on so sad an occasion The Sons of Jacob when they heard of it were greatly vexed and very wroth that Shechem had committed so great folly and iniquity and thereby offended God and brought such a stain and blot on their Family Notwithstanding Hamor the Father of Shechem who should have express'd his high Displeasure against his Son for so great a Transgression comes to Jacob and his Sons and Communes with them and Requests them That Dinah might be given to his Son to Wife And further desires That they might freely make Marriages interchangeably between them and so grow into a Kindred and Friendship the one with the other He further tells them on these Conditions the Land should be free for them to dwell in and to Trade in and therein to get Possessions Shechem also seconded his Fathers motion and told them If he might find so much favour in their eyes as to obtain their Sister for his Wife he would do any thing they should desire of him Whatever Dowry they required he should give Her or whatever Gift in recompence of the Injury he had done her he was willing to give her provided he might have her Jacob permitting his Sons to give the Answer they having laid their Heads together and being not only averse to the Match but designing Revenge answered cunningly and deceitfully and which was worse they covered their deceit with the colour of Religion They tell Hamor and Shechem That they could not without dishonour to their Religion give their Sister to a Person Vncircumcised But if they would consent that all the Males among them should be Circumcised and so become like unto them then they would make Marriages with them (t) Similis praetextus 2 Sam. 15.7 Judah enim Simeon Canaanitidas postea duxere c. 38. 2. 46. 10. and dwell with them and they would become one People l Thus they would have this holy Sacrament of Circumcision the Seal of Gods Covenant profaned and obtruded upon Vnbelievers and all to accomplish their wicked design of Revenge But if they would not consent to this they would take the Daughter of their Family and depart from them and would have no more to do with them These hard Conditions Hamor and Shechem agree unto and Shechem out of the great love and kindness he had for Dinah immediately applies himself to get his Peoples consent also And being a young Prince greatly esteemed and honoured among them He with his Father came to the Gate of their City where their Civil Affairs were usually transacted and where were their Publick Assemblies and Courts of Justice and there spake to them after this manner These Israelites that are lately come among us are for ought I perceive very peaceable and quiet Men. I see no reason therefore but that they should be permitted to dwell in the Land and to trade with us Nay I think it for our Interest to make a straight League with them and to make Marriages interchangeably with them taking their Daughters to us for Wives and giving our Daughters to them And so by Commerce and Trafficking with them and by making Marriages with them in time their Cattel and Substance will come to be our So that there is a fair Prospect of great profit that will accrue to us by thus associating with them But there is one Difficulty in the Case These men being Jews and so by the Rite of their Religion being all Circumcis'd will by no means associate with us except we Consent to be like them and that all the Males among us will be Circumcised This I confess is something hard for us to submit unto However go alone consider of the matter among your selves and speak your minds freely This Condition undoubtedly could not but seem very hard to the Shechemites but the honour and respect they had for Hamor and Shechem and the Prospect of Profit that was before them so prevail'd upon them that they consented to it and accordingly all the Males of their City that us'd to go in and out at the Gates of it were forthwith Circumcised On the third day after this was done when usually Wounds are most sore and painful two of the Sons of Jacob viz. Simeon and Levi to whom Dinah was Sister both by Father and Mother taking their Swords in their hands (m) Simeon about 21 Levi about 20 years of age Hinc palam est â—eam Jacobo Nuptam anno primo quo venerat ad Labanam non septimo Neque enim Simeon si tunc natus esset id atatis esse poterat ut hoc patraret Anonym in loc and being attending as 't is like by some of their Brethren and other Assistants fell boldly and fiercely upon the City and slew all the Males (n) Non omnes Masculi aut Circumcisi aut intersecti erant sed ii tantum qâ—i per portam egrediebantur ac nubiles erant Walther God might justly suffer this for the Shechemites own sins though he took occasion to do it from the sin of their Prince See 2 Sam. 24.1 15 17. Quod unus fecit Civibus in genere imputatur quod hoc flagitium nec impedirent nec punirent sed de eo potius gloriati sunt viz. that were of riper years and lately Circumcised and who by reason of their Soreness were not able to make Resistance and among them Hamor and Shechem and took away their Sister Dinah out of Shechem's House where she had been kept since the day he had seiz'd upon her till now Then they plundered the City and carried away not only their Goods and Houshold-stuff but what was in the Fields their Sheep Oxen and Asses and took also their Wives and little Ones Captive (o) 'T is very like that many of the Captive Women and Children were by Jacob sent back to the City with a proportion of the Spoil for their necessary Maintenance keeping what he thought fit to serve as a Recompence for the wrong done to his deflowred Daughter Jacob understanding this was highly incens'd against his Sons and told them that which they had done did exceedingly trouble him and vex him at the very heart They had render'd him odious and made him even stink among the Inhabitants of the Land And his Family bring but few in comparisom of them they had expos'd him and all that belonged to him to that eminent danger of being fallen upon and destroyed by them And 't is likely he shewed them also the hainousness of their Sin against God and the odiousness of their Treachery (p) For this Fact 't is like he deprived them of their Birthright as he did Reuben for his sin and conferred it on Judah Gen. 49. and Cruelty which he afterwards solemnly Cursed Gen. 49.5 6 7. Cursed be their wrath for it was fierce and their anger for it was cruel c. But they gave him a stubborn and churlish Answer That they were not able to bear that their Sister
afterwards gave him Zipporah (z) Patriarcha ex cognatione suâ filiis uxores capiebant ne illae filios a religione averterent Sed Joseph Moses illo metu liberi ex Gentilibus uxores duxerunt nec ab illis aversi sunt a religione sed eas converterunt his Daughter to wife who bare him a Son whom he called Gershom whereby he intimated that he was a Stranger in that Land and yet God had comfortably provided for him Another Son he had also afterwards by her whom he called Eliezer Ch. 18. 4. by which name He signified that God was his helper In process of time that cruel Tyrant Pharaoh of whom Moses was so much afraid died but though the Tyrant was gone yet the Tyranny remained for another Pharaoh arose who made the Burdens and Afflictions of the Children of Israel as heavy or heavier than they were before They sighed and cried unto the Lord by reason of their Oppressions and God heard their groaning and remembred his Covenant which he had made with Abraham Isaac and Jacob to own them for his People and accordingly resolved to deliver them in such ways as were most for the Honour of his Great Name and for their profit and advantage Exod. 2. from vers 16. to the end SECT LVII ABout this time Caleb the Son of Jephunneh was born viz. forty years before he was sent by Moses to spy out the Land of Canaan See Josh 14.7 10. SECT LVIII MOses since he came into Jethro's Family had as it seems betaken himself to the Pastoral Employment as an exercise that allowed great liberty and opportunity for Contemplation And keeping his Father-in-laws Sheep in the Desert that he might provide fresh Pastures for them he drave them to the further side of the Desert nigh to Mount Horeb. (a) This Mountain seems like Parnassus to have had two tops one called Sinai the other Horeb. Called in this place by anticipation the Mountain of God because here God afterwards in so wonderful a manner appeared to Moses and gave him the Law and made a Covenant with the people Here Christ the eternal Son of God the Messenger or Angel (b) Magni concilii Angelus Dei voluntatem nobis nunâ—iavit of the Covenant Mal. 3.1 appeared to him out of a burning Bush which though it burnt yet it was not consumed Moses being stricken with admiration at the sight and not knowing at first what to think of it he determined to approach nearer to it hoping thereby better to inform himself The Lord calls to him out of the midst of the Bush Moses Moses Moses hearing himself called by his Name answered Here I am The Lord then charged him not to draw too nigh to the Bush but to put off his shooes that is that he should in all humility present himself before Him as a poor Caytiff not worthy to stand in the presence of so great a Majesty He further tells him That the place whereon he stood was holy Ground that is made holy at this time through the presence and apparition of God without which it was but like other Ground And therefore by that outward expression he should testifie the inward reverence of his mind Moreover the Lord said I am the God of thy Fathers the God of Abraham (c) The Lord expressing this as in the present Tense I am the God of Abraham c. speaking of men long since dead it was doubtless not only in regard of the Immortality of their Souls but also in regard of the certain Resurrection of their Bodies too And therefore our Saviour alledges this place to prove the Resurrection of the Body against the Sadduces Mat. 22.31 32. Isaac and Jacob to whom I promised to be their God and the God of their Seed after them Moses hearing this hid his Face (d) So Elijah wrapped his face in a Mantle 1 King 19.13 See Esay 6.3 out of an awful Reverence of so great a Majesty being afraid through a sense of his own vileness to look up towards God The Lord further said unto Moses I have seen the Affliction of my People in Egypt and heard their Cry Then speaking of Himself after the manner of men He tells him He was come down (e) See Gen. 11.7 18.21 35.13 to deliver them out of their Bondage and to bring them into a good and large Land (f) Though Judea contain'd in length from Dan to Bâ—ersheba but an 160 and in breadth from Joppa to Jordan but 60 miles yet it may be called large in respect of Goshen where the Israelites for the most part dwelt See Gen. 13.14 15. a Land flowing with Milk and Honey and He intended to send him to speak to Pharaoh to let his People go So that the secret Inspiration which Moses had before from God Exod. 2.11 is here now advanced to an open Call and full Commission At his first Call he was very forward and killed the Egyptian but since his flight out of Egypt he was become more cautious Therefore he said unto the Lord Who am I a mean man that I should go to Pharaoh a great proud and tyrannical Prince and should think to deliver a distressed People out of his Power The Lord answered I will certainly be with thee so that thou needst not fear either thy own Weakness or the Power of them to whom I send thee And this present Apparition of mine out of the burning but not burned Bush shall be a Token and Evidence to thee that at this time I have sent thee And hereafter when thou hast brought the people out of Egypt this may further serve to strengthen thy Faith in my Power and Providence over them I do now foretell thee Ye shall serve me upon this Mountain Moses conceiving himself now after so many years absence in a manner unknown to the Children of Israel he begins to think that they might question Whither indeed he was sent of God or no and might demand of him under what Name or Title God had made known Himself to him If that should so happen he humbly desires to know by what Name or Title the Lord would please to be mention'd to them seeing many of his Names were abused by application of them to Idols The Lord answers If thou enquirest concerning my Name I am that I am Therefore go and tell the Children of Israel That I AM hath sent thee unto them and further tell them That the Lord God of their Fathers the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob hath sent thee unto them and tell them This is my Name for ever and this is my Memorial unto all Generations that is by this Name shall all Generations remember Me. Go then therefore and call the Heads of the Tribes of the Children of Israel together and deliver this Message to them that they may acquaint their Brethren of the several Tribes here-with and tell them That I have by the watchful Eye
God who had graciously spared their lives and thus wonderfully assisted them in gaining this great Victory and that they might make an atonement for their Souls having sinfully spared the Women alive for which Moses reproved them vers 14.17 they out of these their particular Spoils offer a voluntary Oblation to the Lord. And Moses and Eleazar took the Gold and the Jewels of them which they offered amounting to 16 thousand 700 and 50 Shekels * Understand golden Shekels whereof the common contained an 160 barley-grains or a quarter of an once the holy one as much again viz. 320. grains or half an ounce one once of Gold was valued at ten times that quantity in Silver see Dutch Annot. on Gen. 24.22 and brought them into the Lords Tabernacle where they were kept as a Memorial of Gods favour to them in giving them this great Victory Numb Ch. 31. whole Chapter SECT LXXXII GOd Commands Moses and Eleazar now to number the people There had been two numbrings of them before The first was when they were sessed for a Contribution to the building of the Tabernacle compare Exod. 30 11 12. with Exod. 28.26 The second was on the first day of the second month of the second year after their departure out of Egypt at Mount Sinai and now they being in the Plains of Moab near Jordan over against Jerico in the 40th year of their wandring in the Wilderness they are commanded to be numbred again from twenty years old and upward And possibly the Lord injoyned it now to make way for the more equal dividing of the Land which they were presently to go about according as they found the Tribes more or less in number see Exod. 26.52 34. as also to manifest Gods Power and Goodness in so wonderfully increasing them and preserving so many of them though he had destroyed the old Stock as he had threatned for their great Rebellions against him As Moses therefore received Gods Flock by tale when he came out of Egypt so he must now before he dies deliver them up by tale again Upon the numbring 't was found First That the Tribe of Reuben was decreased since the last numbring see Numb 1.21 two thousand seven hundred and seventy which some ascribe to the Conspiracy wherein Dathan and Abiram two Princes of this Tribe joyned with Corah which brought so great a Plague upon them and yet many of the Sons of Corah escaped possibly because they consented not to their Fathers Rebellion or at least soon repented of it upon the warning given by Moses Numb 16.5 2ly The Tribe of Simeon was more decreased than any of the rest Moses reliquis benedicens hujus Tribus mentionem omittit Deut. 33. For when they went out of Egypt they were fifty nine thousand and three hundred Numb 1.22 now but two and twenty thousand and two hundred The impudence and punishment of Zimri * See Ch. 25.14 who being a Prince of this Tribe was probably abetted by many of his Brethren is conceived to be one cause of the diminution of this Tribe many of them possibly perishing in the last Plague †Videtur plaga ista maxime saviisse in Tribum Simeon ex qua erat Zimri Nam ex Cap. 26. v. 14. Constat nullam Tribum fuisse ita diminutam numero virorum post primam numerationem atque Simeonis Desiderati enim sunt in secunda numeratione 37 millia ex illa sola Tribu Castrametabatur enim ad meridiem i. e. versus terram Moabitarum Midian Jansen 3ly The Tribe of Gad was fewer by five thousand and one hundred and fifty Thus all the Tribes under Ruben's Standard were greatly diminished 4ly The Tribe of Judah was increased one thousand nine hundred notwithstanding two of his five Sons Gen. 38. viz. Er and Onan who might have been Heads of Families died Childless in Canaan 5ly The Families of Issachar were increased nine thousand and nine hundred 6ly The Families of Zebulun were increased three thousand and one hundred so the Tribes under Judah's Standard were all increased And thus Judah prevailed above all his Brethren Gen. 49.8 his Camp being increased fourteen thousand and nine hundred 7ly The Families of Manasseh were increased twenty thousand and five hundred men of War None of the other Tribes had half so much increase 8ly The Families of the Sons of Ephraim were diminished eight thousand 9ly The Families of the Sons of Benjamin were increased ten thousand and two hundred Thus though Ephraim's own Tribe was diminished yet the other two Tribes joyned with him were augmented twenty two thousand and seven hundred 10ly The Tribe of Dan was increased seventeen hundred Though there was but one Family in this Tribe viz. Shusham's yet none of all the Tribes save Judah have the like multitude viz. sixty four thousand and four hundred 11ly The Tribe of Asher was increased eleven thousand and nine hundred 12ly The Tribe of Naphtali was fewer than before by eight thousand But though this particular Tribe under Dan's Standard was diminished yet his whole Camp was increased five thousand and six hundred men of War So that upon the whole though Judah's Ephraim's and Dan's Camps were all more in number now then when they marched from Sinai yet by reason of the great decrease of Reuben's Camp which was forty five thousand and twenty fewer than before the total here is less than the total there by eighteen hundred and twenty God Commands Moses that unto these Tribes the Land should be divided by lot which would prevent dissention and teach them to acknowledge God for their chief Lord by whose immediate Providence they were disposed of to those dwellings The Levites were numbred by themselves because they were to have no share in the Land They were found to be reckoning them from one month old and upwards twenty three thousand and so were increased a thousand Thus as God had threatned of all those that were numbred at their coming forth out of Egypt from twenty years old and upward there was not a man left at this time when they were numbred again but only Caleb and Joshua Yet we must observe the Levites as 't is probable were not included in this threatning for of them there were left Moses and Eleazar and Ithamar and perhaps many more Numb 26. whole Chapter SECT LXXXIII THe Daughters of Zelophehad of the Tribe of Manasseh their Father being dead without Sons come now to Moses and Eleazar desiring that that share or portion of Land might be assigned to them which should have been their Fathers had he then been living They plead That their Father was one of those whom the Lord carried out of Egypt to go and take possession of the Land of Canaan And though he died in the Wilderness yet he was not taken away by any special Judgment for having his hand in any Insurrection or Rebellion against the Lord such as was that of Korah but he died in his own
sin that is he died a natural death when his time was come as being by sin liable to death as all other men are They further urge that except this be granted them the Name of their Father wil be quite extinct Moses inquiring of the Lord concerning this Case it pleased the Lord to grant these Daughters of Zelophehad their desire which was afterwards punctually performed Joshua as we may read Josh 17.4 According to the Command of the Lord he gave them an Inheritance among the Brethren of their Father Yet withall there was afterwards a Caution added to wit that they might not marry out of their own Tribe * Hence some conclude that when a man died without Issue and his Brother married his Widow to raise up Seed unto his Brother whose Estate he inhetlted his first Son in their Genealogies was reckoned to be the Son of him that died without Issue So it was in this case The first Sons of those that married the Daughters of Zelophehad were accounted the Sons of Zelophehad and so under his Name did inherit his Land see Ch. 36.6 And upon this occasion was the Law for succession in Inheritances made and ordained Numb 27. from 1. to 12. SECT LXXXIV GOd now signifies to Moses that he should die and accordingly Commands him to go up to that Tract of the Mountains of Abarim * See Ch. 33.47 Deut. 32.49 34.1 which are in the Land of Moab over against Jerico and on one of the highest of them called Nebo whose top was called Pisgah he should see that good Land into which he might not enter And when he had seen it his Soul should be gathered unto the Souls of his pious Ancestors who died before him For He and Aaron had rebelled against his Commandment see Ch. 20.12 which was that they should by Faith sanctifie * We sanctifie the Lord when we conceive aright of his Nature and Attributes and when we speak so reverently of Him as to cause his Name to be praised and magnified among men him in the eyes of the people at the Wilderness of Zin but they sanctified him not Moses humbly and earnestly begs of the Lord that he might be permitted to go over and see that good Land Deut. 3.23 25. but the Lord was not pleased to grant his Request Humbly therefore submitting to his holy Will he now earnestly prays to God Who is the God of the Spirits of all flesh and not only the Creator but the Searcher and Trier of men spirits and knows what is in man and can frame and fashion mens spirits as he pleases and give them Gifts and Graces requisite for the Places he calls them unto to appoint a Successor to him that might as a good Shepheard go out and in before the Flock God upon his prayer appoints Joshua to succeed him a man in whom was the Spirit that is the Spirit of Wisdom and understanding the Spirit of Counsel and Might the Spirit of Knowledge and the fear of the Lord. God Commands him therefore to lay his hands * The like Ceremony was afterwards used in the days of the Gospel when men were separated and set apart to Preach the Gospel 1 Tim. 4.14 upon Joshua to intimate to Him by this Ceremony that the hand of God should be upon him to defend and prosper him in all his ways and that he would confer upon him a great measure of the Gifts of his Spirit answerable to the Dignity whereunto he had advanced Him and accordingly 'tis said Deut. 34.9 That Joshua the Son of Nun was full of Wisdom for Moses had laid his hands on him Moses was also to set him before Eleazar and the Congregation and to give him a Charge concerning what he was to do and what to forbear in the administration of his Office And Moses was further commanded to put some of his own honour upon him that is admit him into some Partnership of Authority and Dignity with himself and so cause the people to give him that Honour that was due unto Moses's Successor and the Judge Elect of Israel And Moses tells him further That upon occasion he shall present himself before Eleazar that he may inquire of the Lord for him after the Judgment of Vrim that is putting on the Ephod to which the Pectoral * See Pharaphrase on Exod. 28.30 was fastened wherein was the Vrim and Thummim And at Eleazar's word speaking from the Lord He and the people shall go out to War or return from it and so in all weighty Affairs which were extraordinary by his direction they should govern themselves And Moses did all these things which the Lord commanded him Numb 27. from 12. to the end SECT LXXXV THe Children of Israel having as it seems omitted their Sacrifices and solemn Feasts the most part of the 38 years last past by reason of their travels wherein the Sanctuary the Alar and other holy things were made up fit for removal from place to place And the most part of the Generation from twenty years old and upward that had been mustered in Sinai being now dead see Ch. 26.64 The Lord hereupon causeth the Law of sacrificing to be again here repeated thereby intimating to them that when they came into the Land which he promised them they must not any longer neglect his Ordinances as they had done in the Wilderness see Deut. 12.8 And therefore first in the general he charges them that they be sure to give Him all the Sacrifices and Offerings which he had at several times appointed them to offer And then 2ly He sets down particularly what they were to offer First For their daily Sacrifice from vers 3. to 9. Secondly For their weekly Sacrifice every Sabbath * The Sacrifices appointed for every Sabbath-day are full double to those appointed for every day And yet the daily Sacrifice the continual Burnt-Offering was not then to be omitted day from vers 9. to 10. Thirdly For their monthly Sacrifice every new Moon from 11. to 16. And fourthly For their yearly Sacrifices First At the Passover from vers 16. to 26. 2ly At Pentecost from 26. to the end 3ly He mentions the Offering appointed at the Feast of Trumpets Ch. 29. from 1. to 7. 4ly The Offering on the day of Expiation from 7. to 12. 5ly On the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles from vers 12. to 39. Numb Ch. 28. whole Chapter Numb Ch. 29. from 1. to 39. SECT LXXXVI BEsides those set and solemn Sacrifices which God Himself had injoyned there were other Sacrifices which were to be offered to the Lord namely such as men voluntarily offered or upon a particular Vow Ch. 29. v. 39. And upon this occasion it seems several Precepts concerning Vows were added to shew who were necessarily obliged to perform their Vows and who not And Moses made known these Laws to the Heads of the Tribes because they were the men that according to these Laws were
but you shall come to the place (z) Now these places were first Shilo Josh 18.8 where the Ark continued to the days of Samuel viz. 243 years Then Nob 1 Sam. 21.6 lastly Jerusalem which the Lord your God shall chuse out of all your Tribes namely the place where the Ark of the Covenant by his appointment shall rest where he will manifest the signs of his powerful Presence and will make known his Name that is his Glory to you which place shall be called by his Name viz. the House of God and shall be consecrated to his Worship and Service And ye shall come to this His Habitation or Dwelling-place (a) The reasons why the Lord appointed his people to offer Sacrifices in one place only were 1. Because he would teach them that there was but one only way to obtain pardon for their Sins and acceptance of any Service they performed unto God and that was by Christ their promised Messias of whom the Tabernacle and Temple was a Type 2. Because hereby they might be kept to an uniform way of Worshipping God that corruptions in his Worship might be prevented whereinto they might easily fall had they been allowed to offer their Sacrifices some in one place and some in another For this cause it was that the Kings of Judah were so often blamed because they did not remove the high-places but suffered the people to Sacrifice there to serve Him and ask Counsel of Him And hither ye shall bring your Burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices as Sin-Offerings Trespass-Offerings c. and your Tythes viz. your second Tythes the Tythe (b) For â—hat or the money for which they sold it they were to carry up yearly to Jerusalem and therewith to keep a holy Feast before the Lord see Ch. 14. vers 22 27. of that which remained after the first Tythe was paid to the Levites see Deut. 14.23 see also vers 17. of this Chapter and the Heave-Offerings of your hands that is the several first-fruits which you are to bring in your hands and heave them before the Lord and then leave them to the Priests for their portion and your Vows or Free-will-Offerings that is all such Sacrifices and Offerings as you shall extraordinarily bring either upon some Vow you have made or freely and on your own accord and the firstlings of your Herds and Flocks see Numb 18.17 18. And when you have carried your Sacrifices and Offerings to the place the Lord shall chuse there shall you and your Housholds (c) Though the Males only were bound thrice a year to appear before the Lord Exod. 23.17 yet at these times the Masters of Families were wont of their own accord to carry their Wives Daughters and Maid-Servants with them as Elkanah did 1 Sam. 1.4 Feast with your holy things and rejoyce before the Lord praising of him and ye shall rejoyce in all the good things which you have gotten through the Lords blessing upon your labours Furthermore you must know That God will be served after a more exact manner when you come into Canaan than you serve him now For now many Sacrifices Rites and Feasts cannot be observed by reason of your unsetled state so that every man does in a manner what seems right in his own eyes but when you come to be setled in the Land of Canaan you must not think to do thus For ye are not yet come to the place of Rest and the Inheritance which the Lord your God intendeth to give you But when the Lord hath brought you thither and hath given you rest from all your Enemies round about then there shall be a Place which the Lord will chuse and shall be call'd his House or Dwelling-Place the place where he will manifest his Name * Nomen quod implorant illic orantes Tum si qui sint alibi praecati mentem tamen huc atque oculos oportebat inflectere 1 Reg. 8.29 44. and Glory and thither shall ye bring all your Sacrifices and Oblations and your choice things that you freely vowed to offer unto the Lord. And ye shall rejoyce before the Lord your God ye and your Sons and Daughters your Men-Servants and Maid-Servants and ye shall make the Levite that dwells within your Cities or Habitations to rejoyce also in the participation of the Offerings forasmuch as he hath no part nor Inheritance with you in the Land but must live upon what is offered to the Lord as he hath appointed see Ch. 10.9 Take heed therefore of offering your Burnt-Offerings Sacrifices and Oblations in any other place than that which God shall chuse But in your own private dwellings you may kill and eat of those kinds of Beasts which are appointed for Sacrifice as freely as of the Roe-buck and Hart which are not to be sacrificed yet allowed to your Table Neither shall there be any difference of persons observed in those private meals in respect of legal cleanness or pollution but all may partake of any of them according as through the Lords blessing they can provide for themselves Only ye shall not eat the blood †This restraint possibly was laid upon them to make them the more fearful of shedding mans blood ye shall pour it upon the Earth as water and cover it with dust Levit. 17.13 Further he shews them That they may not eat within their Gates the Tythe (d) Non sunt hic intelligendae decimae Levitis Sacerdotibus debitae sed aliae quas post solutas decimas ordinarias solvâ—bant Deut. 14.22 23. Ex illis instituebant â—pulas Fridlib of their Corn or Wine or Oil that is the second Tythe of those things the first being paid to the Levites nor the firstlings (e) Quae deo osterre debueris vel volueris ad locum constitutum deferas vel ea vel pecuniam qua ea commutaveris of their Herds and Flocks by which he means not those firstlings spoken of Numb 18.17 18. which as holy things consecrated to God were allotted for the Priests portion but either the Female firstlings the Male-firstlings being only challenged by the Lord as his own Exod. 13.12 or the First-born after those first which were given to the Lord which indeed were the first that were the owners own or the chief and best of their Lambs Kids and Calves call'd here the Firstlings by way of excellency Nor any of their vowed or free-will-Offerings or Heave-Offerings but must eat them before the Lord in the place which he shall chuse they and their Housholds and the Levite together and there they should rejoyce in all that the Lord allows them to put their hand to and to eat and partake of Further he cautions them to take heed of forsaking the Levite by withholding their Offerings and Oblations (f) Decimarum varia erant gen ra 1. Decima Levitica quae tota Levitis cedebat 2. Decima secundaria quae post primam separabatur absumenda in his
for their present use out of an act of base sloth suffered them to roost among them and did not endeavour to drive them out Moses in the division of that Land without Jordan gave no part to the Tribe of Levi that is no Regions or Parts of the Country as he did to the other Tribes upon which they might live by Tillage and Husbandry but only some Cities to dwell in and the Suburbs belonging to them with some circuit of Ground for the feeding of their Cattel because God himself was to be their Portion and the Sacrifices and other Oblations due unto God were to be for their Maintenance Now the bounds of the Lands given to each Tribe beyond Jordan by Moses are particularly set down to prevent all strife and division among them for the future Joshua 13. whole Chapter SECT CIX JOshua now with Eleazar the High Spirit and the Elders of the Tribes who were expresly chosen and named by the Lord for this purpose Numb 34.17 c. at Gilgal set upon this great Work of dividing the Land on this side Jordan among the nine Tribes and an half And accordingly first they cast the Land into so many several Portions or Provinces as were the number of the Tribes that were to inhabit it yet so as the certain bounds of each Portion or Province were not certainly limited and appointed till they knew which Tribes the Lord would by the designation of the lot settle in each of them and then they were to inlarge or lessen the Portion according as the number of the Tribe that was there to be setled was greater or less so that the lots were only to determine in what part of the Country each Tribe should be planted and afterwards the quantity of the Land which each Tribe was to enjoy was to be set out by Joshua Eleazar and the Heads of the Tribes as was appointed Numb 26.55 56. What manner of Lottery they used in this business is no where expressed The common Opinion of the Hebrew Writers is That there were two Pots or Vrnes set before the Tabernacle the one having the Names of the Tribes in it that were to have their portion of Land assigned to them the other had just so many lots in each of which such and such a part of the Land was described and that some man appointed to that Service probably Eleazar the High Priest drew out first out of one Pot one of the Tribes then out of the other Pot one of the lots there and so that Tribe had their portion assigned them in that part of the Land described and set forth in that lot and accordingly they did by the rest And though this way and method be not any where particularly expressed in this Book yet the phrase that is often used in the following Chapters that such a lot came out and such a lot came up may seem covertly to imply it see Ch. 19.1 10 17. And herein the Hand of God in ordering the lots was the more wonderful and the Prophesies of Jacob and Moses concerning the several Inheritances of the Tribes were more evidenced to be of God Joshua therefore and the Elders now setting upon this Work the first lot came out for the Tribe of Judah and his lot fell out in the richest and best part of the Kingdom whereby the purpose of God in exalting this Tribe above the rest was made very apparent The largeness of Judah's lot and the bounds of it and the Cities thereof are set forth Chap. 15. The next two lots that were drawn were for Ephraim and Manasseh the Sons of Joseph immediately one after the other upon whom God transferred a part of Reuben's Birth-right as is expressed 1 Chron. 5.1 2. The Writer of this Book first shews joyntly where the Inheritance of those two Tribes lay and then afterwards shews severally what each of them had for their portion Chap. 16. at vers 5. He begins the Discription of Ephraim's lot which came out before the other For though he was younger than Manasseh yet he was prefer'd before him by Jacob's appointment Gen. 48 19. and besides the Cities that stood within his own lot he had many Cities allotted him within the portion of Manasseh vers 9. The lot that fell to Manasseh is described Ch. 17. and 't is said to be for Machir the only Son of Manasseh whence the whole Tribe beareth the Name of Machir Judg. 5.14 and because Machir that is the Machirites his Posterity were a Warlike people they had Gilead and Bashan allotted to them that is half of it which they did win by dispossessing the Enemy of it see Numb 32.39 40. Therefore half of the Posterity of Machir being setled on the East-side of Jordan the other half were according to Gods appointment to have their portion and lot on the West-side And there fell ten portions to Manasseh that is their Land was divided into six parts according to the number of the Sons of Gilead mentioned vers 2. And Hepher's part who was one of them was divided into five parts or portions and given to his Son Zelophehad's five Daughters and so they were ten portions in all see Numb 26.33 The Cities and Country of Ephraim and Manasseh were much intermixed one with the other These two Tribes complained to Joshua that the quantity of Land assign'd to them for their portion was not sufficient for them They alledged that it was no more than might have been well assigned to one Tribe Why hast thou say they given us but one lot and one portion to inherit seeing we are a great people But Joshua and the rest of the Commissioners had not given them too little circuit of Land to inhabit but indeed part of it was over-grown with Woods and a great part of it was yet in the possession of the Canaanites who had the advantage of Iron-Chariots to fight with Also in their portion there were the Perizzites a wild and savage people much given to Spoil and Prey and the Rephaims or Giants with whom they were not very willing to encounter These things considered these two Tribes thought they had reason to alledge That they had no more given them than would well serve for one populous Tribe Joshua retorts the strength of their argument upon themselves If says he ye be so great a people as you alledge then you are the more able to drive out the Canaanites out of those places allotted to you for your portion and the greater will be your shame if you let them alone and yet complain of the narrowness of your lot If you are so great a people get you up to the Wood-Country and cut down the Woods and make the ground fit for Tillage and build Houses and Cities upon it and drive out and destroy the Canaanites that lurk there and so you may have Land enough to dwell in and need not complain that your portion is too straight for you The Children of Joseph reply
pleased But this He speaks as taking it for granted that his Daughter would be guided by him that he that took it should have his Daughter Achsah to wife Hereupon Othniel the Son of Kenaz younger Brother to Caleb took it It was surely by some special instinct and direction of Gods Spirit that Caleb gave unto Othniel this occasion of innobling his Valour and Vertue in the sight of the people He intending afterwards to raise him up after Caleb's death to be their Judge and Deliverer see Judges 3.9 Othniel thus obtaining Achsah for his wife Caleb gave with her a good Dowry of Land 'T is true Caleb had Sons see 1 Chron. 4.13 and they might not give away any part of their Inheritance from their Sons to their Daughters see Numb 27.8 9. therefore the Land which Caleb now gave his Daughter was given her only as a Dowry for term of life or till the year of Jubilee But it seems she was not content with the portion her Father now gave her and therefore moved her Husband as they were riding away from her Father's house to make suit to her Father for another Field to be added to what he had already given her But when she perceived that he was loth to do it or perswaded her rather to do it her self she went back and alighting off from her Asse addressed her self to make that Request to her Father who ask'd her What she would have She answered Give me I pray thee a Blessing that is another Gift or Boon with thy fatherly blessing upon it Gen. 33.11 Thou hast given me a Southland give me also I pray thee Springs of Water intimating that the portion he had given her was dry and not well watered the Southern-parts of Judah's portion being dry and barren or at least the Southern parts of Caleb's portion were such And therefore she desires him to give her Springs of Water that is some portion of Land that was well watered Hereupon out of his great love to her He gave her some Springs or watered Grounds on each side of the Land he had before given her both above it and below it But though Caleb thus cleared his particular portion yet the Children of Judah though they took some part * The Northern and greatest part of the City of Jerusalem was in Benjamin's lot but the Southern wherein was the Fort Sion was in Judah's lot of the City of Jerusalem and burnt it Judg. 1.8 yet the Fort of Sion which was the chief strength of the City was not then taken by them but the Jebusites forced the Israelites to let them there dwell with them for a long time after and there they were when this story was written (r) Whereby it appears that this story was not written by Ezra seeing he lived many years after David and were not cast out till David's time 2 Sam. 5.6 7. Had the Children of Judah done their endeavour and not been wanting to themselves they might have cast them out sooner but failing in their duty and growing slothful and faint-hearted by these and their other sins they provoked God to withdraw his gracious assistance from them and so then indeed they could not drive them out according to that Judg. 2.20 21. because this people has transgressed my Covenant therefore I will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the Nations which Joshua left when he died And it was not only thus with the Children of Judah but the Ephraimites also did not drive out the Canaanites out of Gezer a City in their Tribe Josh 16.10 but suffered them to live there only paying them some Tribute expresly against God's Command Deut. 7.2 and there they continued till Solomons time when Pharaoh King of Egypt expelled them out and gave the City for a Present to his Daughter Solomon's wife 1 Kings 9.16 And thus it was also with the Manassites Ch. 17.12 13. who could not for the same Reasons drive out the Canaanites out of their lot but they would dwell with them yet they afterwards made them Tributary and with that they contented themselves through Sloth Cowardize and Covetousness as their Brethren the Ephraimites had done Josh Ch. 14. from 6. to the end Josh Ch. 10. vers 21 22. Josh Ch. 15. from vers 13. to 20. Josh Ch. 1. from vers 9. to 16. SECT CXI THe Israelites having drawn these three lots before-mentioned which fell upon Judah Ephraim and half the Tribe of Manasseh they drew no more at this time It seems the other seven Tribes that were yet to have their lots perceiving what a large circuit of Land was given to Judah they began to apprehend that there would not be left an equal share for them and therefore pretending there could not be any equal division made till the remote parts of the Land which were yet in the Enemies possession were better known to them they desired some stay of the Work till they had further prevailed and might know the Land they were to divide better then yet they could do SECT CXII THis Year being the seventh from the first wherein they began to till the Ground in Canaan was the first Sabbatical year which was kept among them they being by Joshua who was a Type of Christ now brought into this place of Rest which was a Type and Figure of that eternal Sabbath and Rest which the true Jesus was to bring the people of God into Heb. 4.9 And from hence also the Year of Jubilee which happened every fiftieth year is to be reckoned see Levit. 25. from 8. to 14. SECT CXIII UPon the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Israelites kept the Feast of Tabernacles in Booths made of boughs of Trees according to the Law Levit. 23.39 40. and much more solemnly than was afterwards used in the times of the Judges or Kings see Neh. 8.17 SECT CXIV HItherto both Camp and Tabernacle had remained at Gilgal Now by God's appointment they remove to Shiloth a City in the South of Ephraim's lot This was the Place that God chose to place his Name there Deut. 12.5 and from 8. to 12. Jer. 7.12 that is his Tabernacle where he would be worshipped and have his Name solemnly called upon And therefore marching to Shiloh there they fixed the Tabernacle of the Congregation after the Land thereabout was wholly subdued to them and the Canaanites that dwelt further off were so stricken with terrour from the Lord that they durst not molest them At Shiloth the Tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant continued 328 years till the death of Eli 1 Sam. 1.3 9 24. Joshua Ch. 18. vers 1. SECT CXV THere remained now among the Israelites seven Tribes which had not yet received their Inheritance and as it seems being weary of the War which had lasted long and being full of Spoil and wanting nothing they did not press to have their Inheritances allotted to them which negligence Joshua reproves them for shewing them there was no
residue of the Prophesie A third eminent Prophet whom the Lord raised up at the same time was AMOS The Prophesie of AMOS sent principally to the people of Israel He was an Herdsman and taken from following his herd in Judea and sent to Prophesie to the people of Israel Amos 1.1 The words of Amos who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa And Chap. 7.14 Then answered Amos and said to Amaziah I was no Prophet nor Prophets Son but I was an herdsman and a gatherer of Sycamore fruits And the Lord took me as I followed the flock and said unto me Go prophesie unto my people Israel Amaziah the Priest of Bethel would have stirred up Jeroboam against him for Prophecying against his house Amos 7.10 Then Amaziah the Priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam King of Israel saying Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel the land is not able to bear all his words For he saith Jeroboam shall die by the sword and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land Also Amaziah said unto Amos O thou Seer go flee away into the land of Judah and there eat bread and prophesie there Amos being thus ill used by him pronounceth a heavy judgment from the Lord upon him ver 17. Thy wife shall play the whore and thy sons and daughters shall fall by the sword and thou shalt die in a polluted land viz. that of Assyria when Israel shall be carried away captive out of her own land Amos began to Prophesie two years before the Earthquake and foretold it before it came which happened as 't is thought about two years before Jeroboam's death He Prophesied against six Nations besides Israel and Judah First he declares Gods judgments against the neighbour Nations that were enemies to the Jews viz. 1. Damascus 2. Gaza and other adjacent places of the Philistines 3. Tyre 4. Edom. 5. Ammon 6. Moab Then he threatens the Jews for their sins speaking sometimes to Judah but principally to Israel against whom he Prophesies first in plain terms secondly in types and visions First in plain terms he threatneth them for their ingratitude and idolatry Ch. 3. Their violence and incorrigibleness Ch. 4. Their injustice and oppression of the poor their slighting Gods threatnings and their hypocritical worship Chap. 5. Their putting off the evil day and their wanton voluptuousness Ch. 6. Then his threatnings are delivered in visions and types 1. Of grashoppers and locusts signifying famine 2ly Of fire devouring the great deep signifying war 3ly Of a plum-line signifying the overthrow of the Kingdom and of the Kings house and that the Lord would deal with them according to the strict rule of justice and not in mercy as he had formerly done and he further denounces particular judgments against Amaziah the Priest and his family who accused him of conspiracy of which we have spoken before Ch. 7. 4ly Of a basket of Summer-fruits representing the ripeness of their sins and of Gods judgments * Poenae tempue maturum significat finem i. e. ultimam vindictam instare Significat populum qui velut fructus terrae est ab ea terra velut ab arbore auferendum 5ly Of smiting the lintel of the door of the Temple till the posts upholding it did shake signifying not only the destruction of the Temple but the cutting off of great and small of the people Lastly he sweetens and moderates these severe and hard Prophesies with a twofold promise 1. That God would spare a remnant in the midst of these calamities though he destroyed the prophane body of the Nation 2. That in due time he would recollect and restore the Church of Israel and would raise up a Gospel-Church from among them under Christ which he would enlarge by the addition of the believing Gentiles to it Jeroboam now dies and is buried with his predecessors 2 King 14.28 29. After Jeroboam's death under whom that Kingdom came to its full height of glory all things declined and those tumults arose which were the forerunners of the destruction not only of Jeroboams own house but also of the whole Kingdom as was foretold in Chap. 7 8. of Amos. In which troubled and tempestuous state of things they fell into a plain Anarchy which lasted about eleven years and an half For if we compare the times of these two Kingdoms together we must be forc'd to grant such an Interregnum or vacancy of a King in the land of Israel that the six months of Zachariah the Son of Jeroboam * For Jeroboam reigned 29 years in the days of Uzziah then add eleven years of vacancy till Zachariah began to reign and it will fall in with the 38 of Uzziah may fall even with the thirty eighth year and the one month of Shallum †In the space of one year viz. from 38 to the end of the 39 of Uzziah there were four Kings in Israel Jerâ—boam Zachariah Shallum Menahem who slew him with the thirty ninth year of Vzziah King of Iudah according to what we find recorded 2 King 15.8 In the thirty eighth year of Azariah King of Iudah did Zachariah the Son of Ieroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months and v. 13. Shallum the Son of Iabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Vzziah King of Iudah and he reigned a full month in Samaria The occasion of this Interregnum or vacancy * To this time Hosea seems to point Hos 10.3 For now they shall say we have no King because we feared not the Lord what then should a King do to us might possibly be the great dissentions and divisions in Israel upon the death of Ieroboam or some mislike of Zachariah his Son that was to succeed him THE Subjects of the Kingdom of Israel being wearied out as it seems with their dissentions at last setled Zachariah The 14th King of Israel ZACHARIAH the Son of Ieroboam the fourth and last of the race of Iehu in his Fathers Throne as God had promised 2 King 10.30 after eleven years vacancy as has been shewed before He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord and departed not from the Idolatry of Ieroboam who made Israel to sin and reigned only six months At the end of those six months Shallum who was as it seems some great Commander in the Army such an one as Omri 1 King 16.16 first secretly conspired against him but then having got many to side with him he slew him openly and publickly in the very sight of the people they not at all opposing it or endeavouring to hinder it After whose death followed those direful calamities which were foretold by Amos Ch. 7.9 And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate and the Sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword And thus Jehu's race ended In the continuance of it so long we may
5000 dead upon the place and had the chase of the rest a great way Among others who were thus vanquished were the Merchants who nothing doubting of the victory followed the Kings army in hope to get a good bargain of the captives and now became a prey themselves and the Jews seized on their money which they brought to buy them And when they had had a long pursuit of them but being prevented by time they sounded a retreat for the evening on which the Sabbath began drawing on after they had gathered up the Armes of the vanquished Host and taken the spoils from them they composed themselves for the celebration of the Sabbath magnifying the mercy of God for this so marvelous a victory 2 Mac. 8. Gorgias returning from his fruitless expedition and perceiving by the smoke of the Tents set on fire that that other division of their army was routed and seeing Judas on the plain standing in Battalia with his forces ready to receive them they all shifted for themselves The coast thus cleared Judas returned to the spoil where he found plenty of gold silk and purple which the Phoenician Merchants had left behind them and much wealth all which the Souldiers shared among themselves having first deducted a portion for the maimed Souldiers widows and orphans Then with joint supplication they desired the Lord to continue still to be gracious unto them After this Judas overthrew Timotheus and Bacchides both of the Kings party and killed above 20000 men and made themselves masters of many strong holds and divided among themselves much spoil always admitting the maimed orphans widows and aged persons into equal portions with themselves Lysias was exceedingly vext that things fell out so contrary to his expectation and therefore the next year invaded Judea with an Army of 60000 choice foot and 5000 horse Judas having first implored the Divine assistance meets him with an army of 10000 men Lysias received such a blow that with the loss of 5000 men he was glad to retreat to Antioch intending greater preparations for his next expedition Judas and his Brethren having now some respite from their enemies march with all their forces to Jerusalem and recover the Temple and all the City except Sion-fort The Altars and Chappels which the enemy had built in the open streets they demolished And by the assistance of the Priests they cleansed the Temple built a new Altar repaired the holy and Holy of Holies hallowed the Courts made new holy Vessels brought into the Temple the Candlestick the Altar of Incense and the Table of shew-bread and so they burnt Incense upon the Altar lighted the Lamps which were in the Candlestick and placed shew-bread upon the Table and spread the Vails and finished whatever they had taken in hand Then on the 15th of the ninth month called Casleu two years after he had succeeded his Father in the Government but three years compleat since the Gentiles first sacrificed in that place having furnished themselves with fire by striking stones one against another they offered sacrifice according to the Law upon their new Altar of Burnt-offerings so that on the very same day of the same month on which the Gentiles profaned the old Altar Judas consecrated this new one This Dedication was celebrated with Songs and Hymns and Instruments of Musick very joyfully and all the people fell prostrate on the ground and worshipped the God of Heaven who had so prospered them beseeching him that he would not suffer them to fall again into such calamities but that if they offended him he himself would punish them and not suffer them to fall into the hands of the barbarous Gentiles They kept this feast of Dedication eight days and ordained that it should be kept yearly for the same space of time and should begin the 25th of the same month Casleu In the Gospel Joh. 10.22 't is called the feast of Dedication Whilst these things were doing Antiochus Epiphanes prospers in his wars against Artaxias King of Armenia and in the upper Countries though in his attempt to plunder the Temple of Venus or Diana at Elemais in Persia he was repelled by the inhabitants and caused shamefully to retreat In his return homewards hearing first of the overthrow of Nicanor and Timotheus and then of the defeat of Lysias and the throwing down of the Idol of Jupiter Olympius and fortifying of the Sanctuary he fell into an extream rage and resolved to be revenged on the Jews proudly vaunting that he would make Jerusalem the common burying place of them when he should come thither Scarce had he made an end of threatning when he was stricken with an extream torment in his bowels but being brought thereby to no better a temper of mind he breathed out menaces against the Jews still and calling to his Chariot-driver to make hast it hapned that in this his so furious career he fell out of his Chariot and was much bruised by the fall and his limbs put out of joint and after that being carried to and fro in a horse-litter worms bred so fast in his body that his flesh rotted so that none could endure to carry him for the noisomeness of the stench being forced to stay at Taba a Town in Persia in this pitiful plight despairing of recovery he openly acknowledged all those miseries to have fallen upon him for the injuries he had done to the Jews When he could no longer endure his own smell he said It is meet to submit to God and for mortal man not to set himself in competition with God He vowed if God would restore him to grant to the Jews a free exercise of their Religion and of their own laws and customs and that he would beautifie the Temple with most rare gifts and restore all the holy vessels and that with advantage and defray the charges of the Sacrifices out of his own Exchequer and that he himself would turn Jew and go through the whole habitable world declaring the power of God But when he saw his end to draw nigh he caused most kind Letters to be written to the Jews desiring them to stand faithful to his Son Then constituting Philip the Guardian and Protector of his Son who was but nine years old till he should come to age he died and that a miserable death in a strange land after he had reigned twelve years Antiochus his Son Sirnamed Eupator succeeds him Lysias who had brought him up would not part with the Government of him whereupon Philip who was appointed his Guardian by his Father fled into Egypt Gorgias who had the command of those parts about Judea fomented a continual war with the Jews and with him joyned the Idumeans who entertained all the Jerusalem-runagadoes and infested the Jews and did what they could to keep the war on foot against those therefore Judas Maccabaeus marches takes divers places and puts 20000 of them to the sword After which setting upon the Ammonites he overthrew them
where Croesus was King Aram. Of him descended the Aramaeans or Syrians Hence Padan-Aram Gen. 25.20 Aram-Naharaim Ch. 24.10 Aram-Damasar 2 Sam. 8.5 6. Aram-Zobah Psal 60. Aram-Maachah 1 Cron. 19.6 Aram-Beth-Rehob 2 Sam. 10.6 are spoken of as several Provinces of Syria Aram had four Sons which in the 1 Chron. 1.17 are reckoned among the Sons of Sem viz. Huz Hul Gether and Mesech Hur or Vz He by the general consent of the Ancients built Damascus There were two besides of this Name Vz the Son of Nachor the Brother of Abraham Gen. 22.21 Whose Land is called the Land of Vz Job 1.1 There was a man in the Land of Uz whose name was Job This probably was in Arabia the desert And Vz of the Posterity of Esau or Edom Gen. 36.28 who fixed in Arabia the stony on the borders of Canaan from whom Idumaea is called the Land of Vz Lam. 4.21 Rejoyce and be glad O daughter of Edom that dwellest in the Land of Uz. Hul. His Posterity are said to inhabit that part of Armenia which is called the Country of the Palmyrenians Gether He was the Father of the Bactrians a people of Scythia according to Josephus Mesech or Mash whose Posterity inhabited as some think the upper part of Syria between Cilicia and Mesopotamia about the Mountain called Masius Now Arphaxad the third Son of Sem begat Salah and Salah begat Eber and Eber besides Peleg had another Son named Joctan whose thirteen Sons Moses mentioneth as the Founders of so many Nations Their Seat Arabia the happy as the great Bochartus conjectureth Of Sheba one of them came the Sabaeans who dwelt by the Red-Sea This Son of Joctan lived on Robbery The rest by Commerce with other Nations Ophir his 11th Son seems to have given name to that part of Arabia near the Sabaeans where there was much gold Another Ophir there was in India in the Island Taprobane And from this mans Land 't is probable Solomons Ships fetched Gold 2 Chron. 9.10 called also Gold of Parvaim 2 Chron. 3.6 And thus much of the Inheritance of the Sons of Sem. Japhets portion was this To Japhet fell a considerable part of Asia and all Europe His Posterity did spread themselves having first sat down in Asia the less mostly towards the Northern and Western parts Moses reckons seven of his Sons and as many Nephews Gomer This mans Posterity inhabited the North quarter of Asia the less Wherefore they are ranked among the Northern Nations Ezek. 38.6 And therefore to them we may assign Phrygia Pontus Bythinia and part of Galatia And whereas they spread themselves Westward also they are withall held to be the Progenitors of those people whose Countries the Gallo-Grecians afterwards inhabited Magog From him descended the Scythians or Tartarians Gog and Magog being that part of Sythia about Caucasus which the Colchi and Armenians whose Language was half Chaldaean called Gog-Hasan i. e. the Fort of Gog and thence the Greeks Caucasus Madai From whom the Medes descended Javan From him descended the Iones or all that inhabited Greece from Thrace to the Isthums of Corinth the Macedonians being included Alexander is signified by Daniel under the Name of the King of Javan Ch. 8.21 The Sons of Javan were four Elisha From him Elis is denominated the most ancient and ample Region of Peloponnesus Tarshish From whom Tarsus the great City in Cilicia took its name Some understand hereby Tartessus a City of the Iberians or Spaniards Besides this there was another Tarsis in the Indian-Sea whither Ships went from Ezion-Geber 2 Chron. 20.36 Chittim He according to Josephus possessed himself of the Island Cyprus where was a City called Citium the Native place of Zeno the Stoick And from hence according to him the Hebrews called all Islands and Maritime places by the name of Chethim The Romans are by Daniel signified under this name And Chittim imports the same thing with Latium betokening to lie hid The opinion therefore of Josephus is very probable that those Islands and Coasts of the Mediterranean might be known to the Hebrews under the name of Chettim Dodanim or rather Rhodanim The descendents of him Bochartus placeth in Gaul about the River Rhodanus now called Rhene Rhodanim he saith signifies yellow or Saffron-coloured which agreeth well with the colour of the hair of the hair of the ancient Gauls Wherein the Britans also shewed themselves descended of the same stock as Jornandes judges Tubal and Mesech the fifth and sixth Sons of Japhet are joined in Scripture most commonly togther as near to each other Bochartus understands by Tubal and Mesech the Moschi and Tibareni Tubal and Mesech are noted by Ezekiel to abound in Slates and Brass which by the consent of Authors fitly agreeth with the Regions of Cappadocia Thiras From Thiras most Authors derive Thrace By these were the Isles of the Gentiles divided in their Lands Gen. 10.5 Thus the Sons of Japhet according to their several Languages did plant several Colonies in all their Regions and Countries of Europe and those that border the Mediterranean-Sea which are now called the Isles of the Gentiles not properly but because they so lay along the Sea that they might seem to be Islands And thus we have seen what was Japhets portion which was very large For unto it belonged all Europe besides Asia the less Media part of Armenia Iberia Albania and those vast Tracts toward the North inhabited of old by the Scythians and now by the Tartars To say nothing of the new World into which it is probable the Scythians passed by the Streights of Anian To his Posterity also belong the Northern parts which by Jornandes a Gothish Historian are deservedly called the Work-house of people and sheaths of Nations We come now to consider Chams portion Cham's portion Cursed Cham was not excluded from earthly blessings To his lot fell Egypt and all Africk a great part of Syria and Arabia besides Babylonia Susiana Assyria and other Countries which his Grandson Nimrod possessed himself of David often calleth Egypt the Land of Cham or Ham. In Arabia and Africk the name of Ammon the aspiration being taken away was universally known as appeareth by Amon a River there and from the Promontory Ammonium and from the people being called Ammonij and from the Ammonian Country where was the famous Oracle of Ammon nay all Africa was called Ammonia C ham had four Sons Chus Mizraim Phut and Canaan Chus By the Land of Chuz in the Scripture is meant part of Arabia inhabited by the Chusaeans called also Chuthaeans of whom were the Madianites and Sephora the wife of Moses They inhabited above Egypt upon the Persian-Gulf in part of Arabia the Stony and the happy and are thought by some to be the same with the ancient Scenites from their dwelling in Tents Chus had six Sons Seba Havilah Sabtah Raamah Sabtocha and Nimrod And Raamah had two Sheba and Dedan All these inhabited about the Persian-Sea except Nimrod whom Moses
over to his Company and he halted upon his Thigh But 't is probable he was suddenly cured of it by the Angel before he came at his Brother Esau Therefore the Israelites to perpetuate the memory of this Honour which God vouchsaf'd to Jacob in this Conflict did forbear even till Moses time and after to eat of that Sinew in the Thigh of any Creature which in Jacob was Sinew-shrunk Gen. 32. whole Chapter SECT XXX JAcob now approaching near to his Brother Esau he marshalled his Company in this manner In the Fore-front he placed the Hand-Maids and their Children next Leah and her's then Rachel and Joseph placing that which was dearest to him furthest off from danger and before all he marches himself in Person trusting in God Coming now in sight of his Brother who came magnificently attended with a Train of 400 men he bowed himself seven times (z) Ut tam inusitatâ humilitate animum ferocem frangeret to the ground at several distances and coming up near to him Esau whose heart now God had wonderfully altered ran to meet him and imbracing him fell on his Neck and kissed him They both wept for joy (a) Ch. 29.11 56.29 Luk. 15.20 Prov. 16.7 V. 5. Sine dubio uxores etiam indicavit licet brevitatis Causa ut multa taceat scriptura to see one another after so long an absence After their mutual embracings were over Jacob's Wives and Children came near bowing themselves to the ground Esau ask'd him Whose those were that came with him He answered They are my Wives and the Children that God hath graciously given thy Servant He asked him then What he meant by these great Flocks he had met Jacob tells him He sent them to testifie his Respects to him and that he might find grace in his sight Esau replied alas My Brother I have much wealth I have enough (b) Observant quidam in Esaui sermone laconismum imperiosum nec ullam Dei factam mentionem contra quidem in Jacobi Esau owns not God as the giver of it as Jacob did why shouldst thou deprive thy self of what thou hast gotten But Jacob answered nay I pray thee accept my Present for I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of an Angel (c) Vox Elohim interdum pro Angelis usurpatur Vid. Ps 8.5 Ita sensus est vultus tuus tam serenus graciosus mihi apparuit quam vultus Angeli that is It is unspeakably comfortable to me that thou art pleas'd with me and so kind and friendly unto me therefore I pray thee accept of what I have presented thee with it being of that wherewith God hath graciously blessed me (d) Esau owns not God as the giver of all as Jacob did For he hath dealt very graciously and bountifully with me and of his goodness I have all (e) Omnia mihi suppetunt nulla re indigeo Vat. things needful and am abundantly supplied Esau after much intreaty accepts of his Present and offers with his Company to Conduct him on in his Journey But Jacob civilly refused that kindness representing to him that his Children were tender and many of the Cattel with young and therefore they must not be over-driven for fear of danger to them Therefore says he let my Lord be pleased with his Train to go before and I will softly follow after as my Company and my Flocks are able to bear and as soon as conveniently I can I will come and wait upon my Lord at Seir. (f) And it is probable that Jacob with a few of his Servants did shortly after give him a visit at Seir and staid there a while for 't is not like that he would so soon by so manifest a contempt or neglect provoke afresh his new reconciled Brother Esau then offered to leave some of his men with him to guard him But Jacob humbly told him there was no need of it and therefore he would not give him or his people that trouble Esau thereupon took his leave of him and marched to Seir the place where he dwelt and Jacob kept on his way till he came to Succoth as it was afterwards called where he built (g) But before He did this 't is probable He went to visit his aged Father Isaac and then returned to Succoth him an House that is some slight building for present use and made Booths for his Cattel and then passing over Jordan he pitched his Tent before Shalem a City of the Sychemites afterwards called Sychar John 4.5 And here he bought a piece of Land for his present use as Abraham did the Field of Machpelah Gen. 23.17 18. of the Children or Subjects of Hamor Shechem's Father the Prince of the Country for an 100 Lambs or an 100 pieces of Silver bearing the Figure or Impression of a Lamb. * Pecunia a pecude See Jos 24.32 Acts 7.16 and here (h) This was the portion of Land which Jacob on his Death-bed in Egypt gave to his Son Joseph Gen. 48.22 and here it was that Christ had a Conference with the woman of Samaria Joh. 4.5 And here was Jacob's Well near Mount Gerizim he built an Altar and called it The Altar of God the God of Israel which he erected in a pious and grateful Memorial of Gods favour in giving him according to his new Name power not only to prevail with Himself for a Blessing but with his Brother Esau also to divert his wrath And this Altar was built in the self same place where Abraham before had built his first Altar Gen. 12.6 7. Gen. 33. whole Chapter SECT XXXI DUring Jacob's abode here his Daughter Dinah about 15 years (i) Sic Cornelius A lapide of Age going forth out of Curiosity to see the Daughters of the Land probably at some Feast (k) Quae tunc ad Festum convenerunt Joseph Antiq. lib. 1. c. 27. or Fair or Publick Solemnity and to please her phansie by gazing on Foreign Fashions was seiz'd upon by Shechem Son of Hamor Prince of the Country and defiled This young Prince was so greatly inamoured of Dinah that his Soul clave to her and he spake very kindly to her to appease her for the injury he had done her and the Rape he had committed upon her and strove by all the fair words he could use to draw her to Consent to marry him And that he might succeed in his Design he prayed his Father to procure that Damosel for him to be his Wife So that even among Heathens we see it was usual for Children to marry with the Consent and Direction of their Parents Jacob understanding by some that went out with Dinah how it had fared with her was exceedingly troubled at it yet he vented not any passion but in silence ruled his spirit till he could speak with his Sons who were then in the Field with the Cattel and could advise with them what was fit to be done
comes now to set out their portion which they should have as a reward of their Service And first He tells Aaron that for the sake of his Office to which he was anointed and because He and his Sons were separated from worldly Imployments to attend upon holy things therefore they should have a part in every Meat-Offering Sin-Offering Trespass-Offering and in the Court * See Levit. 6.16.26 Lev. 7.6 Ezek. 42 13 14. of the Tabernacle or Tents round about it called here the most holy place comparatively in respect to the Camp of Israel and the great Court for the people which was without the Priests Court they might eat of them 2ly They should have the Heave-Offerings and Wave-Offerings that is the right Shoulder and wave-breast of the Peace-Offerings with all other Gifts that were heaved and waved no part thereof being burnt upon the Altar And of these the Priests Daughters might eat whilst they remained in their Fathers house but being married to strangers they might not eat of the holy things see Levit. 22.12 13. Neither might any unclean person eat thereof 3ly They should have the first-fruits Some of the first-fruits of the Land were brought to the Lord at their three great Feasts as a sheaf of their Barley at the Feast of the Passover Levit. 23.10 And two loaves of their new-Wheat at the Feast of Pentecost vers 17. And the first of their Wine and Oil at the Feast of Tabernacles But these were brought in the name of all the Inhabitants of the Land in general Besides these particular men were of their own Corn and Fruits to bring the first-fruits unto the Lord as is enjoyned Exod. 22.29 23.19 concerning which there is no other direction given but that they should be of the first and of the best the quantity being left to the liberty and discretion of the Owner to bring according as he had found the blessing of God upon his Grounds 4ly They should have all things devoted that is all votive and freewill-Offerings see Levit. 27.28 except such things as were devoted as a Sacrifice unto God 5ly The first-born of men and beasts The first-born * The first-born of men before they were redeemed were to be presented before the Lord in the Temple Exod. 13.12 Levit. 2.22 And that could not be done before the Mother was purified which required forty days time Levit. 12.4 The first-born of the Tribe of Levi were free from this Redemption of men they were to permit to be redeem'd at a month old (d) V. 16. Secundum aestimationem seu ordinationem tuam Refero ad illud post mensem q. d. Constitues diem quando velles eum redimi Hic dies Communi usu erat 40 a partu ut eadem opera mater purificaretur filius redimeretur Bonfrerius for five Shekels see Levit. 27.6 and the firstlings of unclean Beasts they were to permit to be redeemed after eight days at a lower price but the firstlings of Cows Sheep and Goats were not to be redeemed they must be sacrific'd and their blood sprinkled and their fat burnt on the Altar that they may be a sweet savour to the Lord but their flesh should go to the Priests God tells them He had allotted them these things for their Maintenance (e) The Hebrew Doctors write of 24 Gifts which God bestowed on the Priests with the order and use of them See Ainsworth pag. 113. for ever that is whilst this Dispensation lasted by a perpetual and unchangeable Covenant called a Covenant of Salt because firm and incorruptible Salt having a vertue to preserve any thing from corruption God further tells Aaron That when the Land shall be divided by Lot there shall be no lot for the Levites They should have no Inheritance in it He himself would be their part and portion Indeed they had Cities (f) Concerning the 35 Cities and Suburbs of the Levites and 13 Cities and Suburbs of the Priests See Richardson pag. 32. and Suburbs but they were given them by the other Tribes The Lord further tells Aaron That He had given the Levites all the Tenths or Tythes of the Children of Israel (g) V. 24. Which they offered as an Heave-offering that is an Oblation to the Lord and a sign of their homage and subjection and thankfulness to him for his blessings as a reward of their Service Levit. 27.30 And straitly charges that no Israelite that is not of that Tribe presume to come nigh to the Tabernacle to do any part of the Service belonging to the Levites lest they die for it And He tells him That the Levites should bear the punishment of their own Iniquity if they should transgress yea and of the peoples too if by their not watching over the holy things they suffered the people to transgress about them He further injoyns that the Levites shall offer as an Oblation to the Lord and pay a tenth of all the Tythes they receive unto the Priests and this the Lord would accept at their hands no less than if having Lands as others had they should pay Tythe of the increase of them as the rest of the people did to them and hereby they should testifie their homage and thankfulness to God And they were to offer and separate out of the Tythes paid to them for the hallowed part to be paid to the Priests that which was of all the best And the Priests might eat of these Tythes indifferently in any place And He further declares That if the Levites do heave or separate a tenth part of the best of their Tythes for the Priests use they shall not expose themselves to punishment which they would else do if they neglected it In conclusion here is added a general warning that both Priests and Levites should take heed of polluting or profaning the holy things or suffering them to be profaned by others which might be done many ways that so they might prevent wrath from falling on themselves and others Ch. 18. whole Chapter SECT LXVI THe Lord having appointed the Priests and Levites to do the Service of the Tabernacle and to watch over the people that they might not trangress about any of the holy things He here appoints a water of separation to be made that so if any of the people had contracted any legal uncleanness by the sprinkling of this water upon them they might be cleansed and so might come freely again to the Service of God in the Tabernacle without fear of those Plagues which otherwise their pollutions might bring upon them For the making of this water a red Heifer was to be provided and that by the common charge of all the Children of Israel because it was to be for the common good of them all and for the cleansing of any one among them that was by any accident legally unclean It must be an Heifer without spot and upon which never came yoke For they used in those times to
Tribes and half the Tribe of Manasseh the Tribe of Reuben Gad and the other half Tribe of Manasseh having their lot on the other side Jordan The persons that were to make the division were Eleazar the High Priest Joshua and one Prince of every Tribe who are particularly named The Tribes are here named in their particular Order in which they should inherit the Land their Inheritance abutting one upon another as their Names are here joyned together to make it the more evident to them that they were alloted their Portions by the Wisdom and Providence of God Numb Ch. 34. whole Chapter SECT XC THe Lord further Commands the Israelites to give 48 Cities to the Levites for their Possession He appoints the Suburbs of them to reach a thousand Cubits from the wall of the City on each side so that measuring the length from one end of the lines to the other end opposite against it as from East to West or from North to South there were two thousand Cubits that made the perfect square God also appoints six of these Cities for Cities of Refuge Three in the Land of Canaan and three (b) There was no inequality in this because the portion of the two Tribes and an half without Jordan reached as far in length as theirs in the Land of Canaan though it were nothing so broad Besides if the Lord inlarged their Coasts and gave them all the Land they were to add three Cities more Deut. 19.8 9. on the other side Jordan And those Cities were as we may see afterwards Deut. 4. and Joshua 20. 1. Bezer a City of the Reubenites 2. Ramoth of Gilead of the Gadites 3. Golan in Bashan of the Manassites These three Moses separated Deut. 4.41 43. 4. Kadesh in Galilee in Mount Napthali 5. Shechem in Mount Ephraim 6. Kirjath-arba which is Hebron in the Mount of Judah and these Joshua separated Joshua 20.7 Before these Cities of Refuge were appointed it seems the Altar only was a kind of Sanctuary to those that fled to it see Exod. 21.14 But afterwards these Cities were the chief Sanctuaries to the Children of Israel and the Sojourners and Strangers among them and yet they were such only to those who had killed a man unwittingly And therefore they were not to receive any man till he had professed his Innocency as to this particular see Josh 20.4 And such Cities were purposely appointed as lay at an equal distance in the several parts of the Land that no man driven to make use of them might have too far to go and so might be overtaken by the Avenger of blood who was the next Kinsman to the man slain and might lawfully slay him who had slain his Kinsman if he took him out of the City of Refuge and before he could recover the Sanctuary And the way to these Cities was always to be prepared and made even and plain that the Man-slayer might flee thither without hinderance see Deut. 19.3 When the Man-slayer came thither he was at the entrance of the Gate to shew his Cause to the Elders of the City who were to take him in till he was sent for and fetched to the City where he had done the Fact and there he was to stand before the Congregation Joshua 24.4 6. who if they found him worthy of death were to deliver him to the Avenger to kill him if not they were to return him to the City of Refuge again where he was to live in a kind of exile and imprisonment until the death of the High Priest and might not come out before * If He went out before He forfeited his Priviledge and Protection and the Avenger might lawfully slay him and then He was to have liberty to return to his own house and former dwelling place the High Priest being a Type of the Messias our High Priest and Saviour Jesus Christ who by his death hath blotted out the hand-writing of our Sins and reconcileth us to God But these Cities of Refuge were not intended to be any Protection or Asyle to willful Murderers and such as of malice-prepence slew a man and struck him with an Instrument of Iron or with a Stone or Hand-weapon wherewith in probability a man that is smitten must needs be kill'd Moreover no man was to be put to death on the single testimony of one man alone And no Redemption-money no Bribe or Present was to be taken to spare a murderers life For blood defileth the Land and the Land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein but by the blood of him that shed it And lastly no Redemption-money was to be taken for granting him that was fled to a City of Refuge a Dispensation or Liberty to return to the place of his former abode or habitation before the death of the High Priest Numb 35. whole Chapter and Deut. 4. vers 41 42 43. SECT XCI THe Lord having formerly ordered that Zelophehad's Daughter should have that portion of Land in the Tribe of Manasseh which their Father should have had for his share had he lived the Children of Gilead who were of that Tribe considering that if these Daughters married into any other Tribe this portion of their Land would be quite alienated from their Tribe therefore they made it their suit that some order might be taken to prevent this mischief For by like accidents the portion of every Tribe might in time be changed and so at length all may come to confusion and the very end of Gods appointing every Tribe to have their portion apart by themselves might be quite made void And further whereas by the Law of God it was appointed that at the year of Jubilee which was every fiftieth year what ever Land was alienated from any Tribe should return to that Tribe again by such marriages as these Inheritances would pass over from one Tribe to another without possibility of restitution at the year of Jubilee and so this Law would become void which seem'd purposely intended to prevent the confusion of the Inheritances of the Tribes Moses having ask'd Counsel of the Lord answered them as God had commanded viz. That the Daughters of Zelophehad should marry only in the Tribe of their Father which they accordingly afterwards did and further orders That every Daughter that possesseth an Inheritance in any Tribe should marry only unto one of that Tribe But if she was not an Inheritrix she might marry into any other Tribe And thus Inheritances would not be removed from one Tribe to another Numb Ch. 36. whole Chapter SECT XCII WE are now come to the Book of Deuteronomy which contains Moses's dying Speech and pathetical Exhortation to the Children of Israel He had brought them to the Plains of Moab and to the very borders of Canaan He knew by divine Revelation he must not go over thither but must die on this side Jordan Having therefore now but a little time to live viz. about five weeks like a man in
was given to Phineas his Son with whom 't is probable his Father lived For though the Priests had their Cities by lot in other Tribes namely Judah Simeon and Benjamin see Ch. 21.4 yet that the High Priest might be near to Joshua the Governour who dwelt in Mount Ephraim and that he might enquire of the Lord for him upon any special occasion and that he might be near to the Tabernacle which at this time was in Shiloh 't is like Eleazar (y) Donarunt forsan hunc locum honorarium Eleazaro ut Joshuae contiguus habitaret qui tamen est a Filio cognominatus in posterum Anonym in loc here lived and was now here buried Josh Ch. 24. whole Chapter SECT CXXII WE are now come to the Book of Judges The Book of Iudges which comprehends an History of the Common-wealth of Israel from the death of Joshua to the days of Eli containing the space of 299 years during which time they lived under the Government of certain Judges whom God successively and extraordinarily raised up and endowed with a Spirit of Wisdom and Courage to Rule over them as His Deputies and Vicegerents There are twelve of these mentioned in this Book viz. 1. Othniel whose Government from the death of Joshua is reckoned to be 40 years 2. Ehud 80 3. Deborath 40 4. Gideon 40 5. Abimelech 3 6. Thola 23 7. Jair 22 8. Jephtha 6 9. Ibzan 7 10. Elon 10 11. Abdon 8 12. Sampson 20 299 Within which space of time we are to comprehend the Six Oppressions of the Israelites mentioned in this Book and not to reckon them apart but as included within the years of the Judges and the Rest of the Land viz. Under Cushan 8 years Eglon 18 Jabin 20 Midian 7 Ammonites 18 Philistines 20 To the twelve Judges before-mentioned Eli and Samuel succeeded whose Acts are not here set down but in the First Book of Samuel Now there being 480 to be reckoned from the coming of the Israelites out of Egypt to the building of Solomon's Temple 1 Kings 6.1 we may compute them thus 40 years spent in the Wilderness 17 in Joshua's Government 299 in the times of the twelve Judges 40 in Eli's time 40 in Samuel and Saul's 40 in David's 4 in Solomon's in the Fourth Year of whose Reign the Foundation of the Temple was laid 480 As to the Pen-man of this Book of Judges 't is very uncertain who it was But it seems to be gathered by some Prophet of God out of the Publick Records and Registers that were kept of their Affairs Some think Samuel was the Compiler of it SECT CXXIII JOshua being now dead and having a little before his death encouraged the people to expel the Canaanites that remained out of the Land though they had no man at present chosen of God and set over them to Command them in chief as Moses and Joshua did and finding that it was fit for them to go on with the War they assembled together as it seems at Shiloh to consult about this matter And because the success of their first Attempts would be of great consequence either to encourage or dishearten their Enemies they thought fit that Phineas the High Priest should enquire of the Lord for them by Vrim and Thummim which of their Tribes should first begin and set upon the Canaanites that still remained among them and the Lord appointed that the Tribe of Judah the Royal Tribe and the strongest and most populous of them all should begin the War and first clear his portion of the Enemy Caleb the Son of Jephunneh is chosen General for the Tribe and the Simeonites who had their lot within theirs being invited to joyn with them they readily agreed to it the Tribe of Judah promising to assist them afterwards in clearing their lot In this Expedition they took the City of Bezek * Bezek a City in the Tribe of Judah not far from Jerusalem and after they had taken it in the pursuit when the King thereof with many of his people fled to save his life they killed ten thousand men They also took their King Adonibezek and cut off his Thumbs and his great Toes having as it seems when they took the City found some of those poor Captive Kings that had been thus inhumanely used by him or else had heard of the Tyranny he had exercised upon them in that kind and therefore thought fit according to the Law of Retaliation Exod. 21.24 to serve him after the same manner Adonibezek could not but acknowledge the justice of God upon him herein For says He threescore and ten Kings (z) Reguli diversarum urbium Ante Ninum teste Justino quisque Rex terminis civitatis suae contentus erat Petty Kings of particular Cities not that he had so many at once under this base slavery but in the whole course of his life some after others 't is like he did it in a base sporting cruelty or else thereby to unfit them for War unde homines viles defides Italis Gallis Poltroni vocantur id est pollice trunci having their Thumbs and great Toes cut off gathered their meat under my Table as I have done to them so God hath requited me Then the men of Judah carried this great Tyrant and shewed him before Jerusalem to strike the greater terrour into the Jebusites and there they killed him and then sacked and burnt that City viz. that part of it which was in their Tribe For though the former King of it had been slain in the Field Josh 10. yet was not the City taken nor it nor any other City fired in Joshua's time but only Jericho Ai and Hazor and therefore the eighth verse should be read And the Children of Judah warred against Jerusalem and took it and smote it c. not as if it had been taken before Judges 1. from 1. to 9. * For these Verses from v. 9. to 16. see Sect. 108. because the Author of this History was here to relate the memorable Exploits that were done by the men of Judah therefore together with those noble Acts which they did after the death of Joshua He repeats also those which were done by them whilst Joshua lived under the command of Caleb both against Hebron and Debir that He might set forth the glory of this Tribe more fully SECT CXXIV JEthro's Family call'd Kenites that had come up with Joshua and Israel into the Land of Canaan and dwelt in their Tents which was ever their way of living about Jericho the City of Palm-Trees among the people of the Tribe of Judah and Judah having now cleared his portion in so good a measure that they began to spread into new Plantations These Kenites went along with them and setled themselves with them in the South upon the Coasts of the Amalekites and so in Saul's time were mingled among them see 1 Sam. 15.6 These Kenites were the root of the Rechabites of whom more is
course we can to bring these desperate Offendors to deserved punishment Judg. Ch. 19. whole Chapter SECT CXXXI THen all the Children of Israel that is the chief of them viz the Elders Officers and Captains from Dan to Beersheba together with those without Jordan met together as one man at Mizpeh (d) In the Tribe of Benjamin or in the Confines of Judah and Benjamin and so reckoned among the Cities of both Tribes Josh 15 38. Ch. 18.26 which was a place they usually held their publick Assemblies in 1 Sam. 7.5 Judg. 10.15 as being in the heart of the Land excepting only the Benjamites who it seems refused to come to this meeting or to send any Messengers to them resolving to defend the men of Gibeah against them The Israelites came together to act this weighty business as in Gods presence and to ask Counsel of Him and to hear what He would give them in charge about it No less then four hundred thousand men now met who expressed their Zeal to punish this abominable Fact of the men of Gibeah But though they were sensible of the injury done to the Levite and his Concubine yet it seems they took no notice of the great and provoking Injury done to God by tolerating the Idolatry of the Danites for which we shall see that God now intends to reckon with them This great Assembly being thus met the Levite came and declared his Case to them He shews them how barbarously the men of Gibeah had used his Concubine and how they had abused her even till they had killed her and they thought to have done the like to him also which rather than he would have endured he would have lost his life And therefore seeing they were all Israelites they ought to take to heart that such and so foul an Abominaiion was committed in Israel and ought to revenge it accordingly The people were so inflamed hereat that they vowed they would not so much as go home to their own houses till they had executed Judgment upon those that were guilty of so abominable a Villany Then they sent Messengers to the Tribe of Benjamin to desire them to deliver up these Sons of Belial in Gibeah to deserved punishment who were guilty of this Crime that so wrath might not be poured forth upon the whole Land for it and herehy they would prevent a Civil War and great blood-shed which else was like to ensue The Benjamites it seems thinking it a dishonour to them that the other Tribes should intermeddle with punishing any within their Territories and being highly conceited of their own strength and ability for Martial Affairs and presuming possibly that they were able to make good their part against all the other Tribes of Israel they would not hearken to their Brethren but prepared to fight it out The Israelites perceiving that the Benjamites would not deliver the Malefactors into their hands but were resolved rather to defend them they vowed that if they vanquished the Benjamites as they doubted not but they should they would not give any of their Daughters in marriage to any of them that were left alive see Ch. 21.1 and likewise that they would destroy every Town throughout the whole Land of Israel that would not send some of their people to this Assembly nor help them in this War Ch. 21.5 Then they determined to cast lots who among them should go up to fight against Gibeah and who should go forth to fetch in Provisions for the Camp For they thought that one in ten had need be set apart for this Service and who they should be the lot should decide Then they went to Shiloh to inquire of the Lord by the High Priest having on the Ephod Numb 27.21 which of them should go up first to the battel against the Children of Benjamin They did not inquire of the Lord Whither they should go up against the Benjamites or whither they should prevail They did not pray to God for his help nor by Fasting and Humiliation and true Repentance humble themselves for their manifold Sins nor by offering up Sacrifices of atonement seek to make their peace with God but relying on the justness of their Cause and their great Numbers and strength like men presuming of the Victory to prevent variance among themselves and striving for the honour of the day They desire only to know which of the Tribes should go up first against Benjamin They concluded that having eleven Tribes against one and four hundred thousand fighting men on their side they must needs prevail The Lord tells them Judah shall go up first The Children of Benjamin also on the other hand prepared themselves for the Encounter and numbring their Forces they found they were twenty six thousand fighting men besides the Inhabitants of Gibeah which were seven hundred chosen men and in this their Army they had seven hundred choice men left-handed every one of them could sling a stone at an hairs breadth (e) An hyperbolical expression signifying they were exceeding skilful in slinging stones and could commonly hit a small mark and not miss Matters being thus ordered on both sides the men of Israel went out to battel against Benjamin and the Benjamites drew out their Forces out of Gibeah against them and they joyning battel the Benjamites prevailed and cut down to the ground and destroyed twenty two thousand of the Israelites that day The Israelites upon this ill success retired to Shiloh and wept before the Lord but it seems it was more for the shame of the defeat and their loss of men than for their sins They inquire of the Lord again whither they shall go up a second time against Benjamin their Brother but neither crave his Assistance nor inquire of the Success whereby they intimate that they supposed the cause of their ill Success before was because God was not pleased with their warring against their Brethren but they think not of their sins the true cause and therefore God answers them accordingly Go up says He against Him as if He should have said though Benjamin be your Brother yet you may fight against him So the Children of Israel encouraged themselves and went up against the Children of Benjamin the next day The Benjamites drew out again out of Gibeah and defeated the Israelites a second time and slew eighteen thousand more of them Upon this second overthrow the Israelites run to Shiloh again and there fast and mourn and repent of their sins in good earnest Now they perceived that though God liked their Cause yet he was displeased with their persons They saw that God did avenge his Own Cause upon them because they would not avenge his Cause against Idolaters Therefore they now afflict their Souls in a most solemn manner and offer Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings to make atonement for their Sins that so they might obtain Gods favour They now inquire again of the Lord by Phineas the High Priest and by Vrim and
the God of Heaven and earth O ye unfortunate mountains of Gilboa let no dew or rain ever fall upon you more be ye cursed with drought and barrenness (c) Gravitas doloris etiam rebus inanimatis maledicere consuevit vid. Job 3.3 as a sad and woful monument of this calamity and let there be no fruitful plots or fields found among you that may yield offerings of first fruits (d) Poëtica exclamatio cum hyperbolica imprecatione ad figurandum horrorem quo pii recordantes accepti mali percelluntur and Tythes May those hills which have given so much occasion of sorrow never afford any matter of rejoicing for there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away viz. when the Israelites were routed in the field yea the shield of Saul as though he had not been anointed with oyl that is there Saul himself dropt his shield and fell contemptibly as though he had been a common ordinary man and not a King It was far otherwise formerly For Jonathan's bow and Sauls sword used not to return empty from the blood of the slain and from the fat * Eat is mentioned to signifie men healthful lusty and strong of the mighty that is they did usually devour the blood and flesh of their stoutest enemies Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives that is they dearly loved one another though Saul in his frantick fits was sometimes enraged against Jonathan yet no doubt he dearly loved him when those fits were over And in their deaths they were not divided that is they fell together in the field They were swifter than Eagles and stronger than Lions that is they were nimble and active in pursuing their enemies and strong and valiant in subduing them Ye daughters of Israel weep over Saul who clothed you in scarlet with other delights and gave you ornaments of gold upon your apparel remember the peace you enjoyed under his Government which was accompanied with great plenty and abundance of all things both for necessity and delight remember how he enriched the land with the spoils of the enemy But O sad and deplorable how are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battel O Jonathan how wert thou slain upon those cursed high mountains I am distressed exceedingly distressed for thee my Brother Jonathan Very pleasant hast thou been unto me Thy love to me was wonderful exceeding the love of women whose affections usually are very strong How are the mighty fallen and the weapons of war lost viz. the armes that were brought by the Israelites to the battel and became a spoil to the Philistines to the great dishonour and weakning of Gods own people O tell it not in Gath publish it not in the streets of Askalon 2 Sam. Ch. 1. from 17 to the end SECT CLXXVI DAvid now inquires of the Lord by the Ephod whither he should go up to any of the Cities of Judah and he receives directions from God to go up to Hebron (a) This was at present the chief City of the Tribe of Judah and was withal the place where Abraham Isaac and Jacob were buried accordingly he with his two wives and his followers with their families went up to that City The men of Judah presently flocked thither and anointed David King over them For though before he had been anointed by Samuel yet that they might testifie their approbation of what God had appointed they chearfully now consent to accept him for their King and Soveraign and he reigned over them in Hebron seven years and six months before the rest of the Israelites did generally submit to him Soon after the men of Judah had thus acknowledged him he made inquiry after the Bodies of Saul and his Sons intending as 't is probable to have honourably buried them and he was told what had been done concerning them by the men of Jabesh Gilead of which before 1 Sam. 31.11 12 13. Hereupon he sent Messengers to them to thank them for the kindness they had shewed to Saul desiring the Lord to recompence it unto them and to manifest his mercy and faithfulness to them for it And he being now anointed King over Judah would not have them entertain any thoughts of jealousie as if he would bear them any spleen or ill will for their kindness shewed to Saul but to believe that he would the rather endeavour to manifest all kindness to them and to requite them for it 2 Sam. Ch. 2. from 1 to 8. SECT CLXXVII ABner Saul's Cousin-german who in Saul's life-time had been General of his Army fearing that if David were made King he should be displaced or disregarded and knowing he could not in reason expect that favour and preferment under David which he might under a King of his own kindred and family especially if he himself were the chief instrument to make him King and further considering that Mephibosheth Jonathans Son the heir apparent to Saul was but five years old and now lately lamed in his feet and so unfit for his purpose see Ch. 4.4 therefore he thought it best to take Ishbosheth who was the only Son of Saul that was now left except those he had by his Concubines and to make him King and to that end he took and carried him to Mahanaim a City in Gilead in the Tribe of Gad beyond Jordan chusing there to settle his new King where he might be safest and at the greatest distance from Davids party Abner well knew that David was anointed by Samuel to succeed Saul in the Throne see Chap. 3.4 but being an ambitious and atheistical man he regarded not what God had appointed and seeing Ishbosheth to be a weak and poor-spirited man he thought he might make use of him as a shadow and in the mean time rule all himself And accordingly in that City he made him King over all Israel Judah excepted who to their great praise stuck to David whom God had appointed to be King though they knew it was like to prove the occasion of a Civil War and of much danger to them however they resolved to do their duty and to leave the event to God Ishbosheth was forty years old when he began to reign and he reigned two years quietly without any quarrel with the house of David 2 Sam. 2. from 8 to 11. SECT CLXXVIII DAvid now the better to strengthen himself in his new Kingdom contracts affinity with Talmai King of Geshur (a) Israelitis ut puto era vectigalis Rex Geshur eumque ut sibi devinciret David Ishboshetho adversarium faceret filiam ejus Maacham sibi in uxorem deposcit Tirinus Geshur pars est Syriae contermina Gileadi in Trachionitide Deut. 3.14 There were also Geshurites on the South-side of Canaan towards Egypt 1 Sam. 27. and from whom David being at Ziklag fetched great store of prey a City lying in the North in the borders of Gilead and marries his daughter Maacha who bare him Absalom and a
hitherto and so highly advanced me And yet as if this were but a small thing in thy sight thou hast promised to continue thy favour not only to me but to my posterity after me for many generations And is this the manner of men O Lord God to deal so bountifully with them that have no way deserved of them surely such love as this is not to be found among mortals but is only peculiar to thy self who art God omnipotent And what can I speak more to thee or ask more of thee for my honour or benefit than thou of thy free grace and mercy hast already promised me and art ready to confer upon me see 1 Chron. 17.18 For thou knowest thy servant and what is good for me better than I my self And thou knowest the desire of my heart is to praise thy name though with my tongue I am not able sufficiently to do it Thou hast conferred all these benefits on me not for any desert in me but of thy meer grace and love and for thy truth and promise sake that thy servant might know what thou meanest to do for him and his in time to come Thou art the great and only true God there is none like thee nor besides thee according to all that we ever heard or understood And what one Nation is there in all the earth like unto thy people so advanced in high and holy priviledges V. 23. To do for you great things here is an Apostrophy to the people In the next words his speech is directed to God again for thy land before thy people whom God came as it were down from heaven to redeem and separate for a people to himself for the glory of his great name and hath done such great and terrible things for them openly in their sight whereby he hath delivered them out of Egypt and subdued their enemies in the land of Canaan and rescued them from all Nations that sought their ruin and from their false gods on whom they foolishly relyed for help And thou hast confirmed and established the people of Israel for a people to thy self for ever that is the natural Israel for a very long time viz. to the coming of the Messiah and the spiritual Israel consisting of true converts both among Jews and Gentiles for ever And now O Lord let the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever and do as thou hast said and let thy name be magnified for ever that it may be said the Lord of hosts is God over Israel Yea let the house of thy servant be established before thee for thou Lord hast made known to me what was formerly hidden from me saying to me I will build thine house and continue the Kingdom to thee and thy posterity after thee therefore thy servant hath found his heart moved to make this prayer unto thee that it may be so having thy promise as a sure ground of his faith and confidence and cannot doubt of obtaining his request for thy words are true and sure to be performed and thou hast faithfully promised this goodness unto thy servant Let it therefore please thee so to bless the house of thy servant that it may continue before thee for ever Thou hast O Lord spoken it and I firmly rest on thy promise for the performance of it Thou hast promised to bless my house and I firmly believe it shall be blessed 2 Sam. Ch. 7. whole Chapter 1 Chron. Ch. 17. whole Chapter 1 Chron. Ch. 22. v. 8 9 10. 2 Chron. Ch. 6. v. 8 9. 1 King Ch. 8. v. 18 19. SECT CLXXXIX WE shewed in the former Section that one reason among others why the Lord would not permit David to build him an house was because he would not have leisure to do it by reason of the many wars he was to be engaged in Indeed from this time to the birth of Solomon most part of his time as we shall see afterwards was spent in wars wherein he was very victorious and successful and therein God made good to him the promise concerning the prosperity and flourishing estate of his Kingdom and the enlarging of his Dominion which by these conquests stretched not only from Shicor a river in Egypt in the South to * A City in Syria which is thought to be Antioch Hamath in the North see 1 Chron. 13.5 but from thence to the river Euphrates which was the utmost bound of all that land which had been formerly promised to the seed of Abraham Gen. 15.18 compared with Deut. 11.24 and Josh 3.4 and was never possessed by any of them save only by David and Solomon see 1 King 4.21 24. There are in this Chapter five wars mentioned that he was engaged in The first (a) This was indeed his 3d Engagement with the Philistines after he was anointed King over all Israel was against the Philistines descended from the Egyptians whose Progenitor was Mizraim the second Son of cursed Cham they were Heathens and commonly bitter enemies to the Israelites these therefore David now set upon and subdued and took their strong City Gath (b) It was afterwards called Dio-Caesarea it stood in the frontiers of Palestine at the entrance into Judea and Ephraim and the mountainous tract of ground whereon it was built it seems was called Ammah Per hanc urbem Philistaei olim fraenabant Judaeam nunc David fraenat Philistaeos imponens illi militare praesidium with all the Towns under its jurisdiction see 1 Chron. 18.1 called Metheg-Ammah or the Bridle of Ammah because it bridled and kept in awe all the Country round about it His second war was with the Moabites descended of Lot's Incest with his daughter Gen. 19.37 At the coming of the Israelites out of the Wilderness they were forbidden by God to invade the Moabites land or do them any hurt because he had given it to the children of lot for a possession Deut. 2.9 and God restrained them from distressing them because they had not then done them any wrong but afterwards they proved malicious enemies and thereupon were interdicted from entring into the Congregation unto the tenth generation Deut. 23.3 They shewed their ill will to them in not relieving them with bread in their necessity and afterwards they hired Balaam to curse them and when that would not do they followed his cursed counsel in tempting them by their women to commit fornication and to joyn with them in their Idolatrous feasts Numb 25. whereby a great plague was brought upon them They oppressed them also by Eglon their King in the time of the Judges 'T is true the King of Moab gave entertainment to David's Father and Mother 1 Sam. 22.3 3. looking upon him at that time as an enemy to Saul and his people but when David was once established King over all Israel it seems the Moabites expressed the same hostile mind against him which they had formerly against Saul But what
Thus Solomon finished the Lords house and his own house and all that came into his heart to do he prosperously effected 2 Chron. 7.11 having spent full twenty years in this kind of work 1 King 9.10 whereof seven and an half upon the Temple and about twelve and an half upon his own houses and buildings 1 King Ch. 7. from v. 1 to 13. 1 King Ch. 10. from v. 16 22. 1 Chron. Ch. 9. from v. 15 to 21. SECT V. WHilst Solomon was busied about his Magnificent buildings it seems Gezer a City allotted to the Levites in the Tribe of Ephraim Josh 21.20 21. but never recovered out of the possession of the Canaanites gave to the King some great distaste so that not being at leisure himself he intreated Pharaoh his Father-in-law to take it in for him by his Armes and to rid him of those troublesome neighbours Pharaoh accordingly did it and burnt the City or some part of it with fire and put the inhabitants thereof to the sword and so gave it for a present to his daughter Solomon's wife 1 King 9.16 SECT VI. HIram King of Tyre having furnished Solomon towards these magnificent buildings with Cedar-trees and Firr-trees and sixscore Talents of Gold Solomon in a grateful retribution and to make him amends gave him twenty Cities or Towns in the land of Galilee which were not as it seems a part of the land which God had given for an inheritance to his people but lay in a tract of ground on the outside of the borders of Asher Josh 19.24 betwixt them and mount Libanus and being now reduced under Solomon's Dominion he presented them to Hiram that he might by them receive satisfaction for what he had had of him But it seems Hiram when he saw them liked them not possibly because they stood in a moorish ground or because he thought it would be long e're he should from them receive that satisfaction which he expected Therefore he return'd them to Solomon again and chose rather to expect satisfaction from him some other way and thereupon Solomon repair'd and enlarged them and planted certain colonies of the Israelites in them See 2 Chron. 8.1 2. whereas before they were inhabited only by the Heathen and now that tract of ground was counted a part of Galilee which 't is thought was the reason why Galilee was called Galilee of the Gentiles 1 King Ch. 9. from v. 10 to 15. SECT VII SOlomon having now finished his own houses and built an house for his Queen Pharaohs daughter he remov'd her and brought her up thither out of the City of David for he said My wife shall not dwell in the house of David King of Israel because the places whereunto the Ark of the Lord hath come are more holy than other places 'T is true Davids house ceased to be holy in that respect after the Ark was removed thence yet Solomon out of his superabundant respect to that sign of Gods presence thought it not fit to make that a dwelling place for his Queen and her followers who were aliens and strangers to the house of Israel and possibly retain'd some of their Egyptian profaneness which had been the holy dwelling place of the most High 2 Chron. 8.11 Solomon as it seems reflecting on his Marriage with Pharaohs daughter and his bringing her up to the stately house he had built and prepared for her took occasion from thence to pen that excellent Song called the Song of Songs or the Canticles being the chiefest of those one thousand * See 1 King 4.32 and five Songs composed by him and the most excellent of them all And this Song he composed after he had built his Summer-house in Lebanon as may be gathered by some passages in it see Ch. 4.8 Come with me from Lebanon my Spouse with me from Lebanon And Ch. 7. 4. Thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon This Song is clearly a Marriage-song and much of the same nature with the 45 Psalm which is called a Song of Loves And it is a kind of Pastoral composed in the way of Dialogue where the speakers are the Bridegroom and the Bride represented sometimes under the quality of a Shepherd and Shepherdess or Country-damsel and the Bride-men and Bride-maids the friends of the Bridegroom and companions of the Bride And though the most proper aim of it seemeth to be at higher and diviner matters than an earthly marriage and a greater than Solomon is here yet Solomon thought fit to make his marriage with Pharaohs daughter a type of that sublime and spiritual marriage between Christ and his Church The Song is a continued Allegory and full of obscurities yea here we have all the Rhetorick of love and such affectionate compellations and Elogies as are not elsewhere to be found The flowers and ornaments of language used in the praises both of Bridegroom and Bride are not appliable to natural beauties but are mystical representations and emblems of higher things Indeed this Book is all mystical and therefore the Jews forbad the reading of it by any under thirty years of age Here between Christ and his Church are interchangings of mutual praises gloriations and congratulations His divine and glorious excellencies in himself and rich bounties and blessings to her and her precious graces and endowments are in an high character in lofty and stately sayings and similitudes set forth both by him and her And yet withal her failings and his withdrawings from her thereupon and returnings to her again upon her repentance are not omitted In all the interlocutions betwixt them she speaks nine times and he seven In the first Chap. from v. 1 to the 8. the Spouse speaks expressing her ardent desires after Christ and vindicates her own deformities and defects against the uncharitable censures of others and petitions him for further counsel and direction From the v. 8 to the 12. the Bridegroom speaks granting her request and giving her great commendations and making rich promises to her From v. 12 to the 15. the Spouse speaks again then the Bridegroom at v. 15. In the two first verses of Ch. 2. Christ speaks characterizing himself and his Church and then the Church speaks from the v. 3. to the end and throughout all the third Chapter speaking sometimes of Christ and sometimes unto him At Ch. 4. Christ speaks from v. 1 to 15. and at v. 15 16. the Church At Ch. 5. v. 1. Christ granteth the request of the Church and cometh into his Garden and accepteth her entertainment and bringeth his friends with him and feasteth them but this kindness it seems was not so well improved by her as it deserved for she is surprized with a fit of drowsie negligence and so is brought into danger of losing him who after much patient waiting knocking and calling upon her and her unkind answer becomes angry and being not received when he tendred himself departs displeased and is hardly reconciled though she afterwards expresses much care and
diligence in seeking him and in so doing suffereth injuries and losses for his sake Notwithstanding she chargeth the daughters of Jerusalem to tell him that she is sick of love From v. 2 to the 9. They ask her What was her beloved more than another beloved And 't is like they askt this question not as being totally ignorant of him and his excellencies but to give her occasion to set him forth the more unto them which she does very emphatically from v. the 10 to the end Ch. 6. The Spouse's speech so full of affection and admiration of the Bridegroom wrought so much on the daughters of Jerusalem that they ask solicitously whither he was gone that they may join with her in seeking him She tells them where he is and declares her peculiar interest in him v. 2 3. The Church having confessed her fault and sought to make up the breach between Christ and her he thereupon readily receives her and again highly praises and commends her Ch. 7. Christ here continues his praising of her running over every grace and ornament in her under new similitudes and exemplifications from 1 to 10. The Spouse thereupon renews the profession of her love to him and rejoices in his love to her inviting him to her Assemblies to see how they prospered and she promiseth to devote her best fruits wholly to him by whom alone she had brought them forth and by whose blessing she flourished with all sorts of them both new and old From v. 10 to the end Ch. 8. The Church expresseth her ardent desires after Christ v. 1 2 3. and charges others they should not disturb nor displease him v. 4. At v. 5. the Bridegroom seems to admire at the rising of a new Church in a place where there had been no Assembly or Congregation of believers before and coming up from the wilderness and leaning on her beloved that is depending on him by faith whereupon he said I raised thee up under the apple-tree that is when thou wast fallen under the tree of forbidden fruit I by my free grace and the operation of my Spirit rais'd thee up and brought thee to a glorious condition though thy mother had brought thee forth in a sinful state The 6th 7th vers seem to be the words of the Spouse In the 8th 9th verses she expresses her care and solicitude for the uncalled Gentiles At the 10th vers the Gentiles are brought in speaking for themselves Ver. 11 12 13. seem to be the last speech of Christ to and of his Spouse in this Song wherein he magnifies the price the precious fruitfulness and worth of his Church by comparing her to a Vineyard the best of Vineyards even Solomon's in Baalhamon a very fruitful place and he shews that that Vineyard is far short of his Ver. 14. is the Churches last speech and prayer wherein she expresses her longing and earnest expectation of Christ's second coming And so much of the Song of Solomon SECT VIII SOlomon now built a Navy of Ships in Ezion-Geber which is beside Eloth which were havens on that part of the Red-Sea which coasteth on the land of Edom. And because the Tyrians that were Hiram's subjects were always held the most expert Sea-men Hiram * 2 Chro. 8.15 Hiram sent him by the hands of his servants ships read guided for him i. e. by the hands of his servants ships to Ophir sent Solomon many of them to man his new built Ships and go along with and assist his servants in their intended voyage And it seems he built some Ships there himself that joined with the Navy of Solomon and thence they sailed to Ophir which is thought to be in the East-Indies for thither they might most easily sail from Ezion-Geber and fetched from thence four hundred and Twenty Talents of Gold In 2 Chron. 8.18 't is said that 450 Talents of Gold were brought from thence It seems the overplus viz. thirty Talents were expended for the charges of the Fleet and wages of the men or else it was the Adventure of Private persons and only 400 and 20 Talents came clear to the King So that Solomon had at Sea a Navy that went to Tarshish which possibly was then taken in as large an extent an India is now to which the Navy of Hiram joined and once in three years they came home bringing Gold and Silver Ivory or Elephants-tooth and Apes and Peacocks or Monkies and Parrats which they brought 't is like for rarities sake And this Navy also brought from Ophir a great quantity of precious stones and Almug-trees which it seems were better than those Solomon had from Lebanon And the King made of the Almug-trees pillars for the house of the Lord viz. pillars in the rails on each side of the stairs whereby they ascended up to the house of the Lord and 2 Chron. 9.10 't is said He made Terrasses to the house of the Lord and to the Kings house of the Algum-trees †Some think that the Almug-trees here mentioned much differed from the Algum-trees mentioned 2 Chron. 9.10 for these grew in Lebanon the Almug in India that is supporters on each side of the Gallery that led from the Kings Palace to the Temple He made also of this wood Harps and Psalteries for the Singers of the Temple 1 King 9. from 26 to the end 1 King 10. v. 11 12. 2 Chron. 9.10 11 21. SECT IX SOlomon now repaired * 2 Chron. 32.5 In a time of danger Hezekiah repair'd it see Judg. 9.6 Millo †Aedificium hoc erat civitatis Sion quod David quidem incepit sed Solomon absolvit Munster which seems to be the Town-house in the City of David wherein the people had their solemn Assemblies or else some tower or fortress belonging to the City He built also Hazor in the Tribe of Naphtali which was the chief City in former times of the Canaanites Josh 11.1 10. and Megiddo a City belonging to Manasseh Josh 17.11 and Gezer which Pharaoh had taken and given to his daughter See Sect. 5. And Beth-horn the upper and nether that were fenced with walls gates and bars 2 Chron. 8.5 And Baalath in Dan Josh 19.44 And Tadmor in a dry and sandy place in the Coast of Syria though belonging to the land of Israel And he built Cities of store for Ammunition and provisions of all sorts and Cities for his Chariots and Horsemen and whatsoever he design'd to build in Jerusalem or in the Forrest of Lebanon and in any part of his Dominions he prosperously finished 1 King from v. 15 to 20. SECT X. SOlomon understanding that Hamath a City in the Dominions of the King of Zobah Syria which his Father David had formerly taken had now revolted from him he sent his forces against it and took it 2 Chron. 8.3 SECT XI SOlomon still continues constant in his Religion offering the daily sacrifice and sacrificing on the Sabbaths and New Moons and constantly observing
thee that hath come upon us on our Kings on our Princes and on our Priests and on our Prophets and on our Fathers and on all thy people since the time of the Kings of Assyria unto this day Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou hast done right and that which is just but we have done wickedly neither have our Kings our Princes our Priests nor our Fathers kept thy Law nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy tâ—stimonies wherewith thou didst testifie against them and their evil ways For they have not served thee in their Kingdom viz. of Judah which in thy great goodness thou gavest them nor in that large and fat land which was daily in their sight neither turned they from their wicked works Behold we are servants this day in the land that thou gavest unto our Fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof behold we are servants in it and it yieldeth much encrease unto the Kings (l) We reap not the benefit of the lands fruitfulness but the Kings that reign over us have a great part of all the fru t s thereof whom thou hast set (m) 'T is God that gives soreign Kings power over his people but it was for their sins over us because of our sins also they have dominion over our bodies and over our cattel at their pleasure and we are in great distress And because of all this we humbly crave mercy at thy hands and do bind our selves to better obedience for the future and do engage our selves by a firm Covenant thereunto which we our Princes Priests and Levites in our own and the names of all the people do now make with thee and intend to write and set our seals unto * 'T is like Ezra had obtain'd their consent to make this Covenant before he began his prayer Nehem. Ch. 9. wh Ch. In the next Chapter we have first the names recorded of those that sealed the Covenant in their names and in the name of all the people from v. 1 to 29. And 2ly the matter of the Covenant For the first the persons that sealed it were Nehemiah the Governour Scraiah who is said to be ruler of the house of God Ch. 11.11 and the Nobles and heads of the people and the heads of the Priests and Levites and all the rest of the people and of the Priests Levites Nethinims Proselytes and their wives and sons and daughters all that had knowledg and understanding clave to their brethren viz. those honourable persons before mentioned who had sealed the Covenant in their names as well as in their own And they entred into a curse and into an oath to walk in Gods Law which was given by Moses And particularly 1. That they would not give their daughters to the people of the land nor take their daughters for their sons 2ly That they would observe the Law about the Sabbath (n) This many of them broke afterwards as appears Ch. 13.15 16. and though it was not in their power to force the neighbouring Nations to observe the Sabbath yet they bound themselves by covenant that they would not buy any thing of them on the Sabbath-day or on any other holy Festival which God had enjoyn'd them to observe 3ly That they would leave the land every seventh year to lye at rest not plowing or sowing their fields or dressing their vineyards and to leave what grew of it self free for others to gather as well as for themselves and further that they would not exact that year their debts of those that were indebted to them all which things were injoyned by the Law Levit. 25.3 4 5. and Deut. 15.1 2. but had not been of late times observed by them 4ly They made an ordinance for maintaining the services of the house of God binding themselves to perform not only what the Law required but to do something more viz. to pay yearly the third part of a shekel which is ten pence of our money This was over and above the half shekel which the Law enjoyn'd to be paid by the poll for every one Exod. 38.26 and it was to be laid up in the Treasury for the daily use of the Temple as need should require viz. for the providing the shew-bread and for the continual meat-offering and continual burnt-offering and for the offerings of the Sabbaths for every Sabbath-day there were offerings enjoyned besides the continual burnt-offering see Numb 28.9 10. and for the special offerings of the New-Moons see Numb 28.11 15. and of the set-feasts and for peace-offerings which were to be offered in the name of the whole Congregation and for other sacred services of the Temple besides offerings and for the occasional sin-offerings to make atonement for Israel and for all the work of the house of God viz. reparations of the house as well as services in it 5ly Because there was much wood to be spent in the service of the Temple and there were not those treasures in the Temple now as had been wherewith it seems the wood had been formerly provided both Priests Levites and people did unanimously at this time agree to take upon them the charge and care of providing and bringing in of wood for the service of the Temple V. 34. 'T is called the Wood-offering because it was freely given and offered to the house of God and because the burnt-offerings were consumed therewith And so having equally divided the charge among them according to their families and assign'd to each family what proportion they should bring in the time for every one to bring in their proportion was determined by lot 6ly To bring in the first fruits of their ground that is of all manner of corn and of all fruit-trees year by year unto the house of the Lord for the use of the Priests and Levites who attended on the service of the Temple Also to bring the price appointed by the Law for the redemption of their first-born Exod. 13.13 Numb 18.15 16. Also the redemption-money of all beasts that were not fit for sacrifice and that they would bring the firstlings of their herds and flocks to the Priests to offer them for them And that they would bring the first-fruits of their dough as was enjoyn'd Numb 15.20 21. and all such other things as upon any occasion were to be offered to the Lord and the fruit of all manner of treees and of wine and oyl unto the Priests and to the Chambers of the house of God which were made for Treasures to lay up first-fruits and tythes and such other things in And that they would bring the tythes of their grounds unto the Levites the tenth part whereof the Priests were to have See Numb 18.26 For as the people gave the tenths of all they had to the Levites so the Levites were to give the tenth part of those tenths to the Priests And as the Priests so such other officers as had their