they have imagined to do 7. Go to let us m i. e. The blessed Trinity See Gen. 1. 26. go down and there confound their Language n By making them forget their former Language and by putting into their minds several Languages not a distinct Language into each person but into each Family or rather into each Nation that they may not †Heb. hear understand one anothers speech o And thereby be disenabled from that mutual commerce which was altogether necessary for the carrying on of that work 8. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the Earth p Thus they brought upon themselves the very thing they seared and that more speedily and more mischievously to themselves For now they were not only divided in place but in Language too and so were unfitted for those Consederacies and Correspondencies which they mainly designed and for the mutual Comfort and Help of one another which otherwise they might in good measure have enjoyed And they left off to build the City 9. Therefore is the Name of it called ‖ That is confusion Babel because the LORD did there confound the Language of all the Earth and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the Earth 10. * Chap. 10. 32. 1 Chron. 1. 17. These are the Generations of Shem q Not all of them as appears both from the next verse and from the former Chapter but of those who were the seminary of the Church and the Progenitors of Christ. Shem was an hundred years old and begat Arphaxad two years after the Flood 11. And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years r So that he lived almost all the time of Abraham which was a singular blessing both to himself who hereby saw his Children of the tenth Generation and to the Church of God which by this means enjoyed the Counsel and Conduct of so great a Patriarch and begat Sons and Daughters 12. And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years and begat Salah 13. And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years and begat Sons and Daughters 14. And Salah lived thirty years and begat Eber. 15. And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years and begat Sons and Daughters 16. * 1 Chro. 1. 19. And Eber lived four and thirty years and begat * called Luk. 3. 35. Phalec Peleg 17. And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years s So that he was the longest liv'd of all the Patriarchs which were born after the Flood and begat Sons and Daughters 18. And Peleg lived thirty years and begat Reu. 19. And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years and begat Sons and Daughters 20. And Reu lived two and thirty years and begat * Luk 3. 35. Saruch Serug 21. And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years and begat Sons and Daughters 22. And Serug lived thirty years and begat Nahor 23. And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years and begat Sons and Daughters 24. And Nahor t The first Patriarch who fell to Idolatry lived nine and twenty years and begat * Luk. 3. 34. Thara Terah 25. And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years and begat Sons and Daughters 26. And Terah lived seventy years and * Josh. 24. 2. 1 Chro. 1. 26. begat u i. e. Began to beget as Gen. 5. 32 Abram x Who is first named in order of Dignity for which cause Shem is put before Ham and Iapheth and Moses before Aaron not in order of time which seems to be this Haran probably was the eldest because Nahor married his Daughters Nahor the second and Abram certainly was the youngest because Terah Abrams Father lived two hundred and five years ver 32. and Abram after his Fathers Death Acts 7. 4. went out of Haran when he was seventy five years old Gen. 12. 4 5. therefore he was not begotten in Terahs seventieth year when Terah began to beget his Sons as here is said but in his one hundred and thirtieth year and so there remains seventy five years precisely to Abrams departure And Sarai Harans Daughter was but ten years younger than Abram Gen. 17. 17. and therefore Haran was Abrams Elder Brother Nahor and Haran 27. Now these are the Generations of Terah Terah begat Abram Nahor and Haran And Haran begat Lot 28. And Haran died before his Father Terah y i. e. In the presence and during the Life of his Father in the Land of his Nativity in Ur of the Caldees 29. And Abram and Nahor took them Wives The Name of Abrams Wife was Sarai and the Name of Nahors Wife Milcah the Daughter of Haran z Such Marriages of Uncles and Nieces being permitted then Exod. 6. 20. as in the beginning of the World the Marriages of Brethren and Sisters were though afterwards the Church being very much enlarged they were severely forbidden Levit 18. 12 14. the Father of Milcah and the Father of Iscah a Who is either Sarai as the Jews and many others think or rather another person For 1. Why should Moses express Sarai thus darkly and doubtfully Had he meant her he would have added after Iscah this is Sarai according to his manner in like cases Gen. 14. 2 7. and 35. 6. He elsewhere calleth her the Daughter not of his Brother as he should have done had she been Iscah but of his Father by another Mother 30. But Sarai was barren she had no child b See Gen. 16. 1 2. and 18. 11 12. 31. And Terah took Abram his Son c See Ios. 24. 2. Nehem. 9. 7. 1 Chron. 1. 26. Being informed by his Son of the command of God he did not despise it because it came to him by the hands of his inferiour but chearfully obeyeth it and therefore he is so honourably mentioned as the Head and Governour of the Action and Lot the Son of Haran his sons son and Sarai his daughter in law his Son Abrams wife and they went forth with them †i. e. Terab and Abram went with Lot and Sarâ—…i as their Heads and Guides from * Neh. 9. 7. Act. 7. 4. Ur of the Caldees to go into the Land of Canaan and they came unto Haran d Called Charran Act. 7. 4. and by the Romans Carrae a place in Mesopotamia strictly so called in the way to Canaan and near to it well known by Crassus his defeat there See Gen. 24. 10. and 28. 10. and 29. 4. and dwelt e Or rested or abode being detained there for a season peradventure by Terab's disease which begun there for the next verse tells us of his death there 32. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years and Terah died in Haran CHAP. XII 1.
devoted which shall be devoted of men y Not by men as some would elude it but of men for it iâ—… manifest both from this and the foregoing verses that men here are not the persons devoting but devoted Quest. Was it then lawful for any man or men thus to devote another person to the Lord and in pursuance of such vow to put him to death Ans. This was unquestionably lawful and a duty in some cases when persons have been devoted to destruction either by Gods sentence as Idolaters Exod. 22. 20. Deut. 23. 15. the Canaanites Deut. 20. 1â—… the Amalekites Deut. 25. 19. 1 Sam. 15. 3 26. Benhadad 1 King 20. 42. or by men in pursuance of such a sentence of God as Numb 21. 2 3. and 31. 17. or for any crime of an high nature as Iudg. 21. 5. Ios. 7. 15. But this is not to be generally understood as some have taken it as if a Iew might by vertue of this Text devote his child or his servant to the Lord and thereby oblige himself to put them to death which peradventure was Iepthe's errour For this is expresly limited to all that a man hath or which is his i. e. which he hath a power over But the Iews had no power over the lives of their children or servants but were directly forbidden to take them away by that great command thou shalt do no murder And seeing he that killed his servant casually by a blow with a rod was surely to be punished as is said Exod. 21. 20. it could not be lawful wilfully and intentionally to take away his life upon pretence of any such vow as this But for the Canaanites Amalekites c. God the undoubted Lord of all mens lives gave to the Israelites a power over their persons and lives and a command to put them to death And this verse may have a special respect to them or such as them And although the general subject of this and the former verse be one and the same yet there are two remarkable differences to this purpose The verb is active ver 28. and the agent there expressed that a man shall devote but it is passive ver 29 and the agent undetermined which shall be devoted to wit by God or men in conformity to Gods revealed will 2. The devored person or thing is onely to be sold or redeemed and said to be most holy ver 28. but here it is to be put to death and this belongs onely to men and those such as either were or should be devoted in manner now expressed shall be redeemed but shall surely be put to death 30 And * Gen. 28. 22. Num. 18. 21 24. Mal. 3. 8. 10. all the tithe of the land z There are divers sorts of Tithes but this seems to be understood onely of the ordinary and yearly tithes belonging to the Levites c. as the very expression intimates and the addition of the fifth part in case of redemption thereof implies whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree is the LORDS it is holy unto the LORD 31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd or of the flock even of whatsoever passeth under the rod ‖ Either 1. the tithers rod it being the manner of the Iews in tithing to cause all their cattel to pass through some gate or narrow passage where the tenth was marked by a person appointed for that purpose and reserved for the Priest Or 2. the shepherds rod under which the herds and flocks passed and by which they were governed and numbred See Ier. 33. 13. Ezek. 20. 37. the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD 33 He shall not search whether it be good or bad neither shall he change it and if he change it at all then both it and the change thereof shall be holy it shall not be redeemed 34 These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai ANNOTATIONS ON NUMBERS The ARGUMENT THis Book giveth us an History of almost forty years travel of the children of Israel through the Wilderness where we have an account of their journeys and what happened to them therein with their Government and how they were managed thereby Called Numbers by reason of the several Numbrings of the people as at the offerings of the Princes and at their several journeys c. But especially two One Chap. 1. Out of which the Priests and Levites were excepted but numbred by themselves viz. in the second year after they were come out of Egypt in the first month whereof the Passeover was instituted with the order about the Tabernacle both of the Levites and People and their several marches encampings and manner of pitching their Tents the Priest's maintenance and establishment by the miraculous budding of Aarons rod with the several impediments in their marches both among themselves by several murmurings seditions and conspiracies and from their enemies viz. the Edomites Canaanites over whom having obtained a victory and afterwards murmuring they were stung with fiery Serpents and cured by the brazen one Amorites whose Kings Sihon and Og they overcame and slew and Moabites where by the allurements of Balaam who was hired by Balak to curse Israel they joyned themselves to Baal-peor and are plagued for it that openly opposed them The other chief numbring is in Chap. 26. where they are found almost as many as the first though among them were none of the first numbring according to what God had threatned Chap. 14. save Moses Joshua and Caleb by reason of their desire to return back into Egypt upon the discouraging report of ten of those twelve that Moses sent to spy out the Land whereupon they were forced to wander above 38 years in the wilderness where he gave them several Laws Civil Ecclesiastical and Military as also particular directions about women's inheriting occasioned by the case of Zelophehad's daughters and concerning vows And then brings them back to the borders of Canaan where after divers victories obtained against their enemies they were directed how the Land of Canaan was to be divided among the Tribes and what portion the Levites were to have among them together with six cities of Refuge set apart for the Man-slayer At length Aaron being dead and Eleazar placed in his stead and Moses also having received the sentence of Death doth by God's appointment deliver up the people unto the charge and conduct of Joshua CHAP. I. 1 AND the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai a Where now they had been a full year or near it as may be gathered by comparing this place with Exod. 19. 1. and 40. 17. and other places in the tabernacle b From the mercy-seat of the congregation on the first day of the second month in the second year after they
the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai and they had no children and Eleazar and Ithamar ministred in the priests office in the sight of Aaron d In the time of Aarons life as this phrase is taken Nâ—…ab â—… 4. See also Psal. 72. 5 17. and under their fathers inspection and direction and as their fathers servants or ministers in the Priests-office for servants are oft described by this phrase of being or standing or 〈◊〉 in the sight or 〈◊〉 of their master their father 5 And the LORD spake unto Moses saying 6 Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them e Offer them to the Lord for his special service This was promised to them before and now actually conferred upon them before Aaron the priest that they may minister unto him 7 And they shall keep his charge f i. e. Aarons charge or those things which are committed principally to Aarons care and oversight and under him and his direction to the Levites and the charge of the whole congregation g i. e. Of all the sacrifices and services which were due to the Lord from all the people and because all the people could not and might not perform them or at least diverse of them in their own persons therefore they were to be performed by some particular persons in their name and stead formerly by the first-born Numb 8. 16. and now by the Levites See Numb 1. 53. and 16. 9. before the tabernacle h Emphatically not within the Tabernacle for the care of these things within the holy place was appropriated to the Priests as the care of the most holy place was peculiar to the High-priest of the congregation to do the service of the tabernacle 8 And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation and the charge of the children of Israel i Those things which all the children of Israel are in their several places and stations obliged to take care of though not in their persons yet by others in their stead to do the service of the tabernacle 9 And * chap. 8. 19. thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons they are †Heb. 〈◊〉 giveâ—… wholly given unto him k To attend upon him and observe his orders and case him of part of his burden in things hereafter mentioned out of the children of Israel 10 And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons and they shall wait on their priests office l In their own persons not by the Levites and the stranger m i. e. Every one who is of another family than Aarons yea though he be a Levite See Numb 1. 53. and 16. 40. that cometh nigh n To wit to execute any part of the Priest office shall be put to death 11 And the LORD spake unto Moses saying 12 And I behold * chap. 8. 16 and 18. 6. I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the first-born n Who were Gods propriety by right of Redemption Exod. 13. 12. and to whom the administration of holy things was formerly committed which now was taken away from them either because they had forfeited this priviledge by joyning with the rest of their brethren in the idolatrous worship of the calf or because they were to be mainly concerned in the distribution and management of the inheritances which now they were going to possess and therefore could not be at leisure to attend upon the service of the Sanctuaâ—…y Which made it fit that this work should be committed to other hands And God would not commit it to some other persons in each Tribe which might be an occasion of Idolatry confusion division and contempt of sacred things but to one distinct Tribe which might be intirely devoted to that service and particularly to the Tribe of Levi partly out of his respect to Moses and Aaron branches of this Tribe partly as a recompence of their zeal for God and against Idolaters See Exod. 32. 25 29. Deut. 33. 9. and partly because it was the smallest of the Tribes and therefore most likely to find both employment in and maintenance for the work that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel therefore the Levites shall be mine 13 Because * Exod. 13. 2. Lev. 27. 26. chap. 8. 16. Luk. 2. 23. all the first-born are mine * Exod. 13. 12 15. for on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the first-born in Israel both man and beast mine they shall be I am the LORD o Who may appoint whom I please for my service 14 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai saying 15 Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers by their families every male from a month old p Because at that time the first-born in whose stead the Levites came Numb 8. 16. were offered to God Luk. 2. 22. and to be redeemed Numb 18. 16. And from that time the Levites were consecrated to God and were as soon as they were capable to be instructed in their work Elsewhere they are numbred from twenty five years old when they were entred as novices to part of their work Numb 8. 24. and from thirty years old when they were compleatly admitted to their whole office and upward shalt thou number them 16 And Moses numbred them according to the †Heb. mouth word of the LORD as he was commanded 17 * Gen. 46. 11. Exod. 6. 16. chap. 26. 57. 1 Chron. 6. 1 2. and 23. 6. And these were the sons of Levi by their names Gershon and Kohath and Merari 18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families Libni and Shimei 19 And the sons of Kohath by their families Amram and Izhar Hebron and Uzziel 20 And the sons of Merari by their families Mahli and Mushi these are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers 21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnite and the family of the Shimite these are the families of the Gershonite 22 Those that were numbred of them according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward even those that were numbred of them were seven thousand and five hundred 23 The families of the Gershonite shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward 24 And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonite shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael 25 And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the * Exod. 25. 9. tabernacle q Not the boards which belonged to Merari ver 36. but the ten curtains mentioned Exod. 26. 1. and the * Exod. 26. 1. tent r To wit the curtains of goats hair * Exod. 26. 7. 14. the covering thereof s i. e. The coverings of
the day that the LORD commanded Moses and henceforward among your generations 24 Then it shall be if ought be committed by ignorance †Heb from the without the knowledge of the congregation that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt-offering r In Lev. 4. the bullock is for a sin-offering here it is for a burnt-offering either because they are different laws as hath been said or because here is added a new penalty to breed the greater caution and diligence in the Israelites who had given many instances and now a fresh and eminent instance of their heedlesness in observing the commands of God and so besides that bullock for a sin-offering which he leaves to be gathered out of Levit. 4. 14. he now requires another bullock for a burnt-offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD with his meat-offering and his drink-offering according to the ‖ Or Ordiâ—… manner and one kid of the goats for a sin offering 25 And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel and it shall be forgiven them for it is ignorance and they shall bring their offering a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD and their sin offering before the LORD for their ignorance 26 And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel and the stranger that sojourneth among them seeing all the people were in ignorance 27 * Lev. 4. 〈◊〉 And if any soul sin through ignorance then he shall bring a she-goat of the first year for a sin offering 28 And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD to make an atonement for him and it shall be forgiven him 29 Ye shall have one law for him that †Heb. dâ—… sinneth through ignorance both for him that is born amongst the children of Israel and for the stranger that sojourneth among them 30 But the soul that doth ought s Understand such things as ought not to be done and things relating to the worship of God †Heb. 〈◊〉 high hand presumptuously t Heb. with an high or lifted up hand i. e. knowingly wilfully boldly resolvedly deliberately designedly So this phrase is elsewhere used See Exod. 14. 8. Lev. 26. 21. Numb 33. 3. Iob 15. 26. Psal. 19. 13. whether he be born in the land or a stranger the same reproacheth the LORD u i. e. He sets God at defiance and exposeth him to contempt as if he were unworthy of any regard and unable to punish transgressors and that soul shall be cut off from among his people 31 Because he hath despised the word of the LORD and hath broken his commandment that soul shall utterly be cut off his iniquity shall be upon him x i. e. The punishment shall be confined to himself and not fall upon the congregation as it will do if they neglect to cut him off 32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness they found a man that gathered sticks on the sabbath day y This seems to be added as an example of a presumptuous sin for as the law of the sabbath was plain and positive so this transgression of it must needs be a known and wilful sin 33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron and unto all the congregation z i. e. To the Rulers of the congregation who as they represented and governed the congregation are called by the name of the congregation 34 And they a i. e. Moses and Aaron and the 70 Rulers last mentioned put him * Lev. 24. 〈◊〉 in ward because it was not declared what should be done unto him b i. e. In what manner he was to be cut off or by what kind of death he was to die which therefore God here particularly determines otherwise it was known in general that sabbath-breakers were to be put to death from Exod. 31. 14. and 35. 2. 35 And the LORD said unto Moses * Exod. 31 〈◊〉 The man shall be surely put to death all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp 36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp and stoned him with stones as the LORD commanded Moses 37 And the LORD spake unto Moses saying 38 Speak unto the children of Israel and bid * Deut. 22. 12. Mat. 23. 5. them that they make them fringes b These were certain threds or ends of their garments standing out a little further than the rest of their garments left there for this use in the †Heb. wings borders c i. e. in the four borders or quarters as it is Deut. 22. 12. Heb. wings which is oft used for borders or ends as Ruth 3. 9. 1 Sam. 15. 27. and 24. 5 c. of their garments d i. e. Of their upper garment or that wherewith they covered themselves as is expressed Deut. 22. 12. This was practised by the Pharisees in Christs time who are noted for making their borders larger than ordinary Mat. 23. 5. and by Christ himself as may be gathered from Luk. 8. 44. throughout their generations and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband e To make it more obvious to the sight and consequently more serviceable to the use here mentioned Or of a purple colour as the Iewish writers agree whose opinion is the more considerable because it was matter of constant practise among them of blue f. 39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe g It i. e. the ribband shall be unto you i. e. shall serve you for the fringe to wit to render it more visible and notorious by its certain and remarkable and distinct colour whereas the fringe without this was of the same piece and colour with the garment and therefore less observable Or it i. e. the ribband shall be in your fringes or put to your fringes fastened to them that ye may look upon it and remember h That by looking upon it you may remember that your eye may affect your mind and heart all the commandments of the LORD and do them and that ye seek not i Or inquire not for other rules or ways of serving me than I have prescribed you after your own heart and your own eyes k i. e. Neither after the devices and inventions of your own minds or hearts as Nadab and Abihu did when they offered strange fire and as you now did when you pretended to serve and please me by going up the hill and towards Canaan without and against my command nor after the examples or inventions of others which your eyes see as you did when you were set upon worshipping a calf after the manner of Egypt after which ye use to go a whoring l i. e. To depart from me and to prefer your
the congregation to minister unto them a i. e. In their stead and for their good So they were the servants both of God and of the Church which was an high dignity though not sufficient for their ambitious minds 10 And he hath brought thee near to him and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee and seek ye the priesthood also b There being at this time but very few Priests and the profits and priviledges belonging to them being many and great they thought it but fit and reasonable that they or some of the chief of them should be admitted to a share in their work and advantages 11 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD c Whose minister and chosen servant Aaron is You strike at God through Aarons sides Compare 1 Sam. 8. 7. Luk. 10. 16. Ioh. 13. 20. and what is Aaron that ye murmure against him 12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram d To treat with them and give them as he had done Korah and his company a timely admonition the sons of Eliab which said e Unto the messengers sent to them by Moses We will not come up f To Moses his Tabernacle whither the people used to go up for judgment Men are said in Scripture phrase to go up to places of judgment See Deut. 25. 7. Ruth 4. 1. Ezra 10. 7 8. But because they would not now go up therefore they went down quick into the pit ver 33. 13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey g i. e. Out of Egypt a place indeed of great plenty bâ—… to them a place of torment and intolerable slavery They invidiously and scoffingly use the same words wherewith God by Moses commended the land of Canaan to kill us in the wilderness 〈◊〉 make thy self altogether a prince over us 14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards wilt thou †Heb. â—…re out put out the eyes of these men h i. e. Of those who are confederate with us and of all the people who are of our mind Whilst thou make them blind or perswade them that they are blind and that they do not see what is visible to all that have eyes to wit that thou hast deceived them and broken thy faith and promise given to them or wilst thou lead them about like blind men whither thou pleasest one time towards Canaan another time toward Egypt again we will not come up i We will not obey thy summons nor own thy authority 15 And Moses was very wroth k Not so much for his own sake for he had learnt to bear indignities Numb 12. as for Gods sake who was highly dishonoured blasphemed and provoked by these speeches and carriages in which case he ought to be angry as Christ was Mark 3. 5. and said unto the LORD * Gen. 4. 4 5. Respect not thou their offering l i. e. Accept not their incense which they are now going to offer but shew some eminent dislike of it He calls it their offering though it was offered by Korah and his companions because it was offered in the name and by the consent of all the conspiratours for the decision of the present controversie between them and Moses I * Acts 20. 33. have not taken one ass m i. e. Not any thing of the smallest value as an ass was See 1 Sam. 12. 3. from them neither have I hurt one of them n I have never injured them nor used my power to defraud or oppress them as I might have done but which is here implied I have done them many good offices but no hurt therefore their crime is inexcusable because without any cause or provocation on my part 16 And Moses said unto Korah Be thou and all thy company before the LORD o Not in the Tabernacle which was not capable of so many person severally offering incense but at the door of the Tabernacle ver 18. which place is oft said to be before the Lord as Exod. 29. 42. Levit. 1. 11. c. where they might now lawfully offer it by Moses his direction upon this extraordinary occasion and necessity because this work could not be done in that place which alone was allowed for the offering up of incense not onely for its smallness but also because none but Priests might enter to do this work Here also the people who were to be instructed by this experiment might see the proof and success of it thou and they and Aaron to morrow 17 And take every man his censer and put incense in them and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer two hundred and fifty censers thou also and Aaron each of you his censer 18 And they took every man his censer p Which they could easily make in a sleight manner which would suffice for the present purpose and put fire in them q Taken from the Altar which stood in that place Levit. 1. 3 5. for Aaron might not use other fire Levit. 10. 1. And it is likely the remembrance of the death of Nadab and Abihu deterred them from offering any strange fire and laid incense thereon and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron 19 And Korah gathered all the congregation r That they might be witnesses of the event and upon their success which they doubted not of might fall upon Moses and Aaron with popular rage and destroy them And it seems by this that the people were generally incensed against Moses and inclined to Korahs side against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation and the glory of the LORD appeared s In the cloud which then shone with greater brightness and Majesty as a token of Gods approach and presence See Exod. 16. 7 10. Levit. 9. 6 23. Numb 20. 6. unto all the congregation 20 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron saying 21 * Gen. 19. 1â—… 22. Jer. â—… â—… Rev. 18. â—… Separate your selves from among this congregation ‖ To wit Korah and his 250 men and the people whom he â—…athered against Moses and Aaron ver 19. that I may consume them in a moment 22 And they fell upon their faces and said O God * chap. 2â—… â—… Job 12. 2â—… Eccl. 12. â—… Isa. 57. 1â—… Zach. 12. â—… Heb. 12. â—… the God of the spirits t i. e. Of souls as the word spirit in Scripture is oft used as Psal. 31. 5. and 77. 3. Prov. 17. 22. Eccl. 12. 7. Luk. 23. 46. Act. 7. 59. And this is no empty title here but very emphatical and argumentative thus Thou art the maker of spirits Zach. 12. 1. destroy not thy own workmanship
with a variety of senses we have onely hinted the senses which in our judgment have seemed fairest and least constrained and shortly shewed the consonancy of them to other Scriptures We have avoided all Polemical discourses as no way proper to our design and very rarely hinted those practical conclusions which have arose from the Text when opened the most we have done of that nature is in our discourses upon the Parables Our Reverend Brother designing but two Volumes and the first to end with the Song of Solomon tho since it hath been determined to conclude it with the Prophet Isaiah that all which he lived to finish might be comprehended in one Volume had an hard task to contract his discourses so as to bring them within that compass and thereby was necessitated not to give the entire sense of each verse in his notes but onely of those words or Terms in the verse which he conceived to stand in need of explication referring by letters in the Text to the parts of the Commentary This was not necessary in such parts of the Scripture where the entire sense of the whole Text is given Nor indeed as to some parts is it possible such we mean as are opened harmonically Of which nature are the three first Evangelists It is confessed by all that the Evangelists make up but one entire History tho some of them have some things which the others have not and they seldom agree in the phrases and circumstances of any one piece of History This made it reasonable that with the Interpretation of one Evangelist should be joyned what the others had with reference to the same piece of History Which method hath been accordingly pursued being the same in which the most Iudicious Mr. Calvin and others have gone before us nor indeed could any other course have been taken without a needless writing the same things over again so as that in our Notes upon Mark we have only enlarged in the explication of what he hath which we did not meet with before in Matthew and in the explication of Luke we have onely opened what he hath which was not in Matthew or Mark where they all three concurred or but two of them concurr'd in any story we have opened what they all or both say in our Notes upon the first of them and when we have come to it again in one or both the other we have onely referred to our former Notes John having little which the other Evangelists have we have considered by himself mostly yet sometimes taking in something from him where we found it completory of any thing related by the other Evangelists In magnis voluisse sat est We cannot say that we have left no room for others to come after us and add to or correct what we have said But this we can say in truth that we have not willingly baulked any obvious difficulty and have designed a just satisfaction to all our Readers and if any knot yet remain untied we have told our Readers what hath been most probably said for their satisfaction in the untying of it If it had pleased God to have lent a little longer life to our Reverend Brother the work had very probably been done to greater advantage and more general satisfaction We are but entred upon his Harvest and have wanted his sickle we cannot pretend to any double portion of his Spirit His mantle dropt from him before he was Translated we mean his Synopsis we have taken that up out of that great work of his we have taken so much as we judged proper for his design in this work and made use of a great number of other Authors some of which he left out or very little considered in his Synopsis upon design to make a further use of them in this English work as thinking their labours more proper for this then his other work Our design good Reader was not to tell thee how the Fathers interpreted Texts Aquinas Justinianus and others have done that work nor yet to tell thee any Grammatical niceties or what learned men have critically noted upon Terms or Phrases that is done in the Synopsis Criticorum Nor yet to tell thee what conclusions of Truth may be raised from the verses that hath been done profitably upon many books of Scripture by Mr. Dickson Hutchinson Fergusson Guild Durham and some others much less to handle the controversies that have risen from any portion of Scripture Our work hath been onely to give thee the plain sense of the Scripture and to reconcile seeming contradictions where they occurred and as far as we were able to open Scripture by Scripture which is its own best Interpreter comparing things Spiritual with Spiritual That thy Faith might not stand in the wisdom of men but in the wisdom and power of God If we have reached this end it is all we aimed at if thou gettest any good by what we have done Remember thy Sacrifice is due at another Altar even his who ministreth seed to the sower who both watereth the furrows of the field and blesseth the springing of the Corn let him have the Praise and we onely thy Prayers that we may live an useful Life and dye an happy Death and attain to the Resurrection of the Dead in which we shall all see and understand more perfectly then we yet do Mr. POOL'S English Synopsis OF ANNOTATIONS UPON THE HOLY BIBLE Collected out of the Latin Synopsis Criticorum and divers other Learned Interpreters and Accommodated to the use of Vulgar Capacities GENESIS The ARGUMENT THis Book is called Genesis i. e. Generation or Birth giving an accompt of passages during 2300 years and upwards viz. From the Creation of all things to the death of Joseph In which History Moses by Divine inspiration treats of the Creation of the World with all the parts and uses in it and of it but chiefly of Man who alone was made after God's Image where he lays down God's concessions and prohibitions to him and Man's Transgressioâ—… together with the woful effects and the remedy of them in the promise of a Saviour The Original Progress and Preserâ—…ion of the true Church springing from Abel and carried on by Seth Enoch c. And the ground and rise of Apostasiâ—… begun in Cain and carried on by his posterity separating themselves from the Holy Seed till by their monstrous provocations they had brought an universal Deluge to destroy all mankind from off the Earth excepting only Noah and his Family out of which as the Church did again spring forth so another cursed race carrying on the former enmity to a greater height not only fell into Idolatry after it had continued a considerable time in Sem's race but breaking out into all Outrages and Tyrannical oppressions it was almost extinct among those numerous Nations that Noah's Posterity sprang out into But God calling Abraham into the Land of Promise who was an Idolater in Chaldea and giving him Temporal and
†That is the son of my right hand Benjamin z Either as near and dear and precious to him as his right hand which is both more useful and more honourable than the left See Psal. 80. 17. or in stead of his right hand the staff stay and comfort of his old age 19 And * chap. 48. 7. Rachel died and was buried in the way to Ephrath a Not in the city though that was near for in ancient times their Sepulchres were not in the places of resort but in separated places and out of Cities See Mat. 27. 60. Luk. 7. 12. which is Bethlehem 20 And Jacob set a pillar b As a monument or memorial of her life and death and as a testimony of her future resurrection upon her grave that is the pillar of Rachels grave unto this day c i. e. Unto the time wherein Moses writ this book and long after See 1 Sam. 10. 2. Ieâ—… 31. 15. 21 And Israel journeyed and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar d Or the tower of the flock a place where were excellent pastures See Mich. 4. 8. 22 And it came to pass when Israel dwelt in that land that Reuben went and * chap. 49. 4. 1 Cor. 5. 1. lay with Bilhah his fathers concubine e An horrid incest for Concubines were a sort of Wives See Gen. 22. 24. and 25. 1. and Israel heard it f And doubtless sadly resented it both in Reuben as appears from Gen. 49. 4. 1 Chron. 5. 1 2. and in Bilhah whose Bed without question he forsook upon it as afterwards David did in the like case See 2 Sam. 16. 22. and 20. 3. Yet here is no mention of Iacobs reproof of it nor any censure of Moses added to it Possibly to teach us that we are not to approve of every fact which is mentioned in Scripture without censure and that the miscarriages of Professors of Religion are rather to be silently bewailed then publickly reproached left Religion should suffer by it Now the sons of Jacob were twelve g Which were heads of the twelve Tribes Therefore his daughter Dinah is not here mentioned because she was not the head of a Tribe 23 The sons of Leah * chap. 46. 8. Exod. 1. 2. Reuben Jacobs first-born and Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Zebulun 24 The sons of Rachel Joseph and Benjamin 25 And the sons of Bilhah Rachels handmaid Dan and Naphtali 26 And the sons of Zilpah Leahs handmaid Gad and Asher These are the sons of Jacob which were born to him in Padan-Aram h All but Benjamin who must in all reason be supposed to be excepted here because he is said to be born elsewhere above ver 16. But it is an usual Synecdoche whereby that is ascribed to all in gross which belongs to the greatest part See Gen. 15. 13. and 46. 15. Exod. 12. 40. Iudg. 20. 46. Iohn 20. 24. 1 Cor. 15. 5. 27 And Jacob came unto Isaac i Either with his Wives and Children and Estate to dwell with him or rather in person to visit his sick and dying father For otherwise Iacob having been ten years near his Father no doubt he had oft visited him and carried his Wives and Children thither though Scripture be silent in this particular But they could not live together because of the greatness of their Estates as it happened with others See Gen. 13. 6. and 36. 7. his father unto * chap. 13. 18. and 23. 2. Mamre unto the City of Arbah which is Hebron where Abraham and Isaac sojourned 28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years 29 And Isaac gave up the ghost and died and was * chap. 15. 15. and 25. 8. gathered unto his people k Either to the society of the dead Or to the Congregation of the just See Gen. 15. 15. and 25. 8. being old and full of dayes and his sons Esau and Jacob buryed him CHAP. XXXVI 1 NOW these are the generations of Esau a They are here mentioned partly to shew the effect of his fathers blessing chap. 27. 39. partly that the Israelites might be admonished to treat the Edomites like Brethren and not to invade their Land See Deut. 23. 7. who is Edom. 2 Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite and * ver 25. Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite b If this account be compared with that Gen. 26. 34. We shall find some difficulties which yet admit of an easie reconciliation if these things be considered 1. That it is very usual and confessed by all that the same persons are oft called by several names 2. That the names of some persons are in Scripture given to others because of a great resemblance between them Upon which account the Parents of the Israelites are called Amorites and Hittites Ezek. 16. 3. and the Governours of Ierusalem are called the Rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah Isa. 1. 10. and Iohn the Baptist is called Elias Matth. 17. 12. 3. That the same men are oft-times denominated from several Countries as Christ is noted to have a threefold Country in Scripture Bethlehem by his Birth Nazareth by his Education and Capernaum by his much Residence and Preaching there 4. That the same names are sometimes common to Men and Women That persons are called the Children not onely of their immediate Parents but of their Grand-parents and of those who adopted them These things premised the seeming contradictions objected by Infidels do vanish She who was properly called Iudith chap. 26. is here called Aholibamah a name which seems to be given her either by Isaac or by Moses from her settledness in her idolatrâ—… câ—…urses And Adah was also called Bashemath and Mahâ—…â—…aels daughter was called Bashemath chap. 26. either becaâ—… 〈◊〉 her principles and manners she resembled Esaus other Wife so called or to shew that Ishmaels Marriage to a third Wife was no less opprobrious to him and displeasing to his Parents then the former 〈◊〉 a man and the Son of Zibeon as appears from ver 24. called here an Hivite is called Beeri the Hittite chap. 26. either because those two people were mixed together in habitation and by Marriage or because the one people were larger then the other and comprehended under their name or because he was an Hivite by birth an Hittite by habitation or incorporation with them Hence also we may learn how Aholibamah here comes to be the Daughter both of 〈◊〉 and of Zibeon the one being either the natural or proper Father and the other either the Grandfather or Father by Adoption 3 And * chap. 26. 24. Bashemath Ishmaels daughter sister of Nebajoth 4 And * 1 Chro. 1. 35. Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz c The progenitor of that Eliphaz Ioh 2. 11. and Bashemath bare Reuel d The Father
them to live in the neglect of my service 23 And I say unto thee c I command thee For saying is put for commanding Luâ—… 4. 3. and 9. 54. and in 1 Chron. 21. 19. compared with 2 Sam. 24. 19. Let my son go that he may serve me and if thou refuse to let him go behold * chap. 11. 5. and 12. 29. I will slay thy son even thy first-born d By which Plague coming after the rest thou wilt be enforced to do what I advise thee now to do upon cheaper terms 24 And it came to pass by the way in the Inn that the LORD * Num. 22. 22. met him e i. e. Appeared to him in some visible shape and sought to kill him f Whom Moses spoken of and to before He offered and endeavoured to kill him either by inflicting some sudden and dangerous disease or stroke upon him or by shewing himself in some threatning posture possibly as the Angel did to Balaam and afterwards to David with a drawn Sword in his hand ready to give him a deadly blow The reason of this severity was not Moses his distrust of God nor delay in his journey nor the bringing of his Wife and Children along with him which it was convenient for him to carry with him both that his father might not think he intended to desert them and for the greater assurance and encouragement of the Israelites when they saw that he exposed his dearest relations to the same hazards with them all but the neglect of circumcising his Child which also the Lord some way or other signified to Moses and Zipporah as plainly appears 1. From Zipporahs following fact upon that occasion 2. From the Lords dismission of Moses upon the circumcision of the Child 3. From the threatning of Death or cutting of for this sin Gen. 17. 14. which because there was now no Magistrate to do it God himself offers to execute it as he sometimes saith he would do in that case And this was a greater sin in Moses than in another man and at this time then it had been before because he understood the Will and Law of God about it better then any man and God had lately minded him of that Covenant of his with Abraham c. whereof circumcision was a seal the blessings and benefits of which Covenant Moses was now going to procure for himself and for his people whilest he remained under the guilt of groâ—…ly neglecting the condition of it Besides what could be more absurd than that he should come to be a Lawgiver who lived in a manifest violation of Gods Law or that he should be the chief Ruler and Instructer of the Israelites whose duty it was to acquaint them with their duty of circumcising their Children and as far as he could to punish the wilfull neglect of it and yet at the same time be guilty of the same sin or that he should undertake to govern the Church of God that could not well rule his own house 1 Tim. 3. 5 And this was not onely a great sin in it self but a great scandal to the Israelites who might by this great example easily be led into the same miscarriage and moreover might not without colour of probability suspect the call of such a person and conclude that God would not honour that man who should continue in such a visible contempt of his Law And therefore it is no wonder that God was so angry at Moses for this sin Quest. How came Moses to neglect this evident duty Answ. From Zipporahs averseness to and dread of that painful and as she thought dangerous Ordinance of God which she her self evidently discovers in this place and the rather because of the experience which she had of it in her eldest Son And as she seems to have been a Woman of an eager and passionate temper so Moses was eminently meek and pliable and in this matter too indulgent to his Wife especially in her Fathers house and therefore he put it off till a more convenient season when he might either perswade or over-rule her therein Which was a great fault for God had obliged all the Children of Abraham not onely to the thing but to the time also to do it upon the eighth day which season Moses had grosly and for some considerable time slipped and so had preferred the pleasing of his Wife before his Obedience to God 25 Then Zipporah g Perceiving the danger of her Husband and the cause of it and her Husband being disenabled from performing that work whether by some stroke or sickness or by the terrour of so dismal and unexpected an apparition to him and delays being highly dangerous she thought it better to do it her self as well as she could rather than put it off a moment longer whether because the administration of that Sacrament was not confined to any kind or order of persons or because if it was so she did not apprehend it to be so or because she thought this was the least of two evils and that it was safer to commit a circumstantial errour then to continue in a substantial fault took a sharp ‖ Or knife stone h Which she took as next at hand in that stony Country let none think this strange for not onely this work but the cutting off of that part which some used to do 〈◊〉 commonly performed with a flint or a sharp stone as is expresly affirmed by Hrodotus l. 2. Plin. 35. 12. See also Iuvenal Satyr 6. and Mâ—…tial Epigram 3. 18. But the word may be rendred a shâ—…p knife See Ios. 5. 2 3. and cut off the foreskin of her son and †Heb. made it touch cast it at his feet i The words are very short and therefore ambiguous and may be rendred either thus she cast her self at his feet either 1. At the fâ—…et of the Angel as a suppliant for her Husbands Life But it is most probable that she directs this action and her following speech to the same person Or 2. The feet of her husband to make request to him that she and her children might depart from him and return to her Father which also he granted But neither was she of so humble a temper nor at this time in so mild a frame as to put her self into such a lowly posture to her Husband nor was she likely to present her humble supplication to him to whom at the same time she shewed such scorn and indignation Or rather thus she cast it at his i. e. her Husbands feet it either the Child But that being tender and now in great pain she would not use it so roughly Or rather the foreskin cut off or at least the blood which came from it Which she did in spight and anger against her Husband as the cause of so much pain to the child and grief to her self and said surely a bloody husband art thou to me k This some
that land to wit the land of Goshen now spoken of to defend and preserve it For God is said to be in the midst of them whom he protects Deut. 7. 21. and 23. 14. Ios. 3. 10. Psal. 46. 5. and not to be in the midst of others whom he forsakes and designs or threatens to destroy Num. 14. 42. Deut. 1. 42. and 31. 17. Compare Exod. 33. 3. with 34. 9. 23 And I will put †Heb. a redemption a division a Heb. a redemption or deliverance i. e. a token or mean of deliverance by a Metonymy a wall of partition by which I will preserve the Israelites whilest I destroy the Egyptians between my people and thy people ‖ Or by to morrow to morrow shall this sign be b This he â—…aith â—…y tâ—… gain the more belief to himself in what he now 〈◊〉 should further speak in Gods name to them and parâ—…â—…o warn them of their danger and make their disobedience more inexcusable 24 And the LORD did so c Immediately by his own word and not by Mâ—…ses his rod leâ—…t the Egyptians should think it was a Magicians wand and that all Moses his works were done by the power of the Devil and * Wisd. 16. 9. Psal. 105. 31. there came a grievous swarm of flies d Heb. an heavâ—… mixture of flies heavy i. e. either great as this Hebrew word is used Gen. 41. 31. Isa. 32. 2. or mischievous and troublesâ—…me or rather numerous as it is taken Gen. 50. 9. Numb 11. 14. 1 King 3. 9. compared with 2 Chron. 1. 10. into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants houses and into all the land of Egypt the land e i. e. Either the fruits and products of the land or rather the inhabitants of the land as the word land is taken Gen. 41. 36. 1 Sam. 27. 9. many of the people were poisoned or stung to death by them as appears from Psal. 78. 45. See also the book of Wisedom chap. 16. 9. was ‖ Or destroyed corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies 25 And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron and said Go ye sacrifice to your God in the land 26 And Moses said It is not meet f Heb. Not right neither in Gods eyes who hath appointed us the place as well as the thing nor in the Egyptians eyes as it follows so to do for we shall sacrifice the * Gen. 43. 32. and 46. 34. abomination of the Egyptians g That which the Egyptians abhor to kill or to see killed as not onely Scripture but profane Authours as Diodorus and Tully and Iuvenal witness because they worshipped them as Gods as is notoriously known to the LORD our God Lo shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes and will they not stone us h It was a just fear For when once a Roman had but killed a cat though imprudently the people tumultuously met together and beset his house and killed him in spight of the King and his Princes who used their utmost power and diligence to prevent it 27 We will go * chap. 3. 12. three dayes journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as * chap. 3. 18. he shall command us i For we know not what kind or number of sacrifices to offer to him till we come thither 28 And Pharaoh said I will let you go that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness only you shall not go very far away intreat for me 29 And Moses said Behold I go out from thee and I will intreat the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh from his servants and from his people to morrow but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice unto the LORD 30 And Moses went out from Pharaoh and intreated the LORD 31 And the LORD did according to the word of Moses and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh from his servants and from his people there remained not one 32 And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also neither would he let the people go CHAP. IX 1 THEN the LORD said unto Moses Go in unto Pharaoh and tell him Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews Let my people go that they may serve me 2 For if thou refuse to let them go and wilt hold them still 3 Behold the hand of the LORD a In an immediate manner not by my rod that thou mayest know it is not I but the Lord which doth all these things to thee is upon thy cattel b Which they kept for their wool or milk or manifold uses and services though not for food and sacrifice which is in the field upon the horses upon the asses upon the camels upon the oxen and upon the sheep there shall be a very grievous murrain 4 And * chap. 8. 22. the LORD shall sever between the cattel of Israel and the cattel of Egypt and there shall nothing die of all that is the childrens of Israel 5 And the LORD appointed a set time saying To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land 6 And the LORD did that thing on the morrow and * Psal. 78. 48. all c Either of all sorts or a very great number of them as the word all is frequently used or rather all that were in the field as it is expresly limited ver 3. but not all absolutely as appears from ver 9. 19 25. and chap. 14. 23. the cattel of Egypt died but of the cattel of the children of Israel died not one 7 And Pharaoh sent and behold there was not one of the cattel of the Israelites dead And * chap. 7. 14. the heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he did not let the people go 8 And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace d To mind them of their cruel usage of the Israelites in their furnace of which see Deut. 4. 20. Ier. 11. 4. and let Moses e Both were to take them up but Mâ—…ses onely to sprinkle them as at other times Aaron onely did the work to shew that they were but instruments which God could use as he pleased and God was the principal Authour of it sprinkle it towards the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh 9 And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt and shall be a * Rev. 16. 2. boil breaking forth with blains f A burning scab which quickly raised blains and blisters whereby they were both vehemently inclined to scratch themselves and yet utterly disenabled from it by its great soreness upon man and upon beast throughout all the land of Egypt 10 And they took ashes of the furnace and stood before Pharaoh and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven and it became a * Deut. 28.
z Neither the friends of the party stain nor the Magistrate shall give him a pardon or accept a ransom for him Numb 35. 31. 13 And if a man lie not in wait a If it appear that the manslayer did not intend nor desire it but onely it fell out by his heedlesness or by some casualty but God deliver him into his hand b By some special unexpected providence or God and not man God without the mans contrivance or design for otherwise in a general sence and way God delivered Christ into the hands of Iudas and the Iews who did advisedly and maliciously kill him then * Deut. 19. 3. Josh. 20. 2. I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee c i. e. A city or place of refuge Numb 35. 11. Deut. 19. 5. 14 But if a man come presumptuously d i. e. Do this proudly boldly purposely and malitiously for so the word signifies upon his neighbour to slay him with guile * 1 Kin. 2. 28. thou shalt take him from mine Altar e Which not onely in the wilderness but afterward seems to have been esteemed a place of refuge 1 King 1. 50. as it also was among the Heathens But God so far abhors murder that he will rather venture the pollution of his own Altar than the escape of the murderer See 2 King 11. 15. that he may die 15 And he that smiteth e Either 1. So as is before mentioned ver 12. so as they die And to smite sometimes signifies to kill as Gen. 4. 15. 2 King 14. 5. compared with 2 Chron. 25. 3. And this may be here added by way of distinction q. d. That killing of another man which is punished with death must be done presumptuously but the killing of parents though not done presumptuously is a capital crime Or 2. the meer smiting of them to wit wilfully and dangerously Nor will any think this law too severe that considers that this is an act full of horrid impiety against God who hath so expresly and emphatically commanded children to honour their Parents of highest and most unnatural ingratitude and utterly destructive to humane Society his father or his mother shall be surely put to death 16 And he that stealeth a man and selleth him or if he be found in his hand f i. e. In the man-stealers hand q. d. though he keep him in his own hands for his own use for still it is a theft and he is made that mans slave and it is in his power to sell him to another when he pleaseth and therefore deserves death he shall surely be put to death 17 And * Lev. 20. 9. Prov. 20. 20. Mat. 15. 4. Mar. 7. 10. he that †Or revileth curseth ‖ Or revileth to wit wilfully malitiously obstinately against all admonition by comparing Deut. 21. 18. his father or his mother shall surely be put to death 18 And if men strive together and one smite †Or his neighbour another with a stone g Or any other instrument fit for such a mischievous purpose An usual Synecdoche or with his fist and he die not but keep his bed 19 If he arise again and walk abroad upon his staff then shall he that smote him be quit only he shall pay for †Heb. ceasing the loss of his time h i. e. Of the profit which he could or commonly did make of his time in the way of his calling and shall cause him to be throughly healed i i. e. Pay the charges of the cure 20 And if a man smite his servant k Namely a stranger for an Israelite was to be better used See Lev. 25. 39 40. c. or his maid with a rod l A fit and usual instrument for correction whereby it is implyed that if he kill'd him with a sword or any such weapon he was to die for it and he die under his hand m i. e. Whilest the master is correcting him he shall be surely †Heb. avenged punished n Not with death for then it would have been said so as it is before and after but as the Magistrate or Judge shall think fit according to the diversity of circumstances and therefore no particular punishment is set down 21 Notwithstanding if he continue a day or two he shall not be punished for he is his money o i. e. His possession bought with his mony and therefore 1. had a power to chastise him according to his demerit which might be very great 2. is sufficiently punished with his own loss 3. may be presumed not to have done this purposely and maliciously 22 If men strive and hurt a woman with child p To wit the wife of the other person who interposed her self to succour her husband so that her fruit depart from her and yet no mischief follow q Neither to the woman nor child for it is generally expressed so as to reach both in case the abortive had life in it he shall be surely punished according as the womans husband will lay upon him and he shall pay as the Judges determine r The husband shall impose the fine and if it be unreasonable the Judges shall have a power to moderate it 23 And if any mischief s Either to the mother or to the child whether it be death or any maime or mischief follow then ‖ Who Ans. Not the private person which would have introduced infinite mischiefs and confusions but the Magistrate for these laws are given to Moses and the execution of these things was committed to Moses and others under him thou shalt give life for life 24 * Lev. 24. 2â—… Deut. 19. 21. Mat. â—… 38. Eye for eye t This is called the law of retaliation and from hence the heathen Lawgivers took it and put it into their laws But though this might sometimes be practised in the letter yet it was not necessarily to be understood and executed so as may appear 1. by the impossibility of the just execution of it in many cases as when a man that had but one eye or hand was to lose the other which to him was a far greater mischief then what he did to his neighbour whom he deprived but of one of his eyes or hands And this is a sure and righteous rule Punishments may be less but never should be greater than the fault And how could a wound be made neither bigger nor less than that which he inflicted 2. by comparing this with other laws wherein a compensation is allowed in like cases as ver 18 30. And when it is enjoyned that no satisfaction shall be taken for the life of a wilful murderer Numb 35. 31. it seems therein implyed that satisfaction may be taken for lesser injuries And indeed the payment of such a price as the loss of an eye or hand or foot required though it might not so
of the sacrifice in their hands as we find Exod. 29. 24. by that right putting them into their office and sanctifie them that they may minister unto me in the priests office 42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover †Heb. flesh â—… their nakedness their nakedness from the loins even unto the thighs g Including both Compare Exod. 20. 26. they shall †Heb. â—…e reach 43 And they shall be upon Aaron and upon his sons when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place that they bear not iniquity and die It shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him CHAP. XXIX 1 AND this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them to minister unto me in the priests office * Lev. 8. 1 â—… Take one young bullock and two rams without blemish a See Exod. 12. 5. Mal. 1. 13 14. 2 And * Lev. 6. 20. unleavened b To shew that the Priests should be and that Christ really was free from all malice and hypocrisie both which are compared to leaven Luk. 12. 1. 1 Cor. 5. 8. and that all the services offered to God by the Priests were to be pure and unmixed bread and cakes unleavened tempered with oyl and wafers unleavened anointed with oil of wheaten flower shalt thou make them 3 And thou shalt put them into one basket and bring them c To the door of the Tabernacle as it follows ver 4. in the basket with the bullock and the two rams 4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation and shalt wash them with water d Taken out of that laver Exod. 30. 18. This signified the universal pollution of all men and the absolute need they have of washing especially when they are to draw nigh to God And this outward washing was onely typical of their spiritual washing by the blood and spirit of Christ in order to their acceptance with God 5 And thou shalt take the garments and put upon Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod and the ephod and the breast-plate and gird him with * chap. 28. the curious girdle of the ephod e Not about the loins but about the paps or breast as Christ and his ministers are represented Rev. 1. 13. The linnen breeches are here omitted because they were put on privately before they came to the door of the Tabernacle where the other things were put on 6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head and put the holy crown f i. e. The plate of gold chap. 28. 36. as appears by comparing Lev. 8. 9. upon the mitre 7 Then shalt thou take the anointing * chap. 〈◊〉 oyl and pour it upon his head and anoint him g Which signified the gifts and graces of the holy ghost wherewith Christ was and the Priests ought to be replenished See Isa. 61. 1. 1 Ioh. 2. 27. But here ariseth a difficulty for this anointing is sometimes spoken of as peculiar to the High-priest as Lev. 21. 10. sometimes as common to all the Priests Exod. 30. 30. and 40. 14 15. which may be thus reconciled The oil was sprinkled upon all the Priests and their right ears thumbs and toes and their garments ver 20 21. Lev. 8. 30. but it was poured out upon the head onely of the High-priest Psa. 133. 2. who herein was a type of Christ who was anointed above his fellows Psal. 45. 7. Heb. 1. 9. 8 And thou shalt bring his sons and put coats upon them 9 And thou shalt gird them with girdles Aaron and his sons and †Heb. bind put the bonnets on them and the priests office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute h So long as the Iewish Pedagogy and Policy lasts and thou shalt †Heb. fill the hand of * chap. 28. 41. consecrate Aaron and his sons 10 And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation and * Lev. 1. 4. Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock i To signify that they offered it for themselves and for their own sins which the offerer performing this rite was to confess Lev. 16. 21. that they acknowledged themselves to deserve that death which was inflicted upon this innocent creature for their sakes and to testify their faith in the future sacrifice of Christ upon whom their sins were to be laid and by whose blood they were expiated and that they humbly begged Gods mercy in pardoning their sins and accepting them to and in their holy office 11 And thou k Moses who though no Priest yet for this time and occasion was called by God to this work shalt kill the bullock before the LORD by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation 12 And thou shalt take of the bloud of the bullock and put it upon * chap. 27. 2. and 30. 2. the horns of the altar l Not of incense as some would have it but of the burnt-offerings as may appear 1. because it was that altar at the bottom whereof the bloud was to be poured as it is here expressed but that was not done at the altar of Incense as is evident and confessed Compare Lev. 16. 18 c. 2. it was that altar upon which the parts of the sacrifices were burnt as it here follows ver 13. for there is no distinction here between the two altars It is true in the following sin-offerings of the Priests the blood was put upon the horns of the altar of incense Lev. 4. 7. But it must be considered 1. that the blood was not poured out at the bottom of that altar 2. because Aaron and his sons were not yet compleat Priests but private persons and therefore did this at the same altar which the people used in their sin offerings Lev. 4. 25 30. with thy finger and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar 13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards and ‖ It seemeth by anatomy and the Hebrew Doctors to be the midriff the caul that is above the liver and the two kidneys and the fat that is upon them m The parts which in all sacrifices were burned unto God Lev. 3. 3. and 4. 10. to signify either the mortification of their inward and most beloved lusts or the dedication of the best of all sacrifices and of their inward and best parts to God and his service and burn them upon the altar 14 But the flesh of the bullock and his skin and his dung shalt thou burn with fire without the camp it is a sin-offering n To wit for the high-priest as is plain from the whole context and therefore ought to be burnt by that law Lev.
this knowingly this was a gross sin Ezek. 18. 6. and they being accused and convicted were punished with death Levit. 20. 18. for as there was a turpitude in the action so it was very prejudicial to the children then begotten who were commonly weak or leprous or otherwise disordered which was also an injury to the Commonwealth of Israel and redounded to the dishonour of God and of the true Religion that the professours thereof gave such publick evidence of their intemperance and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean 25 And if a woman have an issue of her blood many dayes out of the time of her separation or if it run beyond the time of her separation r To wit the seven dayes mentioned Levit. 12. 2. as suppose she had the Emerods c. all the dayes of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the dayes of her separation she shall be unclean 26 Every bed whereon she lieth all the dayes of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean as the uncleanness of her separation 27 And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the even 28 But if she be cleansed of her issue then she shall number to her self seven dayes s From the stopping of her issue as it is apparent And this was for trial whether it was onely a temporary obstruction or a real cessation and after that she shall be clean 29 And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles or two young pigeons and bring them unto the priest to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation 30 And the priest shall offer the one for a sin-offering and the other for a burnt-offering and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the LORD for the issue of her uncleanness 31 Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness that they die not in their uncleanness when they defile my tabernacle t Which they did both ceremonially by coming into it in their uncleanness and morally by the gross neglect and contempt of Gods express and positive command to cleanse themselves that is among them 32 This is the law of him that hath an issue and of him whose seed goeth from him and is defiled therewith 33 And of her that is sick of her flowers and of him that hath an issue of the man and of the woman and of him that lieth with her which is unclean CHAP. XVI 1 AND the LORD spake unto Moses after * chap. 10. 2. the death of the two sons of Aaron when they offered before the LORD and died 2 And the LORD said unto Moses Speak unto Aaron thy brother that he * Exod. 30. 10. Heb. 9. 7. come not at all times a Not whensoever he pleaseth but onely when I shall appoint him to wit to take down the parts and furniture of it upon every removal and to minister unto me once in the year Exod. 30. 10. into the holy place ‖ i. e. Into the Most Holy or the Holy of Holies as the following words demonstrate which is sometimes called onely the holy place as Heb. 9. 2 3 the positive degree put for the comparative which is not unusual in Scripture within the vail b To wit the second vail See Levit. 4. 6. before the mercy-seat which is upon the ark that he die not c For his irreverence and presumption for * Exod. 40. 35. 1 King 8. 12. I will appear d Visibly and gloriously That is as it were my presence-chamber whither the Priest shall not dare to come but when I call him in the cloud e Either in that dark place for there was no light came into it and clouds and darkness go together and one may be put for the other or in a bright and glorious cloud which used to be over the mercy-seat or rather in the cloud of incense mentioned afterward ver 13. by the mercy-seat 3 Thus f In this manner or upon these terms shall Aaron come into the holy place with * a young bullock g i. e. with the blood of it as it is explained ver 14. So it is a Synecdoche the whole put for the part For as for the body of it that was to be killed and offered without upon the Altar of burnt offerings for a sin offering h For his own and families sins for a goat was offered for the sins of the people and chap. 4. 3. a ram for a burnt-offering 4 He shall put on the * Exod. 28. 39 4â—… holy linen coat i It is observable that the High-priest did not now use his peculiar and glorious robes but onely his linnen garments which were common to him with the ordinary priests The reason whereof was either because this was not a day of feasting and rejoycing but of mourning and humiliation at which times people were to lay aside their ornaments Exod. 33. 5. Some conceive that under the linen garments here named are comprehended his more glorious robes also by a Synecdoche But that doth not appear neither from hence nor from other places alledged Had onely his holy garments been mentioned in general all might have been understood but when onely the linen apparel is mentioned here and after ver 23. and when that is so particularly expressed in four several parts of it and not a word of the other either here or in the rest of the chapter it seems presumptuous to adde them here without any ground or evidence Or because it was fit he should not exalt but abase himself when he was to appear before the divine Majesty and therefore he was to come in the meanest of his Priestly habits Or that it might be an evidence of the imperfection of this Priesthood and of the great difference between the Levitical and the true High-Priest Christ Jesus whose prerogative alone it is to go into the true Holy of Holies with his glorious robes when this must carry thither the characters of his meanness and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh and shall be girded with a linen girdle and with the linen mitre shall he be attired These are holy garments k Because appropriated to an holy and religious use for which reason other things are called holy See Exod. 29. 31. and 30. 25. and 2 Chron. 5. 5. therefore * Exod 30 â—…0 shall he wash his flesh in water and so put them on 5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin-offering and one ram for a burnt-offering 6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin-offering which is for himself and make * Heb. 9. 7. an atonement for himself and for his house l i. e.
His family as Gen. 7. 1. to wit the Priests and Levites See Numb 1. 49. 7 And he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation 8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats one lot for the LORD m For the Lords use and service by way of sacrifice Both this and the other Goat typified Christ this in his death and passion for us that in his Resurrection for our deliverance and the other lot for the †Heb. Azazel scape-goat 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORDS lot †Heb. went up fell n So the lot is said to fall Ionah 1. 7. Act. 1. â—…6 Heb. went up to wit out of the vessel into which the lots were put and out of which they were brought up and offer him foâ—… a sin-offering 10 But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scape-goat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make an atonement with him o In manner hereafter expressed ver 21. 22. and to let him go for a scape-goat into the wilderness 11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock p Mentioned in general ver 6. The ceremonies whereof are here particularly described This was a differing bullock or heifer from that Numb 19. as appears by comparing the places of the sin offering which is for himself and shall make an atonement for himself and for his house and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself 12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar q To wit of burnt-offering where the fire was alwayes burning and whence fire was taken for such uses as these before the LORD and his hands full of sweet incense r Of which see Exod. 30. 34 35 38. beaten small and bring it within the vail s i. e. Into the Holy of holieâ—… ver 2. 13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire t Which was in the censer ver 12. before the LORD that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat that is upon the testimony that he die not u For so gross an errour committed in the highest acts of worship and that by an High-Priest whose knowledge and function was a great aggravation to his sin 14 And * Heb. 9. 13. and 10. 4. he shall take of the blood of the bullock and * chap. 4. 6. sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy-seat x To teach us that God is mercifull to sinners onely through and for the blood of Christ. eastward y i. e. With his face east-ward or upon the eastern part of it towards the people who were in the court which lay east-ward from the Holy of holies which was the most western part of the Tabernacle This signified that the High-priest in this act represented the people and that God accepted it on their behalf and before the mercy-seat z On the ground shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times 15 Then shall he kill a Either this was done before he entred into the Holy of holies though it be mentioned after such trans-placings of passages being not unusual or rather he went out of the Holy of holies and killed it and then returned thither again with its blood and this agrees best with the text nor are transpositions to be allowed without necessity And whereas the High-priest is said to be allowed to enter into that place but once in a year that is to be understood but one day in a year though there seems to have been occasion of going in and coming out more than once upon that day the goat of the sin-offering that is for the people and bring his blood within the vail and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it upon the mercy-seat and before the mercy-seat 16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place b Of which see below ver 19 20. and Exod. 29. 36. Lev. 8. 15. Heb. 9. 13. because of the uncleannesses of the children of Israel c For though the people did not enter into that place yet their sins entred thither and would hinder the effects of the High-priests mediation on their behalf if God was not reconciled to them and because of their transgressions in all their sins and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation that †Heb. dwelleth remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleannesses d Encompassed with their sins being in the midst of a sinfull people who defile not themselves onely but also Gods Sanctuary as God complains Ezek. 23. 38 39. 17 * Luk. 1. 10. And there shall be no man in the tabernacle †Heb. of meeting Exod. 29. 42. of the congregation e i. e. In the holy place where the Priests and Levites were at other times This was commanded for the greater reverence to the Divine Maiesty then in a more special manner appearing and that none of them might cast an eye into the Holy of holies as the High-priest went in or came out when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place untill he come out and have made an atonement for himself and for his houshold and for all the congregation of Israel 18 And he shall go out unto the altar f To wit the altar of incense where the blood of sacrifices was to be put Levit. 4. 4. and particularly the blood of the sin-offerings offered upon this day of atonement Exod. 30. 10. and which is most truly and properly said to be before the Lord i. e before the place where God in special manner dwelt to wit the Holy of holies Some understand it of the altar of burnt-offerings because he is said to go out to it But that going out relates not to the Tabernacle but to the Holy of holieâ—… into which he was said to go in ver 17. Add to this that this 〈◊〉 which is atoned by the High-priest seems to be in that place where he onely might now come and therefore in the Holy place called here the Tabernacle from which all other priests were for this day excluded whereas the altar of burnt-offerings was without the Holy place or Tabernacle to wit at the door of it and in the court of the Priests that is before the LORD and make an atonement for it and shall take of the blood of the bullock and of the blood of the goat and put it upon the horns of the altar round about 19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times g To signify its perfect cleansing seven being a number of perfection and our perfect reconciliation by the blood of Christ here represented and cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleannesses of the
beast they shall surely be put to death their blood shall be upon them 17 * chap. 18. 9 Deut. 27. 23. And if a man shall take his sister his fathers daughter or his mothers daughter and see her nakedness x Seeing is here understood either 1. properly and so God would cut off the occasions of further filthiness Or rather 2. improperly for touching her or lying with her for 1. the sence of seeing is oâ—…t put for other sences as for hearing Ger 42. 1. compared with Act. 7. 12. Exod. 2â—… 18. Rev. 1. 12. and for touching as Ioh. 2â—… 25 29. 2. that act is expressed by words parallel to this of seeing as by 〈◊〉 or discovering and by knowing Gen. 4. 1. 3. so it is directly explained in the following words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 uncovered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which manifestly signifies lying with her â—… it is not probable that an equal punishment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dest sight and to the highest act of filthiness 5. nor seems there to be any reason why this crime should be restrained to this rather than to any other relations when it was as great yea a greater crime in some other relations and she see his nakedness it is a wicked thing and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people y i. e. Publickly for the terrour and caution of others he hath uncovered his sisters nakedness he shall bear his iniquity 18 * chap. 18. 19. See ch 15. 24. And if a man shall lie with a woman z Wittingly and willingly See on Lev. 15. 24. and 18. 19. having her sickness a i. e. her monethly infirmity and shall uncover her nakedness he hath †Heb. made naked discovered her fountain b Or her issue Thus the fountain of blood in Mark 5. 29. is the issue of blood Luk. 8. 44. the fountain put for the stream the cause for the effect which is common and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood and both of them shall be cut off from among their people 19 * ch 18. 12 13. And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mothers sister nor of thy fathers sister for he uncovereth his near kin they shall bear their iniquity 20 * chap. 18. 14. And iâ—… a man shall lie with his uncles wife he hath uncovered his uncles nakedness they shall bear their sin they shall die childless c i. e. Either shall be speedily cut off ere they can have a child by that incestuous conjunction that the remembrance of the fact may be blotted out or if this seem a less crime than most of the former incestuous mixtures because the relation is more remote and therefore the Magistrate shall forbear to punish it with death yet they shall either have no children from such an unlawful bed or their children shall die before them Hos. 9. 11 12. or shall not be reputed their genuine children but bastards and therefore excluded from the congregation of the Lord Deut. 23. 2. 21 * chap. 18. 16. And if a man shall take his brothers wife d Except in the case allowed by God Deut. 25. 5. it is †Heb. a separation an unclean thing e An abominable thing like the uncleanness of a menstruous woman which is oft expressed by this word Heb a separation or removing i. e. a thing deserving separation or exclusion from society with others or a thing to be removed out of sight or out of the world he hath uncovered his brothers nakedness they shall be childless 22 Ye shall therefore keep all my †chap. 18. 26. statutes and all my judgments and do them that the land whither I bring you to dwell therein * chap. 18. 25. spue you not out 23 And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation which I cast out before you for they committed all these things and * Deut. 9. 5. therefore I abhorred them 24 But I have said unto you Ye shall inherit their land and I will give it unto you to possess it a land that floweth with milk and honey I am the LORD your God which have separated you from other people f By my special grace and favour vouchsafed to you above all people in glorious and miraculous works wrought for you and among you and in ordinances and other singular priviledges and blessings imparted to you all which calls for your special love and service 25 * chap. 11. 2. Deut. 14. 4. Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean and between unclean fowls and clean and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast or by fowl or by any manner of living thing that ‖ Or moveth creepeth on the ground which I have separated from you as unclean g i. e. As things which by my sentence I have made unclean and which you must avoid as such 26 And ye shall be holy unto me * Verse 7. chap. 19. 2. Peâ—… 1. 1â—… 1 for I the LORD am holy and have severed you from other people that ye should be mine 27 * Deut. 1â—… 10 11. 1 Sam 28. 7 8. A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit or that is a wizard shall surely be put to death they shall stone them with stones their blood shall be upon them CHAP. XXI 1 AND the LORD said unto Moses Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron and say unto them * Ezek. 44. 25. There shall none be defiled for the dead a To wit by touching of the dead body or abiding in the same house with it or assisting at his funerals or eating of the funeral feast The reason of this law is evident because by such pollution they were excluded from converse with men to whom by their function they were to be serviceable upon all occasions and from the handling of holy things Num. 6. 6. and 19. 11 14 16. Deut. 26. 14. Hos. 9. 4. And God would hereby teach them and in them all successive Ministers of holy things that they ought so entirely to give themselves to the service of God that they ought to renounce all expressions of natural affections and all worldly employments so far as they are impediments to the discharge of their holy services See Lev. 10. 3 7. Deut. 33. 9. Mat. 8. 22. Hereby also God would beget in the people a greater reverence to the Priestly function and oblige the Priests to a greater degree of strictness and purity than other men among his people 2 But for his kin that is near unto him b Under which general expression his wife seems to be comprehended though she be not expressed in the following instances because from the mention of others more remote it was easie to gather that so near a relation was not excluded And hence it is noted as a peculiar and extraordinary case that Ezekiel who was a
rams-skins and badgers-skins See Numb 4. 25. and the * Exod. 26. 36. hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation 26 And the * Exod. 27. 9. hangings of the court and the * Exod. 27. 16. curtain for the door of the court which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about and the cords of it t By which the Tabernacle was fastened to the pins and stretched out Exod. 35. 18. for all the service thereof 27 And of Kohath u This Family had many priviledges above the others Of that were Moses and Aaron and all the Priests They had the chief place about the Tabernacle and the care of the most holy things here below ver 31. and in the Land of Canaan they had twenty three Citieâ—… which were almost as many as both their brethren received See Ios. 21. was the family of the Amramite and the family of the Izharite and the family of the Hebronite and the family of the Uzzielite these are the families of the Kohathite 28 In the number of all the males from a month old and upward were eight thousand and six hundred keeping x Or keepers c. i. e. appointed for that work as soon as they were capable of it the charge of the sanctuary y i. e. Of those holy things contained in or nearly belonging to the sanctuary expressed verse 31. 29 The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward 30 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathite shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel 31 And their charge shall be the * Exod. 25. 1â—… ark and the * Exod. 25. 2â—… table and the * Exod. 25. 3â—… candlestick and * Exod. 27. 1. and 30. 1. the altars and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister and * Exod. 26. 3â—… the hanging z Which covered the most holy place for all other hangings belonging to the Gershonites and all the service thereof a i. e. All the other furniture belonging to it of which see Numb 4. 7 9 14. 32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the Priest shall be chief b Next under the High-priest whence he is called the second Priest 2 King 25. 18. and in case of the High-Priests absence by sickness or other necessary occasions he was to perform his work 1 King 4. 4. and he had a superiority over all the rest of the Priests and Levites over the chief of the Levites c i. e. Over those three persons who were each the chief of their several families of whom see here ver 24 31 35. and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary 33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlite and the family of the Mushite these are the families of Merari 34 And those that were numbred of them according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward were six thousand and two hundred 35 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward 36 And †Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle and the bars thereof and the pillars thereof and the sockets thereof and all the vessels thereof and all that serveth thereto 37 And the pillars of the court round about and their sockets and their pins and their cords d Therefore these were for another use than those mentioned verse 26. 38 But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward shall be Moses and Aaron and his sons keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel e Either in their stead that charge which they were obliged to keep either by themselves or by others appointed by them if God had not committed it to those or for their good and service and benefit for their preservation as the word may be rendred and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death 39 * See chap 62. All that were numbred of the Levites which Moses and Aaron numbred at the commandment of the LORD throughout their families all the males from a month old and upward were twenty and two thousand f Obj. But if the partial numbers mentioned ver 22 28 34. be put together they make exactly 22300. Answ. The odd 300 are omitted here either according to the use of the Holy Scripture where in so great numbers small summes are commonly neglected or because they were the first-born of the Levites and therefore belonged to God already and so could not be given to him again instead of the other first-born See Levit. 27. 29. If this number of first-born seem very small to come from 22000 Levites it must be considered That onely such first-born are here named as were males and such as continued in their parents Families not such as had erected new families of their own Adde to this that God so ordered things by his wiâ—…e providence for divers weighty reasons that this Tribe should be much the least of all the Tribes as is evident by comparing the numbers of the other Tribes from twenty years old Numb 1. with the number of this from a moneth old and therefore it is not strange if the number of their first-born be less than in other Tribes Although if the other Tribes had been computed from a moneth old as this was their number of 600000 had probably been double or treble to that and consequently the number of their first-born being 22273 verse 43. would have been as unproportionable to their whole summe as this of 300 first-born Levites seems to their whole number And some adde that onely those first-born are numbred both in this and in the other Tribes which were born since they came out of Egypt when God challenged all the first-born to be his 40 And the LORD said unto Moses number all the first-born of the males of the children of Israel g That they may be compared with the number of the Levites for the reason here following from a month old and upward and take the number of their names 41 And thou shalt take the Levites for me I am the LORD in stead of all the first-born among the children of Israel h To wit such as are now alive of them but those which should be born of them hereafter are otherwise disposed and the cattle of the Levites i Not that they were to be taken from the Levites or to be sacrificed to God any more than the Levites themselves were but that they together with the Levites were to be presented before the Lord by way of acknowledgment that the Levites might be set apart for
it as we see Exod. 16. 13 14. â—…o the Manna lay hid as it were between two beds of dew Hence the phrase of hidden Manna Rev. 2. 17. 10 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families every man in the door of his tent t To note that they were not ashamed of their sin and * Psal. the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly Moses also was displeased u Partly for their great unthankfulness partly foreseeing the dreadful judgments coming upon them and partly for his own burden expressed in the following verses 11 And Moses said unto the LORD Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight x Why didst thou not hear my prayer when I desired thou wouldest excuse me and commit the care and government of this unruly people to some other person See Exod. 3. 11. and 4. 10. that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me 12 Have I conceived all this people have I ‖ Or born them So Gr. begotten them y Are they my children that I should be obliged to provide food and all things for their necessity and desire that thou shouldest say unto me Carry them in thy bosom as a nursing father beareth the sucking-child z Which expression shews the tender care and affection that governours by the command of God ought to have towards their people unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers 13 Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people for they weep unto me saying Give us flesh that me may eat 14 I am not able to bear all this people a i. e. The burden of providing for and satisfying of them alone b Obj. How was he alone when there were others added to help him Exod. 18. 21 24 Ans. Those were onely assistant to him in civil causes and smaller matters but the harder and greater affairs such as this unquestionably was were brought to Moses and determined by him alone Exod. 18. 22. because it is too heavy for me 15 And if thou deal thus with me * See 1 King 19. 4. Jon. 4. 3. kill me I pray thee out of hand if I have found favour in thy sight and let me not see my wretchedness c Heb. my evil i. e. my intolerable anguish and torment arising from the insuperable difficulty of my office and work of ruling this people and from the dread of their utter extirpation which they will bring upon themselves and the dishonour which thence will accrue to God and to religion as if not I onely but God also were an impostour Seeing is here put for feeling as to see death Psal. 89. 48. Luk. 2. 26. is to suffer it and to see the salvation of God Psal. 50. 23. 91. 16. is to enjoy it 16 And the LORD said unto Moses Gather unto me * See Exod. 4. 29. seventy men of the elders of Israel d Of whom see Exod. 3. 16. and 5. 6. Levit. 4. 15. Deut. 16. 18. whom thou knowest to be the elders e Whom thou by experience discernest to be Elders not onely in years and name and place but also in wisdom and gravity and authority with the people of the people and officers over them and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation that they may stand there with thee 17 And I will come down f Not by local motion but by my powerful presence and operation See Gen. 11. 5. and Exod. 34. 5. and talk with thee there and I * Neh. 9. 20. will take of the spirit which is upon thee and will put it upon them g i. e. I will give the same spirit to them which I have given to thee But as the spirit was not conveyed to them from or through Moses but immediately from God so the spirit or its gifts were not by this means impaired in Moses The spirit is here put for the gifts of the spirit as it is Num. 27. 18. Ioel 2. 28. Ioâ—… 7. 39. Act. 19. 2 6. 1 Cor. 14. 12 32. and particularly for the spirit of prophesy v. 25. whereby they were enabled as Moses had been and still was to discern hidden and future things and resolve doubtful and difficult cases which made them fit for government It is observable that God would not and therefore men should not call any persons to any office for which they were not sufficiently fit and qualified and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee that thou bear it not thy self alone 18 And say thou unto the people Sanctifie your selves h i. e. Prepare your selves either to receive the miraculous blessings of God the flesh you desire or rather prepare to meet thy God O Israel in the way of his judgments and to receive the punishment which God will inflict upon you for it is evident from ver 20. that God answered them with a curse in stead of a blessing Prepare your selves by true repentance that you may either obtain some mitigation of the plague or whilest your bodies are destroyed by the flesh you desire and eat ver 33 34. your souls may be saved from the wrath of God Sanctifying is oft used for preparing as Ier. 6. 4. and 12. 3. and 51. 28. against to morrow and ye shall eat flesh for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD i Not secretly in your closets but openly and impudently in the doors of your tents ver 10. calling heaven and earth to witness your cries and complaints saying Who shall give us flesh to eat for it was well with us in Egypt therefore the LORD will give you flesh and ye shall eat 19 Ye shall not eat one day nor two dayes nor five dayes neither ten dayes nor twenty dayes 20 But even a †Heb. 〈◊〉 dayes whole month untill it come out at your nostrils k Which meat loathed and violently vomited up frequently doth and it be loathsome unto you l Being glutted with the abundance of it Thus God destroyes them by granting their desires and turnes even their blessings into curses whilest he deals much more favourably with Moses though he also fell into the same sin with the people i. e. impatience and murmuring But God will make a great difference between persons and persons and between Moses his sins of infirmity and the peoples presumptuous and oft repeated provocations because ye have despised the LORD m i. e. You have lightly esteemed his bounty and manifold blessings in Manna and other things and have preserred the leeks onions c. of Egypt before them all you have sleighted and distrusted his promises and providence after so long and large experience of it which is among you n Who is present and resident with you to observe all your carriages and to punish your offences This is added as a great aggravation of
those parts for it is probable and was then very usual some colonies of them were sent forth to remoter places which therefore had no hand either in their former sin or in this present raine of whom we read after this Iudg 6. And herein they did according to Gods own order concerning such people Deut 20. 13. only their fault was that they did not consider the special reason and great obligation which they had to involve the Women in the destruction for which reason Moses blames them afterward v. 15 16. 8 And they slew the Kings of Midian i Called Dukes or Princes of Sihon Ios. 13. 21. because they were subject to him while he lived but upon his death they resumed their Kingly power besides the rest of them that were slain namely * Josh. 13. 21. Evi and Rekem and Zur k The Father of Cozbi Numb 25. 15. and Hur and Reba five Kings of Midian Balaam also l Obj. he was gone and returned to his own place Numb 24. 25. which was Aram or Mesopotamia Numb 23. 7. Answ. Either he did go thitherward but in his journey made some stay in Midian where he was overtaken by divinevengeance or understanding the success of his wicked counsel left with Balaam in the sin and slaughter of the Israelites he returned partly to enjoy the reputation and reward of his counsel which he had lost before and partly to employ his Hellish arts against Israel now they were as he thought forsaken by their God and exposed to his malice Here Balaam dies the death of the wicked and not of the righteous as he desired Numb 23. 10. the son of Beor they slew with the sword And the children of Israel took all the Women of Midian Captives and their little ones and took the spoil of all their cattel and all their Flocks and all their goods 10 And they burnt all their cities m Partly to blot out the Name and Memory of so lewd and vile a people partly least any of the Israelites should be tempted to settle there and so be discouraged in their progress to Canaan and partly least they should be possessed by other people who might prove as bad Neighbours to them as these would have been wherein they dwelt and all their goodly castles with fire 11 And they took all the spoil and all the prey both of men and of beasts 12 And they brought the captives and the prey and the spoil unto Moses and Eleazar the Priest and unto the Congregation of the children of Israel unto the camp at the plains of Moab which are by Jordan near Jericho 13 And Moses and Eleazar the Priest and all the Princes of the congregation went forth to meet them without the camp n Partly to put respect upon them and congratulate with them for their happy success and partly to prevent the pollution of the Camp by the untimely entrance of the Warriours into it 14 And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host o Because they had spared those who were most criminal and who by the law of God and of nature were worthy of Death with the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds which came from the †Hebr. host of war battel 15 And Moses said unto them Have ye saved * Sâ—… Deut. 20. 23. 1 Sam. 15. 3. all the women alive 16 Behold * Chap. 25. 2. these caused the children of Israel through the * Chap. 24. 14. 2 Pet. 2. 15. counsel of Balaam to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor and * Chap. 25. 9. there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD 17 Now therefore * Judg. 21. 11. kill every male among the little ones p Which they were forbidden to do to other people Deut. 20. 14. except the Canaanites to whom this people had equalled themselves by their horrid crimes and therefore it is not strange nor unjust that God the supream Lord of all mens lives who as he gives them so may take them away when he pleaseth did equal them in the punishment and kill every woman that hath known man q Partly for punishment because the guilt was general and though some of them only did prostitute themselves to the Israelites yet the rest made themselves accessary by their consent or concurrence or approbation and partly for prevention of the like mischief from such an adulterous generation by lying with †Hebr. a male him 18 But all the women children that have not known a man r To wit carnally See on Gen. 48. 1. and 19. 8. Levit. 18. 22. by lying with him keep alive for your selves s Either to sell them as slaves to others or to use them as Servants to your selves or to marry them when you have prepared and instructed them 19 And do ye abide without the camp seven dayes s According to the Law Levit. 15. 13. and Numb 19. 11 12. whosoever hath killed any person and * Chap. 19. 11 c. whosoever hath touched any slain purify t With the water of sprinkling Numb 19. 9. both your selves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day 20 And purifie all u To wit your spoil and prey See Levit. 8. 15. and 14. 49. your raiment and all that is †Heb. Instrument or vesseâ—… of skins made of skins and all work of goats hair x All which had contracted some ceremonial uncleanness either from the dead Bodies which wore them or the tents or houses where they were in which such dead Bodies lay or from the touch of the Israelitish Souldiers who were legally defiled by the slaughters they made and all things made of wood 21 And Eleazar the Priest said unto the men of war which went to the battel This is the ordinance of the Law which the LORD commanded Moses 22 Only the gold and the silver the brass the iron the tin and the lead 23 Every thing that may abide the fire ye shall make it go thorow the fire and it shall be clean nevertheless it shall be purified * Chap. 19. 9 17. with the water of separation and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water 24 And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and ye shall be clean and afterward ye shall come into the camp 25 And the LORD spake unto Moses saying 26 Take the sum of the prey †Heb. Of the captivity that was taken both of man and of beast thou and Eleazar the priest and the chief fathers of the congregation 27 And * Josh. 22. 8. 1 Sam. 30. 24. divide the prey into two parts between them that took the war upon them who went out to battel and between all the congregation y The Congregation hath some share because the Warriours went in the name of all and because all
God unto all Israel b To wit by the Heads or Elders of the several Tribes or others who were to communicate these discourses to all the people in several Assemblies on this side Jordan in the wilderness in the plain c Either 1. In the vast desert of Arabia But that is no where called a plain Or rather 2. In the plain of Moab as may appear by comparing this with v. 5. and Numb 22. 1. and Deut. 34. 8. Obj. That was far from the Red-Sea here mentioned Answ. The word Suph here used doth not signifie the Red-Sea which is commonly called jam-suph and which was at too great a distance but some other place now unknown to us as also most of the following places are so called from the Reeds or Flags or Râ—…hes which that word signifies that grew in or near it which reason of the name being common to other places with the Red-Sea it is not strange if they got the same name Compare Numb 21 14. over against the ‖ Oâ—… Zuph Red sea between Paran d Not that Numb 10. 12. Which there and elsewhere is called the Wilderness of Paran and which was too remote but some other place called by the same name than which nothing more usual and Tophel and Laban e Places not mentioned elsewhere and Hazeroth f Of which see Numb 11. 35 and 33. 17 18. And these places seem to be the several bounds and limits not of the whole Country of Moab but of the plain of Moab where Moses now was and spake these words and Dizahab 2 There are eleven days journey g This is added to shew that the reason why the Israelites in so many years were advanced no further from Horeb than to these plains was not the great distance of the places or length of the way which was but a journey of eleven days at most but because of their rebellions as is mentioned before and repeated in this book from Horeb h Or Sinai the place where the Law was given which is promiscuously called by both those names by the way of mount Seir i Or Mount Edom i. e. the mountainous Country of Seir which was first possessed by the Horims and afterwards by the Edomites Deut. 2. 12. unto Kadesh barnea k Which was not far from the borders of Canaan See Gen. 16. 14. Numb 13. 26. 3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year in the eleventh month l Which was but a little before his death on the first day of the month that Moses spake unto the children of Israel according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them 4 * Numb 21. 24 33. After he had slain Sihon the King of the Amorite which dwelt in Heshbon and Og the King of Bashan which dwelt at * Josh. 13. 31. Astaroth in Edrei m His palace or Mansion-house was at Astharoth and he was slain at Edrei Numb 21. 33. of both these places see Gen. 14. 5. Jos. 13. 31. 5 On this side Jordan in the land of Moab ‖ Or willed to declare that is willingly declared See Joh. 6. 21. Gr. began Moses to declare this law saying 6 The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb saying ye have dwelt long enough in this mount i Of Horeb where they continued about a years space Exod. 19. 1. Numb 10. 11 12. 7 Turn ye and take your journey and go to the mount of the Amorite k i. e. To the mountainous Country where the Amorites dwelt which is opposed to the plain here following where others of them dwelt And this is first mentioned because it was in the borders of the land See below v. 19 20. The divers pâ—… or bounds of the land are here mentioned and unto †Heb. All his Neighbours all the places nigh thereunto in the plain in the hills and in the vale and in the south and by the sea-side to the land of the Canaanite and unto Lebanon unto the great river the river †Heb. Of Euphrates Euphrates 8 Behold I have †〈◊〉 given set the land before you l Heb. before your faces it is open to your view and to your possession there is no impediment in the way See of this phrase Gen. 13. 9. and 34. 10. go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers * 〈◊〉 12. 7. 〈◊〉 17 7 〈◊〉 18. 26. 〈◊〉 28. 13. Abraham Isaac and Jacob to give unto them and to their seed after them 9 And I spake unto you at that time m i. e. About that time to wit a little before their coming to Horeb. Exod. 18. 18. saying I am not able to bear you my self alone 10 The LORD your God hath multiplyed you and behold ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude 11 * 2 Sam. 24. 3. The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many moe as ye are and bless you * Gen. 15. 5. 22. 17. 26. 4. Exod. 32. 13. as he hath promised you 12 How can I my self alone bear your cumbrance and your burden n The trouble of ruling and managing so perverse a people and your strife o Either your quarrellings with God or rather your coatentions amoung your selves for the determination whereof the Elders were appointed 13 †Heb. 〈◊〉 Take ye wise men and understanding p Persons of Knowledge Wisdom and Experience and known q Men Famous and had in reputation for ability and integrity for to such they would more readily submit among your tribes and I will make them rulers over you 14 And ye answered me and said The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do 15 So I took the chief r Not in Authority which yet they had not but in endowments for good government of your tribes wise men and known and †Heb. gave made them heads over you captains over thousands and captains over hundreds and captains over fifties and captains over tens and officers s Inferiour Officers that were to attend upon the Superiour Magistrates and to execute their decrees among your tribes 16 And I charged your judges at that time saying Hear the causes between your brethren and * Joh. 7. 24. judge righteously between every man and * Lev. 24. 22. his brother and the stranger that is with him t That converseth or dealeth with him To such God would have justice equally administred as to his own people partly for the honour of Religion and partly for the interest which every man hath in matters of common right 17 * Lev. 19. 15. chap 16. 19. 1 Sam. 16. â—… Prov. 24. 23. Ye shall not †Heb. acknowledge faces respect persons u Heb. Not know or acknowledge Faces i. e. Not give sentence according to
Or rather 2. As an evidence of Gods gracious answer to Moses his prayers and of his reconciliation to the people notwithstanding their late and great provocation For saith he after this they proceeded by Gods guidance in their journeys some eminent stages whereof he names for all and though Aaron dyed in one of them yet God made up that breach and Eleazar came in his place and ministred as Priest one branch of which office was to intercede for the people Then saith he God brought them from the barren parts of the wilderness to a land of rivers of waters v. 7. a pleasant and fruitful soil Then he adds God separated the Levites c. v. 8. from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to * Num. 33. 3â—… Mosera d Obj. This place seems directly contrary to that Numb 33. 31. where their journey is quite contrary to this even from Moseroth to Bene-jaakan This indeed is a great difficulty and prophane wits take occasion to cavil And if a satisfactory answer be not yet given to it by interpreters it ought not therefore to be concluded unanswerable because many things formerly thought unanswerable have been since fully cleared and therefore the like may be presumed concerning other doubts yet remaining And it were much more reasonable to acknowledge here a transposition of the words through the Scribes mistake than upon such a pretence to reject the divine Authority of those sacred books which hath been confirmed by such irresistable Arguments But there is no need of these general pleas seeing particular answers are and may be given to this difficulty sufficient to satisfie modest and impartial enquirers Ans. 1. The places here mentioned are differing from those Numb 33. it being very frequent in Scripture for divers persons and places to be called by the same names and yet the names are not wholly the same for there it is Bene-jaakan and here Beeroth bene-jaakan or Beeroth of the children of Iaakan there Moseroth here Moserah there Hor-hagidgad here Gudgodah there Iotbathah here Iotbath If the places were the same it may justly seem strange why Moses should so industriously make a change in every one of the names And therefore these may be other stations which being omitted in Numb 33. are supplyed here it being usual in sacred Scripture to supply the defects of one place out of another Answ. 2. Admitting these two places to be the same with those Numb 33. 31. yet the journeys are divers They went from Beeroth of the children of Iaacan to Mosera which is omitted in Numbers and therefore here supplyed and then back again from Moserah or Moseroth to Bene-jaakan as is there said for which return there might then be some sufficient reason though now unknown to us as the reasons of many such like things are or God might order it so for his own pleasure and it is not impossible he might do it for this reason that by this seeming contradiction as well as some others he might in just judgment do what he threatned to the Iews Ier. 6. 21. even lay stumbling blocks before prophane and proud wits and give them that occasion of deceiving and ruining themselves which they so greedily seek and gladly embrace which is the reason given by some of the antients why God hath left so many difficulties in Scripture Ans. 3. The words may be otherwise rendred from Beeroth of the children of Iaakan and from Moserah where the order of the places is not observed as was noted before of the order of time v. 1. because it was nothing to the purpose here and because that might be easily fetched from Numb 33. where those journeys are more particularly and exactly described For the conjunction and that may be here wanting and to be supplyed as it is Exod. 6. 23. 1 Sam. 4. 7. Psal. 133. 3. Isa. 63. 11. Hab. 3. 11. And the preposition from is easily supplyed from the foregoing words as is most usual Nor seems there to be any more reason to render it to Moserah than from Moserah seeing the Hebrew letter He in the end is made a part of the proper name and therefore is not local * Num. 20. â—… there Aaron died e Qu. How it is true when Aaron dyed not in Moserah but in Mount Hor Numb 33. 37. Ans. 1. Moserah may be a differing place from Moseroth and that may be the name of a Town or Region in which Mount Hor was or to which it belonged Or the same mountain in respect of divers parts and opposite sides of it might be called by divers names here Moserah and there Hor. And it is possible they might go several journeys and pass to divers stations and by fetching a compass which they oft did in their Wilderness travels come to the other side of the same Mountain Ans. 2. The Hebrew particle soham may here note the time and not the place of Aarons death and may be rendred then as it is taken Gen. 49. 24. Psal. 14. 5. Eccles. 3. 17. Zephan 1. 14. And then is not to be taken precisely but with some latitude as it is oft used in Scripture that is about that time after a few removes more as the words at that time v. 8. must necessarily be understood and there he was buryed and Eleazar his son ministred in the priests office in his stead 7 * Num. 33. 32 â—… From thence e Either 1. From that place and that either from Moseraâ—… last mentioned or from Bene-jaakan for relatives many times in Scripture belong to the remoter antecedent Or 2. From that time for this particle sometimes notes not place but time as 2 King 2. 21. Isa. 65. 20. So the meaning is At or about that time as it is v. 8. which being considered may serve to clear the great difficulty discoursed upon the last verse concerning the seeming contradiction of this place and Numb 33. 31 32. they journeyed unto Gudgodah and from Gudgodah to Jotbath a land of rivers of waters 8 At that time f About that time i. e. when I was come down from the mount as was said v. 5. For these words manifestly look to that verse the 6 and 7. verses being put in by way of parenthesis as was said before Or if it relate to the words immediately foregoing this may be meant of a second separation of them upon Aarons Death and having mentioned the separation of Eleazar to the Office of the high Priest in his Fathers stead v. 6. he now repeats it that the Levites who were his as they had been his Fathers Servants were separated as before or were confirmed in their office * 〈◊〉 3. 6. 〈◊〉 8. 14. the LORD separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD to stand before the LORD g A phrase used concerning the Prophets 1 King 17. 1. and 18. 15. this being the posture of Ministers Hence the Angels are said to
the Sea by his neighbours Tyrus and Sidon let him be acceptable to his brethren l By his sweet disposition and winning carriage and communication of his excellent commodities to his brethren he shall gain their affections and let him dip his foot in oil m He shall have such plenty of Oil that he may not onely wash his face but his feet also in it Or the fatness and fertility of his Countrey may be expressed by oil as Iob 19. 6. And so it agrees with Iacobs blessing of him Gen. 49. 20. 25 ‖ Or under thy shoes shall be iron Thy shoes shall be iron and brass n This may note either 1. Their great strength by which they should be able to tread down and crush their Enemies as Christs feet for this very reason are said to be of brass Revel 1. 15. Or 2. The mines of Iron and Copper which were in their portion whence Sidon their neighbour was famous among the heathens for its plenty of brass and Sarepta is thought to have its name from the brass and iron which were melted there in great quantity Compare Deut. 8. 9. Or 3. The strength of its scituation and so some antients and moderns render the words thy habitation or thy enclosure shall be iron and brass i. e. fortified as it were with walls and gates of iron and brass being defended by the Sea on one side by their brethren on other sides as also by mountains and rivers and as thy dayes so shall thy strength be o i. e. Thy strength shall not be diminished with thine age but thou shalt have the vigour of youth even in thy old age thy Tribe shall grow stronger and stronger 26 There is none like unto the God of Jesurun who rideth upon the heaven p i. e. Upon the clouds to succour thee from thence by sending thunder and lightning upon thine enemies See Psal. 18. 7 c. and 68. 34. c. in thy help and in his excellency q Or in his magnificence i. e. magnificiently gloriously and with great Majesty as well as power on the skie 27 The eternal God is thy refuge r Or thy dwelling-place Compare Psal. 91. 1. and underneath s i. e. Under thy arms to hold thee up as my hands were once held up by Aaron and Hur. He will support and defend thee Or the meaning is Though he dwelleth on high yet he comes down to the earth beneath to assist and deliver thee are the everlasting arms and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee and shall say Destroy them t i. e. Shall give thee not onely command and commission but also power to destroy them for Gods saying is doing his word comes with power 28 * Jer. 23. 6. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone u Either 1. Though they be alone and have no confederates to defend them but have all the world against them yet my single protection shall be sufficient for them Or 2. Distinct and separated from all other nations with whom I will not have them to mingle themselves See Num. 23. 9. Ezra 9. 1 2. the fountain of Jacob x i. e. The posterity of Iacob which flowed from him as waters from a Fountain in great abundance Compare Psal. 68. 26. Isa. 48. 1. The fountain is here put for the River or Streams which flow from it as Psal. 104. 10. as the Root is put for the branch 2 Chron. 22. 10. Isa. 11. 10. Revel 5. 5. and as Iacob or Israel who is the fountain is oft put for the children of Israel Or the eye for so the Hebrew word oft signifies of Iacob i. e. of the people of Israel and so the sense is They who now onely hear of the Land of promise shall shortly see it which I am not suffered to do and shall enjoy it which is oft signified by seeing as Psal. 4. 6. and 27. 13. and 34. 13. Eccles. 2. 1. and 3. 13. shall be upon a land of corn and wine also his heavens y i. e. Those Heavens or that Air which hangs over his Land shall drop down dew 29 Happy art thou O Israel who is like unto thee O people saved by the LORD the shield of thy help and who is the sword of thy excellency and thine enemies ‖ Or shall be subdued shall be found liars unto thee ‖ i. e. Shall be deceived as to all their vain hopes and confidences of destroying thee or saving themselves whether grounded upon their own numbers and valour and strong holds or upon old Prophesies and predictions of success or upon their Idols Or shall lie unto thee i. e. shall submit themselves to thee though it be done but feignedly and by constraint as this phrase is used Psal. 18. 44. 66. 3. 81. 15. Possibly this may design the lies and frauds which the Gibeonites would use to deceive them Ios. 9. 4. and thou shalt tread upon their high places †i. e. Thou shalt subdue their greatest princes and their strongest holds Deut. 32. 13. and their idols Temples and Worship z The giver and preserver of all that excellency that glory safety and happiness which thou hast above all other people which thou doest not obtain either by or for thy own wisdom or strength or goodness Or Thy most excellent sword i. e. Thy strength and the authour of all thy past or approaching victories CHAP. XXXIV 1 AND Moses went up a In compliance with Gods will that he should then and there resign up his soul to God from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo b Of which see Num. 27. 12. and 32. 38. Deut. 32. 49. to the top of ‖ Or the hill Pisgah that is over against Jericho and the LORD shewed him * chap. 3. 27. all the land of Gilead c Whereof Moses had as yet seen and enjoyed but a small part Of this Land see Gen. 31. 21. Numb 32. 1 19 c. unto Dan d To that City which after Moses his death was called Dan Ios. 19. 47. Iudg. 18. 29 So that here is an anticipation But it seems most probable and is commonly believed that this chapter was not written by Moses but by Eleazar or Ioshua or Ezra or some other man of God directed herein by the Holy Ghost this being no more impeachment to the divine authority of this chapter that the penman is unknown which also is the lot of some other Books of Scripture than it is to the authority of the Acts of the King or Parliament that they are Written or Printed by some unknown person 2 And all Naphtali e i. e. The land of Naphtali which together with Dan was in the North of Canaan as Ephraim and Manasseh were in the midland parts and Iudah on the South and the Sea on the west So these parts lying in the several quarters are put
for all the rest He stood in the East and saw also Gilead which was in the Eastern part of the land and thence he saw the North and South and west and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh and all the land of Judah unto the utmost sea f i. e. The midland Sea which was the utmost bound of the land of promise on the west 3 And the south g i. e. The south quarter of the land of Iudah which is towards the salt sea which is described Num. 34. 3 4 5. Ios. 15. 1 2 3 4. as the western quarter of Iudah was described in the words next foregoing and the plain of the valley of Jericho h Or in which lies Iericho which was in the Tribe of Benjamin the city of palm-trees i i. e. Iericho so called both here and Iudg. 1. 16. and 3. 13. 2 Chron. 28. 15. from the multitude of Palm-trees which were in those parts as Iosephus and Straâ—… write From whence and the balm there growing it was called Iericho which signifies odoriserous or sweet smelling unto Zoar. 4 And the LORD said unto him * Gen. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 13. 1â—… This is the land which I sware unto Abraham unto Isaac and unto Jacob saying I will give it unto thy seed I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes k To wit by a miraculous power strengthning thy sight or making a clear representation of all these parts to thy view but thou shalt not go over thither 5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab l i. e. In the land which Israel took from the Amorites which antiently was the land of Moab according to the word of the LORD 6 And he m i. e. The Lord last mentioned buried him either immediately or by the ministery of Angels whereof Michael was the Chief or Prince Iude ver 9. buryed him in a valley in the land of Moab over-against Beth-Peor but no man knoweth of his sepulchre n i. e Of the particular place of the Valley where he was buried which God hid from the Israelites to prevent their Superstition and Idolatry to which he knew their great proneness And for this very reason the Devil endeavoured to have it known and contended with Michael about it Iude ver 9. And seeing God would not endure the worship of the Relicks or Tomb of so eminent a person as Moses was it is ridiculous to think God would permit this honour to be given to any of the succeeding Saints who were so far inferiour to him unto this day 7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died his eye was not diâ—… nor his †Heb. 〈◊〉 natural force †Heb. 〈◊〉 abated o By a miraculous work of God in mercy to his Church and people 8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty dayes p Which was the usual time of mourning for persons of high place and eminency See Gen. 50. 3 10. Num. 20. 29. For others seven days sufficed so the dayes of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended 9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom q And other gifts and graces too as appears from the History but Wisdom is mentioned as being most necessary for the Government to which he was now called for Moses had laid his hands upon him r Which God had appointed as a sign to Moses and Ioshua and the Israelites that this was the person whom he had appointed and qualified for his great work See Numb 27. 18 c. compare Gen. 48. 10. Numb 8. 10. and the children of Israel hearkned unto him and did as the LORD commanded Moses 10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses s In the priviledges here following whom the LORD knew face to face t i. e. Whom God did so freely and familiarly and frequently converse with See on Exod. 33. 11. Numb 12. 8. Deut. 5. 4. 11 In all the signs u This is to be joyned either 1. with the words immediately foregoing as an eminent instance wherein God did know or acknowledge and own or converse so familiarly with Moses namely in the working of all his signs and wonders in Egypt where God spake to him so oft and sometimes even in Pharaohs presence and answered his requests so particularly and punctually whether he called for vengeance or for deliverance Or 2. With the more remote words there was none like unto Moses in regard of all the signs c. the words whom the Lord knew face to face coming in by way of parenthesis and the wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land 12 And in all that mighty hand and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel JOSHUA The ARGUMENT IT is not material to know who was the Pen-man of this Book whether Joshua as seems most probable from Chap. 24. 26. or some other holy Prophet It is sufficient that this Book was a part of the Holy Scriptures or Oracles of God committed to and carefully kept by the Jews and by them faithfully delivered to us as appears by the concurring Testimony of Christ and his Apostles who owned and approved of the same Holy Scriptures which the Church of the Jews did But this is certain that divers Passages in this Book were put into it after Joshua's death as Josh. 10. 13. compared with 2 Sam. 1. 18. and Josh. 19. 47. compared with Judg. 18. 1. and Josh. 24. 29 30. And such like Insertions have been observed in the five Books of Moses CHAP. I. NOW after the death of Moses a Either immediately after it or when the days of mourning for Moses were expired Ioshua was appointed and declared Moses his Successor in the Government before this time and therefore doubtless entred upon the Government instantly after his death and here he receives confirmation from God therein the servant of the LORD b This title is given to Moses here and v. 2. as also Deut. 34. 5. and is oft repeated not without cause partly to reflect Honour upon him partly to give Authority to his Laws and Writings in publishing whereof he only acted as Gods Servant in his name and stead and partly that the Israelites might not think of Moses above what was meet remembring that he was not the Lord himself but only the Lords Servant and therefore not to be worshipped nor yet to be too pertinaceously followed in all his Institutions when the Lord himself should come and abolish part of the Mosaical Dispensation it being but reasonable that he who was only a Servant in Gods house should give place to him who was the Son and Heir and Lord of it as Christ was See Heb. 3. 3 5
had compassion on them and had respect unto them because of his covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and would not destroy them neither cast he them from his ‡ Heb. 〈◊〉 presence f i. e. From the Land of Canaan to which the presence and publick and solemn Worship of God was confined as yet 24 So Hazael king of Syria died and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his stead 25 And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz ‡ Heb. 〈◊〉 ed and â—…ook took again out of the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war three times did Joash beat him g According to the Prediction above v. 19. and recovered the cities of Israel CHAP. XIV IN the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel a i. e. After he began to Reign alone for he Reigned two or three Years with his Farther Oâ—… which see on chap. 13. 10. reigned * 2 Câ—… 〈◊〉 Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah 2 He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign and reigned twenty and nine years b To wit 14 Years with Ioash King of Israel who Reigned onely 16 Years chap. 13. 10. and 15 Years after the death of Ioash or with Ieroboam the Son of Ioash as is affirmed here ver 17. and 2 Chron. 25. 25. in Jerusalem and his mothers name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem 3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD c That which was in some sort agreeable to Gods Will. yet not like David his father d Not sincerely 2 Chron. 25. 2. he did according to all things as Joash his father did e i. e. For a time served God aright but afterwards fell to Idolatry 1 Chron. 25. 14. as Ioash had done 2 King 12. 3. 4 Howbeit f Though he did right c. for this Particle is to be joyned with those words the rest being to be closed with a Parenthesis the high places were not taken away as yet the people did sacrifice and burnt incense on the high places 5 ¶ And it came to pass assoon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand that he slew his servants * Chap. 12 〈◊〉 which had slain the king his father Whereby it is implied that his Fathers Murderers had powerful Friends and Abetrors and that their Fact was in some sort approved by the generality of the People to whom Ioash had made himself hateful by his Apostacy to Idolatry and by his ingratitude to the House of Iehoiada 6 But the children of the murderer he slew not g Wherein he shewed some Faith and Courage that he would obey this Command of God though it was very hazardous to himself such persons being likely to seek revenge for their Fathers death according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses wherein the LORD commanded saying * Deut. 24. 〈◊〉 Ezek. 18 〈◊〉 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children nor the children be put to death for the fathers but every man shall be put to death for his own sin 7 He slew of Edom h i. e. Of the Edomites or the children of Seir as they are called 2 Chron. 25. â—… 1. either because they dwelt in Seir See Gen. 36. 8. or because these people were confederates And he invaded these People because they were Subjects to his Kingdom from which they had revolted in Ioram's days 2 King 8. 20. in the valley of salt i Which was the Land of Edom Of which see 2 Sam. 8. 13. Psal. 60. 2. ten thousand and took ‖ Selah k Or the rock the chief City of that part of Arabia called by other Authors Petra which signifies a rock because it was built upon a Rock â—… Chron. 25. 12 by war and called the Or the rock name of it Joktheel l Which signifies the obedience of God i. e. given him by God as a reward of his Obeidence to Gods Message by the Prophet 2 Chron. 25. 8 9. unto this day 8 ¶ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu king of Israel saying Come let us look one another in the face m Let us fight personally and with our Armies This challenge he sent partly upon the late and great inâ—…uries done by the Israelites to his people 2 Chron. 25. 10 13. and partly from self-confidence and a desire of advancing his Glory and Empire by his Arms. 9 And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah saying The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon n By the thistle a low and contemptible yet troublesome Shrub he understands Amaziah and by the cedar himself whom he intimates to be far stronger than he and out of his reach saying Give thy daughter to my son to wife o Let us make a match i. e. let us fight Onely he expresseth this Bloody work in a civil manner as Amaziah had done ver 8. and as Abner did 2 Sam. 2. 14. Or let thy Kingdom and mine be United under one King as formerly they were and let us decide it by a pitched Battel whether thou or I shall be that King Or as some expound it by affirming That it was great arrogancy and presumption for him to desire a Friendly League or Affinity with him he leaves him to guess how intolerable it was that he should undertake to wage War against him and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon and trode down the thistle p And with no less ease shall my Soldiers tread down thee and thy Forces 10 Thou hast indeed smitten Edom and thine heart hath lifted thee up glory of this q Content thy self with that Glory and Success and let not thine Ambition betray thee to ruin and tarry ‡ 〈◊〉 at thy 〈◊〉 at home for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt that thou shouldest fall even thou and Judah with thee 11 But Amaziah would not hear r Because God blinded and hardned him to his destruction for his abominable and ridiculous Idolatry 2 Chron. 25. 10. therefore Jehoash king of Israel went up s To wit into the Kingdom of Iudah carrying the War into his Enemies Countrey and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh which belongeth to Judah t Which is added to distinguish it from that Bethshemesh in Issachar and another in Naphthali Ios. 19. 22 38. 12 And Judah ‡ Heb. was 〈◊〉 was put to the worse before Israel and they fled u Being unsatisfied in the ground and manner of the quarrel and discouraged by their Kings Idolatry and smitten by God with a spirit of fear every man to their tents 13 And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah
this is a Canonical Book of Scripture which is manifest both from the Stile and Matter of it and from the tacite Approbation given to it by Ezekiel and James in the places now cited and from that quotation taken from it as such 1 Cor. 3. 19. and from the unanimous consent of the Church both of Iews and Christians in all Ages 3. The time in which Job lived and these things were said and done most probably was before Moses and in the days of the ancient Patriarchs This may be gathered 1. From his long Life which by comparing Ch. 1. with 42. 16. could not want much of 200 Years whereas after Moses Mens Lives were far shorter as is manifest 2. From that considerable Knowledge of God and of the true Religion which then remained among divers Gentiles which after Moses his time was in a manner quite extinguished 3. From the Sacrifices here commonly used whereas after the giving of the Law all Sacrifices were confined to the place of the Tabernacle or Temple to which even the Gentiles were to repair when they would Sacrifice to God 4. From the way of Gods imparting of his Mind to the Gentiles at this time by Dreams and Visions agreeably to Gods Method in those ancient times whereas afterward those discoveries were withdrawn from the Gentiles and appropriated to the People of Israel 5. Because there is not the least mention in this Book of the Children of Israel neither of their grievous Afflictions in Egypt nor of their glorious Deliverance out of it though nothing could have been more seasonable or suitable to the matter which is here discoursed between Job and his Friends 4. The Pen-man of this Book is not certainly known nor is it material for us to know For it being agreed who is the principal Author it is of no moment by what Hand or Pen he wrote it But most probably it was either 1. Job himself who was most capable of giving this exact account who as in his Agony he wished that his Words and Carriage were written in a Book Ch. 19. 23 24. so possibly when he was delivered from it he satisfied his own and others desires therein Only what concerns his general Character Ch. 1. 1. and the time of his Death Ch. 42. 16 17. was added by another Hand the like small Additions being made in other Books of Scripture Or 2. Elihu which may seem to be favoured by Ch. 32. 15 16. Or 3. Moses who when he was in the Land of Midian where he had opportunity of coming to the knowledge of this History and Discourse and considering that it might be very useful for the Comfort and Direction of Gods Israel who was now oppressed in Egypt did by his own Inclination and the Direction of Gods Spirit commit it to Writing And whereas the Stile seems to be unlike to that of Moses in his other Writings that is not strange considering the differing nature of the Books this being almost all Poetical and the other meerly Historical for the most part or plain Precepts or Exhortations And for the Arabick words here used it must be remembred that Moses lived 40 Years in Midian which was a part of Arabia in which he must needs learn that Language CHAP. I. THere was a Man in the Land of Uz a Which was either in Edom called The Land of Uz Lam. 4. 21. or in some part of Arabia not far from the Chaldeans and Sabeans as this Chapter witnesseth so called probably from Uz one of Esau's Posterity Gen. 36. 28. Ier. 25. 20. whose Name was * 〈◊〉 14. 14. 〈◊〉 5. 11. Job and that man was †â—…p 2. 3. perfect b Not legally or exactly as he confesseth Ch. 9. 20. but comparatively to such as were partial in their Obedience to Gods Commands and as to his sincere Intentions hearty Affections and constant and diligent Endeavours to perform all his duties to God and Men. and upright c Heb. right exact and regular in all his dealings with Men one of an unblameable Conversation doing to others as he would have others to deal with him and one that feared God d Only truly pious and devoted to Gods Worship and Service and eschewed Evil e i. e. Carefully avoiding all sin against God or Men. 2. And there were born unto him Seven Sons and Three Daughters 3. His †Oâ—… 〈◊〉 Substance also was Seven Thousand Sheep and Three Thousand Camels f Camels in these parts were very numerous as is manifest from Iudg. 7. 12. 1 Chron. 5. 21. and from the plain testimonies of Aristotle and Pliny and very useful and Proper both for carrying of Burdens in these hot and dry Countries as being able to endure thirst much better than other Creatures and for service in War and Five Hundred Yoke of Oxen and Five Hundred She-Asses g Which were preferred before He-Asses as serving for the same uses as they did and for Breeding and Milk also But He-Asses also may be included in this Expression which is of the Feminine Gender because the greatest part of them from which the denomination is usually taken were She-Asses and a very great ‡ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Houshold so that this man was the greatest h i. e. One of the richest of all the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 men in the East i To wit that lived in those parts such general Expressions being commonly understood with such limitations 4. And his Sons went and feasted k To testifie and maintain their Brotherly Love in their houses every one his day l Not every day of the Week and of the Year which would have been burdensome and tedious to them all and gross Luxury and Epicurism which holy Iob would not have permitted but each his appointed day whether his Birth-day or the first day of the Month or any other set time it matters not and sent and called for their Three Sisters to eat and to drink with them 5. And it was so when the days of their feasting were gone about m When each of them had had his turn which peradventure came one speedily though not immediately after another And there was some considerable interval before their next feasting time that Job sent and * Neh. 12. 30. sanctified them n i. e. He exhorted and commanded them to sanctifie themselves for the following work to wit by purifying themselves from all Ceremonial and Moral Pollution as the manner then was Exod. 19. 10. and by preparing themselves by true Repentance for all their sins and particularly such as they had committed in their time of Feasting and Jollity and by fervent Prayers to make their Peace with God by Sacrifice and rose up early in the morning o Thereby shewing his ardent Zeal in Gods service and his Impatience till God was reconciled to him and to his Children and offered Burnt-Offerings according to the number of them all for
was †Heb. opened spread out * Psal. 1. 3. Jer. 17. 8. by the waters and the dew lay all night upon my branch s I was continually watred by divine favour and blessing as a tree which is constantly supplied with moisture both in its root and branches and consequently must needs be fruitful and flourishing 20. My glory was †Heb. new fresh t The reputation which I had gained by my just and virtuous Life was not decaying but growing and every day augmented with the accession of new honours in me u Heb. with me and my * Gen. â—…9 24. bow x i. e. My strength which is signified by a Bow Gen. 49. 24. 1 Sam. 2. 4. because in ancient times the Bow and Arrows were principal instruments of War was †Heb. hanged Isa. 40. 31. renewed y Heb changed itself i. e. grew as it were a new Bow when other Bows by much use grow weak and useless Oâ—… changed its strength which word may be here understood as it is expressed Isa. 40. 31. i. e. hath got new strength in my hand 21. Unto me men gave ear and waited and kept silence at my counsel z Expecting till I spoke and silently listening to my Counsel which they were confident would be like the Oracle of God wise and just and good and preferring it before their own Judgment 22. After my words they spake not again a Either to consute them as false or to add to them as lame and imperfect and my speech dropped upon them b To wit as the rain as the next Verse explains it which when it comes down gently and droppingly upon the earth is most acceptable and beneficial to it not so when it comes in great and violent showers 23. And they waited for me as for the rain c As the Earth or the Husbandman waiteth for the rain to wit the former rain of which see Deut. 11. 14. because the latter rain is here opposed to it See Iam. 5. 7. and they opened their mouth d To receive my words and therewith to satisfie their thirst as the dry and parched Earth gapes or opens its mouth to receive the Rain for me as for the latter rain 24. If I laughed on them e Or sported or jested with them i. e. carried my self familiarly and pleasantly with them they believed it not f It was so acceptable to them to see me well-pleased with them that they could scarce believe their Eyes and Ears that it was so Compare Gen. 45. 26. Psalm 126. 1. and the light of my countenance they cast not down g My familiarity did not breed contempt or presumption in them to say or do any thing that might grieve me or make my countenance to fall as it doth in case of shame or sorrow Gen. 4. 5. They were very cautious not to abuse my smiles nor to give me any occasion to change my Countenance or carriage towards them 25. I chose out their way f They sought to me for my advice in all doubtful and difficult Cases and I chalked out their Path and directed them what methods they should take to accomplish their desires and sat g As a Prince or Judge whilest they stood waiting for my counsel chief h Or Head as their Head or Ruler and my mind and word was as a Law or Oracle to them and dwelt as a king in the army i Whose presence puts life and courage and joy into the whole Army And no less acceptable was my presence to them as one that comforteth the mourners k As I was able and ready to comfort any afflicted or sorrowful persons so my Consolations were always grateful and welcom to them Or when he to wit the King comforteth the mourners i. e. his Army when they are under some great Consternation or Dejection by reason of some great loss or danger but are revived by the presence and speech of a wise and valiant King or General CHAP. XXX 1. BUT now a My Condition is sadly changed for the worse they that are †Heb. Of fewer days than I. younger than I b Whom both universal custom and the light of Nature taught to reverence their Elders and betters have me in derision c Make me the Object of their contempt and scoffs Thus my glory is turned into shame whose fathers I would have disdained d Or rather I might have disdained i. e. Whose condition was so mean and vile that in the opinion and according to the custom of the World they were unworthy of such an employment to have set with the dogs of my flock e To be my Shepherds and the Companions of my Dogs which watch my Flocks Dogs are every where mentioned with contempt as filthy unprofitable and accursed Creatures as 2 Sam. 16. 9. 2 Kings 8. 13. Phil. 3. 2. Revâ—… 22. 15. 2. Yea whereto might the strength of their hands profit me f Nor was it strange that I did or would or might refuse to take them into any of my meanest services because they were utterly impotent and therefore unserviceable in whom old age was perished g Or bost either 1. because they never attain to it but are consumed by their lusts or cut off for their wickedness by the just hand of God or men in the midst of their days Or 2. because they had so wasted their strength and spirits by their evil courses that when they came to old age they were feeble and decrepit and useless for any labour Or 3. because they had not that prudence and experience which is proper and usual in that age by which they might have been useful if not for work yet to oversee and direct others in their work But the words may be thus rendred In whom vigorous age was perished i. e. who were grown impotent for service For the word here rendred old age is used only here and Iob 5. 26. where also it may be so rendred Thou shalt come to thy grave in a vigorous or mature age having the vigour of youth even in thine old age and until thy death as Moses had And if this word do signifie old age yet it signifies not every but only a flourishing and vigorous old age as the Hebrews note and the word may seem to imply Whence the seventy Interpreters also render it perfection to wit of age and of the endowments belonging to age 3. For want and famine h Brought upon them either by their own sloth or wickedness or by God's just judgment Heb. In want and famine which aggravates their following solitude Although want commonly drives persons to places of resort and company for relief yet they were so conscious of their own guilt and contemptibleness and hatefulness to all persons that they shunned all company and for fear or shame fled into and lived in desolate places
my heart loose to covet and seek after forbidden things which mine eyes have seen which may design either 1. the lust of uncleanness But of that he had spoken v. 1. and reneweth the discourse v. 9. Or rather 2. the lust of Covetousness which is called the lust of the eyes 1 John 2. 16. partly because it is oft caused by sight as Ios. 7. 21. and partly because oft-times all the satisfaction it gives is to please the sight Eccles. 5. 11. And this sin is most legible in the following punishment v. 8. where his loss answers to this evil gain The Phrase notes the common method and progress of sin which is to enter by the eye to the heart Gen. 3. 6. Num. 15. 39. Eccles. 2. 10. 11. 9. and if any blot r Or blemish to wit any unjust gain If I have in my hands or possession any Goods gotten from others by fraud or violence which would be a great scandal and a blot to my reputation hath cleaved to mine hands 8. Then let me sow and let another eat s Let strangers enjoy the fruit of my labours according to God's Curse Levit 26. 16. Deut. 28. 30. yea let my off-spring t As this word is used Iob 5. 25. 27. 14. Or rather my encrease or growths or sprowts i. e. all my Plants and Fruits and improvements For 1. so the word properly signifies 2 So this latter Branch of the Verse explains the former as is most frequent in this and some other Books of Scripture 3. He had not now any Children to be rooted out be rooted out 9. If mine heart have been deceived by a woman u To wit by a strange Woman or rather by my Neighbours Wife as the next words limit it for of a Maid he spoke before v. 1. and this cannot be meant of his own Wife He saith by a woman i. e. either by gazing upon her Beauty so as to be enamoured with it and to lust after her or by her perswasions or allurements Or concerning a woman i. e. concerning impure conversation with a forbidden woman The Phrase is very emphatical taking from himself and others the vain excuses wherewith men use to palliate their sins by pretending that they did not design the wickedness but were meerly drawn in and seduced by the strong inticements and provocations of others All which Iob supposeth and yet nevertheless owns the great guilt of such practises even in that case as well knowing that temptation to sin is no justification of it or if I have laid weight at my neighbours door x Watching for a fit opportunity to defile his Wife Compare Prov. 7 8 9. 10. Then let my wife grind unto another y Either 1. let her be taken captive and made a slave to grind in other mens Mills which was a sore and vile servitude Exod. 11. 5. Iudg. 16. 21. Isa. 47. 2. Mat. 24. 41. Or rather 2. let her be defiled by another man as the next words expound it and as the Hebrews understand it and as this very Phrase is used by very ancient both Greek and Latine Authors Of which see my Latine Synopsis on this place And this is to be cautiously understood not as if Iob desired or would permit a requital in the same kind but onely that if in that case God should give up his Wife to such a wickedness he should acknowledge his justice in it and though with abhorrency of the sin accept of that punishment of it and let others bow down upon her z Another modest expression of a filthy action whereby the Holy Ghost gives us a Pattern and a Precept to avoid not only unclean actions but also all immodest expressions 11. For this a To wit Adultery whether committed by choice and design or by the sollicitation of the Woman v. 9. is an heinous crime yea it is an iniquity to be punished by the Judges b Heb an iniquity of the judges i. e. which belongs to them to take cognizance of and to punish and that with death and that not only by the â—…aw of Moses Deut. 22. 22. but even by the Law of Nature as appears from the known Laws and Customs of Heathen Nations in that case See also Gen. 38. 24. This is opposed to those secret and lesser sins which are only known to and punished by God 12. For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction c For this sin would be as a secret but consuming fire wasting my estate and Reputation and Body and Soul too provoking God and enraging the Husband and bringing down some extraordinary Vengeance upon me And therefore the fear of God kept me from this and such like wickedness and would root out all mine encrease d i. e. All my Estate Compare Prov. 6. 27. 13. If I did despise the cause of my man-servant e If I used my power over him to overthrow him or his just rights And seeing it is known that I was so just and kind to them over whom I had such unlimited power it is not probable that I should be guilty of such cruelty to others as you impute to me or of my maid-servant when they contended with me f Either for imposing heavier burdens than they could bear or for not providing for them those supports which their nature and necessity required or for any other plausible cause I heard them patiently and indifferently and did them right even against my self if by any mis-information or passion I had done them any Injury 14. What then shall I do when * Psal. 44 21. God riseth up g To wit to plead the Cause of the Oppressed against the Oppressor and to execute judgment as this Phrase is used Psalm 68 1. Zach. 2. 13. and elsewhere I used my Servant like one who was also my self a Servant and had a Master in Heaven Col. 4. 1. to whom I was to give an account of my carriage to my Servant and to all men and when he visiteth h i. e. When he shall call me to his Tribunal and severely examine all my actions and particularly the Cause between me and my servant what shall I answer him i What Apology shall I make for my self 15. * Chap. 34. 19. Prov. 14. 31. 22. 2. Mal. 2. 10. Did not he that made me in the womb make him k I considered that he was though my Servant yet my Fellow-creature made by the same God and therefore one of God's Subjects whom I could not abuse without the injury of his supream Lord. and ‖ Or did he not fashion us in one womb did not one fashion us in the womb l Heb. Did he not form us in one womb Not in one individual Womb but in a Womb of the same kind in an humane Womb with a Body and Soul of the same nature and quality a reasonable and immortal Creature and made after
of the Legal Sacrifices and the Substitution of a better instead of them * Isa. 50. 5. mine ears hast thou †Hbb. digged opened y Heb. bored The Sence is Either 1. Whereas many men have no Ears to hear as is implyed Revel 2. 7 11 17. or stop their Ears as Psal. 58. 4. Zech. 7. 11. thou hast given me open Ears to hear and obey thy Precepts as this Phrase is used Isa. 50. 5. although indeed there is another Verb in that Text which much alters the Case Or 2. I have wholly devoted my self to thy perpetual Service and thou hast accepted of me as such and signified so much by the boring of mine Ears according to the Law and Custom in that Case Exod. 21. 5 6. Deut. 15. 17. And whereas onely one Ear was then bored and here it is Ears this may be either an Enallage of the plural Number for the singular whereof divers instances have been given Or else it may be so expressed Emphatically to intimate that Christ was more strictly obliged to a more universal Obedience not onely Active to which the Legal Servants were bound but Passive also to be obedient even unto the Death to which they were not Obliged The LXX Jewish Interpreters whom the Apostle follows Heb. 10. â—… Translate these Words A Body hast thou prepared me Wherein though the Words differ the Sence is the same for the Ears suppose a Body to whom they belong and the preparing of a Body implies the preparing or disposing of the Ears and the Obligation of the Person for whom a Body was prepared to serve him who prepared it which the boring of the Ear signifies burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required 7. Then z When I understood and Considered thy Mind and Will therein expressed v. 6. said I a Either within my self by a firm purpose Or unto thee by way of Promise or Engagement Lo I come b He may seem to speak like a Servant answering to the Call of his Master and signifying his Readyness to obey him in which Sence it may be Accommodated to David But the Servants Answer is usually expressed in Scripture by another Phrase Here am I and never to my Remembrance in these Words Besides this Phrase in that Sence seems not to be Proper in this place but rather Lâ—… I heâ—… which best suits with the foregoing Words mine Ears hast thou opened But these Words do most Literally and â—…ruly belong to Christ and the Sence is this Seeing thou requirest a better Sacrifice than those of the Law Lo I do offer my self to Come and I will in due time Come to wit from Heaven or iâ—… the Flesh or into the World as this Phrase is more fully expressed and explained in divers places of Scripture and particularly Heb. 10. 5. where this place is explained and applied to Christ. in the Volume of the book it is †written of me c These two Words Volume and Book are indifferently used of any Writing and both Words seem here to express the same thing as may appear by Comparing Ier. 36. where we have the very same Words and what is called the Roll or Volume of a Book v. 2. 4. is called simply a Roll or Volume v. 6. 20 21. and the Book v. 10. 13. it being usual with the Hebrews to joyn two Words together in like manner of which we have an instance here above v. 2. Miry Clay Heb. Clay of Mire Now this Volume of the Book is meant Either 1 Of the Book of Predestination in which Christ was written as being fore-ordained before the Foundation of the World 1 Pet. 1. 20. But that is a secret Book not to be Read by any man Living and therefore not fitly alledged as an Evidence in this Matter Or 2. Of a Legal Instrument wherein the Contract was drawn between God and him wherein he did oblige himself to serve God and to Execute his Will in all things it being the manner of the Hebrews to write their Contracts in a little Volume or Book But 1. We Read of no such usage among the Hebrews in the Contracts between Master and Servant but onely of the boring of the Servants Ear Exod. 21. 6. So the Foundation of this allusion is destroyed 2. At least there was no such Contract written between God and him And if it be said that he onely speaks thus by way of allusion that is but a Supposition without ground And when the Words may be properly understood as they sound of a thing really done why should we forsake the plain Sence without Necessity 3. The Phrase here used doth not agree to this Sence for then he should have said I am written in the Volume of the Book i. e. In the Catalogue of thy Servants for in that Case the Persons or their Names are Constantly said to be written as Exod. 32. 32 33. Psal. 69. 28. Dan. 12. 1. Luk. 10. 20. Heb. 12. 23. Revel 13. 8. and 20. 15. and 21. 27. and not any thing to be written of them as it is here Or 3 Of the Holy Scriptures In which something indeed was written concerning David Namely that he was a man after God's own Heart 1 Sam. 13. 14. But it must be remembred that those Books were not written till after David's Death in whose time here was no other Book of Scripture exstant but the five Books of Moses unless you will except the Book of Ioh. And therefore this is meane of the Law of Moses which is commonly and Emphatically called the Book and was made â—…p in the form of a Roll or Volume as the Hebrew Books generally were See Ezâ—…k 3. 1 2. 3. Zech. 5. 1 2. Luk. 4. 17. 20. And so this place manifestly points to Christ and must necessarily be understood of him and of him onely concerning whom much is said in the Books of Moses as is Evident from Luk. 24. 27. 44. Ioh. 5. 46. Act. 3. 22. and 26. 22. and 28. 23. And this Sence being plain and Natural and unforced and exactly agreeing both with the Words and with the truth of the thing and with the Belief of all Christians I see no reason why I may not acquiesce in it 8. * Psal. 119. 16. 24. 47. 92. Rom. 7. 22 I delight to do thy will d This though in a general Sence it may be true of David and of all God's People yet if it be Compared with the â—…ing Verse and with the Explication thereof in the Neâ—… Testament in which those Mysteries which were darkly and doubtfully expressed in the Old Testement are fully and clearly revealed must be appropriated to Christ of whom it is eminently true and is here observed as an Act of Heroical obedience that he not onely resolved to do but deligâ—…ted in doing the Will of God or what God had Commanded him and he had promised to do which was to dye and that a most shameful and painful
that time when multitudes were made Christs willing people by the preaching of the Apostles as we read Acts 2. 3. 4. 5 c. And for the second clause it is to be understood thus thou hast or as it is in the Hebrew to thee is the dew of thy youth or of thy childhood for the word jeled from which this is derived signifies sometimes a young man and sometimes a child or infant By youth or childhood he here seems to understand those young men or children which shall be born to the Messias who are called his children Heb. 2. 13. and his seed Isa. 53. 10. wherein possibly there might be an allusion to this dew Thus the abstract is here put for the concrete which is very frequent in the Hebrew Tongue as Circumcision and Uncircumcision are put for the circumcised and the uncircumcised c. And even in the Latine Tongue this very word youth is oft used for a young man or for a company of young men By the dew of youth he means youth or young men like dew the note of similitude being oft understood And this progeny of Christ is compared to the dew partly because of their great multitude being like drops of dew innumerable and covering the whole face of the earth see 2 Sam. 17. 12. and partly because of the strange manner of their generation which like that of the dew is done suddenly and secretly and not perceived till it be accomplished and to the admiration of those that behold it of which see Isa. 49. 21. Or 2. joyntly as one entire sentence The dew of thy youth i. e. Thy posterity which is like the dew as was noted and explained before is as the dew which may very well be understood out of the foregoing clause as the word feet is understood in like manner Psal. 18. 33. He maketh my feet like hinds feet of or from the womb of the morning it is like the morning dew as it is called both in Scripture as Hos. 6. 4. and in other Authors Not is it strange that a womb is ascribed to the morning seeing we read of the womb of the Sea and of the womb of the â—…oe and frost Job 38. 8 28 29. 4 The LORD hath sworn t Which he did not in the Aaronical Priesthood Heb. 7. 21. but did it here partly because the thing was new and strange and might seem incredible because God had already erected another and that an everlasting Priesthood Numb 25. 13. and given it to Aaron and his posterity for ever and therefore this needed all possible assurance and partly that this Priesthood might be established upon better promises as is said Heb. 8. 6. and made sure and irrevocable and such that God neither could nor would repent of it as it follows and therefore will not repent * Heb. 5. 6. 7. 17 21. Thou art u To wit by my order and constitution thou shalt be so and I do hereby make thee so a priest x As well as a King Those Offices which were divided before between two families are both united and invested in thee both being absolutely necessary for the discharge of thine Office and for the establishment of thy Kingdom which is of another kind than the Kingdoms of the World spiritual and heavenly and therefore needs such a King as is also a Minister of holy things This word plainly discovers that this Psalm cannot be understood of David as some of the Jews would have it but onely of the Messias And although this word Cohen be sometimes used of a Prince or great Person in the State as the Jews object yet it cannot be so understood here partly because it signifies a Priest in Gen. 14. 18. from whence this expression is borrowed partly because that word is never used of a Soveraign Prince or King such as the Jews confess the Messias to be but onely of inferiour Princes or Ministers of State as Gen. 41. 45. 2 Sam. 8. ult partly because such an inconsiderable assertion would never have been ushered in by so solemn an oath especially after far greater things had been said of him in the same kind v. 1 2 3. and partly because the Messias is called a Priest Zach. 6. 13. compare Ier. 20. 21. 35. 15 18. for ever y Not to be interrupted or translated to another person as the Priesthood of Aaron was upon the death of the Priest but to be continued to thee for ever after the order of Melchizedek z Or after the manner c. so as he was a Priest and also a King and both without any successor and without end in the sence intended Heb. 7. 3. 5 The Lord a Either 1. God the Father whose words and oath he last mentioned v. 4. So this is an Apostrophe of the Psalmist to Christ Thy God and Father is at thy right hand to wit to defend and assist thee as that phrase is used Psal. 16. 8. 109. 31. and elsewhere See the Notes on v. 1. And he to wit God the Father shall strike c. as it follows Although this latter clause may belong to the Messias and as in the former he spake to him so in this he speaketh of him such changes of persons being very frequent in this Book Or 2. God the Son or the Lord who is at thy right hand as was said before v. 1. shall strike c. So this is an Apostrophe to God the Father concerning his Son This seems best to agree with the following verses for it is evident that it is the same person who strikes thorow Kings and judgeth among the heathen and filleth c. And so this whole verse and those which follow speak of one person which seems most probable at thy right hand shall strike thorow kings b Shall mortally wound and destroy all those Kings and Potentates who are obstinate enemies to him and to his Church in the day of his wrath c In the day of battel when he shall contend with them and pour forth the flouds of his wrath upon them 6 He shall judge d Either 1. conquer and govern them or rather 2. condemn and punish them as it is explained in the following clauses and as this word is used Gen. 15. 14. Rom. 2. 1 2. 1 Pet. 4. 6. and elsewhere among the heathen he shall fill the places d Or the place of battel which is necessarily supposed in the fight and therefore may very well be understood with the dead bodies e Of his enemies slain by his hand and lying in the field in great numbers and heaps and that unburied to their greater infamy he shall wound the heads f Heb. the head Which may be understood either 1. of some one person and eminent adversary of Christ and of his Kingdom either the Devil by comparing this with Gen. 3. 15. Heb. 2. 14. who was indeed the Head or