those of Dan as well as with those of Simeon for the clearing of their coasts the rather because they could not hold those cities they had gotten from the Philistines if they had let them alone in this neighbouring citie Vers 19. And the Lord was with Judah and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain This clause and the Lord was with Judah is added to shew of what difficulty their attempts were if the Lord had not been with them and withall to condemne their cowardise that durst not proceed in their conquests against the inhabitants of the valleys having had such incouraging experience of Gods assistance But could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley because they had chariots of iron Their own fears disabling them and God for their sinnes withdrawing himself from them Concerning these chariots of iron see the note Josh 17.16 Vers 21. And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem c. See Josh 15.63 Vers 26. And the man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city Whence it seems probable that the Israelites did not onely spare his life and the life of his family but also gave him a rich reward to wit for shewing them the way into Bethel as is before said Vers 27. Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean c. See the note Josh 17.12 Thus in the dayes after the death of Joshua when it seems they had no one set over them in chief but were onely governed by the joynt-authority of the Elders in each tribe they began to be remisse in endeavouring to drive out the remainder of the Canaanites that dwelt in the land but were content to make peace with them and this was the first step of their defection from God which did by degrees lead them into grosser sinnes and greatly provoked the Lord to displeasure against them Vers 35. Yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed so that they became tributaries That is though the Danites were sorely for a time oppressed by the Amorites as is expressed before vers 34. And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley yet afterward with the help of the sonnes of Joseph who bordered upon Dans portion and came up to aid them they prevailed against them so that they became tributaries Vers And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim from the rock and upward This is added to shew how the Israelites through their own sloth suffered themselves to be hemmed in with these accursed enemies CHAP. II. Vers 1. ANd an Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim It is very hard to determine whether this were an Angel indeed or some man either priest or prophet that by speciall commission was sent at this time from God unto the people to reprove them for their sinnes The word in the originall may well be translated either angell or messenger as it is in the margin of our bibles and the reasons are very considerable which have moved many to think that it was some man of God that was sent to them to wit first because it is said that he came up from Gilgal not that he came down from heaven and so appeared to them and secondly because he spake in a generall assembly as is evident vers 4. where it is said that he spake unto all the children of Israel whereas the apparitions of Angels have been usually onely to some particular men in private But yet the most of Expositours conceive that it was a true Angel and that having assumed for this present service the body of man the Scripture therefore speaks of him as a man that he came up from Gilgal to Bochim and this they hold 1. Because he speaks after the manner of Angels not thus saith the Lord as the prophets were wont to speak but as in the person of God I made you to go up out of Egypt and 2. Because the Authour of this book elsewhere speaks differently of the prophet and the Angel as chap. 6.8 The Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel which said unto them Thus saith the Lord God of Israel I brought you up from Egypt and brought you forth out of the house of bondage But then vers 12. And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him that is to Gideon and said unto him The Lord is with thee thou mighty man of valour Yea some hold that it was the sonne of God the Angel of the covenant who was wont thus to appear to the fathers and that because he ascribes here to himself that which was the work of God as the bringing this people out of Egypt and the making of a covenant with them However most probable it is that this was done in the dayes of the Elders that outlived Joshua and that before they began to worship the Gods of the nations they dwelt amongst for else doubtlesse this Angel or messenger of the Lord would have reproved them for their idolatry as well as for making a league of peace with the land It seems therefore that finding themselves sorely annoyed by the Canaanites in severall parts of the land there was an assembly of the people called of all the tribes that they might consult what was fit to be done and so thereupon the Lord sent his Angel to them with a message and very likely it is that it was some place about Shiloh where the people were now met together which upon occasion of the peoples weeping here was called Bochim that is weepers For first thither the tribes used to assemble themselves especially at their three solemn feasts and some generall assembly of the people there was at this time as is before noted and secondly the people did offer sacrifices there vers 5. and that they might onely do where the altar and tabernacle was Vers 2. But ye have not obeyed my voice why have ye done this That is consider how great and inexcusable your sinne is for these words why have ye done this are as much in effect as if he had said that they had not the least colour for that they had done and that if they were challenged to give a reason
were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field That is in mount Tabor whither Barak was sent to fight with Sisera chap. 4.6 Go and draw toward mount Tabor and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and where though they saw how great a disproportion there was betwixt their forces and the strength of the enemy yet they were content to hazard their lives in this cause of God and his people how desperate soever their attempts might seem in the eye of reason Vers 19. The kings came and fought then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo That is Jabin and his confederate kings who came to help Jabin against the Israelites either in their own persons or by their forces and this is here expressed to note the base faithlessenesse of those tribes that were not so forward to aid their brethren as the heathens were to help one another and yet they were many of them of different religions and served severall gods Nor need it seem strange that these kings are said to have fought against the Israelites in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo whereas before chap. 4.6 7. the story seemed to imply that the battell was fought about mount Tabor and the river Kishon which is also confirmed Psal 83.9 Do unto them as to the Midianites as to Sisera as to Jabin at the brook of Kishon for to this I answer first that Taanach and Megiddo were not farre from mount Tabor and the river Kishon for though Taanach and Megiddo belonged to the half tribe of Manasseh within Jordan chap. 1.37 Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her towns and Taanach and her towns nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns yet they stood within the compasse of Issachars portion and that bordered upon Zebulun where mount Tabor was Josh 17.11 And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns And secondly that it may well be that the Canaanites being put to the worst about mount Tabor where they did first pitch battell they might retire or fly to Taanach and there making a stand might renew the battell again and so were there wholly discomfited They took no gain of money The meaning of this clause may be that these Canaanites came for the love of the cause and not for gain and so proffered to serve freely without pay as thirsting for bloud more then money or at least resolving to pay themselves out of the riches of the Israelites and that withall it proved truer then they were aware of because that in stead of gaining any thing they lost all Vers 20. They fought from heaven the starres in their courses fought against Sisera It seems and so Josephus reports this battell that there was some terrible extraordinary storm of thunder hail and rain which being by the ordinary course of nature from the influence of the starres they as Gods host Deut. 17.3 are here said from their severall places and courses like souldiers that observed both rank and file to have fought against Sisera and that from heaven as souldiers that have gotten the advantage of the ground Vers 21. The river Kishon swept them away that ancient river the river Kishon That is that river so famous of old the river Kishon and it may be said to have swept them away either because in their flight they attempted to get over the river and so were drowned and carried away by the stream or else because through the inundation of the river caused by the storm that God sent at that time their dead carcases that lay on the land about the river were by the sweeping floud carried away O my soul thou hast troden down strength That is O Deborah thou hast troden down strength to wit the strength of the enemie for the Hebrews do usually put the soul for the whole man and happely she might also have respect herein to the successe of her prayers Vers 22. Then were the horse hoofs broken by the means of the pransings of their mighty ones The drift of this clause may be either to set forth the mighty strength of the enemie in regard of the goodly troops of horses which they had horses that were so lusty and full of mettle and courage that they even brake their hoofs sometimes with their pa wings and pransings that so the greater glory might redound unto God who had made them victorious over so potent an enemy or else to set forth the violence of their flight when they were routed by the Israelites which was such that they brake their very hoofs with running Vers 23. Curse ye Meroz said the angel of the Lord curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof c. This Meroz is probably thought to have been some citie or town near the place where the battel was fought the inhabitants whereof might have been many wayes helpfull to the Israelites in the battel which they fought with Sisera Jabins Generall and that therefore whereas the other tribes that sent no aid to Barak are onely reproved there is a curse yea a bitter curse pronounced against these and that by warrant of an expresse command which Deborah had received from an Angel who had it seems amongst other things revealed this unto her either before or immediately after the battell Curse ye Meroz said the Angel of the Lord curse â—e bitterly the inhabitants thereof And because they might be ready to alledge that there was no hope that the Israelites should prevail against such a mighty Prince and for them to have risen up against him without hope of prevailing would have been onely to provoke him to their utter ruine to take away this excuse from them this is expressely mentioned as the reason why this curse is denounced against them because they came not to help the Lord to help the Lord against the mighty The more mighty their adversary was the more need had their brethren of their help and to hide themselves from their brethren because they were so puissant argued manifest distrust of Gods assistance How this curse here denounced against this people fell upon them we reade not but that it was not without effect even this affords some probable ground of conjecture that of this Meroz we find not after this the least mention in any story of succeeding times Vers 24. Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be c. That is she shall be highly extolled and applauded and many blessings shall be wished to her Vers 25. She brought forth butter in a lordly-dish That is cream in a goodly great bowl suitable to his greatnesse and dignity Vers 31. But let them that love him be as the sunne when he goeth forth in his might That is as the sunne when it riseth in a clear
to wit in Shilo which was one of their cities but especially with their good successe in that late service they were called to of taking the passages of Jordan where the flying Midianites were to passe over when they came to Gideon with the heads of Oreb and Zeeb they quarrelled with him because they were not called out as well as some other of the tribes when he first raised forces to go against the Midianites pretending it to be a great disregard yea contempt of them that other tribes that were not so nearly allyed to them as they were both these tribes being of Josephs posterity should be called in by Gideon and his Manassites to the first onset which was the greatest exploit and they onely left to snatch up here and there some of the flying Midianites after others had routed them Vers 2. Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better then the vintage of Abiezer Because the men of Ephraim quarrelled against Gideon who was of the family of Abiezer was chiefly from this that they looked upon the service which they were called too in taking the passages of Jordan from the flying Midianites as so poore and mean a businesse in comparison of that which Gideon and his Manassites had done Gideon and his souldiers had hewen down the great army of the Midianites and then they were called in to gather up the chips or Gideon had gathered in the vintage and then they were called in to come and gather up their gleanings therefore doth Gideon answer them thus Is not the gleaning of Ephraim better then the vintage of Abiezer as if he had said Suppose it be so as you conceive surely considering that you have had the killing and pillaging of such multitudes of them and especially that you have taken and slain two of their kings you must needs yield that your gleanings if they be but gleanings are better then our vintage now because Gideon could not have said this so well after he and his three hundred men had slain Zebah and Zalmunna the other two princes of the Midianites therefore it is probably thought by some that this expostulation of the Ephramites with Gideon was before he had discomfited those princes of Midian though it was after he was gone over Jordan as is expressely noted in the last verse of the foregoing chapter Vers 4. And Gideon came to Jordan and passed over c. This was before the men of Ephraims contending with him though here it be mentioned after it See the note chap. 7. vers 25. Vers 5. And he said unto the men of Succoth Give I pray you loaves of bread c. This was not that Succoth in Egypt Exod. 12.37 whether the children of Israel removed from Rameses but a city in the tribe of Gad Josh 13.27 which had it name from the boothes which Jacob made there at his return out of Mesopotamia Gen. 33.17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built him an house and made boothes for his cattell therefore the name of the place is called Succoth Vers 6. And the princes of Succoth said Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hands c. They saw that many even fifteen thousand of the Midianites were escaped vers 10. these they thought might soon ralley themselves together again and become too strong for Gideon and his three hundred wearied men at least they might escape muster new forces and then entring the land again might wreak their teene upon those that should afford Gideon any succour now in this his necessity and upon these grounds they reject his motion with scorn as judging it most unlikely if not impossible that he should wholly subdue the Midianites and save the Israelites out of their hands Vers 7. I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wildernesse and with briers See vers 16. Vers 8. And he went up thence to Penuel and spake unto them likewise c. Which was a city in that very place where Jacob wrestled with the Angel Gen. 32.30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel Vers 9. When I come again in peace I will break down this tower It is most probable that Gideon in his treating with the men of Penuel perceived that the confidence they had in a strong tower which they had built and in which they stood upon their guard made them answer him with such scorn and disdain as they did and that thereupon he threatned them that at his return he would not onely destroy them but break down their tower too Vers 11. And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in teâ—ts c. That is of the Arabians who lay eastward of the Israelites so that it seems Gideon fearing to be discovered if he had followed right on forward fetched a compasse about and came upon them on the east side where they never feared any enemy to wit on the east of Nobah and Jokbeah Now Nobah was a city in the land of Manasseh Num. 32.42 but happely in the confines of Gad for Jokbeah was one of their cities Num. 32.25 Vers 14. And he discribed unto him the Princes of Succoth That is he gave him their names in writing as the Hebrew word signifieth happely withall telling him where they dwelt and how they might be known and found For because Gideon knew that the Magistrates onely were in fault that he was so scornfully denyed a little refreshing for his souldiers therefore was he so carefull to inquire after these princes of Succoth that so none might suffer but those that were guiltie Vers 16. And he took the Elders of the city and thorns of the wildernesse and briers and with them be taught the men of Succoth In what manner they were torn with these thorns and briers it is not expressed that they were slain it is most probable because the men of Penuel were slain vers 17. Some conceive that they were cast out naked upon briers and thorns and then that carts and wains were drawn over them as they used in those countries to beat out hard corn with a cart wheel Esa 28.27 For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin but the fitches are beaten out with a staffe and the cummin with a rod. Whence is that phrase of turning the wheel over the wicked Prov. 20.26 A wise king scattereth the wicked and bringeth the wheel over them which is because they thus reade this clause with them he threshed or beat out the men of Succoth But others conceive they were beaten or scourged to death with them or at least that they vvere beaten vvith these and aftervvards vvere slain some other vvay But hovvever the meaning of that expression with them he taught the men of Succoth is that thereby he taught them to know what it vvas to use him and their brethren as they had done Vers 17. And he beat down the tower of
Penuel and slew the men of the city That is the Magistrates of the city as before he did in Succoth Vers 18. Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor Because it seems Gideon had heard that these kings had slain certain men of the Israelites that had retired themselves for shelter to some strong holds or caves in mount Tabor and feared they vvere his brethren because they amongst others sought to provide for the saving of their lives in those dangerous times as others did chap. 6.2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains and caves and strong holds and had not been since heard of therefore he inquires thus concerning the men vvhom they had there slain And they answered As thou art so were they each one resembled the children of a king This may be meant of that likenesse of feature which is usually amongst brethren but plainly it intends that they were of a goodly and comely personage even as Gideon was and such as might well beseem men of a princely and Royall stock Vers 19. As the Lord liveth if ye had saved them alive I would not slay you The meaning is that he would have spared them because they had shown mercy to his brethren and hereby he expresseth his sorrow for his brethren and shews what little cause they had now to expect any mercy from him Vers 20. And he said unto Jether his first-born Up and slay them Upon him he imposeth this work rather then any other first that he might train him up even from his young years to draw his sword against the enemies of Israel and to be severe to those that should rise up against God and against his people secondly that it might be done by way of avenging the death of his brethren thirdly because it would adde if not to the pain yet to the dishonour of their death to die by such a hand Vers 21. Then Zebah and Zalmunna said Rise thou and fall upon us for as the man is so is his strength In this reply of theirs first they descant in a kind of scornfull manner upon that command of Gideons setting a child to take away their lives whereas indeed this his young heire had scarce courage enough to look them in the face secondly they provoke Gideon as impatient of delay to rise upon them himself and rid them out of the way thereby discovering their contempt of death and how much they scorned to begge life and withall happely being loath to die by the hand of a child And took away the ornaments that were on their Camels necks As the memorials of this great victory Vers 22. Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon Rule thou over us both thou and thy sonne c. That is they offered to receive him to be their king and to settle the kingdome successively upon his posterity Vers 23. And Gideon said unto them I will not rule over you c. That is not as a king he judged Israel unto his dying day but it was the kingdome of Israel the regall power which they proffered and he now refused and that upon this ground because the accepting of this would have been in a manner a taking of the government out of Gods hand the Lord saith he shall rule over you Not that God rules not by kings as well as by other kind of Magistrates but because God had established this way of governing them by Judges who had not so great a degree of soveraignty and power over the people as kings usually have were extraordinarily called of God withall because God had in his Law expressed that in case they should desire a king they were to take him whom the Lord should choose Deu. 17.14 15 When thou art come to the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee and shalt possesse it and shall dwell therein and shalt say I will set a king over me like all the nations that are about Thou shalt in any wise set him a king over thee whom the Lord thy God shall chuse One from among thy brethren shalt thou set over thee thou mayest not set a stranger over thee which is not thy brother Therefore he takes this rash proffer of changing the government to be a shaking of Gods government because they went about to change it without Gods leave and refuseth to give any consent to it all which is evident by that which the Lord said of the Israelites desiring a King in Samuels dayes 1. Sam. 8.6 7. But the thing displeased Samuel when they said Give us a King to judge us and Samuel prayed unto the Lord And the Lord said unto Samuel Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee for they have not rejected thee but they have rejected me that I should not reigne over them Vers 26. And the weight of the golden ear-rings which he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekles of gold c. Which is esteemed to be according to the account of our weight 2380 pounds it is not impossible that all this should be spent in the making of one ephod as it is said vers 27. especially if it were made as that of Aarons with a brestplate set with so many precious stones of great value Exod. 28.15 16.17 But the words will well enough bear that of part of this gold now given him he made an ephod Vers 27. And Gideon made an ephod thereof and put it in his city Not a linen ephod but such a one as that which was made for the high priest of gold blue purple scarlet c. Exod. 28.6 It is probable enough that he intended it onely as a memoriall of this their victory over the Midianites the monument being of the very prey which was there taken though afterwards it became a snare both to him and to his house But why then did he make an ephod rather then any other monument this indeed seems to imply that his purpose was to make use also of this ephod either in offering sacrifices in his own house and then under this ephod all the priestly garments may be comprehended or else thereby to enquire what the will of the Lord was according to the judgement of Urim Not considering that this previledge was onely annexed to Aarons ephod wherein was the brestplate of judgement with the Urim and Thummim and therein therefore he sinned greatly and brought Gods wrath upon his posterity And all Israel went thither a whoring after it c. Either they went thither as to a famous Oracle to inquire concerning the will of God in any doubtfull cases or else drawn with the superstitious conceits they had entertained of this ephod they set up there a place of sacrificing contrary to the expresse letter of the Law of God or else they resorted
to it as to an idol or holy relique to fall down before it and worship it or happely they did at length make use of it as a most holy vestment in the service of Baal hovvever some vvay they abused it idolatrously and are therefore said to have gone a vvhoring after it Concerning vvhich phrase see the note chap. 2.17 and therefore too it is said in the follovving vvords that it became a snare unto Gideon and to his house that is it insnared his posterity by degrees dravving them to do that vvhich vvas most displeasing to God and at last plunging them deeper it became the utter ruine of his vvhole house Vers 28. And the countrey was in quietnesse fourty years in the dayes of Gideon That is unto fourty years to wit from the death of the former Judge or the beginning of the Midianitish oppression unto the death of Gideon See chap. 3.11 Vers 31. And his concubine that was in Shechem she also bare him a sonne whose name he called Abimelech These words his concubine that was in Shechem seems to imply that there she was bred and lived and that there amongst her friends she chose to live even after Gideon had taken her to be his concubine that is his wife though in an inferiour degree as having been before his maidservant chap. 9.18 and that happely because Gideon was wont to come up frequently to Shechem about matters of judgement as Expositours conceive Now of this concubine it is said that she bare him a sonne whose name he called Abimelech Abimelech signifieth my father is a king or a kingly father and it was the usuall title of the Philistine kings a fatall name it was discovering some proud and ambitious thoughts in his mother who it is likely moved her husband upon some other fair pretence to give him this name Vers 33. And made Baal-berith their God That is the Lord of the covenant CHAP. IX Vers 1. ANd Abimelech the sonne of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mothers brethren c. To wit his uncles by his mothers side After Gideons death the children of Israel turned again and went a whoring after Baalim as it is said before chap. 8.33 and therefore as in former times the Lord still punished their idolatry and apostacy from him by some of the neighboring nations that invaded their land and sorely afflicted them so now he punished them by the tyranny of one of their own people even by Abimelech the sonne of their late Judge Gideon by a concubine which he kept in Shechem who upon his fathers death resolved immediatly to attempt the taking to himself that regall power which the people had lately offered to settle upon his father and his posterity successively but that he rejected it chap. 8.22 23. To make way thereto he went presently to Shechem and there as it is here said he began to tamper first with his uncles his mothers brethren and the rest of her kindred and imployed them as his instruments who happely were of good rank and esteem in Shechem to see if they could draw all the inhabitants of that city to aid him in this his project not doubting but that if he could effect this he should be able well enough to accomplish the rest of his plot And thus by the misery which this sonne of a concubine brought both upon his fathers house and the whole kingdome we may see that God did even in those times testifie his displeasure against their having severall wives and concubines though he did not openly by his prophets contest with them about it Vers 2. Whether is better for you either that all the sonnes of Jerubbaal which are threescore and ten persons reigne over you or that one reigne over you These are the words which Abimelech put into the mouthes of his mothers kindred whereby they were to perswade the men of Shechem to make him king Wherein first he takes it for granted that though his father had in modesty refused the kingdome yet it was fitting that now according to their proffer they should settle it upon his posterity and secondly he labours to perswade them that his brethren had a plot upon the kingdome to divide it amongst them and therefore willed them to consider as pretending the publick good when he aimed onely at his own ambitious ends whether they might not do better to do what in them lay to settle him alone in the kingdome then to suffer themselves to be under the command of all Gideons sonnes especially considering there were so many of them as there were Indeed we find not that any of Gideons sonnes had the least thought of any such thing yea Jotham in that parable of the fruit-trees refusing the soveraignty over the trees which follows in this chapter did plainly enough imply that both himself and his brethren were content with the condition wherein they lived and desired not to reigne as kings but whether this were so or no it was all one to Abimelech measuring the mind of others by his own he might be jealous that they intended this however if the possessing of the people with this conceit might further his project that was all he cared for onely as slanderers are wont to do he would not flatly and in downright terms say they had a plot upon the kingdome but contents himself cunningly and closely to intimate so much Whether saith he is better for you either that all the sonnes of Jerubbaal which are threescore and ten persons reigne over you or that one reigne over you Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh That is of the same citie and family for doubtlesse those that planted themselves in the same city were ordinarily not onely of the same tribe but more nearly allyed together and this Abimelech must needs intend in these words I am your bone c. though elsewhere indeed the more generall relation of being Israelites is the onely ground of this speech 2. Sam. â— 1 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron and spake saying Behold we are thy bone and thy flesh and thus he intimates what an honour and what an advantage many wayes it might be to them to have a king so nearly allyed to them Vers 4. And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith c. Considering that this money was given Abimelech that he might be inabled to suppresse his brethren the other sonnes of Gideon it may well be that there was some superstition in their telling out to him just so many pieces of silver as there were of his brethren to wit threescore and ten But however observable it is that the money which they had given to their idol-god became the very first fewell as I may say for the kindling of that fire in the land wherewith the Lord intended in his judgement to punish the idolatry and other sinnes of this people and that because
proffered to them yet it was sufficient that they were content to be serviceable to God and man in their places and desired not this sovereigne power and fables need not answer in every particular that which they are intended to shadow forth and generally indeed all men of worth good men and fearing God that are content to do good in their places and no way ambitious of being exalted to high places and lastly by the bramble that is a dry fruitlesse base shrub the curse of the earth good for nothing but to be cast into the fire may be meant all worthlesse ambitious persons but Abimelech in particular who grew out of the baser hedgegrow of a concubine and had not been able to lift up his head so high as he did but that he was supported by the men of Shechem and by their help scrambled up to be king of Israel one that was alwayes as fruitlesse as base that had no substance in him nor was likely to yield any comfort to those that trusted in him but rather to vex and to tear and to fetch bloud from the people by his tyrannous government as he had done already from his brethren the other sonnes of Gideon Vers 9. But the olive tree said unto them Should I leave my fatnesse wherewith by me they honour God and man c. To wit God in his offerings lamps and other services of the Tabernacle and man both in anointing men to be kings priests and Prophets and likewise in many other civill uses wherein great and rich and honourable persons were wont to refresh themselves with oyl especially in oderiferous costly ointments Now in this passage of this fable and the like must be conceived of the answer returned by the figtree and vine too Jotham seeks to imply not onely that good men and men of worth are best contented to be servicable to God and man in their places and desire not to be exalted to places of magistracy and sovereignty over others as they had seen in Gideons refusing to be king and likewise the reasons why as Gideon had so other wise and good men would refuse thus to be promoted namely first because the place of soveraignty though it might seem most glorious yet would certainly bring them greater cares and deprive them of much of those comforts which in their private condition they did formerly enjoy and secondly because such great promotion doth usually make vines and fig trees and olive trees fruitlesse and barren that is it makes them farre lesse serviceable to God and man then formerly they were Vers 14. Then said the trees unto the bramble c. See the note above vers 8. Vers 15. Come and put your trust under my shadow c. That is come under my government and protection and thus tyrants are wont to pretend the common good of the people when they seek themselves onely He that thrusts himself under a bramble shall be in an ill case not able to stirre hand or foot but he is in danger to be torn and scratched and such is the misery of those that live under a tyrants government they shall not live as free subjects but shall ever and anon be in danger to have their clothes torn from their backs yea their skinnes from their bones and if the greatest of them anger their lord never so little nothing but fire and destruction is to be expected and therefore is that clause added Let fire come out of the bramble and devoure the Ceders of Lebanon that is the nobles and men of greatest renown amongst the people as indeed tyrants are wont principally to seek the destruction of them Vers 20. And let fire come out from the men of Shechem and from the house of Millo and devoure Abimelech This was accomplished when his scull was broken by a piece of a milstone thrown down upon his head by a woman from the tower of Thebez vers 50.53 for Thebez was doubtlesse a place of strength belonging to the Shechemites why else did Abimelech in the quarrell he had against the Shechemites go up and encamp against Thebez and so losing his life by means of the warre raised betwixt him and the Shechemites it might well be said that a fire that came out from them devoured Abimelech Vers 21. And Jotham ran away and fled and went to Beer c. This may be that city in the tribe of Simeon which is called Baalath-Beer Josh 19.8 where he saved himself either by living there unknown or by the aid of the inhabitants who perhaps with other cities had not yet stooped to the tyrannous yoke of Abimelech Vers 22. When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel c. A while therefore he prospered in his usurped sovereignty but it was but a while for just when he might now begin to hope that his kingdome was established and the curse of Jotham might seem vain and not likely to have effect then on a sudden God brought that upon him which Jotham had prophetically foretold See Hab. 2.6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him and a taunting proverb against him and say Wo to him that encreaseth that which is not his how long and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay Vers 23. Then God sent an evill spirit betwixt Abimelech and the men of Shechem c. That is a spirit of envy malice and discord to wit not by instâ—lling any evill motions into their minds but in a way of just revenge as by letting loose Satan upon them the great kindle-cole and make-bate of the world to raise jealousies and grudges and discontents between them by giving them up to the lusts and corruptions of their own wicked hearts and by giving occasions of enraging them more and more one against another For in this regard though the wickednesse of these things were wholly of themselves and not of God as the stink of the dunghill riseth not from the sunne though the sunne shining upon it be the occasion of it yet because these things were also through the concurring providence of God it may well be said that God sent this spirit of division between them especially if we consider that God did all this as a judge raising these divisions and combustions that hereby he might punish them for their former damnable agreeing together for the ruine of others and so making their treachery one against another the just reward of their joynt treachery against others as it follows in the next words And the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech that is they revolted from him whom themselves had chosen for their king Vers 25. And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains c. Thus at first by these men set to lie in ambush they attempted secretly ere their purpose of casting off his government was discovered to have killed or at least to have seized upon the person of Abimelech onely these
particular gods as Rimmon was a god amongst the Assyrians 2. Kings 15.18 and Chemosh the god of the Moabites and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon 2. Kings 11.23 and Dagon the god of the Philistines 1. Sam. 5.2 and secondly that by degrees they did so wholly give themselves to the worship of these false gods that at length they quite laid by the worship of the true God in the Tabernacle built by Moses they forsook the Lord and served not him When the Israelites began thus to Apostatize it is not expressely said onely thus much we may certainly conclude from the text that though the death of Jair be mentioned in the verse before yet it was long before his death even immediately after the death of Tola the former Judge and that because about foure years after this Jair began to be Judge of Israel through the just hand of God upon them for their idolatry the Ammonites began their incursions into their land as is evident in the 8. verse of this chapter Vers 7. And he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the children of Ammon So that they were invaded both on the east and west on the west by the Philistines and on the east by the children of Ammon chap. 2.14 Vers 8. And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel eighteen years all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan c. That is the Ammonites having eighteen years before in the dayes of Jair oppressed the Israelites by many incursions and inrodes made upon them and especially those tribes that lay without Jordan in the land of the Amorites that year that jair died they did again invade the land and happely in a more sore and greivous manner then ever before did oppresse and crush the poore people in all parts of the kingdome or else the meaning may be that having eighteen years before by severall incursions oppressed the tribes without Jordan that yeare that Jair died encouraged by the death of their Judge they began to vex and oppresse the Israelites in generall even those within Jordan also as it is in the following verse Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to sight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim so that Israel was sore distressed However the eighteen years here mentioned must necessarily be referred to the years of Jairs government for that place 1. Kings 6.1 will not suffer the years of oppression to be reckoned apart from the years of the Judges as is before noted chap. 3.11 and to the years following they cannot be referred if we consider first Israels repenting at present vers 10. and vers 16. And the children of Israel cryed unto the Lord saying We have sinned against thee both because we have forsaken our God and also served Baalim And they put the strange gods from among them and served the Lord and secondly that Jephthah judged the people but six years chap. 12.7 and did in the beginning of his government wholy vanquish the Ammonites chap. 11.32 33. and therefore in his time the people could not be under the oppression of the Ammonites eighteen years Vers 11. And the Lord said unto the children of Israel c. To wit either by an Angel or by some Prophet or perhaps by the high priest who after enquirie made for them returned this answer from the Lord many deliverances are here mentioned which God had given them which if they be not before particularly expressed it is because the Lord did many great things for them which are not written Vers 12. The Zidonians also and the Amalekites and the Maonites did oppresse you c. We reade of a city called Maon in the mountains of Judah Josh 15.55 and of a wildernesse also so called 1. Sam. 23.24 And they arose and went to Ziph before Saul but David and his men were in the wildernesse of Maon It is therefore likely that the Canaanites inhabiting there or in the parts adjoyning are here called Maonites Vers 13. Wherefore I will deliver you no more God speaks here after the manner of men the meaning is that they deserved no more help and that he would deliver them no more to wit except they did truely repent and amend that which was amisse for the condition of conditionall threatnings is not alwayes expressed Vers 15. Do unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee deliver us onely we pray thee this day Thus first they acknowledged that for their sinnes God might justly destroy them secondly they did willingly stoop under his hand and submit themselves to whatsoever he would do and yet thirdly they besought the Lord that if it might be he would try them once more Vers 17. Then the children of Ammon were gathered together and encamped in Gilead That is in the land of Gilead as in vers 18. which they now claimed to belong to them chap. 11. vers 13. Vers 18. And the people and the Princes of Gilead said one to another What man is he that will begin to fight c. Thus at first they proffered the principallitie of Gilead to any one that would undertake to lead them forth against the children of Ammon till finding that no body would accept of it they then sent to Jephthah as is related in the next chapter CHAP. XI Vers 1. NOw Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man c. Though he were the sonne of one Gilead as is evident in the last words of this verse And Gilead begat Jephthah not the same who was the sonne of Machir the sonne of Manasseh Josh 17.1 2. of whom the greatest part if not all of that tribe were descended but another of his posterity and called by his name yet doubtlesse he is here called a Gileadite either from the land or city of Gilead the place of his birth and education for the most of Gilead was possest by Manassehs tribe Vers 2. And they thrust out Jephthah and said unto him Thou shalt not inherit in our fathers house c. This his brethren did by the help and decree of the Magistrates of Gilead as appears by Jephthahs answer to the Elders vers 17. And Jephthah said unto the Elders of Gilead did ye not hate me and expell me out of my fathers house Whether they onely cast him one from having any share in the inheritance of their father or whether also they denyed him any portion for his livelyhood amongst them we cannot from the words certainly conclude yet because being a bastard he could not challenge any part of his fathers inheritance and his complaint vers 7. seems to imply that he apprehended himself greatly wronged therefore the last is thought most probable Vers 3. And Jephthah fled from his brethren and dwelt in the land of Tob. Where this land of Tob was we reade not but their sudden fetching Jephthah to be their Captain shows plainly that it was
conceive how is it possible that we should determine any thing concerning their names Sufficient it is for us to know that even in this regard the angel might well answer Manoah that his name was secret or wonderfull that is that it was a thing not to be revealed and therefore not to be enquired into or a thing too wonderfull for him to understand or that as the other angels so he also had no other name but this that he was one of those ministring spirits whom God did continually employ in the effecting of many wonderfull works for his people with respect whereto therefore it may well be that vers 19. it is expressely noted that the angel did wondrously But now granting what was formerly said that this angel of the Lord was the Sonne of God the great angel of the Covenant it must needs seem the lesse strange that he should tell Manoah that his name was secret and not to be searched into or wonderfull and incomprehensible and that because first as he is very God his name that is his essence or being is infinitely above our understanding it is a secret we must not prie into it is too wonderfull for us onely we know of him what by his word and works he hath been pleased to reveal to us and that is enough to astonish any man that will seriously ponder it with himself and secondly as he was appointed of God to be in our nature the mediatour between God and man there was nothing in him nor nothing that was to be done by him but was every way wonderfull whence it is that the prophet said of him His name shall be called wonderfull Isa 9.6 Vers 19. So Manoah took a kid with a meat-offering and offered it c. Neither the person sacrificing nor the place where they offered this sacrifice were warrantable by the law but the allowance of the angel vers 16. If thou wilt offer a burnt offering thou must offer it unto the Lord was warrant sufficient Vers 20. For it came to passe when the flame went up towards heaven from off the altar c. Because there is no mention made either of wood or of fire that was brought by Manoah for the offering of this sacrifice therefore many Expositours hold that by the ministerie of the angel there came fire out of the rock to consume the burnt offering as it was before in Gideons sacrifice chap. 6.21 But that cannot certainly be concluded from thence However it was doubtlesse the angels ascending up in the flame of the altar that was the principall miraculous work whereby the angel did discover what he was to Manoah and his wife and methinks too this is one of the strongest evidences to make it most probable that this angel was the Sonne of God and that because his going up to heaven in the flame of the sacrifice did most sweetly represent and shadow forth the office of Christ the great Angel of the covenant whose work it is to present all our services before God and to procure them to be graciously accepted of him Vers 22. And Manoah said unto his wife We shall surely die c. See the note chap. 6.22 Vers 23. But his wife said unto him If the Lord were pleased to kill us he would not have received a burnt offering c. By three severall arguments doth Manoahs wife comfort him first from Gods accepting of their sacrifice and that she takes for granted because the angel advised them to offer that their sacrifice vers 16. If thou wilt offer a burnt offering thou must offer it unto the Lord and secondly because he had made known Gods accepting of it both by that his miraculous ascending up to heaven in the flame of it whereby they might see that their sacrifice went up with him into the presence of God and also as Expositours generally conceive by causing fire miraculously to ascend out of the rock and consume the sacrifice as formerly in that of Gideons Judg. 6.21 The angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes and there arose fire out of the rock consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes secondly from those wonders God had shewed them neither saith she would he have shewed us all these things that is all these miraculous signes of Gods favour towards us to wit the strange burning of the sacrifice and ascending of the angel in the flame thereof and thirdly from his imparting those secrets to them concerning their child Nor saith she would he as at this time have told us such things as these that is neither would he thus beforehand in a time of such great distresse have told us such comfortable tidings concerning the birth and education of our child and the worthy service he should do for the deliverance of his Church and people Vers 24. And the child grew and the Lord blessed him That is he indued him with admirable strength of body courage of mind and all other gifts requisite for those worthy services God had appointed him to do Vers 25. And the spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan c. The camp of Dan was either the place of Samsons dwelling so called by occasion of that which we find written concerning the expedition of the Danites against Laish which it seems was before the dayes of Samson chap. 18.11 12. And there went from thence of the familie of the Danites out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol six hundred men appointed with weapons of warre And they went up and pitched in Kiriath-jearim in Judah wherefore they call that place Mahaneh-Dan unto this day or else it may be meant of a camp which the Danites had formed at present in this place having raised an army to withstand the incursions of the Philistines who did sorely now oppresse them where Samson serving in his young years began to give proof of the noble acts he should afterwards do For the spirit of God began now and then at times to come upon him and to put him upon strange and admirable exploits even beyond the ordinary courage and strength of man CHAP. XIV Vers 1. ANd Samson went down to Timnath c. A citie that was at first in the lot of Judah Josh 15.57 and afterward was separated for the tribe of Dan Josh 19.43 but was often if not alwayes in the possession of the Philistines in the confines of whose land it stood and so now it seems it was Vers 2. I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines now therefore get her for me to wife It was unlawfull for any Israelite much more for a Nazarite to marry with a daughter of the Philistines Deut. 7.3 but it seems Samson did this not without a speciall warrant from God either by revelation or by a strong instinct of the spirit which he knew well
the words must be that in those dayes there was no King in Israel that is no supreme Magistrate armed with such sovereigne authoritie to punish offenders that transgressed the law as the Kings afterwards had the Judges rather governing the people by counsell shewing them what was the law and will of God then by the sword of justice at least in those times of the Judges when they were in subjection to those neighbouring nations that tyrannised over them Vers 7. And there was a young man out of Bethlehem-Judah c. That is Bethlehem in the tribe of Judah which was called Bethlehem Ephratah Mich. 5.2 to distinguish it from that Bethlehem which was in the tribe of Zebulun Josh 19.15 But why is it said in the next words that he was a Levite and yet withall too of the familie of Judah I answer because though he was a Levite yet he was born and bred up amongst them of the familie of Judah It may be true which some conceive that his father being a Levite and sojourning there marryed a wife of the familie of Judah but it is not usuall in Scripture to style men by the mothers familie and therefore the meaning is that there he had his birth and breeding for which cause he is also said to have sojourned there because he was not of that tribe neither was Bethlehem one of the Levites cities but there he lived as a stranger as the Levites it seems did in many other places Afterwards his name is expressed and of what familie he was to wit that his name was Jonathan and that he was the sonne of Gershom the sonne of Manasseh Vers 8. And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehem-Judah to sojourn where he could find a place c. This shews the corruptions of those times God had provided liberally for the tribe of Levi but in these idolatrous times the people had in a great measure forsaken the Tabernacle and so their appointed maintenance of tythes it seems was not yielded them for then this Levite needed not have wandered up and down to procure means of livelyhood See the like Neh. 13.10 11. And I perceived that the portion of the Levites had not been given them for the Levites and the singers that did the work were fled every one to his field Then I contended with the rulers and said Why is the house of God forsaken and I gathered them together and put them in their places Vers 10. And Micah said unto him Dwell with me and be unto me a father and a priest c. Though he had consecrated his sonne to execute the priests office in his idolatrous chappel yet because he thought it would be a great honour to his idol-worship to have one of the tribe of Levi to his priest either he was content to put his sonne out of that place and to put in this Levite in his room or else meant to joyn him with his sonne and so began to treat with him to this purpose But yet observable it is that though he promised to reverence this Levite as a father notwithstanding his youth if he would be his priest be unto me saith he a father and a priest yet it was but a poore salarie that he tendered him for his service I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the yeare and a suit of apparell and thy victuals eleven hundred shekels of silver were set apart to make their idols and the appurtenances thereto belonging and yet ten shekels of silver were thought enough for the priests wages Indeed had not the time when this was done been extremely corrupt a Levite would never have prostituted himself to such a base service as to be a priest to their idol-dunghill-gods and that too upon such base terms but hunger will snap at any thing when there is no grace to restrain men for so it follows in the next verse and the Levite was content to dwell with the man c. Vers 11. And the young man was unto him as one of his sonnes c. Though he reverenced him as a father as he had promised him before vers 10 yet it is said here that the young man was unto him as one of his sonnes that is he loved him and used him as if he had been his own child Vers 13. Now I know that the Lord will do me good seeing I have a Levite to my priest But how much he was deceived the following chapter sheweth CHAP. XVIII Vers 1. IN those dayes there was no King in Israel See the note chap. 17. vers 6. For unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel By reason of the Amorites who cooped them up in the mountains chap. 1.34 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain for they would not suffer them to come into the valley Vers 3. When they were by the house of Micah they knew the voice of the young man the Levite The Danites had part of their inheritance in that part of Canaan which was at first assigned to the tribe of Judah therefore it is not unlikely that some of these spies were formerly acquainted with this Levite whilst he sojourned in Bethlehem-Judah and so now knew his voice However by the different dialect or manner of speech and pronunciation which the men of Judah used from that which was used by the inhabitants of mount Ephraim they might know him to belong to Judah though he now sojourned in Ephraim as we may see in that instance chap. 12.6 where the men of Ephraim said Sibboleth in stead of Shibboleth And besides if they heard him speak concerning the employments of his calling by that they might know he was a Levite Vers 5. And they said unto him Ask counsel we pray thee of God c. Hearing from the Levite that Micah had there a chappel of gods and amongst the rest an Ephod and Teraphim which were the Oracles whereby in those idolatrous times they were wont to enquire of God and that he was hired to be Micahs priest they desired him that he would enquire of God concerning the successe of that great businesse they were going about Vers 6. Go in peace before the Lord is your way wherein ye go That is the eye of the Lord it upon your way to remove all difficulties and to make your journey prosperous he will go out before you and take care of your journey Now this answer he might return of his own head flatteringly as false Prophets are wont to do But yet God might permit Satan by his Teraphim or some such Oracle to foretell this concerning the successe of their journey Deut. 13.1 2 3. If there arise among you a prophet or a dreames of dreams and giveth thee a signe or a wonder and the signe or the wonder come to passe whereof he spake unto thee saying Let us go after other gods which thou hast not known and let
the city with fire This is mentioned before Josh 19.47 concerning which see the note there It may seem strange why the Danites should burn this city seeing they surprized it purposely that they might dwell in it and it must needs be a great work and of great charge to rebuild it again but this we must consider is usuall when cities are stormed and taken partly through the fury of the souldiers in the heat of the assault and partly that they may the more easily destroy the inhabitants whilst they are forced to busie themselves in quenching the fire cities are seldome taken by force but that some part of them is burnt with fire Vers 28. And there was no deliverer because it was farre from Sydon c. See the note above vers 7. And it was in the valley that lyeth by Beth-Rehob c. Rehob was a city in the utmost north part of the land near unto mount Libanus and Hamath Num. 13.21 So they went up and searched the land from the wildernesse of Zin unto Rehob as men come to Hamath it was within the portion assigned to Asher Josh 19 28. and appointed for the Levites in that tribe Josh 21.31 but is reckoned amongst those cities whose inhabitants the Asherites did not drive out Judg. 1.31 who are called Syrians of Beth-Rehob 2. Sam. 10.6 It is evident therefore that Laish which was also now in the possession of the Canaanites or Syrians and was nigh Rehob stood also in the utmost north parts of the land near to the fountain of Dan one of the heads of that river which was therefore called Jordan whence was that proverbiall speech from Dan even to Beersheba Vers 29. And they called the name of the city Dan after the name of Dan their father c. Because the Danites that seated themselves here so farre off from the rest of their brethren might fear lest in future times their reference to their brethren should be questioned they named their city Dan which was before called Laish that it might be known to what tribe they belonged yet withall it is probable they so named their city too in honour of their father the Patriarch of whom they were descended but in the mean time they were idolaters and robbers and this their father Dan did not do as Christ speaks in a like case John 8.40 But now ye seek to kill me a man that hath told you the truth which I have heard of God this did not Abraham Vers 30. And the children of Dan set up the graven image c. The good successe which they had in their attempt upon Laish according to the answer which they had received from this Oracle made them highly esteem both this priest and his images and accordingly they established this idolatrous worship of their false gods amongst them and so this Levite Jonathan the sonne of Gershom c. and his posteritie were priests unto these idolatrous Danites untill the captivitie of the land The most of Expositours understand this of that captivitie when the ark was taken and carried away by the Philistines 1. Sam. 4.10 11. And the Philistines fought and Israel was smitten and they fled every man into his tent and there was a very great slaughter for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen And the Ark of God was taken and the two sonnes of Eli Hophni and Phinehas were slain for then we see there was a great slaughter amongst the Israelites and no doubt many of them were carried away captive together with the ark and all this befell them because of the idolatrie that was then in the land Psal 78.58 59. They provoked him to anger with their high places and moved him to jealousie with their graven images When God heard this he was wroth and greatly abhorred Israel So that he forsook the Tabernacle of Shiloh the tent which he placed among men c. Besides Micahs graven image upon which depended the service of this idolatrous priest and his successours stood up onely till the remove of the Tabernacle from Shiloh vers 31. And they set them up Micahs graven image which he made all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh which was doubtlesse about that time when the Ark was taken by the Philistines so that hence it may seem very probable that the priesthood of these men continued no longer and that this is the captivitie here spoken of Besides if it be understood of that captivitie when the ten tribes were carried away captives into Assyria by Shalmaneser 2. Kings 17. it may be judged very unlikely that these idolatrous priests should in Samuels time be suffered especially in Davids who was so holy and potent a King But yet because the captivieie of the land cannot well be understood otherwise then of a generall captivitie I see not why it should not be understood of that captivitie when the people were carried away into Assyria by Shalmaneser It is indeed manifest by the following verse that Micahs image was pulled down not long after the Tabernacle was removed from Shiloh and in Sauls time it is manifest that the Tabernacle was in Nob 1. Sam. 21. But yet though the idol was supprest these idolatrous priests might in secret especially though not openly continue to do this impious service for the Danites unto the time of Jeroboam and then might be employed as priests for his golden calf which was erected in this citie Dan 1. Kings 12.29 He set the one in Bethel and the other he put in Dan for though he made priests of the lowest of the people that were not Levites vers 31. yet that doth not hinder but that these idolaters though Levites might be of the number of his priests too and so they might continue till that generall captivitie of the ten tribes CHAP. XIX Vers 1. ANd it came to passe in those dayes c. Concerning the time when these things were done see chap. 17. vers 6. There was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem-Judah Some concubines there were amongst the Hebrews that were esteemed lawfull wives as concerning the right of the bed who yet were not esteemed in the rank with other wives principally and most properly so called for they had not the honour of being accounted the mother of the familie their children did not inherit with the rest c. and that either because they were before such as lived in a servile condition as Hagar or because they were taken in a second place and were not with the same rites and solemnities married to them as the others were concerning which see the note Gen. 22.24 and 25.6 and such a concubine it seems this was and therefore is the Levite called her husband both here vers 3. And her husband arose and went after her to speak friendly unto her and again chap. 20.4 And the Levite the husband of the woman that was slain
of this horrible villanie that had been committed upon his concubine Some conceive that there was none sent to the tribe of Benjamin but that there was two pieces sent to the tribe of Manasseh because that tribe dwelt half within Jordan and half without But this is altogether a groundlesse conceit for there was most reason for sending a piece to Benjamin in regard the fact was committed in a citie of their tribe and there was as much reason why they should have sent two pieces to the tribe of Dan as to the tribe of Manasseh since the tribe of Dan was also seated in two severall parts of the land some in the portion of Judah and some northward at Laish as in the former chapter was related Vers 30. And it was so that all that saw it said There was no such deed done nor seen c. The messengers relating the cause why the Levite had done this not onely the elders of each tribe to whom these parcels of her body were sent because there was no magistrate armed with regall power to punish this fact but even all that came to the hearing of it cried out against it as a matchlesse villâ—nie and stirred up one another not to let it passe unrevenged And hence is that expression of the prophet Hos 9.9 They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the dayes of Gibeah CHAP. XX. Vers 1. THen all the children of Israel went out and the congregation was gathered together c. All the children of Israel that is the chief of all the people as it follows in the next verse all the elders and officers captains and men of warre except onely they of the tribe of Benjamin went out from their own habitations severally and were gathered together as one man that is unanimously as readily as if one man onely had been appointed to come to any place and thus was there an assembly of all the land to wit those within Jordan from Dan to Beersheba and together with them also of the land of Gilead that is those without Jordan and that in Mizpeh Mizpeh was a place where the Israelites did usually hold their publick assemblies 1. Sam 7.5 And Samuel said Gather all the children of Israel to Mizpeh and so also chap. 10.17 and Jer. 40.7 8. It is very probable that it stood in the confines of Judah and Benjamin and is therefore reckoned amongst the cities of both tribes see Josh 15.38 18.26 neither could there be therefore for the businesse they met about a fitter place chosen now here they are said to be gathered together unto the Lord not because the Tabernacle was there as we shall after see vers 27. but either because they were assembled in Gods name and to heare what God would give them in charge or because in all judiciall assemblies the Lord is in a speciall manner present Psal 82.1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty he judgeth among the gods or else because they met in a synagogue a house set apart for publick prayer and teaching the people which seems the more likely even because of that which we reade in one of our Apocryphal books 1. Macc. 3.46 Wherefore the Israelites assembled themselves together and came to Maspha over against Jerusalem for Maspha was the place where they prayed aforetime in Israel Some conceive I know that the Ark was at present removed to Mizpeh but of that see vers 27. Vers 2. Foure hundred thousand footmen that drew sword The number of these men of warre is expressed both to shew their zeal in seeking to punish this abominable fact of the men of Gibeah and also to shew how evidently the hand of God was against these Israelites when they were twice beaten by the Benjamites and yet were so many more in number then they Vers 3. Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone to Mizpeh This is added to implie how resolved the Benjamites were to stand out in defence against the rest of the Israelites who hearing of the Israelites assembling themselves about this businesse neither went to the assembly themselves nor sent any messenger to them Vers 5. And the men of Gibeah rose against me and beset the house round about upon me by night and thought to have slain me To wit by their unnaturall lust as they had slain his wife or at least he means that they thought to have done that to him which rather then he would have endured he would have lost his life Vers 7. Behold ye are all children of Israel c. And therefore ought to take to heart that so foul an abomination should be committed in Israel it concerns you all and therefore look to it Vers 8. We will not any of us go to his tent neither will we any of us turn in to his house This is added to shew how zealous they were in seeking to punish this horrible sinne they vowed that they would not so much as go home to their houses till they had executed judgement upon those that were guiltie of it yea not onely so but also at the same place and time at least when the report was brought them that the Benjamites would not deliver the malefactours into their hands but were resolved rather to defend them they vowed also that having slain the Benjamites they would not give any of their daughters in marriage to any that were left alive chap. 21. vers 1. Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh saying There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin to wife and that they would likewise destroy every town throughout the whole land of Israel that had not sent some of their people to this assemblie to help them in this warre chap. 21.5 They had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the Lord to Mizpeh saying He shall surely be put to death Vers 9. We will go up by lot against it That is we will by lot determine it who shall go up to fight against Gibeah and who shall go forth to fetch in victuals and other provisions for the people one in ten had need to be set apart for this service and who they shall be the lot shall decide Vers 12. And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin c. Though the Benjamites absenting themselves from the assembly of all Israel at Mizpeh was a just ground of suspition that they meant not to yield up the malefactours to be punished yet would not the Israelites thereupon make warre presently against them but first they sent messengers to all the families of the tribe of Benjamin to desire the deliverie of those sonnes of Belial to deserved punishment that so if it were possible bloud-shed and civill war might be prevented Vers 13. Deliver us the men the children of Belial which are in Gibeah that we may put them to death and put away evil from Israel That is make others
former verse it is said they went up though in after times the Ark was a long while out of the Tabernacle yet in those dayes it was there in the house of God in Shiloh Vers 28. And Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar the sonne of Aaron stood before it in those dayes That is ministred before the Lord in the priests office Deut. 10.8 The Lord separated the tribe of Levi to bear the Ark of the covenant of the Lord to stand before the Lord and to minister unto him and enquired of the Lord by Urim and Thummim before the Ark in the behalf of the people And hereby it appears that this story of Israels warre with Benjamin did not fall out after Samsons death according as it is here set down in order of the Historie but long before for had Phinehas lived after Samson he had been well nigh foure hundred years old whereas in this time it was a rare thing to live till fourescore years Psal 90.10 The dayes of our years are threescore years and ten and if by reason of strength they be fourescore years yet is their strength labour and sorrow for it is soon cut off and we flie away Vers 29. And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah c. Though the last time the Israelites enquired of the Lord what they should do God had assured them that they should prevail against the Benjamites Go up for to morrow I will deliver them into thy hand yet were they never a whit lesse carefull to trie if by policie they could get any advantage against them and as may be gathered by severall passages in the following part of the chapter though the relation be somewhat intricate the course which they took seems to be this they divided their army into three parts one part was laid in ambush in the meadows of Gibeah vers 33. the other part was sent against Gibeah who were presently to flie before the Benjamites that they might draw them farre off from the citie vers 30 31. and the third was to stay in Baaltamar and to renew the battel when the Benjamites came thither pursuing the Israelites that fled before them Vers 30. And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin c. That is that part of their army that was to make an assault upon the Benjamites and then presently to give back and flie See the foregoing note Vers 31. In the high wayes in which one goeth up to the house of God and the other in Gibeah in the field This surely was another Gibeah called Gibeah in the field to distinguish it from that Gibeah against which the Israelites now warred which stood on a hill happely it is the same which is called Gaba Josh 18.24 Vers 33. And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and put themselves in array at Baal-tamar That is the main body of the army which stayed in that place to receive the Benjamites when they should follow on in the pursuit of the flying Israelites See the note vers 19. Vers 34. And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel c. These ten thousand were I conceive the liers in wait mentioned vers 33. but yet that which follows and the battel was sore but they knew not that evil was near them must be meant of the battel betwixt the Israelites that set themselves in array in Baal-tamar vers 33. and the Benjamites that were fallen upon them as they came pursuing the Israelites who did purposely flie before them for these Benjamites they were that knew not that evil was near them but fought courageously till afterward they saw the smoke of the citie arise and then they fled before the Israelites as it is afterward more particularly described vers 38 c. Vers 35. And the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel Though they used now a stratagem which they used not before yet it was not thence that they prevailed but because the Lord was at peace with them and gave them the victorie And the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men To wit eighteen thousand in the fight vers 44. And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men and five thousand which they gleaned in the high-wayes as they found them in the pursuit scattered here and there vers 45. and two thousand which they slew at Gidom vers 45. and the odde hundred which is not expressed in the particulars was slain it seems some in one place and some in another Vers 41. And when the men of Israel turned again the men of Benjamin were amazed This is added to clear that which was said vers 40. to wit how the Benjamites came to look back and see the flame of the citie the reason was that they were amazed to see the flying Israelites on a sudden turn head and renew the battel with such courage and violence and thereupon looking behind them saw their citie was taken and set on fire Vers 46. So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand c. There fell that day twenty five thousand one hundred See vers 35. And the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men but here the great number is onely expressed Vers 48. And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin c. That is having slain all the Benjamites that were in arms for the defence of Gibeah together with all the inhabitants of the citie they then addressed themselves to take vengeance on the rest of the tribe of Benjamin because they also had a hand in the sending out men for the defence of Gibeah and herein proceeded with such fury and rage that they utterly destroyed both in town and citie where ever they came all that came to hand both man and beast that is they spared neither women nor children nor any living thing that came in their way and this they did either as judging that they were bound to deal with them as with those that were anathematized or devoted to destruction according to the direction which was given by the Lord concerning any citie that should set up idolatrie amongst them Deut. 13.15 16. Then thou shalt enquire and make search and ask diligently and behold if it be true and the thing certain that such abomination is wrought among you thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword destroy it utterly and all that is therein and the cattel thereof with the edge of the sword or rather onely out of the fury and rage wherewith they were transported partly because it was such a horribe villanie which the Benjamites had undertaken to defend and partly because so many thousands of their own tribes had perished in this warre against the Benjamites concerning which see what is further noted in the
How to compute the time from the birth of Boaz to the birth of David is a matter of great difficulty for from the going of the Israelites out of Egypt to the building of the temple it was 480. years and therefore from the Israelites entring the land of Canaan to that time it was 440 years out of which deducting 24 years for the age of Solomon when he began to build the temple 50. years for the age of David when Solomon was born which is most probable it will then be found that it was 366. years from the Israelites entring into Canaan to the birth of David and it was not sure long after the Israelites took Jericho ere Salmon married Rahab by whom he had Boaz. But yet granting that both Boaz begat Obed when he was a very old man and so Obed Jesse and Jesse David it might well be that in 366. years there might be no more then these generations ANNOTATIONS Upon the first book of SAMUEL Otherwise called The first book of KINGS CHAP. I. NOw there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim c. The two books of Samuel are so called because they contain the storie of the life and death of Samuel and of the Common-wealth of Israel under his government and likewise the storie of Saul and David who were both anointed kings by Samuel and so shew how the prophecies of Samuel concerning them both were exactly fulfilled Yet by the Greek and Latine Interpreters they are usually called the two first books of the Kings because therein is related how the government of Israel came first to be changed from that of Judges to that of Kings and because they contain the storie of Saul and David the two first Kings of Israel By whom these books were written is no where expressed but that they were written by the inspiration of the holy Ghost whosoever the penmen were is evident by the testimonie of the Jews to whom were committed the Oracles of God and who did alwayes acknowledge them to be a part of the sacred canon of the Scripture and it is likewise confirmed in the new Testament where some passages of these books are cited as a part of the Scripture as we may see Matt. 12.3 4. where that passage concerning Davids eating the shew-bread 1. Sam. 21.6 is cited by our Saviour Have ye not read what David when he was an hungred did and they that were with him how he entred into the house of God and did eat the shewbread c. and again in those two testimonies cited by S. Paul the one Rom. 15.9 As it is written For this cause I will confesse to thee amongst the Gentiles and sing unto thy name which is taken out of the 2. Sam. 22.50 and the other Heb. 1.5 I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a sonne which is alledged from 2. Sam. 7.14 As for these first words Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim c. wherein we are told what Elkanah the father of Samuel was we must know first that whereas elsewhere the town where Elkanah dwelt is called Ramah as in the 19. verse of this chapter And they rose up in the morning early and came to their house to Ramah and so again chap. 2.11 here it is called Ramathaim-zophim Ramathaim in the duall number because it consisted of two towns that were called Ramah two Ramahs joyned in one and Zophim either because it was situate in the countrey or region of Zuph whereof we reade chap. 9.5 And when they were come to the land of Zuph Saul said to his servant that was with him Come and let us return c. or else because of the high situation of the place standing upon some notable high hill in regard whereof it may well be that there were some watch-towers there for that the name seems to import because Zophim signifieth watch houses or towers or else as some think because there was there an Universitie or school of Prophets who are usually in the Scripture called watchmen as Ezek. 3.17 Sonne of man I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel secondly that whereas in setting down the genealogie of Elkanah it is said that he was the sonne of Jeroham the sonne of Elihu the sonne of Tohu the sonne of Zuph it seems in the 1. Chron. 6.26 27. that three of these were also called by other names for Elihu is there called Eliab and vers 34. Eliel and Tohu Nahath and vers 34. Toah and Zuph Zophai and thirdly whereas it is said that Elkanah was an Ephrathite thereby is meant that he dwelt in mount Ephraim Elimelech and his two sonnes are called Ephrathites Ruth 1.2 because they were of Bethlehem Ephratah and Jeroboam is called an Ephrathite because he was of the tribe of Ephraim 1. Kings 11.26 but Elkanah is here called an Ephrathite onely because he dwelt in mount Ephraim for that he was a Levite of the familie of the Kohathites to whom indeed certain cities were allotted in the tribe of Ephraim Josh 21.20 and of the posteritie of Korah that wretch that was in so fearfull a manner destroyed in the wildernesse for his rebellion against Moses is evident 1. Chron. 6.22 23 c. so that it is no wonder though the sonnes of Korah were spared whilest the father was destroyed since the Lord had determined from this cursed stock to raise up to the Israelites such a glorious Prophet as Samuel was Vers 2. And Peninnah had children but Hannah had no children Hannah is reckoned in the foregoing words in the first place and it is probable therefore which some conceive that Hannah was his first wife and that afterwards he took Peninnah to wife because Hannah was barren For in those times they counted it an extraordinary crosse to die without issue yea because the temporall promise made to that nation depended much upon their carnall generation though the Lord allowed not their polygamie yet he was pleased to tolerate this infirmitie in his servants till the Messiah came when the Church should no longer be tied to one nation but spirituall children should be begotten unto God from all nations and it may be they did conceive that Gods promise to Abraham of multiplying his seed as the starres of heaven did implie a dispensation granted to them for having many wives Vers 3. And this man went up out of his citie yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh At Shiloh the Tabernacle had stood ever since the seventh yeare of Joshua Josh 18.1 thither went Elkanah yearly that is at those three solemne feasts wherein all the males were bound to appear before the Lord Deut. 16.16 He might go at other times as a Levite to do service in his course at the Tabernacle but here doubtlesse his going up yearly at those great feasts is onely intended when his familie went with him yea the women also such was their devotion though
but also of other things revealed to him by the Lord at other times in regard whereof that is added which follows in the next verse the Lord appeared again in Shiloh to wit to Samuel Vers 21. For the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. That is by Christ the word of his Father or by revealing his will and word unto him which afterwards was to be delivered by him to others to wit by propheticall revelation and not by any corporall or visible apparition CHAP. IV. Vers 1. ANd the word of Samuel came to all Israel Or came to passe the meaning is that Samuel as a Prophet made known the word of the Lord as to Eli before so afterwards to all Israel reproving them for their sinnes and telling them beforehand the judgements that would fall upon them if they did not repent All which did accordingly come upon them Now Israel went against the Philistines to battel c. Who began now again to invade the land of Israel It may seem that all the fourtie years of Elies judging Israel they had been quiet happely because they had been so exceedingly weakned by the slaughter which Samson made so often among them especially at his death where no doubt most of their princes and lords were slain Judg. 16.30 And Samson said Let me die with the Philistines and he bowed himself with all his might and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people that were therein so the dead which he slew at his death were mo then they which he slew in his life But now they began again to quarrell with the Israelites and that no doubt not without the secret counsell of God who intended to punish hereby both the Priests and people of Israel and hereupon it was that the Philistines being entred upon the land of Israel the Israelites were gathered together to fight with them now the camp of the Israelites was besides Eben-ezer that is a place where afterward a stone was erected that was called Eben-ezer the occasion whereof we may see chap. 7.11 12. and the camp of the Philistines was in Aphek a citie in the tribe of Judah which bordered upon the land of the Philistines see Josh 15.53 Vers 3. Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines Let us fetch the Ark c. Though idolatrie and many other grosse sinnes were at this time rife amongst the Israelites They provoked him to anger with their high places and moved him to jealousie with their graven images saith the Psalmist concerning these very times Psal 78.58 yet so blind and stupid they were that because they were the seed of Abraham and the people of God they wondered why God should take the uncircumcised Philistines part against them never minding or mentioning their own wickednesse which had provoked the Lord to bring these miseries upon them Wherefore say they hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines and vainly they thought to mend all for the future by fetching the Ark of God to be amongst them Let us say they fetch the Ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us that when it cometh among us it may save us out of the hand of our enemies Now however they were moved no doubt to take this course first because the Ark was the signe of Gods presence amongst them whence it is said vers 4. that the people sent to Shiloh that they might bring from thence the Ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts which dwelleth between the Cherubims and secondly because the Israelites in former times had prevailed mightily against their enemies when the Ark was amongst them as when they vanquished the Midianites Num. 31.6 and at the sacking of Jericho when the walls of the citie fell down before them Josh 6.4 5. and on the other side when the Ark was not with them they had gone by the worst as when they went out to fight against the Canaanites Num. 14.44 45. They presumed to go up unto the hill top nevertheles the Ark of the covenant of the Lord and Moses departed not out of the camp Then the Amalekites came down and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill and smote them and discomfited them even to Hormah and therefore it seems afterwards to have been an usuall custome to carrie forth the Ark into the field with them for Saul had it with him when he was in arms against the Philistines chap. 14.18 Saul said unto Ahiah Bring hither the Ark of God for the Ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel and Joab as some think had it with him when he went out against the Ammonites the Ark and Israel and Judah abide in tents said Uriab 2. Sam. 11.11 yet because at present they did merely rest upon the outward signe and did not repent them of their sinnes whereby they had forfeited their interest in God nor seek to make their peace with God as they ought to have done therefore their confidence in the Ark was groundlesse and vain and the signe of Gods presence became ineffectuall amongst them And doubtlesse there was a secret overruling hand of God in this their sudden resolution to fetch the Ark into the camp whereby he made way to the delivering up the Ark into the power of the enemie and to the death of the two sonnes of Eli who coming along with the Ark were slain by the Philistines Vers 4. And the two sonnes of Eli Hophni and Phinehas were there with the Ark of the covenant of God To wit either to carrie it as Num. 4.15 or at least to attend it Vers 7. And the Philistines were afraid for they said God is come into the camp This happely the Philistines spake as thinking the Ark to be some representation of the God of the Israelites and having the same opinion of it as they had of their own idols at least they conceived that there was some divine power that went along with the Ark where it went which was the reason why they were stricken with such astonishment and fear And they said Wo unto us for there hath not been such a thing heretofore That is in former conflicts we have had with them they used not to bring their Ark into the camp even by this unwonted shout of the Israelites we may see how much greater their hope and confidence is now then it hath been formerly Vers 8. These are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wildernesse In the former part of this clause it is manifest that the Philistines speak of those divers great plagues wherewith the Lord smote both Pharaoh and his people in Egypt thereby forcing them to let his people go but these words in the wildernesse are added in the close because in the overthrow of the Egyptians in the red sea which joyned to the desert of Etham Exod. 13.20 there was a
bring the following judgement upon them or rather that this was an extraordinary act of devotion whereto the Priests were led by reasons grounded upon this strange and extraordinary work which God had wrought and perhaps also by a speciall instinct of Gods Spirit and is not therefore to be judged of according to the rules of other ordinary burnt offerings They considered that these kine had been given up by the Philistines to the service of the Lord in bringing home the Ark and that having been employed in so sacred of service it was not fit they should be imployed to any other use or much lesse that they should be sent back to the Philistines again and therefore they resolved by this way of an extraordinary burnt-offering to yield them up to the Lord by whose all-ruling providence they were so miraculously swayed to bring back the Ark unto that place And indeed had they sinned in offering these kine for a burnt-offering why should not this be mentioned vers 19. as the cause of Gods displeasure against them as well as their looking into the Ark. Vers 15. And the Levites took down the Ark of the Lord c. That is the Priests who were of the tribe of Levi for Bethshemesh as is before noted was one of the Priests cities Josh 21.16 nor was it lawfull for the Levites to touch the Ark Num. 4.15 And when Aaron and his sonnes have made an end of covering the Sanctuarie and all the vessels of the Sanctuarie as the camp is to set forward after that the sonnes of Kohath shall come to bear it but they shall not touch any holy thing lest they die Vers 18. And the golden mice according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords both of fenced cities and of countrey villages c. That is according as all the cities and villages of the Philistines were divided into five parts and were under the command of their five great lords each of those cities before mentioned being the mother citie in each division so accordingly there were five golden mice given as was said before vers 4. and that in the name and happely at the charge not of the mother-cities onely but of all the severall circuits or provinces that belonged to them because all had been punished with that plague of mice which were sent amongst them even all the land of the Philistines unto the great stone of Abel that is mourning so called doubtlesse because of the peoples lamentation vers 19. as upon a like occasion the floore of Atad where the sonnes of Jacob with the Egyptians mourned for the death of Jacob was called Abel-mizraim Gen. 50.11 that is the mourning of the Egyptians Vers 19. And he smote the men of Bethshemesh because they had looked into the Ark of the Lord. It was not lawfull for any but the Priests no not the Levites who carried it to look upon the Ark bare and uncovered Num. 4.20 But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered lest they die It was therefore sufficient to render the people obnoxious to the judgement that fell upon them if we suppose that it came covered from the Philistines and they uncovered it to look upon it or that it came uncovered and they took libertie without any fear or reverence to stare and gaze upon it But yet the words seem to import that they proceeded further even to look into the Ark either merely out of curiositie or perhaps to see whether the Philistines had not put any thing into it or taken any thing out of it onely I see not how so many could offend in this kind Even he smote of the people fiftie thousand and threescore and ten men That is of them and of the people together that came flocking from all parts to see the Ark there were slain fiftie thousand and threescore and ten men It were much that there should be so many found in so little a citie as Bethshemesh was but amongst those multitudes that might come from all parts to see the Ark there might well be fiftie thousand and threescore and ten slain Vers 21. And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim c. Pretending happely that their citie of Bethshemesh was not a place of such safetie for the Ark to be in as Kirjath-jearim was they sent to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim to desire them to fetch the Ark thither The Philistines say they have brought again the Ark of the Lord come ye down and fetch it up to you CHAP. VII Vers 1. ANd the men of Kirjath-jearim came and fetcht up the Ark of the Lord c. Three particulars are here related concerning this removall of the Ark. The first is that it was fetcht up from Bethshemesh by the men of Kirjath-jearim a citie in the tribe of Judah not farre from Bethshemesh called formerly Baalah and Kirjath-Baal Josh 15.9 60. and 18.14 Now this being none of the cities of the Priests who onely might touch the Ark though it be said that the men of Kirjath-jearim fetcht up the Ark yet thereby is meant onely that they came up to have it carried to their citie and attended it when it was removed for they were doubtlesse priests either of Bethshemesh or of some other place that carried the Ark. Notwithstanding the men of Bethshemesh were smitten for looking into the Ark chap. 6.19 yet the men of Kirjath-jearim did not oppose the removing of it to their citie but themselves fetched it thither no doubt with much joy and that because they knew that it was not the presence of the Ark amongst the men of Bethshemesh but their unreverend carriage of themselves in gazing upon the Ark or looking into it that was the cause of their miserie The second thing related is that they brought the Ark into the house of Abinadab in the hill It is likely that Abinadab was a man of singular holinesse and perhaps as some hold a Levite too but yet the reason which the text implies why his house was chosen for the keeping of this sacred treasure is this that it was in the hill to wit first because high places were in these times in great request and judged fittest for holy employments and secondly because it might be a place of strength and so of safetie for the Ark to be kept in whence it was that the Ark was kept there till Davids time when it was fetched away from thence 1. Chron. 13.6 7. And David went up and all Israel to Baalah that is to Kirjath-jearim which belonged to Judah to bring up thence the Ark of God the Lord. And they carried the Ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab Indeed in 2. Sam. 6.3 it is said that the Ark was brought out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah but by Gibeah there is meant the hill as it is translated there in the margin of our Bibles
for it is expressely said in that very place vers 2. that the city out of which the Ark was then fetched was Baal of Judah which was Kirjath-jearim as is before noted Josh 15.9 and the city Gibeah was in the tribe of Benjamin Josh 18.28 Judg. 19.14 The third particular here related is that having carried the Ark into the â—oâ—se of Abinadab in the hill they sanctified Eleazar his sonne to keep the Ark of the Lord that is they chose him to be set apart to this holy imployment even to give continuall attendance upon the Ark that he might keep others from coming near to pollute or defile it and to that end they caused him to fit and prepare himself in all holy manner for this sacred charge under which the washing of his garments with water and such other ceremonies of legall purifying may be comprehended as we see Exod. 19.10 And the Lord said unto Moses Go unto the people and sanctifie them to day and to morrow and let them wash their clothes But may some say when the Israelites had gotten the Ark again out of the land of the Philistines why did they not carry it back to the Tabernacle in Shiloh I answer at first the terrour of the men of Bethshemesh might be the cause that it was presently removed to Kirjath-jearim a city near unto Bethshemesh yet because the Ark stayed there so long it is most probable that either it was at first removed thither or at least afterward continued there not without the consent of Samuel their Judge and the other Elders of Israel yea happely not without expresse direction from the Lord and that because Shiloh was destroyed when the Ark was taken by the Philistines or else rather because the Lord would still shew his indignation against the former wickednesse of that place by not suffering the Ark to be carried thither again Vers 2. And it came to passe while the Ark abode in Kirjath-jearim that the time was long for it was twenty years c. This is not meant of the whole term of the Arks remaining in Kirjath-jearim for between the death of Eli presently after which the Ark was brought to this place and the beginning of Davids reigne when it was first removed thence 2. Sam. 6.2 3. there must needs be fourty years allowed for the government of Saul and Samuel Act. 13.21 all which time the Ark continued in Kirjath-jearim unlesse when it was for a while onely carried forth into the camp in the warre against the Philistines chap. 14.18 And Saul said unto Ahiah Bring hither the Ark of God for the Ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel The meaning therefore of this clause is onely thus that twenty years were expired ere the people by the exhortations of Samuel or by the troubles that God brought upon them could be wonne to that solemne conversion related in the following verses concerning which it is said here in the last clause of this verse that all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord that is they were brought to bethink themselves of their sinnes and began with all humiliation and sorrow to seek the recovery of Gods love and favour and that no doubt because of the heavy oppression of the Philistines for it seems that ever since the taking of the Ark they had kept many of Israels cities in their hands and many wayes tyrannized over them as is evident vers 7. The Lords of the Philistines went up against Israel and when the children of Israel heard it they were afraid of the Philistines And vers 14. The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel c. Vers 3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel c. That is to the Elders of Israel resorting to him from all places or to the people as he went about in his circuit Put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you and prepare your hearts unto the Lord and serve him onely That is Content not your selves with the outward act of removing your strange gods but labour to bring your hearts into a fit temper for God purified by faith humbled with the sight and detestation of your sinnes and settled in a full purpose of amendment of life Concerning Ashtaroth see the Note Judges 2.13 Vers 5. And Samuel said Gather all Israel to Mizpeh and I will pray for you unto the Lord. Of Mizpeh see Judges 20.1 Thither the people are at present appointed to gather themselves 1. That they might there in a publick and solemn manner renew their Covenant with God and pray unto him for pardon and favour and 2. That they might there consult about means both for reforming of publick abuses and for making warre against the Philistines Vers 6. And they gathered together to Mizpeh and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day c. What this pouring forth of water before the Lord was and to what end it was done it is hard to say Many Expositours understand it merely of drawing and pouring forth water to wit as a kind of sacrifice or rather as a sacred Ceremony whereby they desired to signifie either First That they wished that those that should return to their idolatry again might utterly perish without hope of recovery as that water that was poured forth that could not be gathered up again according to that of the widdow of Tekoah 2. Sam. 14.14 We must needs die and are as water spilt upon the ground which cannot be gathered up again or Secondly That they did utterly renounce and cast away their idolatry even as that water was wholly poured forth out of their vessels not the least drop remaining behind and were resolved never more to take up their superstitious practises again no more then they would think of taking up that water again which they had so poured forth or Thirdly That they hoped that as the water being poured forth was streight gone out of sight and was not to be seen so the very remembrance of their sinnes should be blotted out before the Lord should be as it were perfectly washed away or Fourthly That in their confessions and prayers that day they did sincerely poure out their hearts to God even as that water was poured forth Thus I say many Expositours understand this to have been done according to the letter of the words and that it is said to be done before the Lord because it was done where they were met together in a way of religion to fast and pray before the Lord and where happely they had for the time the Ark of God amongst them But yet because we find no such ceremony any where enjoyned by Gods Law nor at any other time practised by Gods people others do I think upon better grounds conceive otherwise of these words For some hold that it is a figurative and hyperbolicall expression of their great lamentation and weeping to wit
mentions no other cause but that wrong which of old their fathers had done to his people expressing one circumstance as a great aggravation of their crueltie namely that when his poore people had been so long under a miserable bondage in Egypt and were now newly escaped thence then they came presently out against them and sought to destroy them I remember saith the Lord that which Amalek did to Israel when he came up from Egypt Nor need it seem strange that the present Amalekites should be utterly destroyed for that which their Ancestours had done so many years ago for though God destroyes none everlastingly but for their own sinnes yet with temporall punishments he doth usually punish the children for the sinnes of their Ancestours especially when the children go in their fathers steps as by that which is said of Agag vers 33. it seems these did Vers 3. Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have That is not the men and cattell onely as is afterward expressed but their cities also and all the wealth therein c. Vers 4. And Saul gathered the people together and numbred them in Telaim Which most Expositours conceive to be the city of Judah called Telem Josh 15.24 As for the following clause wherein those of Judah are numbred apart by themselves two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah see the note upon chap. 11.8 Vers 5. And Saul came to a city of Amalek and laid wait in the valley The inserting of this here seems to imply that either it was the first city he came to or that it was the city where their king was Vers 6. And Saul said unto the Kenites Go depart get ye down from among the Amalekites c. This must be meant either of the posterity of Jethro the Kenite who though they had planted themselves in the tribe of Judah Judg. 1.16 yet now happely they were removed further because of the Israelites warres into the land of the Amalekites for they dwelt in Tents Judg. 4.17 and therefore might easily remove from one place to another or else it is meant of a people so called of whom Jethro was Numb 24.21 who are now spared for Jethro's sake Yet his redoubling the charge that they should get them away in those severall terms Go depart was to imply that if they loved their lives they should make haste away For ye shewed kindnesse to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt This is questionlesse meant of the kindnesse which Jethro the Kenite and his family shewed to the Israelites He came out with much joy to meet Moses and to congratulate all the goodnesse which God had shewn to the Israelites he gave him counsell for the well-ordering of the government of Israel and doubtlesse he and his were eyes unto the Israelites in their going through the wildernesse according to Moses desire Numb 10.31 And therefore now Saul gave them warning to remove away that they might not suffer together with the Amalekites As the Lord punished the Amalekites for the wrong their Progenitours did to his people so he spared the Kenites for the kindnesse their Ancestours had shown them Vers 7. And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah untill thou comest to Shur that is over against Egypt That Saul destroyed not all the whole nation of the Amalekites is evident chap. 27.8 And David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites and the Gezrites and the Amalekites And chap. 30.1 And it came to passe when David was come to Ziklag on the third day that the Amalekites had invaded Ziklag c. Either therefore this must be meant of some one part of their countrey or that Saul slew throughout the land all that he could get into his power for Shur is the furthest border of their land towards Egypt Vers 8. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and utterly destroyed all the people c. Agag was the common name of the kings of that land Numb 24.7 And his king shall be higher then Agag c. Now this Agag whom above the rest he should have slain Saul spared either to make his triumph more glorious which he might think would be most for Gods glory or out of covetousnesse to get a great ransome for him or rather out of a foolish pitty because he was a king and indeed the confidence of Saul in his answer to Samuel vers 20. Yea I have obeyed the voyce of the Lord and have gone the way which the Lord sent me And have brought Agag the king of Amalek c. makes it not very improbable that in sparing Agag he thought he had done well Vers 9. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen c. In sparing these cattell they pretended a respect they had to the glory of God namely that they spared them for sacrifice as Saul told Samuel afterwards vers 15. The people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice unto the Lord. Whereas indeed it is most probable that secretly they had a purpose to retain many of them for their own use as those words of Samuel seem to imply vers 19. Wherefore didst thou not obey the voyce of the Lord but didst fly upon the spoyl However when God had injoyned them to destroy all the cattell and not to spare any for them to spare all that was good and to destroy those onely that were vile and refuse as it follows in this verse was all one in effect as if they had resolved that in those that were worth nothing God should have his desire but that those that were fat and good they knew how to reserve for a better use Vers 11. It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king See the note upon Gen. 6.6 Vers 12. Saul came to Carmel and Behold he set him up a place and is gone about c. That is he pitched their Tents in Carmell and so stayed there a while to refresh his army and divide the spoil and then went away to Gilgal or else the meaning may be this he set him up a place in Carmel that is some Pillar or Piramides as a triumphant monument of his victory and so went thence away to Gilgal Vers 13. And Saul said unto him Blessed be thou of the Lord I have performed the commandment of the Lord. This confident boasting of Saul may seem to imply that he did think indeed that he had performed what God injoyned him as not thinking that his sparing of Agag and some of the cattell for sacrifices would have been judged a transgression of Gods command but yet others conceive that his own conscience told him that he had not done well and that thence it was that now at his meeting with Samuel he saluted him in such a fawning manner as by way of colloging with him Blessed be thou of the
near to Anathoth and therefore joyned often with Anathoth as in Neh. 11.32 yet most probable it is that it was that within Jordan in the tribe of Benjamin for certain it is that here the tabernacle was though the Ark was at Kiriathjearim chap. 7.1 as is evident vers 9. where it is said that the sword of Goliath was here wrapt up in a cloth behind the ephod And well it may be which some conceive that as the Tabernacle was placed in Shiloh a city of Ephraim in the dayes of Joshua who was of the tribe of Ephraim and the Ark was in the tribe of Judah in Davids time so likewise in the dayes of Saul who was of Benjamin by his advise and for his benefit the Tabernacle was removed from Shiloh to Nob which belonged to his tribe and hereupon it was that there were so many Priests dwelling here at Nob in regard whereof it is called the citie of the Priests chap. 22.19 to wit that they might attend upon the service of the Tabernacle for in the 21. chapter of Joshua where the cities are expressed that were given to the Priests we do not find Nob mentioned amongst them and doubtlesse David being resolved to flie for his safety out of the land came hither first not onely to get there a supply for his wants but also especially to visit the Tabernacle that he might there worship the Lord before his departure and seek unto him for help and comfort in this houre of adversity Though he could not but know that there was much danger of being discovered here because hither to the Tabernacle they came from all places of the land yet he would not neglect the visiting of this house of God before he fled out of the kingdome As for this Ahimelech the Priest to whom David addressed himself for succour either it was the same that is before called Ahiah who was with Saul in Migron chap. 14.3 or else Ahiah and Ahimelech were brothers for as it is there said of Ahiah that he was the sonne of Ahitub so also it is said of this Ahimelech chap. 20.9 and Ahiah being dead Ahimelech his brother was now high Priest in his room yea it may seem that this Ahimelech was also called Abiathar for Mark 2.26 it is said that David went into the house of God in the dayes of Abiathar the high Priest and did eat the shew-bread unlesse we say as some do that Abiathar there by our Saviour mentioned was that Abiathar that was the son of this Ahimelech chap. 22.20 because he stood by as the second Priest and did consent to give the shewbread to David and that he is there called the high Priest because he did afterward succeed his father in that place And Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David and said unto him Why art thou alone and no man with thee Christ saith Mark 2.26 that David did not onely eat the shew-bread himself but gave it also to them that were with him It is evident therefore that he had now some of his servants whom perhaps Jonathan had sent after him going along with him to whom he carried part of the shew-bread but those he had left in some other place as himself saith vers 2. I have appointed my servants to such and such a place and came alone to the tabernacle which Ahimelech could not but much wonder at and be troubled about it as fearing that he was fled from Saul and that if it were so it would be dangerous for him to give him entertainment Vers 2. And David said unto Ahimelech the Priest the king hath commanded me a businesse c. And thus that he might procure from Ahimelech food for himself and his servants David did not onely conceal the businesse of his fleeing from Saul but also told him a direct lie that Saul had sent him about a secret businesse and enjoyned him to let no body know of it and so he had appointed his servants to meet him elsewhere and what was the issue of this surely it proved the occasion of Sauls slaying Ahimelech and the rest of the Priests of that citie fourescore and and five persons that wore a linen ephod yea of the utter destruction of the citie and all the inhabitants thereof both men women and children as we reade in the following chapter vers 18 19. A sad calamity just cause had Dauid to rue these lies of his so long as he lived and so no doubt he did we see he charged it upon himself when Abiathar brought him the tidings of it chap. 22.22 I have occasioned saith he the death of all the persons of thy fathers house and it is thought that the remorse for this very sinne was fresh in his heart when he wrote that passage in the 119. Psalme v. 28 29. My soul melteth away for heavinesse strengthen thou me according to thy word Remove from me the way of lying c. Vers 4. And the Priest answered David and said There is no common bread under my hand There is no question but the high Priest had in his house bread enough provided for those of his family but it seems David was in such haste that he would not stay for any but what was there in a readinesse in the Tabernacle that he might take it presently and be gone and as it follows vers 6. there was no bread there but the shew-bread and therefore it was too that Ahimelech used that expression There is no common bread under mine hand But there is hallowed bread if the young men have kept themselves at least from women By the Law of God the Priests were onely to eat of the shew-bread Lev. 24.9 yet the Priest knowing well that charity is to be preferred before all ceremonies and that in case of necessity the ceremoniall Law was to give way to the morall he condescended to relieve them with the shew-bread and what he did herein is approved by Christ Matth. 12.3 4. yet withall he addes this condition If the young men have kept themselves at least from women whether their wives or others Indeed if this had not been so the same necessity that dispensed with one part of the ceremony might dispence with the other had they been legally unclean in regard of carnall copulation according to that law Lev. 15.18 The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation they shall both bath themselves they must not therefore have starved rather then have eaten of the shew-bread but in this case a double impediment would have made the case the more questionable and therefore the Priest addes this clause If the young men have kept themselves at least from women Vers 5. Women have been kept from us about these three dayes since I came out and the vessels of the young men are holy By the vessels of the young men is meant their bodies according to those expressions 1. Thess 4.3.4 For this is the will of God that you
a poeticall expression of the great and grievous losse of the Israelites in the death of Saul and Jonathan and of their just sorrow for it that they had cause enough to wish if so it might be that the place where they were slain might for ever be a sad and dolefull monument of this lamentable accident it is much like that of Job chap. 3.3 Let the day perish wherein I was born and the night in which it was said there is a man-child conceived There the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away the shield of Saul as though he had not been anointed with oyl To wit because he fell and died as any other of the common souldiers Vers 22. From the bloud of the slain from the fat of the mighty the bow of Jonathan turned not back and the sword of Saul turned not empty The sword in warre is said to devoure in the Scripture phrase Shall the sword devoure for ever sath Abner to Joab chap. 2.29 And thence that which is translated the edge of the sword is in the Hebrew the mouth of the sword and in reference to this it is said here that Jonathans bow and Sauls sword returned not empty from the bloud of the slain and from the fat of the mighty meaning that they did alwayes devoure the bloud and flesh of the stoutest enemies for fat is mentioned to imply men lusty healthfull and strong Vers 23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives and in their death they were not divided By this that they were lovely and pleasant in their lives is meant that they were dearly beloved of one another and indeed though Saul was sometimes enraged against Jonathan yet it proceeded from his fatherly affection to him because he was â—ealous of David for Jonathans sake and how piously affected Jonathan was towards his father he now manifested by dying with him in this battell against the Philistines and indeed it is likely that this clause of Jonathans living and dying with his father is the rather inserted to clear him from that suspicion of having conspired with David against him They were swifter then eagles This may be meant first of their nimblenesse and agilitie of body which is in souldiers very commendable because it is a great advantage for the evading of the stroke of an enemy and for striking home upon them and especially for the pursuit of them when they are put to flight though men be never so strong yet if they be lumpish and heavie an active nimble man of lesse strength may do better service then they and secondly of their speedy prosecuting any noble service they had undertaken or resolved upon they were not slothfull but active and quick and were often upon their enemies before they could well hear any tidings of them Vers 24. Ye daughters of Israel weep over Saul who clothed you in scarlet c. To wit partly by the spoils taken from the enemy in his warre wherein he was alwayes victorious according to that expression Psalme 68.12 Kings of armies did flee apace and she that tarried at home divided the spoil and partly by the benefit of his government under which they grew rich and wealthy and observable it is that speaking of the rich and costly attire wherewith they were enabled to adorn themselves through the flourishing prosperity they enjoyed under Sauls government he addressed his speech in this to the women of Israel Ye daughters of Israel weep over Saul who clothed you in scarlet c. because women are most delighted in glorious attire Vers 25. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battell These words in the midst of the battell may be addde to imply how valiantly they died not as cowards flying and pursued by the enemy but as gallant men standing it out stoutly against the violent assaults of the Philistines till they fell down dead in the place Vers 27. How are the mighty fallen and the weapons of warre perished This last clause is either added by way of bewailing the losse of their arms in that last battell fought with the Philistines or else to set forth the worth of those gallant men that fell in that fight and then it is all one as if it had been said that all the glory of warre was perished with them CHAP. II. Vers 1. DAvid enquired of the Lord saying Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah Though David knew that he should be king and that Saul being now dead the Diadem which by Gods speciall providence was put into his hand belonged unto him yet where or by what means the Lord would open a way to him that he might possesse and enjoy it he knew not and therefore for this he enquired of the Lord to wit by the Ephod as formerly the rather doubtlesse because he knew that Gods answer herein would be a great encouragement both to him and to his followers And David said whither shall I go up And he said unto Hebron This was at present the chief citie of the tribe of Judah and withall it was the place where Abraham Isaac and Jacob were buried and thus the kingdome of David was first erected where they lay enterred to whom long since the land of Canaan was promised the Sceptre of Christ and the kingdome to be established in the tribe of Judah which was to be a type of the kingdome of Christ Vers 2. So David went up thither and his two wives also c. That as they had been sharers with him in his sufferings so they might have their share in his prosperity too and thus they that are married to Christ and partake with him in his sufferings shall be sure also to partake with him in his glory Luke 22.28 29. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations And I appoint unto you a kingdome as my Father hath appointed unto me 2. Tim. 2.12 If we suffer we shall also reigne with him if we deny him he also will deny us Vers 3. And they dwelt in the cities of Hebron That is in Hebron and the towns and cities adjoyning in that mountainous tract of land that belonged to Hebron See Josh 21.11 12. Vers 4. And the men of Judah came and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah Though many of the other tribes came into David whilest he was yet at Ziklag even some that were Sauls brethren of the tribe of Benjamin 1. Chron. 12.1 2. therefore it is likely that even now too when he was come to Hebron some of every tribe came in to him to wit so many as were convinced that David had been anointed by Samuel at Gods appointment and therefore judged they should rebell against God if they should not submit to his government yet because the generallity of the other tribes stood for the setling of the kingdome upon Sauls posterity though indeed they did it at least many of them because
they durst do no other for fear of Abner Ye sought for David in times past to be king over you saith Abner to the Israelites chap. 3.17 And onely the tribe of Judah did generally at this time come into David therefore it is said that for the present he was onely anointed king over the house of Judah Hitherto David had been extremely persecuted by Saul and had endured a great deal of trouble and sorrow but now at last God made good his word and settled him in the throne which he had promised him and herein was David a notable type of Christ who through many sufferings entred into glory he endured the crosse despising the shame saith the Apostle Heb. 12.2 and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God Yea and the voluntary submission of these men to the government of David was a type of the voluntary submission of Christs subjects to his Sceptre according to that propheticall expression Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power Indeed this was the very reason why they anointed David now again at Hebron whereas he had been before anointed by Samuel namely that they might thereby testifie their approbation of that which God had appointed and how freely and cheerfully they did all consent to accept of him as their king and sovereigne And they told David saying That the men of Jabesh-Gilead were they that buried Saul It may well be that David made enquiry after the bodies of Saul and his sonne as intending to have them honourably buried and that hereupon he was told what had been herein done by the men of Jabesh-Gilead Vers 6. And now the Lord shew kindnesse and truth unto you That is may the Lord recompence the kindnesse which you have shewed to Saul by being constantly kind and gracious to you these two words kindnesse and truth are often joyned together in the Scripture to signifie a constant sure hearty kindnesse Vers 7. Your master Saul is dead and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them This clause is added to shew the reason why he sent this message to the men of Jabesh-gilead to wit because he was now anointed king in Sauls room and he would not have them entertain any thoughts of jealousie that he would bear them any spleen for their kindnesse to Saul but would rather study to requite them for it thus by kindnesse he sought to winne the other tribes to submit to his government Vers 8 But Abner the sonne of Ner Captain of Sauls host took Ishbosheth the sonne of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim c. To wit that he might there anoint him king in the room of his father Saul as it follows in the next verse And he made him king over Gilead and over the Ashurites and over Jezreel not that of Judah Josh 15.26 but that of Issachar Josh 19.18 and over Ephraim and over Benjamin and over all Israel that is over all the other tribes of Israel except the tribe of Judah that had anointed David Abner was Sauls cousin german for Ner the father of Abner and Kish the father of Saul were brothers and in Sauls time he was the Lord Generall of all his forces fearing therefore that he should be displaced and disregarded if David were king at least that he could not hope for the preferment and favour under David that he might expect under a king of his own kindred and family especially if he were the chief means to make him king he resolved to continue the kingdome if he could in Sauls family and because Mephibosheth Jonathans sonne the heir apparant to Saul was but five years old and now lately lamed in his feet chap. 4.4 therefore he rather thought fit to proclaim Ishbosheth king who was the onely sonne of Saul that was now left except those that he had by his concubines and to that end he took him and carried to Mahanaim which was a citie in Gilead beyond Jordan in the tribe of Gad choosing there at first to settle his new made king either because he had heard of the message which David had sent to the men of Jabesh-gilead and so desired to strengthen himself in those parts lest they should be wonne to fall off to David or else onely because this being one of the remotest parts of the kingdome Ishbosheth might be here safest from Davids party It is indeed evident that Abner knew well enough that David was anointed by Samuel at Gods appointment to succeed Saul in the throne for we see that afterwards in his anger he could tell Ishbosheth that he would translate the kingdome to David even as the Lord had sworn to him chap. 3.9 But what do ambitious Athesticall men care for Gods command He considered at this time that Ishbosheth was his near kinsman and that being but a weak feeble-spirited man he might use him as a scale and in the mean time rule all himself and therefore he made no bones in the pursuit of these his ambitious designes to set up a king contrary to what he knew God had appointed Vers 10. Ishbosheth Sauls sonne was fourty years old when he began to reigne over Israel and reigned two years Some therefore conceive that Ishbosheth took not the kingdome upon him till five years after his fathers decease but I should rather think the meaning of this clause is not that Ishbosheth reigned but two years in all but that he had reigned but two years when Abner led forth an army against David and was overcome by Joab as is related in the sequel of the chapter for had not Ishbosheth reigned longer then two years why is it said chap. 3. vers 1. that there was long warre between the house of Saul and the house of David and why was it seven years and odde moneths ere the rest of the tribes accepted of David for their king Yet some Expositours hold that it was above five years after the death of Saul ere Abner rose up against David and made Ishbosheth king But the house of Judah followed David To wit even after the other tribes had made Ishbosheth king which is doubtlesse noted to the praise of the men of Judah They might well assure themselves that if they still stuck to David it would make a dangerous rent in the kingdome and that would prove the occasion of a civil warre wherein much bloud was like to be shed and yet because it was of Gods appointment that David should be king they are commended for this that they did still hold fast with David leaving the event for other things to God Vers 12. And Abner the sonne of Ner and the servants of Ishbosheth the sonne of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon To wit to make warre against David as is evident in the sequel of the story Vers 14. And Abner said to Joab Let the young men now arise and play before us c. The meaning of this
David had called together thirty thousand men of the chief of Israel both priests and others there should not be one amongst them all that should stumble at this but that they should all runne on so confidently in so grosse an errour But we must consider that they had been long strangers to the ark and never questioned but that they might safely do what the Philistines had done before them without any danger and then besides God would let us see how easily multitudes of Gods people may erre if they do not the more heedfully examine all by the rules of the word Vers 4. And Ahio went before the Ark. To wit to look to the oxen as Uzzah went behind to take care of the cart and the ark that was in it Vers 6. And when they came to Nachons threshing floor c. This Nachon is also called Chidon 1. Chron. 13.9 and the last clause of this verse which is here translated for the oxen shook it is there translated for the oxen stumbled and it may well be that the oxens stumbling shook the ark and so thereupon Uzzah laid hold on the ark to stay it for fear it should have fallen Where this threshing floor of Nachon or Chidon was it is not expressed but most probable it is that they had not gone farre from the house of Abinadab in Kirjath-jearim ere the Lord by this sad disaster testified his displeasure against them for carrying the ark in a cart Vers 7. And God smote him there for his errour c. To wit because having put the ark into a cart which should have been carried on the Levites shoulders he now also laid hold on the ark which no man might touch but the priests onely Num. 4.15 The sonnes of Kohath shall come to bear it but they shall not touch any holy thing lest they die Indeed the ark was to be covered by the law but perhaps in this as in other things they had neglected the direction of the law or else being covered onely with a loose covering that might flie up with the tottering of the cart Uzzah might touch the bare ark with his hand and for this God presently struck him dead in the place A most remarkable example of Gods severity against those that will not keep close to the direction of his word in all things that concern his worship upon what pretence soever they do it Though Abinadab the father of this Uzzah had entertained the ark in his house above fourty years together and took it in at a time when others were afraid to receive it through the terrour of the judgement which fell upon the men of Bethshemesh 1. Sam. 6.19 20. Yet was his sonne now struck suddenly dead because he reached forth his hand and touched the ark and yet he did it too with a good intention to stay the ark from falling and suddenly not thinking of the unlawfulnesse of this act as is intimated in these words God smote him there for his errour or rashnesse as it is in the margin of our bibles Vers 8. And David was displeased because the Lord had made a breach upon Vzzah That is he was grieved troubled and disquieted because of this heavy judgement wherewith the Lord had broken forth upon Uzzah Some will have this understood that David was merely displeased with themselves for their heedlesnesse as thinking it too harsh to say of David that he was displeased with God but doubtlesse it was partly the very judgement it self that befell Uzzah that he was troubled at he could not well keep his heart from murmuring and rising against this severitie of God in striking Uzzah dead in the place for so small a matter he was discontented that when they had undertaken such a work of piety on a sudden all the joy of the people should be dashed and damped with such a sad disaster and so partly because he did not so quietly stoop at first under Gods hand as he ought to have done therefore it is said David was displeased Vers 9. How shall the ark of the Lord come to me That is I shall not do it without danger yea it seems the Lord is not pleased that the ark should be carried to Jerusalem and therefore it will be safer to desist from my purpose Vers 10. But David carried it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite Who it seems gladly entertained it Though no doubt he knew well enough what a slaughter was made amongst the men of Bethshemesh at the first coming of the ark thither and though now also perhaps he saw when Uzzah was stricken dead by the hand of God for touching the ark and that David himself trembled and was afraid to to carry home the ark to his house yet considering that there was no danger in harbouring the ark if they carried themselves with that respect and reverence therein that God required he gladly received the ark into his house That this Obed-edom was a Levite is evident 1. Chron. 15.17 18. and therefore it seems he is here called Obed-edom the Gittite because he was of Gathrimmon a citie which was given in common by the tribes of Dan and Manasseh to the Levites of the family of Kohath as we may see Josh 21.24 25. Vers 12. And it was told king David saying The Lord hath blessed the house of Obed-edom c. It is not expressed what it was wherein they perceived that God had blessed Obed-edom and all his family but doubtlesse it was some extraordinary and wonderfull blessing that God poured forth upon him and his in the encrease of his cattell and the successe of all his affairs c. because it was so presently discovered and notice taken of it by those that dwelt about him in so short a time for the ark was in his house but three moneths in all as is noted in the foregoing verse Indeed in the 1. Chron. 26.5 it is said that the numerousnesse of his children was because the Lord blessed him but this could not be the blessing here spoken of that in the space of three moneths was so clearly discerned by those that lived about him So David went and brought up the Ark of God c. That is perceiving by Gods bounty to Obed-edom that the ark might be entertained without danger he at length found out where their former errour had been and so resolving to amend that he undertook again to fetch the ark to Jerusalem and having again assembled the people and given the Priests and Levites their charge to wit to carry the ark on their shoulders he fetched it with great solemnity from the house of Obed-edom as is largely related in the 15. and 16. chapters of the first book of Chronicles Vers 13. When they that bare the ark of God had gone six paces he sacrificed oxen and fatlings And this he did First by way of testifying their thankfulnesse to God for their successefull entrance upon this great work so soon as
been done in a piece of ground full of lentiles that by Eleazar in a parcel of ground full of barley it is therefore probably conceived by Interpretours that this exploit against the Philistines was joyntly performed by both these captains at one and the same time and therefore it is said 1. Chron. 11.14 that they set themselves in the midst of that parcel of ground and delivered it and slew the Philistines and that there being both barley and lentiles in the same field Eleazar kept the Philistines from the barley field and Shammah from that part that had the lentiles Vers 13. And three of the thirty chief went down and came to David in the harvest time c. There is nothing in the text whereby we can certainly conclude who these three worthies were that fetched water from the well of Bethlehem for David some think that they were three of those thirty named in the latter part of this chapter others that they were the three colonells in the second rank or Lieuetenant colonells but the most generall opinion of Expositours is that they were the first three immediately before mentioned to wit Adino the Tachmonite Eleazer and Shammah which seems the more probable because the 1. Chron. 11 19. this passage is shut up with this clause these things did these three mightiest Before we are told what they did severally here an exploit is added which they did all joyntly together and if it be so then these first words and the three of the thirty chief went down c. must be thus understood that the three chief of the thirty or colonells and commanders of the thirty that is over the thirty went down and came to David c. Vers 15. Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem c. Though David were happely at present distressed for want of water yet he spake not these words as desiring to stirre up any of his souldiers to fetch it for him but occasionally to shew how precious a draught of that water would be in that his distresse as if he should have said what would one give now for a draught of the water of the well of Bethlehem Vers 16. And the three mightie men brake through the host of the Philistines c. Though they knew there was at that time a garison of the Philistines in Bethlehem as is before noted vers 14. and that there was a band of the Philistines that lay in the valley of Rephaim vers 13. in the way as they were to go to Bethlehem yet no sooner did David seem to wish for a draught of the water of the well of Bethlehem but those three resolved to satisfie his desire and so breaking through the host of the Philistines to wit which lay in the valley of Rephaim they came to Bethlehem and in despite of the garison there drew of that water and brought it unto David Neverthelesse he would not drink thereof but poured it out unto the Lord. That is as out of respect to God and to testifie how farre he was from desiring to to expose so rashly the lives of his Captains for satisfying of his desire to drink of this water he poured it out upon the ground though it seems at that time they wanted water and therefore that might be thought an act of folly to cast away water procured with so much danger it is said he did it unto the Lord that is out of a religious respect to make known how farre he was from desiring to hazard their lives to please his appetite Vers 18. And Abishai the brother of Joab the sonne of Zeruiah was chief among three That is among the second three And he lift up his spear against three hundred and slew them c. Other valiant acts he did besides as that when he went with David into the midst of Sauls camp 1. Sam. 26.6 Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp and Abishai said I will go down with thee 2. Sam. 21.16 17. And Ishbi-benob which was of the sonnes of the giant the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brasse in weight he being girded with a new sword thought to have slain David But Abishai the sonne of Zeruiah succoured him and smote the Philistine and killed him but here that onely is recorded which was not mentioned before Vers 20. And Benaiah the sonne of Jehoiada the sonne of a valiant man of Kabzeel c. A citie in Judahs tribe Josh 15.21 this was the second of the second three He went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow His valour in slaying the lion is here amplified by two circumstances first that it was in the midst of a pit where the room was strait and where he knew beforehand he must either kill or be killed and secondly that it was in the snow-time when lions are most fierce by reason then they want there prey the sheep and cattel being usually shut up in such hard weather Vers 21. And he slew an Egyptian a goodly man and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand c. 1. Chron. 11.23 it is expressed that he was a man of great stature five cubits high and that his spear was like a weavers beam Vers 22. These things did Benaiah the sonne of Jehoiada and had the name among the three mighty men That is among the second three who was the third of the second three is not here expressed some reckon one of those worthies mentioned chap 21.18 c. Sibbechai Elhanan and Jonathan others Asahel the brother of Joab vers 24. and that especially because there are thirty mentioned besides him in the following verses which seems to me most probable yet nothing can be certainly concluded upon such uncertain grounds Thirty and seven in all There are here in this catalogue onely thirty one named to which if we joyn the five worthies or colonells mentioned in the former part of the chapter that makes but thirty six and therefore to make up this number of thirty seven either Joab must be comprehended as being generall of all the kings forces or else the third of the second three worthies not being here expressed by name CHAP. XXIV Vers 1. ANd again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel c. These words and again have reference to that which was before related chap. 21. concerning the famine which the Lord in his displeasure sent amongst the Israelites immediately after that it seems the Lord was again angry with the Israelites for their wickednesse and so he moved David against them that is for their hurt to say Go number the people of Israel and Judah and the meaning of this that the Lord did this by letting Sathan loose upon him and leaving David to himself that he might be foyled by Sathan and therefore it is said 1. Chron. 21.1 And Sathan stood up against Israel and provoked
concubine should be provided for the king to lie in his bosome which may be one reason too why they advised she should be a virgin as having respect therein to the honour of the king as for that which is also said of her attendance upon him And let her stand before the king and let her cherish him this I conceive the Physians added partly because they would shew that besides the principall end they aimed at in this counsel they gave such a young wife might be a great comfort and help to him in his weaknesse by waiting on him and ministring unto him such things as he had need of and partly because the performance of these services might mediately conduce to the end principally intended in as much as they might gain upon the affections of David and so his heart cleaving to her he might take the more delight in her lying in his bosome the means appointed for the cherishing of his cold body Vers 3. So they sought for a fair damosel throughout all the coasts of Israel and found Abishag a Shunammite That is of Shunem a city in the tribe of Issachar Josh 19.18 where afterward dwelt that honourable matron that made so much of the prophet Elisha 2. Kings 4.8 Vers 4. But the king knew her not This is expressely noted first as a clear evidence of the kings continuing weaknesse and secondly to shew the reason why Adonijah did after his fathers death desire to have this Abishag to wife to wit because his father had never known her which made him think that he might lawfully marry her though she had been his fathers wife or concubine Vers 5. Then Adonijah the sonne of Haggith exalted himself saying I will be king It was now doubtlesse generally known in the court that David by Gods appointment had given order that his sonne Solomon should succeed him in the throne of Israel for we see 1. Chron. 28.5 c. before he was bedrid in a solemn assembly of all the princes and captains of Israel he did openly make known both Gods command and his purpose in this particular now Adonijah being the eldest of Davids sonnes then living grudging at this resolved to prevent it and to make himself king before his fathers death for besides that Solomon was young and born of a mother formerly attainted with adultery his father was now bedrid and near his end which would be a great advantage because he would not be able to stirre to make head against him and a fair pretence because his father could not live long and in that weaknesse he could not do the work of a king and then besides Joab that invincible and feared captain who was the chief cause of Absaloms overthrow was now discontented and was easily drawn unto his party in all which respects however Absalom had sped ill in the like attempt he made no question but he should carry the matter without resistance and therefore he exalted himself saying I will be king that is though he had no just title neither from God nor man yet he resolved that he would be king and to that end he presently made a conspiracie to effect what he had resolved making no conscience of crushing his fathers heart with sorrow even then when he lay already in such a sad weak condition but thus still God made good that 2. Sam. 12.11 Thus saith the Lord Behold I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house and I will take thy wives before thine eyes and give them unto thy neighbour he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sunne And he prepared him chariots and horsemen and fifty men to runne before him As Absalom his brother had formerly done concerning which see the note 2. Sam. 15.1 Vers 6. And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying Why hast thou done so This is noted first because this was a great encouragement to Adonijah he presumed upon his fathers indulgence this it was that had marred him formerly and this it was that did now embolden him to do what he did and secondly because this circumstance did render this fact of his farre the more odious that he could deal so lewdly with a father that had loved him so dearly and had been so tender over him as David had been And he also was a very goodly man It is questionable what this word also hath relation to some conceive that it hath reference onely to that which went before concerning Davids fondnesse over Adonijah to wit that as that did embolden him to do what he did so did this also that he was a man of a goodly personage and therefore as himself judged the fitter to sway the sceptre and the more likely to find favour amongst the people and indeed that the goodlinesse of his person is here mentioned as another advantage that was in probability likely to promote his designe I make no question but yet this word also I conceive hath reference to Absalom too for though there be no expresse mention of Absalom in the foregoing words yet there was an intimation of him in the fifth verse where the very same words are used concerning Adonijahs pomp that were formerly used concerning Absaloms He prepared chariots and horsemen and fifty men to runne before him which was as much in effect as if it had been said as Absalom when he intended to get the kingdome from his father put himself upon an extraordinary excessive way of pomp and state and princely attendance thereby to get himself the name of a gallant prince and so to ingratiate himself amongst the common people so did Adonijah too and so in relation to this it follows here And he also was a very goodly man that is as Absalom was a proper handsome goodly man 2. Sam. 14.25 and this was one of the main things that raised his ambitious thoughts to look after the crown so it was with Adonijah too He also was a very goodly man and this likewise had some influence into this attempt of his to make himself king first because this puffed him up with an high conceit of himself as thinking that God had made him to be above others and fitted him to sit in the throne and to sway the sceptre of Israel secondly because this was one of those things that had made his father so extremely fond of him and now he hoped it would prevail with him too and thirdly because for this he expected to find the more favour amongst the people see the note 2. Sam. 14.25 And his mother bare him after Absalom That is the next sonne that David had after Absalom was this Adonijah by his wife Haggith and so Absalom being dead he was Davids eldest sonne and to him therefore as the next heir the kingdome he thought did of right belong Vers 8. And the mighty men which belonged to David were not with Adonijah That is the Cherethites and Pelethites
no necessity at all why this second apparition of the Lord to Solomon might not be after all his buildings were finished as the words in our translation do plainly imply Thirteen years indeed were spent in building his own house after the Temple was finished and so long therefore it seems it was after the finishing of the Temple ere the Lord appeared the second time to Solomon and assured him that he had heard his prayer which he had made at the dedication of the Temple for God would first settle him in the full glory of his kingdome and then he takes that opportunity to renew his covenant with him in a second vision assuring him that in this glory his kingdome should be continued to his posterity in case both he and his children would keep covenant with him and withall threatning that if they revolted from him he would leave both them and the Temple and all and poure forth his wrath and fury upon them Vers 2. The Lord appeared to Solomon the second time c. To wit in a dream by night chap. 3.5 and so it is partly expressed 2. Chro. 7.12 And the Lord appeared unto Solomon by night and said unto him I have heard thy prayer and chosen this place to my self for a house of sacrifice once since that vision in Gibeon we reade that the word of the Lord came to Solomon chap. 6.11 But that it seems was by some messenger or Prophet sent to him for this was the second time the Lord appeared unto him in a vision as is here expressely noted Vers 3. I have hallowed this house which thou hast built to put my name there for ever c. That is untill the coming of the Messiah without interruption As for that following clause and my eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually thereby is promised both the Lords carefull preservation of that house in succeeding times and his readinesse to heare the prayers that were offered to him there and likewise that he would do this out of his fatherly care over them and love to them Vers 7. This house which I have hallowed for my name will I cast out of my sight c. That is I will cast it out of my protection as a filthy polluted thing concerning the following clause and Israel shall be a proverb c. see the note Deut. 28.37 Vers 11. Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and firre trees and with gold To wit one hundred and twenty talents as is expressed vers 14. Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee By way of requiting Hirams bountie in supplying him with those thing mentioned in the former words or by way of satisfying him for those things It was questionlesse unlawfull for Solomon to give away any part of the land of Canaan to a strange king or people for therein first there should have been wrong done to that tribe in whose lot these cities were who should hereby have been deprived of a part of their inheritance which God had given them and secondly he should have incroached upon Gods royaltie who still held the land as his and onely allowed the Israelites to dwell in it as sojourners by right derived unto them from him and to manifest this had conveyed it to them with this condition or proviso that it should not be lawfull for any of them to alienate or sell a way their estates for ever no not to any of their brethren the Israelites Levit. 25.23 But how then could Solomon who yet continued in his uprightnesse give away twenty cities in the land of Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre I answer either Solomon gave him these cities onely that he might receive thence for certain years till he was satisfied for that which was owing him the tribute or other profits which were thence yearly paid to Solomon or else rather these cities were not a part of that land which God had of old given for the inheritance of his people but lay in a tract of ground on the outside of the borders of Asher Josh 19.24 betwixt them and mount Libanus and being now reduced under Solomons dominion and either now or afterward counted as a part of Galilee to which they were joyned thence Solomon gave unto Hiram twenty cities And indeed this answer seems most probable because upon Hirams refusing these cities they were repaired and inlarged by Solomon and certain colonies of the Israelites were planted therein 2 Chron. 8.1 2. whereas before they were inhabited by the heathen which some say was the first occasion why Galilee was called Galilee of the Gentiles Esa 9.1 Vers 12. And they pleased him not That is he liked them not because they stood in an unfruitfull and marish ground or because he thought it would be long ere he should thence reap that satisfaction he expected from Solomon and as he misliked them so it seems he refused the profer and chose rather to receive satisfaction some other way for at this very time to wit in the one and twentieth yeare after the foundation of the Temple was laid Solomon repaired and fortified these places which Hiram refused as was before noted from 2 Chron. 8.1 2. Vers 15. And this is the reason of the levie which king Solomon raised for to build the house of the Lord c. That is for the same reason that he had received this aid from Hiram did he also raise a levie both of men and money amongst the people namely for to build the house of the Lord and his own house c. of the levie of men we reade chap. 5.13 and of the levie of money that is understood as some Expositours hold which we reade 2 Chron. 9.13 14. And though the people yielded willingly to this levie for the Temple yet when it was still continued for these other buildings it seems they grudged at it as we may gather from what they said to Rehoboam Chap. 12.4 And Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo c. Concerning this Millo see the note 2 Sam. 5.19 either it was now repaired and enlarged by Solomon or else a new one was built in another place Hazor was in the tribe of Napthali Josh 19.32 36. the chief citie aforetimes of the Canaanites Josh 11.1 10. and Megiddo belonged to Manasseh Josh 17.11 Vers 16. For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer This Gezer was a city allotted to the Levites in Ephraims tribe Josh 21.20 21. yet it had been hitherto it seems in the Canaanites possession till perhaps upon some distast given Solomon being then busied in his magnificent buildings entreated Pharaoh his father in law to rid him of these neighbours which he accordingly performed and gave the citie as a present for his daughter Vers 17. And Solomon built Gezer and Beth-horon the nether Yea and Beth-horon the upper also 2 Chron. 8.5 one being here expressed for both this was also a
that were already in a mutinous temper it was ill coming they might think into his clutches whose little finger was so heavie nor could there be any hope of fair usage from him that when he came to treat with his people could speak of nothing but yokes and whips and scorpions Vers 16. The people answered the king saying What portion have we in David c. What have we to do with the posterity of David we will have a king again of our own tribes as formerly a seditious speech much like that of Sheba 2. Sam. 20.1 We have no part in David neither have we inheritance in the sonne of Jesse and whereto happely they did allude besides by calling David as it were in scorn the sonne of Jesse they imply that he having been formerly raised by them from a mean condition to be their king it was not sufferable that his grandchild should now tyrannize over them as if they were scarce good enough to be his slaves To your tents O Israel That is Let us return to our own dwellings and not stay here to make our selves slaves to such a tyrant but amongst our own tribes let us make us a king Because of old they dwelt in tents this phrase had ever since continued in use amongst them Now see to thine house David This also was spoken by way of derision and scorn as if they should have said Let Rehoboam the sonne of David make much of his own tribe for beyond their bounds his kingdome is not like to extend we are resolved to take care of our selves and to provide a king amongst our own tribes Vers 17. But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah Rehoboam reigned over them Two severall wayes this may be understood to wit either of the Israelites of the ten tribes that such of them as left their land in the dayes of Jeroboam came and dwelt in the cities of Judah did submit themselves to Rehoboam as their brethren of Judah did or else rather of the men of Judah who are here called the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah that though their brethren of Israel fell off from Rehoboam yet the continued constant to him Vers 18. Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram who was over the tribute c. It is most probable that this man was sent yet too late to pacifie the people but being one of the taxers of the people the very sight of him did more enrage them and thereupon they stoned him and this too was a notable act of folly in Rehoboam Vers 19. So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day The defection of the ten tribes is here called rebellion which shews plainly that it was a sinne in them thus to cast off their lawfull sovereigne for though the Prophet Ahijah had foretold and promised that Jeroboam should be king of the ten tribes chap. 11.31 yet because the people had no command from God herein but did what they did merely of their own heads and in a discontent against Rehoboam their wayes were rebellious however they did thereby accomplish what God had determined Vers 20. And it came to passe that when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again c. It is manifest that Jeroboam was amongst the resst when at first they demanded of Rehoboam a relaxation of their burdens vers 3. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came and spake unto Rehoboam but it seems that was then known onely to some of the chief of the congregation which when it came to be generally known amongst the people they presently assembled themselves sent for him and made him their king as here it is said Thus generally Expositours understand this place yet it may be that being here to relate how the Israelites made Jeroboam their king their first calling him to their assembly is onely here again repeated There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah onely It is manifest that there were but ten tribes that revolted to Jeroboam chap. 11.31 and therefore Rehoboam must needs have two tribes which were Judah and Benjamin as is clearly expressed 2 Chro. 11.2 but because Benjamin was but a poore little tribe and being joyned with Judah were still comprehended under the name of the kingdome of Judah therefore it is said here that none continued firm to Rehoboam but the tribe of Judah onely Vers 24. Thus saith the Lord You shall not go up nor sight against your brethren the children of Israel c. To wit because God had decreed that the ten tribes should rend themselves as they had done from the house of David for so it follows in the next words return every man to his house for this thing is from me There is indeed an intimation too of another motive in these first words to wit that the Isiraelites were their brethren but this is not mentioned as a sufficient cause apart by it self but as a circumstance which might render them the more willing to submit to what God had determined we see in the warre which they made against Benjamin with Gods approbation Judg. 20.1 that it was not unlawfull for Gods people in any case to fight against their brethren but that which made it now unlawfull was because God did now make known to them that this which was done was of him and then to make them the more willing to submit to Gods decree herein even this also might be laid into the ballance that the warre which they intended was against their brethren They hearkened therefore to the word of the Lord and returned c. and so all was stayed for the present Nor do we ever reade that Rehoboam as bad as he was did ever after this attempt to recover the kingdome of Israel out of the hands of Jeroboam but yet there was continuall hostilitie betwixt these two kings and the borderers on both sides did continually make inrodes one upon another chap. 14.30 Vers 25. Then Jeroboam built Shechem c. That is he forrified these two cities Shechem and Pennel the one within Jordan and the other without and indeed we reade that Shechem was utterly ruined by Abimelech in the dayes of the Judges Jud. 9.45 Vers 27. If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem c. Though God had promised Jeroboam by Ahijah the prophet chap. 11.38 that if he would walk in his wayes he would be with him and build him a sure house as he had done for David yet having no confidence in this promise of God he concluded that if the people should continue to go up to Jerusalem to sacrifice they would soon return to Rehoboam again to wit first because they would be forced for fear of being apprehended as traitours when they came to Jerusalem either to give over their offering of sacrifices to God or else to make their peace with
it to wit that the king of Moab having the king of Edoms eldest sonne in his power whether left with him as an hostage formerly or now taken lately in that salley which he had made upon the king of Edoms quarters he took him and sacrificed him upon the walls of the city whereupon the Edomites being enraged against the king of Israel because by his pressing the continuance of this siege so lamentable a mischief was fallen upon their king and his sonne they brake up and went in a fury away from the camp and so the siege was raised But I rather conceive it was the king of Moabs own sonne whom he sacrificed First because the king of Edom was but a vice-roy chosen and set over them by Jehoshaphat for in his time they had no king of their own 2. Chron. 21.8 and therefore he could not have a sonne that should have succeeded him in his throne Secondly because this barbarous fact would rather have enraged both the king of Edom himself and the other kings to have pressed the siege the more vehemently that they might come to be revenged on him better therefore do most of Expositours understand this of the king of Moabs sonne to wit first that finding himself in extremity of distresse he fled to this last refuge of sacrificing his own sonne and heir to his idol-gods that with so pretious a sacrifice he might prevail with them for help and secondly that this he did on the wall both to let his enemies see how resolved he was still to hold out and that they might be afraid of the event of such a sacrifice and thirdly that the great indignation against Israel here spoken of was either that the Edomites moved with this lamentable spectacle were offended with the Israelites for it and so broke up their quarters and went away or rather that after this prodigious act of blind devotion both the king of Moab and the inhabitants of the city were more bitterly enraged against the Israelites then ever and were resolved to fight it out to the last man which the Israelites perceiving and withall perhaps moved with some compassion upon that lamentable spectacle they raised the siege and went away home As for that place whereby some would prove it was the king of Edoms sonne that was slain Amos 2.1 Thus saith the Lord for three transgressions of Moab and for foure I will not turn away the punishment thereof because he burnt the bones of the king of Edom into lime that speaks of burning the king of Edom not the kings sonne how ever it may be meant of any other salvage act of cruelty in the Moabites against the king of Edom. CHAP. IIII. Vers 1. THy servant my husband is dead and thou knowest that thy servant did feare the Lord. This she adds first to cleare her husband from the suspition of wasting what he had by any evill courses secondly to move him the rather to pity her because her husband was one as Elisha knew well that did truly and unfainedly feare the Lord and indeed observable it is how respectively she speaks of her husband though he had left her in so great poverty and distresse And the creditour is come to take unto him my two sonnes to be bondmen See the notes Exod 21.2 and Levit. 25.39 Vers 2. Tell me what hast thou in thine house As if Elisha should have said come let me see what thou hast of any value in thy house that may go toward the payment of thy debts and thus whilest the prophet made shew as if he desired to know how farre she was able to discharge her husbands debts that so he might try if he could compose the difference betwixt her and the creditour he brought her to speak of the pot of oyle she had to wit that being the onely thing of any value she had for we cannot think she was so poore that she had nothing at all else left in her house intending to take that occasion to give order for that whereby she was to be miraculously supplyed Vers 4. Thou shalt shut the doore upon thee c. This was enjoyned first as an act or signe approving or testifying her faith that being left to her self hopelesse of all help and succour from man she did yet expect from the Lord that miraculous help which the prophet had promised her secondly as a circumstance implying that it was fit they should pray unto God when they undertook this work whereto privacy was required thirdly that they might not be disturbed by others when they were imployed in this businesse they had in hand but fourthly and principally for the clearer manifestation of the intended miracle that there might be no suspicion that the oyle was by any body secretly conveyed into the house to them Vers 6. She said unto her sonne Bring me yet a vessell That is to one of her sonnes for that she had two sonnes is evident vers 1. Vers 8. Elisha passed to Shunem A city in the tribe of Issachar not farre from mount Carmel Josh 19.17 18. the very same from whence Abishag was fetched to David 1 Kings 1.3 Vers 9. I perceive that this is an holy man of God Not onely a prophet but a man of eminent holinesse Vers 10. Let us make a little chamber I pray thee on the wall Not that she had not room in her house to lodge him but because she considered that the tumult of a large family might be some disturbance to the devotions study and meditations of a prophet and therefore thought it convenient to provide a place for him where he might be more retired Vers 12. Call this Shunamite And when he had called her she stood before him Vers 15. it is againe said that Elisha bad Gehazi call her so that though it be here expressed that she came and stood before Elisha yet that which follows must be conceived to have been done before her coming the order of the cariage of the businesse it seems was this Elisha sent Gehazi to call her to him and withall willed him to acquaint her with the businesse namely that in recompence of her kindnesse if she had any suit to the king or captain of the host he would be her mediatour she answering Gehazi that she dwelt among her own people and Gehazi carrying back this answer to his master he consulted with Gehazi what then might be done for her and Gehazi putting him in mind that she had no child Elisha bade him again call her Vers 13. And he said unto him Say now unto her Behold now thou hast been carefull for us c. This was the message which Elisha bade Gehazi carry her when he was first sent to call her wherein he makes a thankfull acknowledgement of her great care of them and then tenders to speak for her if she had any occasion either to the king or the captain of the host whereby it appears also that the succour which
Libnah a citie in his own countrey and then no wonder though he stayed not to prosecute his victory in the land of Edom. Then Libnah revolted at the same time Libnah was a great citie within Judah one of the royall cities of Canaan when Joshua entred it Josh 10.29 30 It was by him given to the priests the sonnes of Aaron Josh 21.13 and now it rebelled against Joram because he had made such innovations in Religion and forced the people to idolatry as is expressed 2. Chron. 21.10 11. which no marvell though the Levites were least able to endure It is much indeed that one citie alone should venture upon such an attempt but perhaps the kings absence whilest he was in Edom and the discontent of the people yea perhaps some correspondence they might have with the Philistines who ere long invaded the land 2. Chron. 21.16 17. gave them hope of abettors and how they sped in the conclusion the Scripture expresseth not Vers 24. And Joram slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the citie of David Before his death there was a prophesie in writing delivered him from Elijah the Prophet 2. Chron. 21.12 which threatned both his people his children his wives and his own body and immediatly what was threatned came to passe for first the Philistines and Arabians brake into Judea took the kings house made spoil of his goods and slew or carried away all his children save the youngest onely and then afterwards the Lord smote him with a grievous disease in his bowels which left him not till his guts fell out and being dead he was obscurely buried in the citie of David but not in the sepulchres of his Ancestours the kings of Judah and that without the lamentations and solemnities that had been used in other princes funeralls 2. Chron. 21.16 All the time of this kings reigne another king of the same name reigned in Israel to wit Joram the sonne of Ahab his brother in law And Ahaziah his sonne reigned in his stead He is elswhere called Jehoahaz 2. Chron. 21.17 and Azariah 2. Chron. 22.6 He was the youngest sonne of Joram for all the elder sonnes were slain or carried away by the Philistines 2 Chron. 21.17 In S. Matthews catalogue of the kings of Judah it is said Matth. 1.8 that Jehoshapoat begat Joram and Joram begat Ozias and so this Ahaziah who succeeded Joram and Joash who succeeded Ahaziah 2 Kings 11.2 and Amaziah who succeeded Joash 2. Kings 12.21 and was the father of Ozias are quite left out but this I conceive was onely because the Evangelist resolving to distribute the Ancestours of Christ into three severall ranks according to the three great changes that had happened in the state and finding just fourteen in the first rank from Abraham to David he laboured to reduce the other ranks to the same number too as knowing that equall numbers are a help to the memory and so to make just fourteen generations in that rank also from David to the captivitie he leaves out Ahaziah Joash and Amaziah and them perhaps rather then others because they were the next from Ahab by Athaliah the daughter of Ahab and wife of Joram Vers 25. In the twelfth yeare of Joram the sonne of Ahab king of Israel c. Yet chap. 9.29 it is said that he began to reigne in the eleventh yeare of Joram king of Israel which is because the yeare of Ahaziahs reigne did concurre with the latter end of the eleventh and the beginning of the twelfth yeare of Joram king of Israel Vers 26. Two and twentie years old was Ahaziah when he began to reigne c. In the 2. Chron. 22.2 it is said that he was two and fourty years old when he began to reigne we may reconcile this thus that he was two and fourty years old when he began to reigne alone by himself but that he was made king also when he was but two twenty years old his father yet living but then that must be granted which is before noted upon 1. Kings 22.42 to wit that Asa also was made king in his fathers life time and indeed because this answer may have some strong objections made against it therefore others do rather reconcile these two places thus to wit that those words in 2. Chron. 22.2 Fourty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reigne must be understood of the continuance of Omries pedigree who was great grandfather to this Ahaziah Omri reigned as sole king six years 1. Kings 16.23 Ahab two and twenty 1. Kings 16.29 Ahaziah his sonne two 1. Kings 22.51 Joram twelve 2. Kings 3.1 And thus Omries stock continued fourty and two years and therefore it is said that Ahaziah who was of that stock by his mother Athaliah in his two and fourtieth yeare began his reigne But this answer methinks is more unsatisfactory then the other the words in 2. Chron. 22.2 will hardly bear such an interpretation And his mothers name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri king of Israel That is the grandchild of Omri the daughter of Ahab the sonne of Omri vers 18. Vers 27. He was the sonne in law of the house of Ahab That is the sonne of Ahabs sonne in law to wit the sonne of Joram by Athaliah Ahabs daughter yet perhaps even he also by his mother Athaliahs perswasion married a daughter of the house of Ahab though by another wife Joash was born who succeeded him in the throne chap. 12.1 Vers 28. And he went with Joram the sonne of Ahab to the warre against Hazael the king of Syria in Ramoth Gilead Toward the latter end of his reigne Joram king of Israel undertook the recovery of Ramoth Gilead out of the hands of Hazael then king of Syria which Ahab his father had formerly attempted with ill successe and Ahaziah the king of Judah his sisters sonne joyned with him in that expedition as Jehoshaphat had formerly done with Ahab Vers 29. And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramoth c. That is Ramoth Gilead having wonne the town and then manned it strongly leaving the chief of his army there behind him with his captains of whom Jehu was the chief he withdrew himself to Jezreel to be cured of the wounds which he received in this siege of Ramoth Gilead See the note chap. 9.14 CHAP. IX Vers 1. ANd Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets and said unto him Gird up thy loins c. That is prepare thy self and go with speed the excution that was to be done by Jehu upon the house of Ahab was to be dispatched presently whilest Jehu had the army with him at Ramoth Gilead and Jehoram was gone from thence to Jezreel and therefore the prophet that was to give him his commission was sent with such speed which may also be the reason why aged Elisha went not himself but sent one of
of the countrey and therefore the royall citie of the kings of Israel before Samaria as is here clearly implyed in that it is said that Menahem smote all the coast of Tiphsah from Tirzah that is as farre as Tirzah therefore I conceive that this was some other Tiphsah that was not farre from Tirzah The cause why Menahem smote this city is here said to be because they opened not to him it seems they refused to acknowledge him for their king and would not open their gates to receive him whereupon being enraged against them like a true tyrant to make the other cities afraid to follow their example he smote not onely the city but all the coasts about it destroying the inhabitants and exercising therein all kind of crueltie as appears by the particular instance here given all the women therein that were with child he ript up Vers 19. And Pull the king of Assyria came against the land c. This was the first Babylonian Monarch called in other writers Belosus and Phul-Belosus The Assyrians had hitherto been the great Monarchs of the world but this Pull or Belosus joyning with Arbaces the Mede besieged Sardanapalus the last of the Assyrian Monarchs an effeminate prince and hated of all his subjects untill at last after two years siege in despair he burnt himself and thereupon his Monarchy was divided Arbaces taking to himself the Empire of the Medes and Persians and Pull or Belosus the Empire of Babylon and Assyria and therefore called himself the king of Assyria and this was he that now invaded the land of Israel and though the cause of the invasion be not here expressed yet most likely it is that by the Arabians and Syrians from whom Jeroboam the second had taken much chap. 14.28 He recovered Damascus and Hamath c. he was now called in to invade the kingdome of Israel when it had been many years together weakened by those civill and intestine broiles before mentioned that were in the land And Menahem gave Pull a thousand talents of silver that his hand might be with them c. That is he not onely purchased his peace with the Assyrian king by that gift but also procured a promise of his aid upon all occasions for the establishment of his kingdome whereby it is evident that though he had usurped the kingdome yet he enjoyed it not without opposition Vers 25. And smote him in Samaria in the palace of the kings house with Argob and Arieh and with him fifty men of the Gileadites These it seems were Pekahs partners in his conspiracie against Pekahiah the sonne of Menahem Vers 29. In the dayes of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assryia c. He is called Tilgath-pilneser 1. Chron. 5.26 and was doubtlesse the sonne of Pull king of Assyria that had not many years before invaded the land in the dayes of Menahem vers 19. and therefore called Tiglath-pull-assir the cause why he now came into the land of Israel is expressed elsewhere though it be not mentioned here it seems this Pekah king of Israel combined with Rezin king of Syria against Ahaz king of Judah and did first severally invade his land and sorely oppressed him and then afterwards joyntly went up to besiege Ahaz king of Judah in Jerusalem whereupon Ahaz being at the same time invaded also in other parts of his kingdomes by other neighbouring nations sent to this great king of Assyria to desire his help against these two kings as is expressed in the following chapter vers 7. So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria saying I am thy servant and thy sonne come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria and out of the hand of the king of Israel which rise up against me and thereupon he came as he desired into the land of Israel the rather happely because this Pekah had slain the sonne of Menahem whom his father Pull had settled in the kingdome of Israel as is before noted and so took the severall places here mentioned in the kingdome of Israel to wit Ijon and Abel-beth-maachah and Janoah a town belonging to Ephraim Josh 16.6 and Kedesh and Hazer cities of Napthali Josh 19.36 37. and Gilead that is all the land without Jordan where the Rubenites and Gadites and half tribe of Manasseh had their possessions and Galilee all the land of Napthali and carried them captive to Assyria so that indeed at this time he subdued in a manner five tribes of Israel to wit those without Jordan who as they had first their inheritance given them so they were now first carried away captives and the tribes of Zebulon and Napthali who were seated in the land of Galilee And this was the first captivity of Israel Neither do we ever reade that these that were now carried away or their posterity did ever return again into the land of Israel as those of Judah did that were afterwards carried into Babilon whence it is that when the prophet Isaiah threatned the Jewes with the captivity of Babilon he added this as a comfort that their calamity should not be such as when their brethren of Israel were carryed captive into Assyria Isa 9.1 Neverthelesse the dimnesse shall not be such as was in her vexation when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali and afterwards did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations Vers 30. And Hoshea the sonne of Elah made a conspiracie against Pekah c. Doubtlesse the people of Israel were greatly enraged because so many of their tribes were carried away captive into Assyria by Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria and laid all the blame upon this their unfortunate king Pekah partly because by making warre against Ahaz king of Judah causelessely he had provoked Ahaz to call in the Assyrians to his help and partly because he got the kingdome by slaying Pekahiah the sonne of Menahem whom the Assyrian king had settled in the throne of Israel Now being thus fallen under the contempt and hatred of his people it is no wonder that Hoshea should find enow that would joyn with him in a conspiracy to kill him which accordingly they accomplished and so the Lord cut him off by a conspiracy of his subjects that himself got the crown by the murder of Pekahiah his Sovereigne And reigned in his stead in the twentieth yeare of Jotham the sonne of Uzziah Here it is expressely said that Hoshea having slain Pekah began his reigne in the twentieth yeare of Jotham and yet afterwards vers 33. it is said that Jotham reigned but sixteen years and in the first verse of the next chapter it is said that Ahaz the sonne of Jotham began his reigne in the seventeenth yeare of Pekah But to reconcile these seeming contradictions we must know that Jotham lived twenty years after he was settled in the throne of Judah upon the death of
a pillar in the Temple for the king to stand on of which see the note chap. 11.14 and therefore 2. Chron. 34.31 it is said of Josiah that he stood in his place And all the people stood to the covenant That is they consented to renew their covenant with God and promised that they would do according to the covenant Vers 4. And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest c. Josiah did begin to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places and the groves and the idols which the people had worshiped in the twelfth yeare of his reigne which was six years before the book of the law was found 2. Chron. 34.3 but upon his hearing of those grievous threatnings in the book of the law against idolatry he now proceeded further and perfected that work of reformation which was then began and therefore it is that in the Chronicles the penman of the sacred historie undertaking to relate the reformation that Josiah wrought in the twelfth yeare of his reigne he addes also what was done afterward when the book of the law was found and on the other side speaking here how he suppressed idolatry upon the hearing of the law he joynes also many things which were done of the same nature in the twelfth yeare of his reigne that all his zealous acts in rooting out idolatry might be related together As here that he commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order c. to bring out all the idolatrous trash that was in the Temple where by the priests of the second order may be meant the inferiour priests called priests of the second order with respect to the high priest or rather the first two chief priests of the two stocks of Eliazer and Ithamar of whom see the note 2. Sam. 8.17 Some Interpreters understand it of the priests of the order of Jedaiah the second of those twenty foure orders of the priests appointed by David 1. Chron. 24.1.7 but it is hard to say why they should be employed in purging the Temple rather then the rest of the priests And he burnt them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried the ashes of them unto Beth-el Therewith to defile the prime seat of Jeroboams idolatry and withall to expresse his detestation of these idols and that idolatry there first erected from whence the infection had overspread the whole land and had been the main cause of all the evil that was fallen upon the people of God By the Law whatever touched the graves of dead men it was unclean and thus he manifested his detestation of these idolatrous monuments and that he esteemed them as most filthy things fi◠onely for such unclean places Nor need it seem strange that Josiah should have this power in Beth-el which was a citie of Samaria the kingdome of the ten tribes for first Abijah the sonne of Rehoboam had long since taken Beth-el from Jeroboam and annexed it to the kingdome of Judah 2. Chron. 13.19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam and took cities from him Beth-el with the towns thereof and so perhaps it had ever since continued and secondly it seems that the greatest part of the kingdome of Samaria was at this time under the dominion of Josiah whence is that vers 19. And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord to anger Josiah took away and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Beth-el of which two reasons probable enough may be supposed for first it may be after the flight and death of Sennacherib when Merodach opposed himself against Esar-haddon his son Hezekiah took aduantage of this faction in the North and laid hold upon so much of the kingdome of Israel as he was able to people or secondly perhaps the same reason that moved the Babylonian king to set Manasseh free when he was his prisoner in Babylon did also perswade him to give him with his libertie the dominion of the greatest part of the countrey of Samaria to wit that he might defend these territories against the Egyptian who begun in these times with great power and successe to oppose the Babylonians and indeed the earnestnesse of Josiah in the king of Babels quarrel notwithstanding the kings of Judah had so long held great amitie with those of Egypt 2. Chron. 35.20 21 22. doth argue that the composition which Manasseh had made with that king or his Ancestour was upon such friendly terms as required not onely a faithfull observation but also a thankfull requitall Vers 5. And he put down the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense c. The word in the originall here translated idolatrous priests is Chemarim and because we find them mentioned Zeph 1.4 as distinct from the priests I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place and the name of the Chemarims with the priests therefore many Expositours hold that they were certain ministers of their idolatry different from the priests such as the monks are among the papists or at least that they were a peculiar sort of priests so called either because they wore black or coloured garments or because they lived a retired life in cells and cloisters or because of their fierie zeal and fervencie in their Religion or because they were peculiarly employed in burning incense Vers 6. And he brought out the grove from the house of the Lord c. By the grove is meant either the image or similitude of a grove which was hanged up in the Temple or rather a very grove which idolatours for devotion had planted near unto the Temple contrary to the commandment of the Lord Deut. 16.21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God which therefore Josiah did now cut down and removed from the Temple burning it at the brook Kidron without Jerusalem and then cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people to wit both in contempt of the idols and in reproch of those that had worshipped them in their lives for this is plainly implied 2. Chron. 34.4 Vers 7. And he brake down the houses of the sodomites that were by the house of the Lord c. These Sodomites 〈◊〉 were kept and maintained not onely for the satisfying of mens unnaturall lust but also for the honour of their idol-gods whom they thought pleased with such horrid uncleannesse and therefore were their houses built close to the Temple and here the women wove hangings for the grove with which hangings they compassed in many severall places in the groves as so many severall tents and chappels◠darker the fitter for those horrid deeds of darknesse which were there done for there they worshipped their idols and defiled themselves with all kind both of spirituall and bodily uncleannesse Vers 8. And he brought
those times passed for currant amongst them and that the rather happely because even to this that clause may be referred Luke 3.23 as was supposed namely that in those dayes it was supposed by them that followed the Septuagint translation that Shelah was the sonne of Cainan and Cainan the sonne of Arphaxad It is indeed true that some Interpreters do leave Cainan out of the genealogy of Luke and alledge that in some Greek copies it is not found which being granted we cannot say but they had strong inducements to leave it out But on the other side admitting our translation of the Evangelist to be just and warrantable the answer formerly given for the reconciling of this difference is doubtlesse the most satisfying that I any where find amongst the Expositours both of the Old and New Testament Vers 35. The sonnes of Esau Eliphaz Revel c. Eliphaz was the sonne of Esau by his wife Adah and Revel by his wife Bashemath Gen. 36.10 Vers 36. The sonnes of Eliphaz Teman and Omar Zephi and Gatam Kenaz and Timna and Amalek Amalek was the sonne of Eliphaz by Timna his concubine the sister of Lotan the sonne of Seir of which see Gen. 36.12 But this Timna here mentioned was the sonne of Eliphaz though of the same name with his concubine Vers 38. And the sonnes of Seir Lotan c. This Seir was Prince of the Horites who at first inhabited the land of Edom till the children of Edom destroyed them and dwelt in their room Deut. 2.12 The Horims also dwelt in Seir before time but the children of Esau succeeded them when they had destroyed them from before them and dwelt in their stead and therefore is the genealogy of the Horites here recorded onely because Esau and his sonne Eliphaz were joyned in affinity with these Princes of the Horites and perhaps thence the Edomites took some occasion of quarrel against them and so seized upon their countrey The posterity of Seir here mentioned were dukes in mount Seir as is noted Gen. 36.30 Vers 43. Now these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom c See Gen. 36.31 CHAP. II. Vers 6. ANd the sonnes of Zerah Zimri and Ethan and Heman and Calcol and Dara Zimri as is most probable was the immediate sonne of Zerah as being the same that is called Zabdi the father of Carmi the father of Achan Josh 7.1 But the rest if they were the same Ethan and Heman and Calcol and Dara mentioned 1. Kings 4.31 that were so famous for their wisedome as it is commonly held they were then were not these the immediate sonnes of Zerah but rekoned here amongst his sonnes onely because they were of his posterity and men famous in their time but the sonnes of Mahol as is expressely noted 1. Kings 4.31 Vers 7. And the sonnes of Carmi c. Who was the sonne of Zimri or Zabdi Josh 7.1 Vers 15. Ozem the sixth David the seventh It is evident that Jesse had eight sonnes when David was anointed king by Samuel 1. Sam. 16.10 but concerning that see the note there Vers 17. And the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmeelite See the note 2. Sam. 17.25 Vers 18. And Caleb the son of Hezron begat children of Azubah his wife and of Jerioth This was not Caleb the son of Jephunneh who was but fourty years old when he searched Canaan Josh 14.7 but another of the same name the sonne of Hezron of whom see Gen. 46.12 and his genealogy is here largely set down because there were many men of renown amongst his posterity and the chief aim of this chapter is to shew how God blessed the tribe of Judah according to his promise Gen. 49.8 c. Judah thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies thy fathers children shall bow down before thee see also Exod. 31.2 Her sonnes are these Jesher and Shobab and Ardon This may be referred either to Azubah or Jerioth yet by most Expositours it is referred to the last to wit that these were the sonnes of Jerioth and that Calebs sonnes by Azubah are those mentioned vers 42. Vers 21. And afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead c. See Josh 17.1 Numb 26.29 Vers 22. And Segub begat Jair who had three and twenty cities in the land of Gilead The grandfather of Jair was Hezron of the tribe of Judah but his grandmother was of the tribe of Manasseh the daughter of Machir and it seems his father Segub was by Machir his mothers father adopted for his sonne and so Jair is called the sonne of Manasseh Deut. 3.14 and joyning with his brethren by the mothers side in subduing that portion of land which was assigned to them without Jordan he had there his portion amongst them though he were by the fathers side of the tribe of Judah see the note upon Numb 32.41 Vers 23. And he took Geshur and Aram with the towns of Jair c. That is he took Geshur and Aram from those that were the ancient inhabitants But this was Geshur without Jordan in the portion of the half tribe of Manasseh there seated for there was another Geshuri within Jordan that was not subdued when Joshua began to divide the land amongst the Israelites Josh 13.2 As for Kenath he took that as it seems by means of Nobah who happely was one of his posterity or captains and fought against Kenath under the command of Jair Numb 32.41 42. And Jair the sonne of Manasseh went and took the small towns thereof and called them Havoth-jair And Nobah went and took Kenath and the villages thereof and called it Nobah after his own name Vers 24. Abiah Hezrons wife bare him Ashur the father of Tekoa That is the Prince of Tekoa or rather the father of the inhabitants of Tekoa Vers 34. Now Sheshan had no sonnes but daughters c. Ahlai therefore the sonne of Sheshan mentioned vers 31. died it seems his father yet living or else Ahlai was his daughter whom he married to his Egyptian servant Vers 42. Now the sonnes of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel were Mesha his first-born which was the father of Ziph. These were his sonnes by Azubah his first wife of whom mention was made vers 18. and Mesha his first-born is called the father of Ziph because he was the father of the inhabitants of Ziph. And the sonnes of Maresha the father of Hebron That is the sonnes of Maresha were also the posterity of Caleb by Azubah Vers 49. And the daughter of Caleb was Achsah Caleb the son of Jephunneh had a daughter also named Achsah Josh 15.17 but this must needs be the daughter of Caleb the sonne of Hezron Vers 50. These were the sonnes of Caleb the sonne of Hur c. This is the posterity of a second Caleb the sonne of Hur mentioned before vers 20. and the first mentioned is Shobal the father of Kirjath-jearim which
the Israelites that is those who first returned from Babylon and were again settled in their severall possessions were the children of Israel for not onely those of Judah and Benjamin but some also of the other tribes returned thence vers 3. to wit such as sled to Judah when the ten tribes were first carried away by Tiglath-pileser and Shalmaneser and such as did at first leave the land of Israel when Jeroboam did first set up his golden calves there the priests also the Levites and the Nethinims that is as the word signifieth men given to wit to God and to the service of the Temple and it is meant of the Gibeonites see the note Josh 9.21 Vers 3. And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah and of the children of Benjamin c. To wit every tenth man amongst them chosen by lot and such as did besides voluntarily offer themselves to dwell there Nehem. 11.1 2. And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem the rest of the people also cast lots to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city and nine parts to dwell in other cities And the people blessed the men that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem Vers 5. And of the Shilonites Asaiah the first born c. That is the sonnes of Shiloni Neh. 11.5 and he that is here called Asaiah is in likelyhood the same that is there called Maaseiah Vers 7. Sallu the sonne of Meshullam the sonne of Hodaviah the sonne of Hasenuah c. Nehem. 11.7 Meshullam is said to be the sonne of Joed the sonne of Pedaiah either therefore Meshullams father was called both Joed and Hodaviah and his grandfather both Pedaiah and Hasenuah or else these here mentioned were his father and grandfather and those mentioned in Nehemiah were his progenitours farther off Vers 9. And their brethren according to their generations nine hundred and fifty and six Nehem. 11.8 they are said to have been nine hundred twenty and eight but there it may seem onely those are numbred that were chosen by lot to dwell in Jerusalem here those also that did voluntarily proffer themselves to dwell there Nehem. 11.2 And the people blessed all the men that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem Vers 11. And Azariah the sonne of Hilkiah c. Called also Seraiah Neh. 11.11 and it is said here that this Azariah or Seraiah was the ruler of the house of God to wit at the return of the people from Babylon whereby is not meant that he was high priest for Joshua was then high priest Hagg. 1.1 but that he was the chief or one of the chief of the inferiour priests who were called the second priests Numb 3.32 And of his brethren there were when they returned from Babylon eight hundred twenty and two Nehem. 11.12 Vers 12. And Adaiah the sonne of Jeroham the sonne of Pashur c. Neh. 11.12 it is evident that there were three descents between Pashur and Jeroham and there also vers 13. it is expressed that of his brethren there were two hundred fourty and two And Maasiai the sonne of Adiel the sonne of Jahzerah c. Nehem. 11.13 he is called Amashai the sonne of Azareel the sonne of Ahasiai the sonne of Meshilemoh the sonne of Immer and of this family it is said that there were vers 14. an hundred twenty and eight Vers 14. And of the Levites Shemaiah c. Having formerly set down the chief of the priests that returned from Babylon here he also addes who were the chief of the Levites that returned of whom there were at Jerusalem besides those that were seated elsewhere and the porters and others afterwards mentioned two hundred fourescore and foure as is noted Nehem. 11.18 Vers 15. Mattaniah the sonne of Micah the sonne of Zichri Called also Zabdi Nehem. 11.17 Vers 16. And Obadiah the sonne of Shemaiah that dwelt in the villages of the Netophathites Who were of the tribe of Judah amongst whom the Levites were seated at first till their cites could be assigned them Vers 17. And the porters were Shallum and Akkub c. That is these were the chief for of them in all there were an hundred seventy and two Nehem. 11.19 besides those that were porters in the inner entries vers 21 22. Vers 18. Who hitherto waited in the kings gate eastward That is Shallum the chief of them and those of his course or family unto the time of the writing of this book waited in the east gate which was called the kings gate because formerly the kings of Judah used to go into the Temple at that gate Vers 19. And Shallum the sonne of Kore and his brethren of the house of his father the Korahites were over the work of the service keepers of the gates of the Tabernacle That is he and the rest of the Korahites were keepers of all the outer gates of the tabernacle or Temple for even the Temple is sometimes called the tabernacle And their fathers being over the host of the Lord were keepers of the entry That is and the fathers of them the heads and chief of them kept the entry that is the entry by which they passed from the outer court into the court of the priests the inward gate or else it may be meant of the fathers of these Levites who waited upon the tabernacle before the Temple was built and so is added onely to shew that these Levites were now keepers of the gates of the temple as their fathers in former times had waited at the entry of the Tabernacle and were over the host of the Lord that is over the Levites when after the manner of an host or army they pitched about the Tabernacle when the Israelites went through the wildernesse And indeed this exposition seems the more probable because of that which follows in the next verse Vers 20. And Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar was the ruler over them in time past That is Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar the sonne of Aaron had the chief command over the Levites in time past Vers 21. And Zechariah the sonne of Meshelemiah was porter of the doore of the Tabernacle of the congregation That is he and perhaps his brethren was porter of the doore that led out of the priests court into the Temple so that his was of all the chief place see chap. 26.1 2. Vers 22. All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve See the note above vers 17. and Nehem. 11. and chap. 23.5 These were reckoned by their genealogies in their villages whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office That is whereas before the dayes of Samuel the Levites did all promiscuously intend the whole service of the Tabernacle when Samuel judged Israel 1. Sam. 7.6 he it seems began to divide the work amongst them and to appoint them their severall charges and imployments which David afterward did much perfect appointing so many
free-will-offerings of God c. As these before mentioned vers 12 13. had the charge of keeping the offerings and tithes and dedicate things so Kore and those under him mentioned vers 15. had the charge of distributing them to the priests and Levites to whom they belonged Vers 16. Beside their genealogie of males from three years old and upward c. Here is expressed more particularly who they were to whom these holy things were distributed to wit besides the males of three years old and upward but under the age of twenty years who had also their portion allotted to them vers 18. they give both to the priests and Levites from twenty years old and upwards as they came in their courses to do their service in the house of the Lord yea and besides vers 18. they gave to all that were registred in the genealogies of the priests and Levites even to their little ones their wives and their sonnes and their daughters through all the congregation Vers 18. For in their set office they sanctified themselves in holinesse That is in this their office to which they were sanctified and set apart they did faithfully and in an holy manner discharge that trust that was reposed in them and were carefull to keep themselves from pollution that so they might be capable of eating these holy things Vers 19. Also the sonnes of Aaron the priests which were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities c. That is besides those mentioned before vers 14 15. that were to distribute the holy things to those that dwelt in Jerusalem or that came up thither in their severall courses for the service of the Temple there were others also chosen who were then expressed by name of the priests that dwelt in the other cities of the kingdome that were to give portions to the priests and Levites that were then abiding in those places and not attending in Jerusalem upon the service of God in the Temple CHAP. XXXII Vers 1. SEnnacherib king of Assyria came and entred into Judah and encamped against the fenced cities c. See the notes 2. Kings 18.13 c. for many severall passages in this chapter And thought to winne them for himself That is resolved to take them for himself and indeed accordingly he took many of them 2. Kings 18.13 Vers 3. He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the citie That is to fill up the fountains and springs with earth and to carry the waters by pipes under ground into the citie that so the Assyrians if they came against Jerusalem might be distressed for want of water whilest they within the citie were abundantly supplyed And they did help him That is his Princes and his mighty men aided him in this work Vers 4. Who stopt all the fountains and the brook that ran through the midst of the land c. That is the brook Gihon of which vers 30. that ranne through the midst of the countrey where Jerusalem stood See 1. Kings 1.33 Vers 10. Whereon do ye trust that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem That is being thus shut up without hope of help yet notwithstanding ye still refuse to yield up the citie Vers 17. He wrote also letters to rail on the Lord God of Israel c. To wit upon Rabshakeh his return to Sennacherib at Libnah and the report of the approch of Tirhakah the king of Ethiopia See 2. Kings 19.8 9. Vers 18. To affright them and to trouble them that they might take the citie That is to sow the seeds of discord amongst them whilest some should desire to have the citie yielded up and others should oppose them Vers 20. For this Hezekiah the king and the prophet Isaiah the sonne of Amos prayed and cried to heaven See 2. Kings 19.14 15. and at the same time Isaiah sent a comfortable message to Hezekiah wherein he prophesied of the destruction of Sennacherib and the good of Sion Vers 21. And the Lord sent an angel which cut off all the mighty men of valour c. A hundred fourescore and five thousand in all and that in one night See the note 2. Kings 19.35 They that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword That is his own sonnes Adramelech and Sherezer 2. Kings 19.27 Vers 22. Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah c. and guided them on every side He governed them and took care of them all as a shepheard doth of his flock Vers 24. In those dayes Hezekiah was sick to the death and prayed unto the Lord. The prophet Isaiah having visited him and told him that he should die and not live See the notes 2. Kings 20.1 2 3. And he spake unto him and he gave him a signe That is he assured him that he should recover and confirmed that promise with a signe from heaven but withall he gave him also direction to lay a lump of figgs to the boil See the 2. Kings 20.5 c. Vers 25. For his heart was lifted up And this he manifested in shewing his riches to the Babylonian Embassadours for which he was reproved and threatned by the prophet Isaiah See 2. Kings 20.12 19. Vers 27. And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour c. This is added to shew what it was for which his heart was lifted up as was said before v. 25. Vers 30. This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper water-course of Gihon c. The brook Gihon divided it self into two streams one of which Hezekiah turned from the usuall channell and brought it strait down into the west side of the city of David Vers 31. Howbeit in the businesse of the embassadours of the princes of Babylon c. To wit the Embassadours which Besodach-Baladan king of Babylon by the advice of his princes sent unto him see 2. Kings 20.12 God left him to try him that he might know all that was in his heart See Gen. 22.1 CHAP. XXXIII Vers 1. MAnasseh was twelve years old when he began to reigne See 2. Kings 21.1 c. many severall notes for the explanation of this chapter Vers 6. And he caused his children to passe through the fire in the valley of the sonne of Hinnom See 2. Kings 16.3 Vers 10. And the Lord spake to Manasseh and to his people To wit by his servants the prophets the summe of their prophesies is expressed 2. Kings 21.11 15. Vers 11. Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria which took Manasseh among the thorns It seems he thought to hide himself in some woods and thickets and therefore it is said here that he was taken among the thorns The like is said concerning the Israelites when they were affraid of the Philistines that were come into their land 1. Sam. 13.6 When the men of Israel saw they were in a strait then they did hide themselves in caves and in
companions And joyn them one to another into one stick and they shall become one in thy hand and say unto them Thus saith the Lord God Behold I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen whither they be gone and will gather them on every side and bring them into their own land And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel and one king shall be king to them all and they shall be no more two nations neither shall they be divided into two kingdomes any more at all Vers 7. Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord c. Though the most of them were cut and defaced and onely laid up in the treasury of the house of their gods of which Bel was the chief Esay 46.1 Bel boweth down Nebo stoopeth c. Jer. 51.44 I will punish Bel in Babylon c. and that as a monument of the taking of Jerusalem 2. Kings 24.13 And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasure of the kings house c. or else that place in the kings must be meant of the vessels which Solomon made which being old and worn with age were cut in pieces there being others also made afterwards for the use of the Temple which were carried away whole and now restored at this time also the king sent letters with them to command his deputies in Syria to afford them all necessaries chap. 6.1 Vers 8. And numbred them unto Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah That is Zerubbabel for he that laid the foundation of the Temple is called Zerubbabel chap. 3.8 In the second moneth began Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel c. to set forward the work of the house of the Lord and elsewhere Shebazzar chap. 5.16 Then came Shebazzar and laid the foundation of the house of God he was the chief prince of the tribe of Judah and of the bloud royall the sonne of Salathiel and grandchild of Jechoniah Matth. 1.12 and so was by Cyrus made ruler of those that now went up to Jerusalem chap. 5.14 Those did Cyrus the king take out of the Temple of Babylon and they were delivered unto one whose name was Sheshbazzar whom he made governour and thus the government was still in the tribe of Judah according to that prophecy of Jacob Gen. 49.10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah c. Vers 9. Nine and twenty knives These knives were such doubtlesse as were used by the priests in killing the sacrifices and being it seems trimmed richly with gold and silver are therefore reckoned here amongst the plate that was carried out of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar and now restored by Cyrus Vers 10. Silver basons of a second sort foure hundred and ten That is of another size or of another kind and fashion happely those of the first sort were for the service of the Temple these of the second sort for the courts and chambers And other vessels a thousand That is other vessels of the chief sort for this is not the number of all the other vessels great and small not before mentioned as is evident in the following verse Vers 11. All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and foure hundred That is both of those before mentioned and those that are here particularly expressed CHAP. II. Vers 1. NOw these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity c. In this chapter we have a catalogue of those that went out of Babylon with Zerubbabel when Cyrus by his proclamation gave them liberty to return Some conceive they are called the children of the province because they had dwelt in Babylon But I rather conceive that it is the land of Judea which is here called the province and so with respect thereto the Jews are here called the children of the province because Judea was now one of the provinces that were in subjection to the Babylonian Empire according to that Esther 1.1 Ahasuerus which reigned from India even unto Ethiopia over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces Now though it be most probable that some of the ten tribes that were carried into Assyria before Nebuchadnezzars reigne did now return with Zerubbabel chap. 1.5 yet because there were but few of them to speak of therefore they that returned are said to be those whom Nebuchadnezzar had carryed away and they are said to have returned every one unto his citie whereby is meant not the cities wherein they had formerly dwelt but the cities appointed them by their present governours for their dwelling for those of the ten tribes that did now return dwelt not in the cities of Samaria but in the cities of Judah Vers 22. Jeshua Nehemiah Seraiah c. These that are here expressed by name were doubtlesse the chiefest and most eminent of those that went now with Zerubbabel the most of them happely captains and governours of the people and then afterwards he addes in the sequel of the chapter the number of the men of the people of Israel that is how many there were of the people Now concerning those that are expressed by name we must note first that Jeshua was the high priest the sonne of Jozadak chap. 3.2 called elsewhere Joshua the sonne of Josedech as Haggai 1.1 the great assistant of Zerubbabel in the building of the Temple secondly that in Nehem. 7.7 where the catalogue of those that did at first go up with Zerubbabel is again set down some of these here mentioned are called by other names as Seraiah is there called Azariah Relaijah Raamiah Misper Mispereth and Rehum Nahum and withall there is one added there to wit Nahumani that is not mentioned here and thirdly that it is not probable that either Nehemiah here mentioned was that famous Nehemiah the pen-man of that book of Scripture which is called by his name or Mordecai that famous Mordecai that was Esthers uncle but two others of the same name for first had that Nehemiah gone up in the first yeare of Cyrus he must needs have been well stricken in years and yet we see he was cup-bearer to Artaxerxes Neh. 2.1 and the Persians used to have young men to attend them in such places and secondly from the first yeare of Cyrus to Darius the last who was beaten by Alexander the great there was at least two hundred years and upwards and till the time of that Darius the last did that famous Nehemiah live for in his book mention is made of Jaddua the priest Neh. 12.11 of whom we reade in Josephus that he met Alexander the great in his priestly robes and so stayed him from doing any hurt to the city and Temple and as for Mordecai Esthers uncle he brought up Esther in Shushan in Persia long after this in the dayes of Ahasuerus or Zerxes and therefore did not return with Zerubbabel in the first yeare of Cyrus as this Mordecai did
Vers 3. The children of Parosh c. That is the posterity of Parosh or rather the family whereof Parosh was the head or chief afterwards vers 21. many of the people are mentioned by the names of the cities where they had formerly dwelt as the children of Beth-lehem the children of Netophah c. but that the proper names here mentioned are not the names of cities but the names of men that were the heads of families is evident Neh. 10.14 where many of them are mentioned as the chief of the people that sealed the covenant Vers 5. The children of Arah seven hundred seventy and five Neh. 7.10 it is six hundred fifty two which must thus be reconciled that seven hundred seventy five as here is said gave up their names in Babylon that they would return but onely six hundred fifty two mentioned in Nehemiah came up into Judea the rest changing their minds or dying by the way and the like must be held concerning vers 8 27 28 33 42 60. Vers 6. Of the children of Jeshua and Joab two thousand eight hundred and twelve Neh. 7.11 the number is two thousand eight hundred and eighteen to wit because when they came up into Judea there were six more then had given up their names in Babylon the like must be held concerning vers 10 11 13 14 15 17 19 35 41 65. Vers 16. The children of Ater of Hezekiah ninety and eight That is whereas there were severall families descended of Ater of the children of Hezekiah who was the head of one of those families there were ninety and eight Vers 21. The children of Beth-lehem c. That is the children of those that were formerly inhabitants of Beth-lehem and so we must understand the following verses wherein there are any townes or cities mentioned Vers 25. The children of Kirjath-arim Chephirah c. Or Kiriath-jearim and Ceprah Neh. 7.29 Vers 29. The children of Nebo fifty and two Not Nebo in the tribe of Ruben but Nebo in the tribe of Judah called usually Nob and therefore Nehemiah calleth it the other Nebo Neh. 7.33 Vers 30. The children of Magbish an hundred fifty and six These are not mentioned at all in Nehemiah see above vers 5. Vers 43. The Nethinims See 1. Chron. 9.2 Vers 44. The children of Siaha Or Sia Neh. 7.47 Vers 55. The children of Solomons servants That is the strangers proselytes that were imployed by Solomon in the building of the Temple and having lived long amongst the children of Judah were now reckoned amongst them Vers 61. Which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called after their name Some conceive that Barzillai was a priest and these priests that married the daughters and heirs of the family were therefore called by that name but because they could not prove their genealogie were put from the priesthood Others conceive that these priests marrying into the noble family of Barzillai disregarding the honour of the priesthood because in the captivity where they were not imployed as priests in offering up sacrifices they had neither any profit nor honour by being priests did therefore chuse to be called after the family of their wives but now being returned to Judea and the priesthood growing into fame and request again these degenerate priests would fain have taken place among the priests of the Lord but not being now able to prove their genealogie they were amongst others put from the priesthood Vers 63. And the Tirshatha said unto them that they should not eat c. Tirshatha is a name of office as the commissary the governour or deputy of the king It is elsewhere given to Nehemiah Neh. 8.9 And Nehemiah which is the Tirshatha and therefore some think that this catalogue was taken by Nehemiah though it be set down here but because Nehemiah came out of Babylon so long after the Jewes came first thence therefore it is rather here meant of Zerubbabel who was now chief governour called also Sheshbazzar chap. 1.8 and whereas it is here said that these priests that could not prove their genealogie should not eat of the most holy things till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim hereby it is manifest that the Urim and Thummim was either lost or burnt together with many other things when the Chaldees took Jerusalem and indeed however Zerubbabel hoped as it seemes by these words that they might by the providence of God he had again yet they were never found again the Lord thereby teaching the Church that the ceremonies were going and the Messias coming that salvation was not to be placed in the ordinances of Moses but that they were shortly to expect the true Urim and Thummim Christ Jesus the high priest of their profession Vers 64. The whole congregation together was fourty and two thousand three hundred and threescore That is both of those of Judah and Benjamin of whom the particular numbers are before punctually expressed and those of the other ten tribes who are not here mentioned If we summe up the particular numbers before set down they all amount but to twenty nine thousand eight hundred and eighteen which is above twelve thousand lesse then the totall summe here expressed and these no doubt were those of the other ten tribes that returned with their brethren of Judah and Benjamin 1. Chron. 9.3 And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah and of the children of Benjamin and of the children of Ephraim and Manasseh we no where reade of so many that were carryed into Babylon but it seems they multiplyed greatly in Babylon as formerly in Egypt Vers 65. And there were among them two hundred singing-men and singing-women These were such as were imployed amongst them in singing at their weddings and funerals and such other solemnities 2. Chron. 35.25 in Nehemiah 7.67 it is said there were of these two hundred forty five but for this see the note above vers 6. Vers 68. When they came to the house of the Lord which is at Jerusalem c. That is to the place where the Temple had stood Vers 70. So the priests and the Levites and some of the people c. That is some of the people dwelt in the cities to the priests and Levites assigned for their habitation CHAP. III. Vers 1. ANd when the seventh moneth was come c. That is when the seventh moneth approached for they began to offer burnt offerings on the first day of the moneth vers 6. From the first day of the seventh moneth began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord c. because there were many festivals by the law appointed to be kept on this moneth which were the first after their return out of Babylon to wit the feast of trumpets on the first day Levit. 23.24 the feast of expiation or day of attonement on the tenth day Levit. 23.27 and the feast of Tabernacles on the fifteenth day Levit. 23.34 and besides the first feast
Deut. 7.1 Vers 12. Now therefore take ye twelve men out of the tribes of Israel out of every tribe a man Here it is not expressed for what imployment these twelve men were to be chosen but Chap. 4.2 we are told for what service it was namely to take twelve stones out of the midst of the river and to set them up in Gilgal as a memoriall of this miraculous passage For that they are the same here spoken of seems implyed chap. 4.4 where it is said at the second repeating this charge that Joshua called the twelve men whom he had prepared to wit before they passed over Jordan Yet the giving the charge here may also happely implie that the same twelve men were also to go along with the Priests that they might be the more present eye-witnesses of this miraculous work of Jordans dividing Vers 13. Assoon as the soles of the feet of the Priests that bare the ark of the Lord the Lord of all the earth c. Here Joshua makes known to the people the miracle that God intended to work to give them entrance into the land of Canaan namely that the Lord would divide the waters of Jordan before them that so they might passe over on drie land And observable it is that in relating this to them first he particularly informs them that this should be done at the very first setting of the Priests feet that bare the ark in the waters of Jordan thereby to assure them both that it was the Lord their God of whose presence the ark was a signe by whose almighty power the waters should be divided and likewise that the Lord did this for them because of the Covenant which he had made with them whence that is so often repeated vers 11. and again vers 14. that it was the ark of the Covenant that passed over before them And secondly that they might not question the Lords doing of this he puts them in mind of the Lords sovereigne power in ruling and governing the whole world under this Title the Lord of all the earth Assoon saith he as the soles of the feet of the Priests that bare the ark of the Lord the Lord of all the earth shall rest in the waters of Jordan the waters of Jordan shall be cut off c. Vers 15. For Jordan overfloweth all his banks at the time of harvest To wit of barly-harvest which was in that hot countrey in their first moneth called Abib or Nisan the moneth wherein the Passeover was kept as is evident Levit. 23.10 where it is said that at the feast they were to bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of their harvest unto the Priest and therefore we find it elsewhere so expressed 1. Chron. 12.15 These are they that went over Jordan in the first moneth when it had overflown all his banks And indeed observable it is that the Lord brought his people into the land of Canaan in harvest time just when it was ready furnished with the fruits of the earth that were to be for their provision and store the following yeare As for Jordans overflowing his banks at this time either it was the nature of this river so to do or else it was as some conceive because the sunne growing hot at this time of the yeare great streams of water came running down from the mountains about Jordan by reason of the melting of the snow that lay there and so caused the river to overflow his banks But however the reasons why this clause is here inserted we may conceive to be these First to shew how God did herein trie the faith of the Israelites seeming herein as it were to oppose their entrance into the land Secondly to shew the necessitie of the miraculous dividing of the waters of Jordan because by reason of this inundation of the waters they could not passe over the foords as at other times Thirdly to shew how the feet of the Priests could touch the brim of the waters as is said in the foregoing words before they came at the chanell in a place convenient for them to stand on awhile it was because Jordan at that time overflowed his banks Vers 16. The waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap c. The meaning of the first clause of this verse concerning the waters above the place where Jordan was divided is not much questioned by expositours all in a manner making this to be the meaning of them that those upper waters stood firm as a wall swelling continually and rising up higher and higher even as farre backward as from the citie Adam that is besides Zaretan unto the place where the Israelites passed over and that by reason of the successive coming down of the waters from above and their stay in that place where they were bounded and barred up by the Almighty power of God But now the second clause which speaks of waters beneath the place where the river was divided and those that came down towards the sea of the plain even the salt sea failed and were cut off is somewhat more questionable and that because some by the failing and cutting off those lower waters understand onely this that they rolled a little way toward the salt sea till there was a space broad enough for the people to go over and then not being supplied still as before by the waters from above failed and were cut off from the upper waters and there stood on a heap vers 13. and so the ground lay bare for the Israelites to passe over But then others again by the failing and cutting off those waters understand that those lower waters after they were divided from those that were above passing away by degrees toward the dead sea they failed and were cut off for want of a supplie from above and so the whole channell down toward the sea was left quite without water And this I conceive is most agreeable to the words of the Text. Vers 17. And all the Israelites passed over on drie ground untill all the people were passed clean over Jordan That is the waters of Jordan being thus divided the whole people of Israel went quietly over there being no body on the other side to withstand them which is indeed very observable It hath alwayes been the constant policie of all nations to guard the rivers through which the enemie must passe into their countreys because there they have a great advantage over them to hinder their entrance into their land and how was it then that the Canaanites had not then set a guard upon these foords of Jordan I answer Sure because they were confidently perswaded that the Israelites could not have passed over by reason of the overflowing of Jordan at that time or else because God had stricken them with such a fear and trembling of heart that they durst not stirre out of their walled cities or else because he had infatuated them and deprived them of that wisdome
which is ordinarily found in other men for the defence of their countrey against an enemie CHAP. IV. Vers 2. TAke ye twelve men out of the people out of every tribe a man c. being passed over Jordan the Lord repeats the charge given them before chap. 1. vers 12. And indeed therefore was it there onely briefly touched because it was to be here again more largely expressed Vers 3. Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan out of the place where the Priests feet stood firm twelve stones c. In the seventh verse the reason is expressed why these twelve stones were to be taken up out of Jordan about the place where the Priests had stood with the ark and to be carried to the place where they were to lodge that night which was Gilgal vers 19. namely that they might there stand as a memoriall to succeeding generations of this miraculous work when the Lord was pleased to divide Jordan before the ark that the twelve tribes might passe over to take possession of the land which he had given them for an inheritance But may some say seeing the tribes of Reuben and Gad and one half of the tribe of Manasseh had already their inheritance assigned them without Jordan yea and were already in possession of it why were these tribes with the rest to testifie their thankfulnesse by setting up this memoriall of Gods miraculous dividing of Jordan before them Now for the answer of this it is not enough to say that about fourtie thousand of these tribes went over Jordan at this time with the rest of their brethren to assist them in their warres and that because these stones were set up in the name of the whole tribes and therefore the question still remains why these tribes were to come in for a share in erecting this monument of Gods praise that had for their particular no share in the mercie The truer answer therefore I conceive to be this That these tribes were to joyn with the rest herein first Because the whole people of Israel though consisting of twelve severall tribes were yet all one body and therefore no good could be done to any of the tribes but the whole body must needs have an interest in it and ought to be thankfull for it and secondly Because hereby they might shew that the land which was allotted them without Jordan was a part of that land of promise the possession whereof was thankfully acknowledged in those twelve stones which were now set up in Gilgal Vers 9. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan c. even this also no doubt the Lord had given in charge to Joshua though it be not expressed and that for the same end that the other were set in Gilgal For though they were hid under water yet the report of their being there set might be a memoriall of that great work and besides at a low ebbe they might happely be seen at least the dashing of the waters against them might be perceived And they are there unto this day This clause could not be written by Joshua and yet that proves not that Joshua wrote not this book since many such passages we find here and there even in the books of Moses Vers 10. For the Priests that bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan untill every thing was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak unto the people according to all that Moses commanded Joshua This clause according to all that Moses commanded Joshua cannot be so understood as if Moses had particularly commanded Joshua that which was now done by the Priests and people in their passage over Jordan For Moses had never spoken of any such thing to Joshua but Joshua had received these directions immediately from God But the meaning of these words is onely this that all was done as God commanded Joshua which was according to what Moses had given Joshua in charge Moses had commanded Joshua to see that all things were done according to the word of the Lord and so it was in this particular of their passage over Jordan according to the charge he had received from Moses all things were done as the Lord commanded And the people hasted and passed over This haste which they made in passing over was not so much because a multitude of people were to passe over in a few houres and were afterwards to go as farre as Gilgal that day as from their fear and weaknesse of faith the sight of that mountain of waters which seemed ready to overwhelm them could not but scare them and hence it was that every man made all the speed he could out of that vale of the shadow of death Now this is the rather added in this place the more hereby to extoll the faith of the priests who stood still without moving in the midst of Jordan till the whole camp of Israel were gotten over into the land of Canaan and all other things were done concerning the stones set up in Gilgal and in the midst of Jordan as God had appointed Vers 13. About fourty thousand prepared for warre passed over c. To wit of Ruben Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh the rest being left in garrison for the defence of the land their wives children and cattell for at the last numbring of the people there was of the Reubenites fourty three thousand seven hundred and thirty and of the Gadites fourty thousand five hundred Numb 26.7 18. besides the half of Manassehs tribe who were in all fifty two thousand seven hundred Numb 26.34 Vers 19. And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first moneth Which was the very day whereon by the Law the lambe for the Passeover was to be set apart Exod. 12.3 And hereby it is clear that it was full fourty years within foure or five dayes from the coming of the Israelites out of Egypt to their entrance into the land of promise for they came out of Egypt on the fifteenth day of the first moneth and now on the tenth day of the first moneth they entred the land of Canaan Vers 23. For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you untill ye were passed over c. The Israelites are appointed thus to answer their children for many generations after when they should inquire concerning those stones that were set up in Gilgal even as if that miracle had been wrought for them in their own persons the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you c. and that because in that the Lord did this for their Ancestours he did it for them who were then in the loyns of their Ancestours and that in regard of the profession of the same faith they might look upon that which was done for their Ancestours as a pledge of his fatherly love to them also and his care of their welfare CHAP. V. Vers 2. AT that
for it is not possible that Ephraim should live to see these last here mentioned if they be all taken as severall succeeding generations to wit seven generations However though this which is said concerning the cause why the men of Gath slew them to wit because they came down to take away their cattell may be meant of the Philistines of Gath that coming upon the Israelites dwelling then in Egypt to take away their cattell they slew these sonnes of Ephraim that armed themselves to resist them yet rather I think it is meant of the sonnes of Ephraim to wit that there being usually warre betwixt Egypt and the Philistines their neighbours to which those places may have reference Exod. 1.10 Come on let us deal wisely with them lest they multiply and it come to passe that when there fall out any warre they joyn also unto our enemies and fight against us and so get them up out of the land and 13.17 And it came to passe when Pharaoh had let the people go that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines although that was near for God said Lest peradventure the people repent when they see warre and they returne to Egypt the sonnes of Ephraim at a certain time armed themselves to make an inrode upon the land of the Philistines and were slain by the men of Gath for why is it said the men of Gath that were born in that land but to intimate that they inhabited the land that was invaded by the sonnes of Ephraim and of this slaughter of the Ephraimites some understand that place Psal 78.9 The children of Ephraim being armed and carrying bowes turned back in the day of battel Vers 24. And his daughter was Sherah who built Beth-horon the nether and the upper c. That is Sherah famous in her time for building that is rebuilding beautifying and fortifying these cities for the upper and nether Beth-horon were cities in Canaan before the Israelites possessed them Josh 16.6 she was also of the stock of Beriah for had she been the immediate daughter of Beriah the sonne of Ephraim she could not have lived to enter the land of Canaan Vers 26. Ammihud his sonne Elishama his sonne Who was prince of the children of Ephraim at their going down out of Egypt Numb 7.48 On the seventh day Elishama the sonne of Ammiud prince of the children of Ephraim offered Vers 35. And the sonne of his brother Helem That is Helem was the sonne of Shomers brother called before vers 32. Hotham Vers 38. And the sonnes of Jether c. This Jether is called Ithran in the former verse as most conceive Vers 39. And the sonnes of Ulla c. Who was happely another sonne of Jether or else his grandchild the sonne of Ara before mentioned Vers 40. And the number throughout the genealogie of them that were apt to the warre and to battel was twenty and six thousand men To wit happely when they were numbred in the dayes of David as above vers 2. CHAP. VIII Vers 1. NOw Benjamin begat Bela his first-born c. Some thing was before said concerning three of Benjamins sonnes chap. 7.6 but here the genealogie of Benjamin is more fully expressed 1. Because the tribe of Benjamin did alwayes most constantly adhere to the house and kingdome of David And secondly to discover the stock of Saul the first king of Israel Indeed Gen. 46.21 there are ten sonnes of Benjamin named but the genealogie of five of them onely is here recorded because happely of the others there were no men of any great renown or perhaps because their genealogies were lest Ashbel the second is called also Jediael chap. 7.6 and Aharah Ahiram Numb 26.38 and Ehi Gen. 46.21 and Nohah Naaman Gen. 46.21 and Rapha Rosh Gen. 46.21 Vers 3. And the sonnes of Bela were Addar and Gera c. Five other sonnes of Bela are mentioned chap. 7.7 to which here are added nine more neither is it necessary that we should think that all these were the immediate sonnes of Bela for here we see are two Geraes mentioned and men do not use to call two sonnes by one name but onely that they were men of renown of his posterity Vers 6. And these are the sonnes of Ehud c. The meaning of this place I conceive is that some of these before mentioned that were of the posterity of Bela were more immediately the sonnes of Ehud chief of the fathers of the inhabitants of Geba who finding that place too strait for them removed themselves to Manahath together with Naaman and Ahiah called Ahoah vers 4. and Gera and dwelt there Vers 7. He removed them and begat Vzza and Ahihud That is Ehud or Gera removed them and being seated in Manahath he begat Uzza and Ahihud Vers 8. And Shaharaim begat children in the countrey of Moab after he had sent them away That is after Ehud or Gera had sent away this colony from Geba to Manahath Shaharaim who was it seems one of them begat children in the land of Moab whither it seems upon some occasion he was removed Hushim and Baara were his wives Hushim called also Hodesh vers 9. Vers 12. The sonnes of Elpaal Eber c. To wit besides those that dwelt in Jerusalem mentioned vers 17 18 28. Vers 13. Beriah also and Shema who were heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Aijalon who drove away the inhabitants of Gath. To wit that they might dwell in their room yet some understand it that they came upon the men of Gath when they had slain the sonnes of Ephraim and put them to flight so revenging the death of their brethren Vers 14. And Ahio Shashak and Jerimoth c. Here begins the catalogue of the heads of the severall families of Benjamin that inhabited Jerusalem First the sonnes of Beriah the sonne of Elpaal vers 14 15 16. Secondly the sonnes of Elpaal vers 17 and 18. Thirdly the sonnes of Shimhi or vers 13. Shema the sonne of Elpaal vers 19 20 21. Fourthly the sonnes of Shashak vers 22 23 24 25. who was a sonne of Beriah vers 14. And fifthly the sonnes of Jeroham who is no where else mentioned vers 26 and 27. Vers 33. And Ner begat Kish c. This Ner the grandfather of Saul was also called Abiel 1. Sam. 9.1 Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the sonne of Abiel the sonne of Zeror c. and he had besides Kish a sonne also called Ner the father of Abner 1. Sam. 14.50.51 Vers 36. And Ahaz begat Jehoadah Called also Jarah chap. 9.42 Vers 37. Rapha was his sonne Called also Rephaiah chap. 9.43 CHAP. IX Vers 2. NOw the first inhabitants c. In the former chapters we had the genealogies of those that were before the Babylonian captivity but here now we are told who they were that returned out of Babylon Now the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions in their cities were