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A56632
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A commentary upon the fourth Book of Moses, called Numbers by ... Symon, Lord Bishop of Ely.
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Patrick, Simon, 1626-1707.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing P774; ESTC R2078
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399,193
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690
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observes in the place before-mentioned Who in the next Chapter cap. XIII gives an example drawn up by Maimonides of such a Succession out of the holy Scriptures Amram had two Sons Aaron and Moses as we read VI Exod. 20. If they had both died without Issue Miriam their Sister had inherited And if she had died in like manner the Inheritance of the Family would have reverted to Kohath the Father of Amram Or he being dead to his three Sons the Brethren of Amram viz. Izhar Hebron and Vzziel as the Heirs of Kohath And there would have been no consideration of Primogeniture both because none of them was the First-born and because the Inheritance was not in the Possession of their Father at the time of his Death c. And it shall be unto the Children of Israel a Statute of judgment c. A Law whereby to determine such Matters in future times and to be observed inviolably So that no Father should have power to make any other Settlement but if either by Word or Writing he declared his will to be that his Son should not inherit his Act was null and void As the Jewish Lawyers resolve from these very words a Statute or Decree of Judgment i. e. as I said a Rule whereby to Judge of Succession into Inheritances If therefore a Man made a Will wherein he declared his Daughter or Brethren c. should not inherit in case he had no Son it was void because contrary to this Law See Selden de Successionibus cap. 24. Ver. 12. And the LORD said unto Moses get thee up into this Mountain Abarim Either these words were spoken after all that follows here and in the Verse 12 Book of Deuteronomy or they were repeated again when he had repeated his Laws and inforced them by many excellent Discourses and taught them that famous Song XXXII Deut. where in the conclusion of it v. 49. it is said that very day he bad him go up this Mount Abarim And there we learn also that Abarim was a long Tract of Mountains one of which was called Nebo and the very top of it called Pisgah See XXXIV Deut. 1. And see the Land which I have given to the Children of Israel Take a full view of it as he did from that high neighbouring Mountain III Deut. 17. XXXIV 1 2 3 4. Verse 13 Ver. 13. And when thou hast seen it thou also shalt be gathered unto thy People as Aaron thy Brother was gathered Upon Mount Hor as we read in this Book XX. 23 24. Verse 14 Ver. 14. For ye rebelled against my Commandment in the Desert of Zin c. See Chap. XX. 1 12 24. where all this verse is explained Verse 15 Ver. 15. And Moses spake unto the LORD saying He did not speak those words which follow immediately after God bad him go up Mount Abarim and die but first desired he might be permitted to go over Jordan c. III Deut. 24 25 26. Unless we can think that he made the Prayer there mentioned as soon as the Sentence was passed upon him at the Waters of Meribah which doth not seem so likely Verse 16 Ver. 16. Let the LORD the God of the Spirits of all Flesh c. As soon as he found that God was resolved he should not conduct the People into Canaan he was concerned for nothing but for a fitting Person to take that Charge upon him For he had a most generous publick Spirit wholly intent upon the good of this People The God of the Spirits of all Flesh Who hast not only made the Souls of all Men but knowest their Dispositions See XVI 22. and understandest who are fit for this weighty Employment Set a Man over the Congregation To be chief Ruler and Governour of the People in my place Ver. 17. Which may go out before them and which Verse 17 may come in Before them and which may lead them out and which may bring them in If the latter part of these words be not a mere repetition of the former as is usual then the one relates to their Conduct in War and the other to the management of all their Civil Affairs And both of them seem to be a Metaphor from Shepherds watching over their Flocks That the Congregation of the LORD be not as Sheep which have no Shepherd Having none to govern and take care of them This is a description of the most miserable condition a People can be in and became a Proverb among the Hebrews 1 Kings 22.17 X Zachariah 2. XIII 7. IX Matth. 36. Ver. 18. And the LORD said unto Moses take thee Verse 18 Joshua the Son of Nun. Who had been a long time Servant unto Moses and attended upon his Person XXIV Exod. 13. well known to Moses and perfectly acquainted with his administration A Man in whom is the Spirit Of Courage and Prudence and the fear of God with all other Gifts necessary in an excellent Governour Among which Onkelos reckons the Spirit of Prophecy which is not unlikely And lay thine hand upon him Which was a Ceremony usual in Blessing XLVIII Gen. 14 c. and in setting Men apart and Consecrating them to an Office VIII 10. Upon which followed a more abundant measure of the Spirit as appears from XXXIV Deut. 9. Verse 19 Ver. 19. And set him before Eleazar the Priest and before all the Congregation Being all assembled for this purpose that all might acknowledge him for the designed Successor of Moses and be Witnesses of all that Moses commanded him And give him a charge in their sight He told him before them all what God expected from him and bad him not be afraid to execute it See XXXI Deut. 7 8. Where he sets down the words of this Charge unto which God presently after added one of his own v. 14 15 23. Verse 20 Ver. 20. And thou shalt put some of thy honour upon him Communicate some of thy Authority to him at present and not let him be any longer as thy Minister but as an associate in the Government The word we translate honour being glory in the Hebrew it made Onkelos and other Hebrew Doctors imagine these words have respect to that Splendor which shone in Moses his Face after he came down from the Mount Some of which they suppose was imparted unto Joshua to make him appear more venerable in the Eyes of the People And R. Menachem observes that it is not said impart thy glory but of thy glory to him From whence came that ancient saying the Face of Moses shone like the Sun but Joshua's only like the Moon This might have passed for Truth or at least that hereby was meant some great increase of illustrious Gifts of Mind which procured him such reverence as Moses had if it had been said that God put some of Moses his glory upon him whereas Moses is commanded to do it which makes the first sence most reasonable That all the Congregation of Israel may be obedient
Brook Zered as it is in II Deut. 13 14. And then to the River Arnon v. 13. and thence to Beer where they digged a famous Well XXI 16 17 18. which perhaps they might have done before in other places if they had made Experiment for Kadesh where they now were was in the Border of a Country inhabited And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron Just as their Fathers had many times done particularly upon such an occasion as this XVII Exod. 2 3. Ver. 3. And the People chode with Moses Instead Verse 3 of condoling with him and comforting him for the Death of his Sister and their Prophetess as Abarbinel observes they came in a rude manner to scold at him And spake saying Would God that we had died when our Brethren died before the LORD By a sudden Death rather than linger away by Thirst They allude to the strokes of God upon their Brethren XI 1 33. XIV 37. XVI 32 35 46. Which one would have thought should have affrighted them from uttering such very discontented Language XIX 2. But nothing will alter those who will not lay to heart and preserve in mind God's Mercies and Judgments Verse 4 Ver. 4. And why have ye brought the Congregation of the LORD into this Wildernoss that we and our Cattle should die there The very words of their Fathers presently after they came out of Egypt XVII Exod 3. Verse 5 Ver. 5. And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt They speak as if it had not been their own desire but that they were perswaded to it by Moses to leave Egypt who was sent to tell them God heard their sighing groans and crys and would deliver them II Exod. 23 24. III. 17. But in a discontented fit nothing of this was remembred To bring us unto this evil place They do not speak of returning to Egypt as their Fathers did XIV 3 4. but they repented that they were come out of it So shamefully forgetful they were of all God's benefits who had in a wonderful manner redeemed them from the heaviest Slavery and hitherto provided for them miraculously in the Wilderness which was a better place than such an ungrateful People deserved It is no place of Seed i. e. of Corn. Or of Figs or of Vines or Pomegranates c. Now they complain for want of other things as well as Water wherein they still imitate their unbelieving Fathers XVI 14. Ver. 6. And Moses and Aaron went from the presence Verse 6 of the Assembly unto the Door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation To pray to God to pardon their Sin and to supply their Wants And they fell upon their Faces As they had often done before on other such like occasions particularly XIV 5. And the Glory of the LORD appeared unto them Unto all the People it is likely as it had done several times to silence their Murmurings See XIV 10. XVI 19 42. Ver. 7. And the LORD spake unto Moses From Verse 7 that Glory which appeared upon the Tabernacle Ver. 8. Take the Rod. That famous Rod wherewith Moses had wrought so many Miracles in Egypt and at the Red Sea c. And gather thou the Assembly together This word Edah signifying sometimes only the Assembly of the Elders not of the whole People it would be uncertain which of them he is bid to gather together for it is a different word from that which we translate Assembly v. 6. if the tenth verse had not determined that it was the Kahal or Congregation of the People as the word Edah also signifies just before v. 8. Thou and Aaron thy Brother For the People were gathered together against Aaron in a mutinous manner as well as against Moses v. 2. And speak ye unto the Rock before their eyes To the first Rock you meet withal saith Nachmanides and that is within their sight For this is not the same Verse 9 Rock out of which the former Water flowed as the Jews fancy but quite different Their very Names are different that being called Tzur this Selah That was in Rephidim this is Kadesh two very distant places Thus Chaskuni some think this the same with that in Exodus but it is not the same History For the former was in Horeb this in Kadesh which is in the Extremity of the Land of Edom. But whether God pointed him to a Rock which was then in their sight as he did at Horeb XVII Exod. 5 6. or left him to chuse any stony place is not certain But it is a mere fancy of some of the Jews that because God here bad them speak to the Rock Moses offended God in smiting it For to what purpose should he take the Rod if he was not to smite the Rock with it as he had done formerly Just such another conceit there is in Schalschelet Hakkabala where R. Gedaliah saith That he had given an account of this Sin in another Book which he gathered out of various Writers and found there were XXVIII different Opinions about it But he preferred this before any of them that whereas God bad Moses gather the Edah together that is the Assembly of the People v. 8. he gathered the Kahal i. e. the Congregation of the Princes and Elders as he will have it whose Faith needed no Confirmation See Hottinger in his Smegma Orientale cap. 8. p. 451. And it shall give forth his Water The Jews puzzle themselves about this Expression which sounds they think as if the Water was contained in the Rock and Moses only made a Gap for it to gush out But it seems to be spoken in opposition to the Waters issuing out of the former Rock which had supplyed them hitherto but now ceased to flow It being as much as if he had said This shall give forth Water as that did before now it shall be called the Water of this Rock not that of Horeb. And thou shalt bring forth to them Water out of the Rock Renew the former Miracle So thou shalt give the Congregation and their Beasts drink So that they and their Cattle which they fear will perish v. 4. shall be as plentifully provided for as ever Ver. 9. And Moses took the Rod from before the Verse 9 LORD as he commanded him From hence some conclude that this was the Rod of Aaron which blossomed because he is said to take it from before the LORD where Aaron's Rod was laid up XVII 10. But this Rod is so expresly called Moses his Rod V. 11. which was the Instrument of bringing the former Water out of the Rock in Horeb that I cannot but think this was the very same Rod. Which being there called the Rod of God XVII Exod. 9. as it is at the first mention of it IV Exod. 20. it is very probable that by God's order it was laid up somewhere before him in the Sanctuary though not before the Ark of the Testimony For having been imployed in doing