his People by a gentle Government which is far better than to rule Tyrannically by Force and Violence For to what purpose is it to have possession of their Bodies when the true possession is to be Master of their Hearts Get possession of their Hearts by Clemency and that will draw their Bodies along with them CHAP. XVIII Verse 1. THE Priests the Levites and all the Verse 1 Tribe of Levi. Or even the whole Tribe of Levi. See XVII 9. They shall have no inheritance with Israel As had been said XVIII Numb 20. and here in this Book X. 7. Which made it the more necessary Moses should remind the People of that maintenance God had appointed for them Which unless it was duly given them Religion could not be supported and consequently the Government of which he had been speaking would be quite confounded They shall eat the Offerings of the LORD made by fire Not the Burnt-offerings which were wholly Gods but all other Offerings of which a share was appointed for the Priests the Sons of Aaron XVIII Numb 9 10 11 18 19. And his inheritance That is the Inheritance of the LORD of whom he spoke before who had reserved certain Oblations to himself and bestowed them upon the Priests They are mentioned XVIII Numb 8 9. and v. 12 13 14 15. where he first speaks of the First-fruits and the First-born which were all brought unto the LORD and by him given to them In like manner all the Tithes of the Land are said to be an Heave-offering unto the LORD v. 24. where he saith I have given them to the Levites to inherit So these two The Offerings of the LORD made by fire and his Inheritance comprehend all that belonged to his Ministers whether Priests or Levites Verse 2 Ver. 2. Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren the LORD is their inheritance as he hath said unto them The LORD had given them that part and portion of the Offerings which were peculiarly his own And therefore is said to be their Inheritance because they enjoyed his inheritance as these holy things are called in the foregoing words See XVIII Numb 20 24. and XIII Josh 14 33. Verse 3 Ver. 3. And this shall be the Priests due from the people Besides those things that God gave them which peculiarly belonged to him From them that offer a Sacrifice Of Peace-offerings which are sometimes called simply a Sacrifice XVII Levit. 5 8. XV Numb 3. in which the People had a considerable Interest Whether it be Ox or Sheep Under Sheep are comprehended Goats also as I have observed See III Levit. And they shall give unto the Priest the shoulder Together with the Breast as we read VII Lev. 32 33 34. And the two cheeks and the maw These were not given to the Priests before but were now added to their Portion being accounted the best part of the Beasts For as the Cheeks were the best part of the Head and the Shoulder and Breast the best of the other Members of the Body so the Maw was the principal part of the Entrails as Maimonides observes P. III. More Nevochim Cap. XXXIX By the Maw is meant the Stomach and in Beasts that chew the Cud who have four Stomachs that which is called by the Greeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. the lowest of them Which had this name because the digestion which is begun in the other is here perfected and compleated And it appears that this part of the Entrails was accounted by the Ancients a great dainty as Bochartus proves out of Aristophanes in his Hierozoicon P. I. Lib. II. Cap. 45. p. 505. Ver. 4. The first-fruits also of thy Corn of thy Wine Verse 4 and of thy Oyl See XVIII Numb 12. To which it may be useful to add this out of Maimonides who hath distinctly represented the order wherein all Oblations were made that after the Fruits of the Earth were gathered every Man was bound to bring a fiftieth part of them as a First-fruits to the Priests which was called Trumah gedolah the great Oblation of which Moses speaks in this place And next of all he separated a tenth part of the whole from the rest which was Maaser Rishon the first Tithe and given to the Levites XVIII Numb 24. Then out of what remained another tenth part was taken called Maaser Sheni the second Tithe which was every third year given to the Poor and in the two intermediate years spent in Feasting at the House of God XIV Deut. 28. So that for instance if a Man had pressed out an Hundred and two Logs of Oyl he sent two of them as First-fruits to the Priest and then ten more as Tythe to the Levites and deducted nine parts more out of the residue for the Poor by which it appears that One and twenty parts of an Hundred and two that is a fifth part of the whole was separated for pious and charitable uses See Schickard in his Jus Regium Cap. IV. Theorem XV. And the first of the fleece of thy Sheep shalt thou give him This is comprehended under First-fruits but never particularly mentioned before now And tho' the quantity is not mentioned yet the Jews have adventured to determine that less than one Fleece in sixty was not accepted For so they say of all other First-fruits that a sixtieth part of the whole was the least that any Man gave and he was accounted a covetous Man if he gave no more they that were indifferently good giving a fiftieth part and liberal Persons the fortieth By this means the Priests were provided with Clothes as by other Offerings with Food And the Wooll also as they call it of Goats which were shorn in these Countries is comprehended under the Fleece of Sheep Verse 5 Ver. 5. For the LORD thy God hath chosen him out of all thy Tribes to stand to minister in the name of the LORD This was the Office of a Priest to offer Sacrifices unto God and to bless the People in his Name Him and his sons for ever The Family of Aaron of which he is principally speaking Who when they were few in number all ministred unto God but afterward they took their Courses of Attendance And as the Jews say there were eight Courses before Moses died four of the Family of Eleazar and as many of Ithamar's which in David's time were enlarged into Four and twenty Courses See Selden Lib. I. de Succession in Pontificat Cap. I. Ver. 6. And if a Levite By a Levite he seems here to mean a Priest See v. 1. For they only could minister Verse 6 unto God and the Levites ministred unto them Come from any of thy Gates out of all Israel From any City in any Tribe of Israel Where he sojourned i. e. Leave the Country where he hath been wont to live And come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the LORD shall choose With a sincere Affection to devote himself to
no long time XXVI Numb 15 16 17 23 24 35 38 39 c. And from Gudgodah to Jotbath And so to the rest of the Places mentioned XXXIII Numb 34 35 36. till they came to Mount Hor. A Land of Rivers of Waters A place where there was plenty of Water which he mentions I suppose that they might reflect upon their foul distrust of God's Providence a little after when they murmured for want of Water at Kadesh XX Numb 3 4 c. Verse 8 Ver. 8. At that time Not long after Moses came down from the Mount the second time of which he had been speaking v. 5. The LORD separated the Tribe of Levi. To his own special Service as we read III Numb Some think that God renewed his Choice of them to the Employment here mentioned after Aaron's death when he confirm'd them in their Office But we read of no such thing and it cannot be inferred meerly from these words at that time which may well relate to the time mentioned v. 5. To bear the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD Here are three parts of their Office mentioned in these and the following words The first of which was to carry the Ark which peculiarly belonged to the Kohathites III Numb 27 31. when the Camp removed from one place to another Who were good Witnesses that the same Ark still remained at that day wherein Moses first placed the Tables of the Covenant for it never stirred but by their means To stand before the LORD This is a Phrase used of Servants that wait upon their Masters before whom they are said to stand Thus Gehazi attended the Prophet Elisha 2 Kings V. 25. And the Prophets tnemselves are thus said to stand before the LORD 1 Kings XVII 1. XVIII 15. Therefore here signifies that the Levites were separated to be God's Ministers as it follows To minister unto him As Assistants to the Priests in the Tabernacle III Numb 6. and as a guard to the Tabernacle v. 7 8. Which was the second part of their Office And to bless in his Name unto this day This was the greatest thing of all and was peculiar to the Priests who were a part of the Tribe of Levi but had the sole Priviledge among them to bless in the Name of the Lord as we read expresly VI Numb 23 24. If indeed it could be made out that by blessing in the Name of the LORD is meant only to bless the Name of the LORD that was common to all the Levites who sang Praises and gave Thanks continually to him in the Temple as I suppose they did in the Tabernacle But I find no Example of the use of this Expression in this sence And therefore it must be restrained to the Priests who were Sons of Levi as well as the rest and are so called when Moses mentions this part of their Office XXI Deut. 5. Verse 9 Ver. 9. Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his Brethren Because God would have them only attend to this Service and not look after other Affairs Particularly of guarding the Sanctuary and keeping constant watch there to secure all the Holy Things especially the Ark which they took care none should meddle withal And therefore the People might be sure it remained as Moses left it when he put it into the Tabernacle with the Tables of the Covenant in it The LORD if his Inheritance according as the LORD thy God promised him He took care to provide for the Levites without having any Land to plough or sow c. See XVIII Numb 20. Verse 10 Ver. 10. And I stayed in the Mount according to the first time forty days and forty nights This doth not signifie that after the separation of the Levites he went up again into the Mount but having confirmed what he said concerning his putting the Tables of Stone in the Ark which he made after he came the second time down from the Mount v. 5. he returns to what he was speaking of in the beginning of the Chapter and had begun to say before IX 25. how he prayed to God for them when he went to carry the Tables he had hewn up unto God in the Mount that now he might relate to them the Success of his Prayers which follows in the next words And the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also and the LORD would not destroy thee As he feared he would because he had so threatned IX 15. Ver. 11. And the LORD said unto me Arise take Verse 11 thy journey before the People that they may go in and possess the Land c. This cannot refer to what he said unto him after the making the Golden Calf as I find some take it from XXXIII Exod. 1. for that was before he went up into the Mount again But to what he said at the Conclusion of their Removals from place to place some of which he mentions here v. 6 7. for then he orders them what to do when they entred into Canaan which he saith I have given you to possess it XXXIII Numb 51 52 53. Ver. 12. And now Israel what doth the LORD thy Verse 12 God require of thee Unto whom he hath given Tables wherein he himself hath wrote his Will with his own Hand v. 4 5. and hath graciously pardoned your foul Breach of his Covenant upon my Intercession v. 10. But to fear the LORD thy God The Fear of God sometimes includes in it all Religion but here seems to signifie one of the great Principles of Obedience See VI. 2. And to walk in all his ways Unto which the Fear of God inclines Men when their Hearts are possessed with it And to love him Especially if the Love of God be in them which is still a stronger Principle of Obedience VI. 1. And to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul Being constant in his Worship and Service and worshipping him alone VI. 13. XIII 3. For loving him with all the Heart and Soul seems here to have particular respect to their having no inclination to serve other Gods 1 Kings VIII 23 48. Which the Jews after they had smarted for their Idolatry understood to be the great Commandment As their Father Jacob they say taught his Twelve Sons when they came about him on his Death-bed saying to them Ye perhaps worship the Idols which Terah the Father of Abraham worshipped or those which Laban my Mother's Brother worshipped or ye worship the God of Jacob. To whom they all made this Answer with a perfect Fear Hear O Israel our Father THE LORD OVR GOD IS ONE LORD Whereupon Jacob said LET HIS GREAT NAME BE BLESSED FOR EVER Thus the Hierusalem Targum upon VI. 4. of this Book Verse 13 Ver. 13. To keep the Commandments of the LORD and his Statutes which I command this day for thy good Self-love should have inclined them to obedience to God's Commands which he gave them for their good though he
was but till they had eaten the Paschal Lamb after which they might return home if they pleased So Bochartus who from hence proves that the most Solemn Days of the Feast of unleavened Bread were not observed like a Sabbath because Men might travel home upon the first Day of unleavened Bread as the whole Nation travelled out of Egypt on this day from Rameses to Succoth Yet pious People who were able to bear so great a Charge were wont no doubt to stay the whole seven Days before they returned home because the first and last Days of the Feast were great Solemnities So they did in the Passover of Hezekiah and Josiah 2 Chron. XXX 21. XXXV 17. And there being special Sacrifices to be offered every day during this Festival as was before said Solomon ben Virgoe observes that all the Country thereabouts brought their Oxen and their Sheep to be sold at this time to those who came from far so that the Mountains round about Jerusalem were covered with them and not a bit of Grass to be seen He adds also That whosoever did not come up to this Feast all his Goods were forfeited and converted to Sacred Uses Shebet Jehuda p. 378. Ver. 8. Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread and Verse 8 on the seventh day shall be a solemn Assembly unto the LORD thy God This is to be understood as if he had said that after they had eaten unleavened Bread six days they should conclude the Solemnity upon the seventh day with a Solemn Assembly or as it is in the Hebrew with a restraint but still continue also on this day to eat unleavened Bread For this Feast was to last seven days and in all the foregoing Books they are expresly required to ear unleavened Bread seven days XII Exod. 15. XXIII Levit. 6. XXVIII Numb 17. A Solemn Assembly Which the Hebrews call Atzereth of the meaning of which see XXIII Lev. 36. Thou shalt do no work therein That is no Servile Work as it is explained XXVIII Numb 25. but they might dress their Meat which the LXX seems to mean by those words which they add 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 save only such things as shall be done to preserve life Verse 9 Ver. 9. Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee From the morrow after the Sabbath when they brought the Sheaf of the Wave-offering as it is explained in XXIII Levit. 15. See there Begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the Corn. For they began to cut Barley at the Passover as is manifest from hence that Joshua passed over Jordan to enter into Canaan in the time of Harvest III Josh 15. and this was in the month of Nisan when they kept the Passover as appears from V Josh 10. Which Month could not be called Abib or the Month of New Fruits if some Corn was not then ripe viz. Barley This Josephus confirms Lib. III. Antiq. Cap. X. Which must be understood as Hermannus Conringius observes in his Treatise de Initio Anni Sabbatici c. of that sort of Barly which was sown in Autumn as it is this day in Frisia which required a stronger Soil than that sown in the Spring and produced a much richer Crop See Mr. Mede's Works p. 355. who observes how very different their Climate was from ours Ver. 10. And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto Verse 10 the LORD thy God The reason of this Name is given in the foregoing Verse And see XXXIV Exod. 22. It was called also the Feast of Harvest See XXIII Exod. 16. With a Tribute of a Free-will-offering of thine hand which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God c. Besides those Offerings which are prescribed XXIII Levit. 17 18. XXVIII Numb 27 c. The quantity is not directed but left to every Man's Piety And whatsoever it was he brought it was wholly given to God and he that brought it had no share in it but God gave it to his Priests According as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee Though no quantity was prescribed yet God expected every Man should offer proportionably to his Estate and they who had a religious sense of God's goodness in blessing their Labours no doubt acknowledged it by a Liberal Tribute Ver. 11. And thou shalt rejoyce before the LORD thy Verse 11 God thou and thy son and thy daughter and thy Man-servant and thy Maid-servant and the Levite that is within thy gates c. This Feast was made of such Offerings as are mentioned XII 7 17 18 19. Ver. 12. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a Verse 12 bondman in Egypt They are often put in mind of this as an Argument to Charity particularly towards their Servants See XV. 15. And thou shalt observe and do these Statutes There was a particular reason for keeping this Feast because it was in remembrance of God's giving them his Law from Mount Sinai where he spake with them himself Ver. 13. Thou shalt observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days after that thou hast gathered in thy Corn and Verse 13 thy Wine This is the third great Feast at which all their Males were bound to appear every year as we read XXIII Exod. 16 17. XXXIV 22 23. Of which he puts them in mind again XXIII Levit. 34 35 36. and here v. 16. Verse 14 Ver. 14. And thou shalt rejoyce in thy Feast thou and thy son and thy daughter and thy Man-servant and thy Maid-servant c. There was the like Law at Athens where King Cecrops ordained as Macrobius tells us Lib. I. Saturnal Cap. X. the Master of every Family should after Harvest make a Feast for his Servants and eat together with them who had taken pains with him in tilling his Ground Delectari enim Deum honore Servorum contemplatu laboris for God delighted in the honour done to Servants in consideration of their Labour This it 's likely he learnt from Moses for he reigned at Athens much about the same time that Israel came out of Egypt and was the first as Eusebius saith who taught the Greeks to call God by the Name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lib. X. Proepar Evangel which we may interpret the Living God Though therein he seems to be a little mistaken For Pausanias saith more than once both in his Arcadia and his Attica That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He was the first that called Jupiter by the name of the Most High or Supream And the same we read in St. Cyril against Julian Lib. I. See Joh. Meursius de Regibus Atheniensium Lib. I. Cap. IX Verse 15 Ver. 15. Seven days shalt thou keep a Feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall chuse In order to which that it might be kept the more Solemnly it is once more enjoyned and all the Sacrifices that were to be offered in each of the seven days appointed in XXIX Numb from v.
then the Senators of the City next to the dead Body who were XXIII performed what is here ordered Shall take an Heifer That was not above two years old for if it were a day more they might not use it for this purpose as Maimonides and others affirm Yet the Scripture in other Cases mentions one of three years old XV Gen. 9. XV Isa 5. XLVIII Jer. 5. as Wagenseil observes upon the Mischna of Sota Cap. IX Sect. III. Annot. 2. If two Cities happened to be aequidistant from the dead Body then they joyned together to provide this Heifer Which hath not been wrought with Never used in ploughing the Ground And which hath not drawn in the yoke This may seem to be included in the foregoing Expression as Maimonides observes but it is added he thinks to signifie that if it had been imployed in any other labour it became improper for this use Such Heifers were accounted by the Heathen to be most acceptable to their gods as appears by Homer in whom Diomedes and Nestor promise such an Offering to Pallas See Bochart Lib. II. Hieroz Cap. XXXIII P. I. out of Iliad K. and Odyss T. But there was a particular reason for such an one in this Case wherein the Heifer was not to be offered that it might the better represent as many think the Person that had committed this Murder who was a Son of Belial subject to no Law and deserved to be beheaded as this Heifer was It is not required that it should be without blemish as those Heifers were to be that were offered at the Tabernacle but it sufficed if it had never been accustomed to the Yoke Yet this is not to be taken without all Limitation for if it wanted any Member or were diseased it might not be imployed in this Service as Wagenseil observes out of Maimonides in the place forenamed p. 907. Verse 4 Ver. 4. And the Elders of that City shall bring down the Heifer Their Cities it seems were commonly seated on Hills or high Ground Into a rough Valley The Hebrew word Nachal signifies both a Valley and a Torrent The LXX Josephus and the Vulgar understand it as we do and the following words favour this Interpretation But the Talmudists and the Rabbins who generally follow them take it to signifie a Torrent which is the sense of Maimonides himself and the next word Ethan which we translate rough they interpret a rapid Torrent Chaskuni thinks there is some reason for this in the sixth Verse where they are required to wash their hands over the Heifer in the Water that is of the Brook I see nothing to hinder the putting both senses together Torrents being wont to run down violently from the Mountains through the Valleys which lye beneath them which is the cause that the same word signifies both Which is neither eared Or rather ploughed Nor sown Being a stony craggy Ground representing the horridness of the Murder and the cruelty and hardness of the Man's heart who committed it They that follow the other Interpretation of Nachal understood the foregoing words Ascher lo jeabeth bo which we translate neither eared as if they signified the Torrent did not serve to water the neighbouring Ground and these words to be meant of the Soil which lay next to the Torrent in which nothing was sown And besides this variety there are those who take Ethan not to signifie either that which is hard or rapid but the most fertile Ground So R. Bechai and lately R. Jac. Abendana in his Marginal Notes upon Michlal Jophi Where he gives this reason for it That the Inhabitants of each City might be the more careful to prevent such Murders being in danger otherwise to lose the best Ground belonging to their Inheritance For the Land where the Body was found if we may believe the Mischna was never to be sown any more See Sota Cap. IX Sect. V. And shall strike off the Heifers neck there in the valley Coming behind the Heifer saith that Mischna as the Murderer was supposed to have treacherously surprised the slain Man and should have been thus used if he could have been found Ver. 5. And the Priests the sons of Levi. See Verse 5 XVII 9 18. XVIII 1. Shall come near To see all performed according to the Law and to pray to God for the Country in the words prescribed v. 8. For them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto him and to bless in the Name of the LORD See XXVIII Exod. 1 c. VI Numb 23 c. And by their word shall every controversie and every stroke be tried They did not determine all Matters whatsoever but all of this nature in which the Law appointed them to take care things were done according to it As in the killing of the red Heifer the Examination of the Woman suspected of Adultery by the Water of Jealousie the Leprosy whether in Men or Houses or Garments Thus the Hebrews explain these words See Selden Lib. II. de Synedr Cap. VIII And so Bonfrerius here acknowledges that they did not come hither as Judges but as Directors and that they might purge themselves together with the Elders from all guilt of this Crime Verse 6 Ver. 6. And all the Elders of that City that are next to the slain Man If there were never so many Elders in the City they were all to clear themselves by doing what follows Shall wash their hands over the Heifer c. In the Water of the Brook which flowed through the Valley protesting their Innocence in the words prescribed in the next Verse So Chaskuni glosses As our hands are clean so are we from the guilt of this blood See Wagenseil upon Sota p. 910. who thinks Pilate had respect to this Rite when he condemned our Saviour XXVII Matth. 24. notwithstanding all that Learned Men have said to the contrary Verse 7 Ver. 7. And they shall answer and say Being askt perhaps whether they knew any thing of this Murder Our hands have not shed this blood neither have our eyes seen it That is they professed solemnly they knew not who shed it nor how the Man came to be slain And the Mischna before-mentioned adds that they said for how can any one think that Elders would be Murderers This Man did not come into our City that we know of and dismissed without necessary provisions nor was seen by us and permitted to go away without company Which Maimonides expresses more largely in his More Nevochim P. III. Cap. XL. where he represents the Wisdom of this Law in these words The Elders called God to witness that they had not neglected to secure the ways nor to set Watches to examine diligently those that travelled saying as our Rabbins express it This Man was not killed through any negligence or forgetfulness which we were guilty of in not observing our publick Constitutions nor do we know who killed him Now by this Inquisition into the Fact by this going forth of the
by an Oath being faithfully fulfilled he justly claimed their Fidelity to him upon that account Which is the reason it is so often mentioned VI. 10. VIII 1. IX 5. X. 11. XI 9 21. XIX 8. CHAP. XXXI Verse 1. AND Moses went and spake these words Verse 1 unto all Israel By this it seems plain to me that after Moses had renewed the Covenant with the People mentioned in the foregoing Chapter he dismissed them and retired to his own Tent. But not long after gave them a new Summons as he had done XXIX 2. and went again to take his leave of them The LXX indeed seem to take the first words as if the meaning was that he went on with his Discourse For thus they render them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He finished speaking all these words For which I see no warrant nor is it likely he could speak all that here follows at the same time Ver. 2. And he said unto them I am an hundred and Verse 2 twenty years old this day This shows these words were spoken not long before his death which was this year XXXIV 7. Manasseh ben Israel would have us from hence observe The singular care God hath of those who serve him with a perfect heart as Moses did the days of whose years saith he are exactly proportioned For so these words are expounded in Sota Cap. I. To day my years are compleated to day I was born and to day I shall die For he was born on the seventh day of the Month Adar and on the same day of the same Month he died Thus Enoch he adds lived just Three hundred sixty five years which are proportioned to the days of the Suns annual Course Lib. III. de Termino Vitae Sect. V. But as there is no great weight in this Observation if it were true so that which he saith of Moses is evidently false For he did not die this very day as appears from v. 14. where he saith The days approach that I must die therefore the time was not yet come And I can no more go out and in Discharge the Office I have long sustained of your Governor and Leader See XXVII Numb 17. not because he wanted vigor either of Body or Mind for that is contrary to XXXIV 7. of this Book but because God did not think fit to permit him to conduct them any further as the following words explain it Also the LORD hath said unto me thou shalt not go over this Jordan The Particle we translate also often signifies for and is so translated by us in divers places particularly in III Isa 7. XVII Jerem. 8. And being so taken here the sense of these words is plain and easie giving a reason why he could no longer take the charge of them as he had done because God had otherwise ordered having told him he should not bring them into Canaan which they were now ready to enter Ver. 3. The LORD thy God he shall go over before thee Conduct them by the Ark of his Presence III Josh 5 11. and see XXIII Exod. 23. and IX Deut. 3. Verse 3 And he shall destroy these Nations from before thee and thou shalt possess them XXXIV Exod. 11. And Joshua he shall go over before thee As their Captain and Leader when Moses had left them III. 28. Josh I. 2. As the LORD hath said When he was appointed the Successor of Moses XXVII Numb 18 21. Ver. 4. And the LORD shall do unto them as he did Verse 4 to Sihon and to Og Kings of the Amorites c. See XXIV Numb 24 34 35. Ver. 5. And the LORD shall give them up before thy Verse 5 face As he had promised before VII 23. where he saith The LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee In the Hebrew the words are before thy face See IX 3. That ye may do unto them according to all the Commandments which I have commanded you i. e. Utterly destroy them and their Altars and Images and Groves c. See VII 2 3 5 27. XII 1 2 c. Ver. 6. Be strong and of a good courage By Faith in Verse 6 God which their Fore-fathers wanting were discouraged and durst not go up and possess the Land when God commanded them I. 28 32. Fear not nor be afraid of them Be not affrighted much less dismayed at their Multitude their Stature and Strength when you go to fight with them The second word afraid only expresses an higher degree of the same Passion of Fear signifying being overcome with it For that is the import of the Hebrew word aratz which originally signifies to prevail over another This he had said to their Forefathers I. 21 29. and after repeated to them III. 2 22. VII 17 18 21. For the LORD thy God he it is that doth go with thee According to the assurance before given them XX. 4. He will not fail thee nor forsake thee This Promise which here is general in the next Verse but one is particularly made to Joshua and renewed to him by God himself after the death of Moses when they were about to enter into the Land of Canaan I Josh 5. And it is applied by the Apostle unto all faithful Christians to encourage their hope of being conducted through all Difficulties and Dangers unto their heavenly Inheritance XIII Hebr. 5. Verse 7 Ver. 7. And Moses called unto Joshua and said unto him in the sight of all Israel That they might have the greater reverence to his Person and Authority and follow his Conduct as a Leader appointed by God Be strong and of a good courage He exhorts him to give a good Example to all the People these being the same words he had spoken to them v. 6. For thou must go with this people Be their Leader and Commander in chief by God's special order XXVII Numb 21. Vnto the Land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them VIII 1. X. 13. XXX 20. And thou shalt cause them to inherit it Put them into the possession of it III. 28. Verse 8 Ver. 8. And the LORD he it is that doth go before thee and will be with thee I Josh 9. He will not fail thee nor forsake thee See v. 6. Fear not neither be dismayed The same which he said to the People v. 6. but was most necessary to be pressed upon him who by his undaunted Resolution was to put Courage into them The word we translate dismayed is different in the Hebrew from that v. 6. which is be not afraid but the LXX and the Vulgar use the same word to express both which denote such a Consternation as disables a Man to do his duty which is the proper import of this word Ver. 9. And Moses wrote this Law Some understand Verse 9 by this Law only the Book of Deuteronomy for which I can see no reason the Scripture calling all that is contained in the Five Books of Moses by the name of the Law St. Paul
and all this he adds was done in the Court of the Women which well agrees with what is said in the next Verse Gather the people men and women c. But it doth not contradict what I said before of his reading it in the Court of the Men of Israel For if the King were of the Family of David it was always done there if he were not then in the Court of the Women as Wagenseil observes out of Maimonides Ver. 12. Gather the people together All that came Verse 12 to this Feast could not meet in one place but were divided into several Assemblies probably in their Synagogues For as many as the Courts of Israel would hold meeting there it is reasonable to think that the rest assembled in some other holy Place Such were their Synagogues which Philo in his Book of the Embassy to Caius calls Places of Secondary Holiness And Maimonides discourses at large of the Holiness of Synagogues and Schools in his Book of Prayer and the Priests Blessing Cap. XI See upon XIX Levit. 30. Men Women and Children Though the Males only were bound to go up to the great Feasts yet many devout Women went also voluntarily as appears by Hannah 1 Sam. I. 3 4. And all the Women in Jerusalem were likewise bound to attend at these Solemnities with the Children who were capable of Instruction See VIII Nehem. 2 3. To whom some Person of Authority read the Law in their Court while the King of the House of David was reading it in the Court of the Men of Israel And the stranger that is within thy gates Such as were Proselytes to the Jewish Religion not excluding those who were only Proselytes of the Gate if they would come to their Assemblies That they may hear and that they may learn and fear the LORD your God and observe to do all the words of this Law That by this means they might be instructed in the true way of worshipping God which is here called his fear and to his Worship and Service add a careful Obedience to all that he commanded in this Book which they might read and were bound to do so in their own private Houses and which they heard read every Sabbath-day in their publick Synagogues For which indeed there is no particular Command in the Law but they being commanded to teach their Children every day at home the things contained in the Law and consequently to read it VI. 7 8. XI 16. they thought it most reasonable to have it read on the Sabbath in their Publick Assemblies where some portion of the Law was read But now the whole Volume as an Authentick Testimony of the whole Nation to the truth of what is contained in these Books Verse 13 Ver. 13. That their Children which have not known any thing For the early Instruction of Posterity in the Sacred Authority of this Law May hear and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as ye live in the land c. Be preserved in the true Religion by so solemn an Acknowledgment made by the King himself that God delivered all these Laws to Moses Accordingly we find that Joshua their Supream Governour after the death of Moses did read all the Words of the Law not omitting a word that Moses commanded before all the Congregation with Women and the little ones and the Strangers that were conversant among them VIII Josh 34 35. But from that time to the Reign of Jehosaphat 2 Chron. XVII 7 8 c. which is commonly computed to be Five hundred and thirty years we find no mention of a Publick Reading of it Nor from that time to the eighteenth year of King Josiah 2 Chron. XXXIV 30 31. which was the space of two hundred eighty and two years nor from that time till after the Captivity of Babylon VIII Nehem. 2 3 c. By which neglect they more easily fell into Idolatry and continued in it more or less till that Captivity for a forgetfulness of the Law ensued upon this neglect Ver. 14. And the LORD said unto Moses behold Verse 14 thy days approach that thou must die He admonishes him that the end of his days upon Earth was near when he must resign up his Office into the hands of Joshua who had been before appointed his Successor XXVII Numb Call Joshua and present your selves in the Tabernacle of the Congregation that I may give you a charge This was done I suppose in the Face of all the People to whom Moses had been speaking v. 1 2. to give Joshua the greater Authority and to make him reverenced by them when they saw he was appointed by God himself to be their Governour as he had been before ordained publickly by God's Order XXVII Numb 18 19 c. And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the Tabernacle of the Congregation In the Court of the Sanctuary with their Faces towards it for it was not lawful for any but the Priests to go into the Sanctuary it self Some indeed have thought that by a special Order from God Joshua was now admitted into it but this seems to me to be contradicted by the next Verse which saith God appeared in a Cloud over the door of the Tabernacle Verse 15 Ver. 15. And the LORD appeared in the Tabernacle in a pillar of a Cloud This signifies that the Glory of the LORD as other places speak appeared unto them and unto the People as it had done upon many occasions XXXIII Exod. 9 10. IX Numb 15. XVI Numb 42 43. And the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the Tabernacle Being a Symbol of the Divine Presence whose Glory appeared out of the Cloud as it did XVI Numb 42. For the Cloud was always upon the Tabernacle XL Exod. 35 38. IX Numb 18. but when the LORD would strike an awe into the People and move them to regard what he said or did then the Cloud stood at the door of the Tabernacle and the Glory of the LORD came out of the most Holy Place and appeared in it Verse 16 Ver. 16. And the LORD said unto Moses Out of the Cloud I suppose as he did XVI Numb 44. Behold thou shalt sleep with thy Fathers He first admonished Moses again of his departure in the audience I suppose of Joshua who heard all the following Admonition to make him more carefully observe the end and design of it Sleep is a common word for Death either of good Men or bad which was not used meerly as a soft expression of that which the Heathen dreaded as the most terrible of all things but â—o put them in mind perhaps that death should not last always but they should as certainly rise again as they lay down so the word is in the Hebrew to sleep with their Fathers And this people will rise In Rebellion And go a whoring God who searches all Mens hearts discerned such bad inclinations in this People that he knew they would fall into Idolatry
Sea which is hereby meant Ver. 3. And the South And after he had seen Verse 3 the South which the Tribes of Judah and Simeon inhabited he bad him take a view of the Eastern Parts of the Country as it here follows And the plain of the Valley of Jericho All the Region about Jordan especially the lovely Plain of Jericho which is very much celebrated by other Authors and lay in the Tribe of Benjamin The City of Palm-trees Which is often mentioned in Scripture sometime without and sometime with the name of Jericho I Judges 16. III. 13. 2 Chron. XXVIII 15. which was so called because a multitude of Palm-trees grew about it as Strabo as well as Josephus testifies in his Geograph Lib. XVI p. 763. where he describes this plain as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. as incompassed about with Mountains after the manner of a Theatre abounding with Palm-trees and other Garden-trees mixed with them for the space of an hundred Stadia And there was also he observes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Paradise of Balsam Which is a rare Aromatick Plant like to the Turpentine-tree whose Juice is of great virtue and value c. From which odoriferous Plant growing here some think this City had the Name of Jericho signifying sweet smelling So R. Judas in the Gemara of Beracoth where he mentions this Tree as growing about Jericho and thence derives its name from the Hebrew word reach which signifies a sweet smell This is more probable than the Conjecture of D. Chytraeus who imagines Jericho to come from jerec which signifies the Moon and in their German Language he thinks might be called Luneburgh Vnto Zoar. Which lay in the entrance of the Salt Sea Verse 4 Ver. 4. And the LORD said unto him After he had showed him the Land the WORD of the LORD as the Hierusalem Targum hath it spake these words to him which follow And God having been wont to speak to Moses out of the Cloud of Glory Josephus conceives that now he was incompassed with it and from thence heard this voice Which the Jews fancy was so loud that the People heard it into the Camp Thus at our Saviour's Transfiguration upon the holy Mount a glorious Cloud over-shadowed him and his three Apostles who heard the voice say to them This is my beloved Son c. The Samaritans as Hottinger relates in his Smegma Orientale Cap. VIII p. 456. tell the story thus That Joshua Eleazar the Priest and all the Elders accompanying him to the Mount fell into such a Passion when they were to take their leave that they could not be parted from him Whereupon the Pillar of Fire came down which separated them from Moses so that they saw him no more This is the Land which I sware unto Abraham unto Isaac and unto Jacob saying I will give it unto thy seed XII Gen. 7. XIII 15. XV. 18 c. I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes Which the LORD strengthned it is likely with a greater vigour than usual that he might take a larger prospect than other wise he could have done of this Country Or as some of the Jews understand it he laid a Map of it before his eyes wherein every part of it was exactly described But that might have been done in the Plains of Moab without going up into a Mountain therefore the other is more reasonable that he strengthned his visive Faculty with a greater Power to see the whole Country in its length and breadth c. And therefore some of the Rabbins have been so wise as to put both together as J. Bened. Carpzovius observes out of several of them upon Schickard's Jus Regium Cap. V. Theorem XVI p. 285. who thus speak God shewed him the whole Land as in a Garden Plot forty Miles in breadth and as many in length and gave his Eyes such a power of Contemplating the whole Land from the beginning to the end that he saw Hills and Dales what was open and what was inclosed remote or nigh at one view But thou shalt not go over thither This he had often said to him and now mentions it that he might die in a comfortable sense that he had been as good as his word to him and consequently carry this Belief along with him into the other World that he would make good the Oath which he sware to their Fathers of bringing them into Canaan and there fulfil all that he had foretold Verse 5 Ver. 5. So Moses the servant of the LORD So God himself calls him after his death in the next Book I Josh 2 7. as the most eminent Minister of his that he had hitherto employed in Israel But the observation of R. Bechai is not well founded that he is not called the Servant of the LORD till after he was dead and then admitted unto the nearest familiarity with the Divine Majesty For though these very words are not used yet the LORD calls him My Servant Moses which is the same thing XII Numb 7. Died in the Land of Moab For this Country was so still called because it anciently belonged to the Moabites See XXI Numb 26. from whom Sihon had taken it as Israel now had taken it from him So that he really died in the Land of Israel According to the Word of the LORD The Hierusalem Targum expounds this very soberly According to the Sentence of the Decree of the LORD That is as the LORD had determined and declared he should XXXII 49 50. And so this Phrase is commonly used in this very Book XVII 6 10 11. as well as in other places of the Pentateuch IX Numb 20. XIII 3 c. which will warrant this Interpretation that Moses did not die of any Disease nor was worn out with Age but meerly because God the Supream Governour of all things so ordered it But some of the Jews not satisfied with this have far-fetch'd Conceits concerning the Death of Moses from these words For because it is said he died al pi at the mouth as the words are literally in the Hebrew of the LORD Maimonides himself saith that their wise Men think and he seems of their Opinion that it signifies the LORD drew his Soul out of his Body with a kiss And thus died Aaron and Miriam but none besides them Of Aaron indeed it is expresly said he died al pi of the LORD but it is not said of Miriam and yet they will have her to have had the same favour That is they died saith he of too much love from the pleasure they had in the thoughts of God which apprehension of God conjunct with the highest love to him he thinks is called kissing I Cant. 2. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth More Nevochim P. III. Cap. LI. But this is not the meaning of the Phrase though no doubt Moses departed this Life in a most delectable sense and taste of the Divine Love having no unwillingness to
and Dizabah There was a place called Hazeroth where they had encamped a long time ago XI Numb 35. XXXIII 17. but it was in another Wilderness far from this place as appears by the account Moses gives of their Removals from that place to this where they now lay XXXIII Numb 17 48 49. And therefore I take this and the other three places here mentioned to have been frontier Towns in the Country of Moab which lay upon the borders of this Plain The last of which Dizabah is translated by the LXX and the Vulgar as if it signified a place where there were Mines of Gold Onkelos and the Hierusalem Targum who take Suph to signifie the Red Sea and Paran for the Wilderness through which they had come many years ago c. are forced to add several words to make out the sense of this Verse in this manner These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan c. reproving them because they sinned in the Desert and provoked God in the Plain over against the Red Sea and murmured in Paran about Manna and at Hazeroth for Flesh c. And so they proceed to mention other Sins committed in other places but not in these here named which they force from their natural sense to comply with this Conceit Verse 2 Ver. 2. There are eleven days journey from Horeb c. Or eleven days we were a coming from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir unto Kadesh-Barnea Which cannot be understood of the whole time they spent between these two places but only of the time they spent in travelling For they stayed a Month at Kibroth-Hattaavah and a Week more at Hazeroth XI Numb 21. XII 15 16. before they came to Kadesh-Barnea This he represents to them to make them sensible they had been kept in the Wilderness so many years as had passed since they came out of Egypt not because it was a long way to Canaan but for the reason mentioned in the XIVth of Numbers For from Horeb whither he order'd them to go when they came out of Egypt they came in eleven days and took no long Journeys to the borders of the Land of Canaan where Kadesh-Barnea lay So Maimonides the way was plain and known between Horeb whither God brought them on purpose to serve him and Kadesh which was the beginning of an habitable Country according to what he saith XX Numb 16. See More Nevochim P. III. Cap. L. See XIII Numb 26. By the way of Mount Seir. The Country of the Edomites Chapt. II. v. 12. Vnto Kadesh-Barnea How they were ordered to come hither and what they did here he relates v. 6 19. and so proceeds to give an account of several remarkable things which befell them unto the time when he wrote these things which he sets down in the next Verse Ver. 3. And it came to pass in the fortieth year Verse 3 After they came out of Egypt In the eleventh month on the first day of the month In the first Month of this fortieth Year they came into the Wilderness of Zin unto another Kadesh XX Numb 1. From whence they removed to Mount Hor where Aaron died on the first Day of the fifth Month of this Year See there v. 28. Where it appears v. 29. they mourned for him thirty days that is till the beginning of the sixth Month. In which they fought with King Arad XXI Numb and from Mount Hor travelled from place to place as we read there and XXXIII Numb till they came to these Plains of Moab In which Journeys and in the rest of the Transactions mentioned in the latter end of the Book of Numbers they spent the other five Months of this Year as I have observed in their proper places And now began the eleventh Month when Moses being to leave the World before the end of this Year spake all that follows in this Book And this Speech which he begins v. 6. and continues to the fortieth Verse of the fourth Chapter the great Primate of Ireland thinks he made to the People on the twentieth of February and on the Sabbath-day as the Reader may find in his Annals That Moses spake unto the Children of Israel according unto all that the LORD had given him in Commandment unto them Made a Rehearsal of all that at several times he had received from the LORD and delivered unto them Ver. 4. After he had slain Sihon the King of the Amorites Verse 4 which dwelt at Heshbon About five Months ago for it was after Aaron's death which was the first Day of the fifth Month XXXIII Numb 38. and they mourned for him all that Month. See XXI Numb 21 c. And Og the King of Bashan which dwelt at Astaroth This was a City in the Country of Bashan XIII Josh 31. and a City it was of very great Antiquity as appears from XIV Gen. 5. See there From whence some think the famous Goddess Astarte had her Name being here worshipped But whether that Goddess took her Name from this City or the City from the Goddess is not certain as Mr. Selden observes in his Syntagma II. de Diis Syris cap. 2. But that the Heathen Deities were wont to have their Names from the Groves Mountains Cities and Caves where they were worshipped is as certain as it is uncertain from whence Astarte or Astoreth as the Scripture Name is was so called In Edrei His Royal Palace was at Astaroth as Sihon's was at Heshbon but he was slain in Edrei XXI Numb 33. Verse 5 Ver. 5. On this side Jordan in the Land of Moab In the Plains of Moab before they passed over Jordan See v. 1. Began Moses to declare this Law saying To call to remembrance that which any one had forgotten and to explain that which any one did not understand So Maimonides expounds these words in Seder Zeraim In the end of the fortieth Year in the beginning of the Month Shebat Moses called the People together saying The time of my Death draws near if any one therefore hath forgot any thing that I have delivered let him come and receive it or if any thing seem dubious let him come that I may explain it And so they say in Siphri If any one have forgotten any Constitution let him come and hear it the second time if he need to have any thing unfolded let him come and hear the Explication of it For which he quotes this Verse and says that Moses spent all his time in this from the beginning of the Month Shebat to the seventh day of Adar And what he now said was likely to be the more regarded because these were in a manner his dying words for he lived but till the seventh day of the next Month and seems to have composed this Book as a Compendium of his whole Law for the familiar use of the Children of Israel from whence it is called Deuteronomy i. e. a second Law See Huetius in his Demonstr Evang.
themselves Ver. 19. And when we departed from Horeb. See Verse 19 X Numb 2. We went through all that great and terrible Wilderness It may well be called great because it extended a great way For after three days Journey X Numb 12. they settled at Kibroth-hattaavah which was in this Wilderness of Paran From whence they went to Hazeroth which is still said to be in this Wilderness XI Numb 35. And when they went from thence they were in the same Wilderness XII 16. where Kadesh was XIII 26. and see XXXIII 19. And this Wilderness was very terrible or dreadful because there were no Inhabitants in it but wild Beasts Which you saw by the way of the Mountain of the Amorites All the way you went towards that Mountain See v. 7. As the LORD our God commanded us According to the direction which God gave them by the motion of the Cloud that went before them And we came to Kadesh-Barnea Where they rested at the foot of that Mountain in the Wilderness of Paran XIII Numb 2 26. Verse 20 Ver. 20. And I said unto you ye are come to the Mountain of the Amorites which the LORD our God doth give unto us For this was part of the Country which God bestowed upon them for their Possession as appears from XXXIV Numb 4. Where Kadesh-Barnea is mentioned as a frontier Place in their South-border And indeed the Amorites wheresover they found them were to be expelled as they had already dispossessed them of the whole Kingdom of Sihon who was King of the Amorites XXI Numb 21 25 26. Ver. 21. Behold the LORD thy God hath set the Land before thee All the Country beyond this Mountain v. 8. Go up For there was a great ascent to it XIII Verse 21 Numb 17. And possess it Enter upon the Possession of it As the LORD God of thy Fathers hath said unto thee According to the Promise made by God long ago to Abraham Isaac and Jacob See v. 8. which he is now ready to perform Fear not neither be discouraged Do not dread either their number or their strength but trust in the LORD whose Name he repeats four times in these three Verses that he will make good his word Ver. 22. And ye came near unto me every one of you Verse 22 The Heads of every Tribe in the name of the whole Congregation whose desire this was And said we will send Men before us Some select Persons And they shall search out the Land Give us an account how it lies and what kind of Country it is And bring us word again by what way we shall go up Inform us which way to direct our march into it And into what Cities we shall come What Cities we shall first attack to make our way the clearer into the Country Moses also charges the Men that went to search the Land with many other Enquiries XIII Numb 18 19 20. that the People might receive the fullest satisfaction Ver. 23. And the saying pleased me well He thought Verse 23 this a reasonable motion proceeding only from a prudent Caution whereas in truth they were timorous and distrustful of God's promise And I took twelve Men of you one of a Tribe That every body might be satisfied when they heard the report of their Brethren XIII Numb 2 3 4. c. and God directed him so to do as we read there Verse 24 Ver. 24. And they turned From Kadesh-Barnea And went up into the Mountain XIII Numb 17 21. And came unto the Valley of Eschol It appears by the relation XIII Numb 21 22 23. that this was the last place unto which they came when they had ended their search And searched it out After they had gone through all the quarters of the Country Verse 25 Ver. 25. And they took of the fruit of the Land in their hands and brought it down unto us Both Grapes Pomegranates and Figgs XIII Numb 23. And brought us word again and said It is a good Land which the LORD our God doth give us So they all said unanimously and brought along with them a demonstration of it XIII Numb 27. only they added that they were not able to deal with the Inhabitants of it Verse 26 Ver. 26. Notwithstanding ye would not go up but rebelled against the Commandment of the LORD your God Who bad you go up and not be afraid v. 8 21. Which was the greater sin because he had not only brought them to the Borders of the Land but convinced them that he had not deluded them with fair Promises of a better Country than really it was For they all saw the goodly Fruit which it produced and ought therefore to have believed he would fulfil his word and give them the possession of it Verse 27 Ver. 27. And ye murmured in your Tents After great Lamentations for a whole Night together XIV Numb 1. And said because the LORD hated us he hath brought us forth out of the Land of Egypt Unto which therefore they desired and conspired to return XIV Numb 4. To deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us Nothing can be more pernitious as Grotius here observes than a perswasion that God doth not love us but hath a design upon us to destroy us Ver. 28. Whither shall we go up Moses I suppose Verse 28 still pressed them to go up and take possession of the Land to which they give him this snappish Answer Our Brethren have discouraged our hearts The Men that you your self sent to search the Land have dispirited us by the Report they have brought us Which would not have had that effect upon them if they had minded one part of it as much as the other and calmly considered what Caleb and Joshua said who made no doubt of Success Saying The People is greater and taller than we More numerous and of far greater stature and strength XIII Numb 28.33 The Cities are great and walled up to Heaven The Spies only told them that ther Cities were walled and very great XIII Numb 28. but their fear and confusion of Thoughts augmented the danger of attempting the Conquest of them Yet Moses himself thinks good afterwards to use the same hyperbole IX 1. which is common in the best Authors For thus Homer in Odyss E. v. 239. speaks of a Firr-tree as high as Heaven i. e. exceeding tall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Many other Instances may be seen in Bochartus his Phaleg Lib. I. Cap. XIII And Moreover we have seen the Sons of the Anakims there See XIII Numb 28.33 Const L'Empereur will rather have it translated the Sons of the Giants as the LXX and Onkelos take it Yet he acknowledges that Anak seems to have been the first Parent and Propagator of the Race of Giants after the Flood and therefore it may be properly translated as we do See Annot. in Itiner Benjamini Tudelensis p. 136. Verse 29 Ver. 29. Then I said unto you Moses here at large relates what he
said unto their Fathers upon this occasion which he doth not mention in the Book of NUMBERS where we read only of his falling down before God that he might awaken this Generation to a greater confidence in God and a dread of his Judgment Dread not nor be afraid of them Do not consider so much how strong they are as how powerful the LORD your God is who hath promised you this good Land Verse 30 Ver. 30. The LORD your God which goeth before you In a glorious Pillar of Cloud and Fire He shall fight for you As he had done hitherto XIV Exod. 14. XVII 8 c. According to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes Why should you think he is less able to bring you into Canaan than he was to redeem you from Egypt where you were oppressed by very powerful Enemies Verse 31 Ver. 31. And in the Wilderness Ever since they came from thence through the Wilderness of the Red-Sea XIII Exod. 18. and the Wilderness of Sin XVI Exod. 1. and the Wilderness of Sinai XIX Exod. 1 2. and then through that terrible Wilderness of Paran See above v. 19. Where thou hast seen how the LORD thy God bare thee as a Man doth bear his Son The long Experience they had had of his tender care over them which was as indulgent as that of a kind Father towards his only Son when he is a Child whom he carries in his Arms should have made them confident of his gracious Providence for the future In all the way that ye went until ye came to this place He made provision for them in the most desolate places bringing them Water out of a Rock sending Bread down to them from Heaven defending them from wild Beasts and from their fiercer Enemies c. Ver. 32. Yet in this thing ye did not believe the Verse 32 LORD your God He could not prevail with them to trust God and go up as he commanded in his Power and Might to possess the Land Nor could all that Caleb and Joshua said at all move them XIV Numb 7 8 9. Ver. 33. Who went in the way before you Never Verse 33 failed constantly to direct and guide you in your Journeys XIII Exod. 22. To search you out a place to pitch your Tents in But always markt out your Encampments where they should be X Numb 17. In fire by night to shew you by what way you should go and in a cloud by day That they might be able to travel by Night as well as by Day which was most convenient in Summer time when the Sun was very scorching in a Wilderness where there was no shelter XIII Exod. 21. X Numb 16 21. Ver. 34. And the LORD heard the voice of your words They not only distrusted God v 32. but murmured against their Leaders and against God in Verse 34 a mutinous manner consulting to return into Egypt XIV Numb 1 2 3 4. And moreover spake of stoning Caleb and Joshua for their good Advice v. 10. And was wroth and sware saying Which so provoked the Divine Majesty that he irrevocably determined what follows confirming it with an Oath XIV Numb 21. Verse 35 Ver. 35. Surely there shall not one of these Men of this evil Generation see that good Land c. See XIV Numb 21 28 29. Verse 36 Ver. 36. Save Caleb the Son of Jephunneh And Joshua the Son of Nun. See XIV 24 30. and see below v. 38. He shall see it and to him will I give the Land that he hath trodden upon c. This was as exactly fulfilled as their disinheriting was XIV Josh 9 12. Where the particular Portion of Land is mentioned which God promised to him and which Joshua gave him in the Mountain where the Anakims dwelt For such was the wonderful Faith and Courage of Caleb that he doubted not to dispossess those whom the rest of the Israelites dreaded as invincible Verse 37 Ver. 37. Also the LORD was angry with me Not at that time but afterwards when they came into the Wilderness of Zin to another Kadesh XX Numb 1 12. For your sakes By occasion of their fresh discontents and mutinous upbraidings of him XX Numb 2 3 4. which provoked him so that he spake unadvisedly with his Lips as the Psalmist observes CVI Psal 31 32. This was an high aggravation of their guilt that they not only undid themselves but brought great Displeasure upon their worthy Leader and Governour whom they wearied with their Tumults and Rebellions Or the meaning may be which doth not much differ from the account now given that they murmuring in a tumultuous manner when they saw the Water did not flow out of the Rock at the first stroke he himself also was put into such a Commotion that he began to doubt and say God would do nothing for such a rebellious People though he had declared he would If this be true he soon recovered himself and smote the Rock again in confidence God would be as good as his word But God was so angry at the words he had spoken that he so far punished him for them as to deny him entrance into Canaan Saying Thou shalt not go in thither Which threatning is renewed a little before his death XXVII Numb 13 14. and he could not get repealed by any Entreaties as we read in this Book III. 26. Ver. 38. But Joshua the Son of Nun which standeth Verse 38 before thee i. e. Waits upon thee He shall go in thither So God promised when he as well as Caleb indeavoured to put Courage into the People to go and possess the Land XIV Numb 6 7 c. 30. Incourage him for he shall cause Israel to inherit it Not only go thither and have his Portion there but be the Captain of Israel and conquer the Land for them and divide it among them This intimates as if Joshua was afraid he might be excluded as well as his Master being extreamly troubled it is likely that he was not suffered to reap the Fruit of his long Labours Therefore God bids Moses incourage his hope and command him to take heart as we speak for undoubtedly he should do more than go into Canaan Which may be the reason why his Name is not put into the Exception v. 35 36. together with Calebs but they are mentioned separately because there was something to be said peculiar to each of them Verse 39 Ver. 39. Moreover your little ones whom ye said should be a prey See XIV Numb 31. Which in that day had no knowledge of good and evil And consequently did not provoke God by their Disobedience They shall go in thither c. Their innocence moved pity towards them though Children in some cases were cut off for their Fathers sins Verse 40 Ver. 40. But as for you turn you From the Land of Canaan to which they were not permitted to go And take your journey into the Wilderness And get you back again
into the Wilderness out of which I have brought you XIV Numb 25. By the way of the Red-Sea Thus they had their desire in some part of returning into Egypt XIV Numb 4. which was not far from the Red-Sea Verse 41 Ver. 41. Then you answered and said unto me We have sinned against the LORD They repented when it was too late to do them any good See XIV Numb 40. We will go up and fight according to all that the LORD our God commanded us Now they resolve to encounter those Enemies of whom they were before so afraid as to speak of stoning those who exhorted them not to fear them XIV Numb 9 10. And when you girded on every Man his Weapons of War ye were ready to go up into the Hill They not only made a stout Resolution but actually prepared themselves for the Onset as if there were no difficulty in that which a little before they dreaded to think of So de Dieu translates the last words Ye thought it an easie matter to ascend the Hill or ye despised going up the Mountain in our Language made nothing of it Ver. 42. And the LORD said unto me say unto Verse 42 them Go not up XIV Numb 41 42. Neither fight Much less think of fighting For I am not among you By my powerful Presence to subdue your Enemies or to defend you from them so the Phrase is often used for the Ark of the Covenant the Token of God's Presence did not go with them XIV Numb 44. Lest ye be smitten before your Enemies Which would be a far greater Disgrace than marching away from them Ver. 43. So I spake unto you XIV Numb 42 43. Verse 43 And ye would not hear No more than before when he bad them go up And rebelled against the Commandment of the LORD For now it was against his will as before it was his will that they should go up And went presumptuously up into the Hill Would venture against the express command of God which was the highest presumption Ver. 44. And the Amorites which dwelt in that Mountain Verse 44 came out against you As soon as they saw the Israelites ascend to assault them they came down upon them XIV Numb 45. And chased you as Bees do Which pursue those that disturb their Hives in great swarms and with great fury CXVIII Psalm 12. For though Bees have very small Bodies yet they have great Spirits and a vast Force as Bochart observes in many instances to make out the aptness of this Comparison in his Hierozoicon P. II. Lib. IV. Cap. X. And destroyed you in Seir. It seems they fled toward that part of Idumaea where Mount Seir was which they afterwards compassed many days II. 1. when they removed from Kadesh-Barnea And there some of them fell by the Sword of the Amorites who were the fiercest of all the People of Canaan and might on that account be well compared to Bees who cease not their pursuit till they have fixt their stings Even unto Hormah See XIV Numb 45. Verse 45 Ver. 45. And ye returned After the Amorites retreated And wept before the LORD Beseeching him to go along with you and assist you to conquer the Land But the LORD would not hearken to your voice nor give ear unto you To consent that they should now go and possess the promised Land or stay near to it but remained sixt in his resolution that they should go back again and wander in the Wilderness as long as they lived Verse 46 Ver. 46. So ye dwelt in Kadesh many days God had commanded Moses to lead them into the Wilderness by the way of the Red-Sea the very next Morning after their mutiny upon the return of the Spies XIV Numb 25. But they prevented this by their early rising next Morning to Assault the Amorites in the Mountain v. 40. After which they being discomfited he permitted them to stay some time here to bemoan themselves But how long is not certain for sometime the Cloud stayed but two days sometime a month sometime a year before it stirred from the Tabernacle which was the sign of their removal X Numb 22. And in some Stations it 's likely they stayed several Years for from the time of their removal from Kadesh-Barnea till they came to Mount Hor which was thirty seven Years we find but Nineteen Stations See XXXIII Numb from v. 18. to v. 37. According to the days that ye abode there Some expound it as long as they did in all the rest of their Stations i. e. nineteen Years as the Jews compute in Seder Olam But as the learned Dr. Lightfoot thinks it signifies as long as they did at Mount Sinai and so they stayed near a whole Year as they had done at Sinai But the most simple Explication seems to be that they tarried here so long after this as they had done before it at least forty days which was the time the Spies spent in searching out the Land Though there is no necessity to confine it to that number but simply to interpret it that as they stayed there many days before this mutiny so they did as many after it Chapter II. CHAP. II. Verse 1 Verse 1. AND we turned c. From the Borders of the Land of Canaan to go Southward till they came to the very shore of the Red-Sea Which as David Chytraeus computes it was thirty German miles from Kadesh-Barnea As the LORD spake unto me According to the command formerly mentioned XIV Numb 25. And we compassed Mount Seir. The mountainous Country of Edom whereof Mount Seir was but a part For when they came to Ezion-gaber which was upon the Red-Sea they were still in the Country of Edom 1 Kings IX 26. 2 Chron. VIII 17. For it stretched a long way from the Confines of Canaan unto Elato and Ezion-geber on the Red-Sea Many days Some think that they were marching to and fro along the Borders of this Country all the time they spent from this removal till they return'd to go towards Canaan again So that by many days they understand the whole XXXVIII years which passed between their departure from Kadesh-Barnea till they came over the Brook Zered v. 14. For when they were at Ezion-gaber which was farthest from Canaan they were as I said upon the Borders of Edom and so they were when they came back again seven and thirty Years after at Mount Hor XX Numb 23. XXI 4. But this must not be understood as if all the Stations mentioned XXXIII Numb after they left Kadesh-Barnea till they came hither again were near to the Country of Edom Some of them might be remote though they all lay in that Wilderness which reached from one end of Idumaea to the other Ver. 2. And the LORD spake unto me saying This was in the end of the XXXIXth Year after their Verse 2 coming out of Egypt when they had spent XXXVII Years going to and fro since their departure
these Expeditions But they seem to be here remembred as an Encouragement to the Israelites to hope that they might drive out the Inhabitants of Canaan who were not stronger than these as they had already driven the Amorites out of the Country of Sihon as it here follows As Israel did unto the Land of his possession which the LORD gave unto them Some have argued from hence that this Book was not written by Moses but by some body else after they had got possession of the Land of Canaan But it is manifest this may relate to what they had done already in dispossessing Sihon King of the Amorites and Og King of Bashan of their Country which it is expresly said Moses had given for a possession to the Tribe of Reuben and Gad and the half Tribe of Manasseh and that by God's direction XXXII Numb 33. XXXIV 14 15. and in this Book XXIX 8. This hath been observed by many particularly by Huetius in his Demonstratio Evangelica Propos IV. Cap. XIV N. XV. Ver. 13. Now rise up said I and get you over the Verse 13 Brook Zered c. Which elsewhere we translate the Valley of Zered See XXI Numb 12. Ver. 14. And the space in which we came from Kadesh-Barnea Verse 14 until we came over the Brook Zered was thirty eight years For it is evident by the story in Numbers that they came to Kadesh-Barnea about the fourth Month of the second Year after they came out of Egypt See upon XII Numb 16. And if we suppose that they removed from hence in the seventh or eighth Month of that Year it is certain that they could not come to this Brook till the seventh or eighth Month of the fortieth Year For Aaron died at Mount Hor on the first day of the fifth Month of this Year and we must allow two or three Months time for all that followed between that and this viz. the conquest of King Arad and of Sihon and Og c. Vntil all the Generation of the Men of War So they were called who were above twenty years old I Numb 3. Were wasted out from among the People Utterly consumed so that not one of them was left XXVI Numb 64 65. As the LORD sware unto them See XIV Numb 28 29. Verse 15 Ver. 15. For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them to destroy them from among the Host Some of them it is likely died a Natural death but many of them might in the course of Nature have lived longer if God had not several ways cut them off before their time Vntil they were consumed By one Plague or other which God sent among them So that a great deal of their time in the thirty eight Years before mentioned were spent it is likely in burying and mourning for their dead Verse 16 17. Ver. 16 17. So it came to pass when all the Men of War were consumed and dead from among the People that the LORD spake unto me saying This was spoken it is probable just as they passed over the Brook Zered or in their next Station at Dibon-Gad XXXIII Numb 45. Ver. 18. Thou art to pass through Ar the Coast of Verse 18 Moab this day Or rather to pass by the Border of Moab for they were not permitted to come into their Country v. 9. See upon v. 4. Ver. 19. And when thou comest nigh over against the Verse 19 Children of Ammon As they did after the conquest of Sihon King of the Amorites whose Country bordered upon the Ammonites XXI Numb 13 24. Distress them not neither meddle with them The same command with that about the Edomites and Moabites v. 5 9. For I will not give thee of the Land of the Children of Ammon any possession As he had said before of the Land of Moab v. 9. Because I have given it unto the Children of Lot for a possession To the Descendants of his youngest Son as he had done the Country of Moab to the Children of the eldest Ver. 20. And that also was accounted a Land of Giants Verse 20 c. Was called the Country of Giants or Rephaim for People so called inhabited it And the Ammonites called them Zamzummims Changed their Names it is probable from Zuzims See XIV Gen. 5. as they were called before into Zamzummims But why they were called either by the one Name or the other it is but conjectured Some conceive they were called Zuzims from their swiftness or nimble running which in Warriours was a quality always highly valued and Zamzummims from their abominable Wickedness or their craft and cunning in doing Mischief Ver. 21. A people great and many and tall as the Anakims The same description which he gave of the Emims v. 10. Verse 21 But the LORD destroyed them before them i. e. Before the Ammonites who expelled them out of their Country and it 's like cut off the most of them And they succeeded them and dwelt in their Land This is so often repeated to possess the Minds of the Israelites with a sense of God's Providence which rules every where displacing one People and setling another in their stead and fixing their Bounds also which they shall not pass without his leave Verse 22 Ver. 22. As he did to the Children of Esau which dwelt in Seir when he destroyed the Horites from before them c. He repeats this which he had said before v. 12. because it was a fresher Instance of God's disposal of Countries unto what People he pleases and nearly touched the Israelites because they were their Brethren Verse 23 Ver. 23. And the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim even unto Azzah Unto which he adds an instance which seems to be elder than any of the former concerning a People called Avims who inhabited some part of the Land of Canaan whither they were going For though we do not read of Hazerim in any other place yet Azzah i. e. Gaza was in the Country of the Philistims who expelled these Avims And David Chytraeus thinks that Hazerim was a Town afterward in the Tribe of Judah called Haza-gaddah XV Josh 27. The Caphtorim which came out of Caphtor That is some People of Cappadocia who were near of Kin to the Philistims See X Gen. 14. Destroyed them and dwelt in their stead Concerning which see in the place above-named Unto which I shall only add That the Avims being expelled out of Canaan by the Caphtorims went it is very probable over Euphrates and settled there till the King of Assyria brought some of them back again to plant the Country of Samaria 2 Kings XVII 31. where we translate this word Avites See Bochart in his Phaleg Lib. IV. Cap. XXXVI Ver. 24. Rise ye up take your Journey and pass over Verse 24 the River Arnon See XXI Numb 13 14. Behold I have given into thy hand Sihon King of Heshbon and his Land c. You your selves shall do to him what your Brethren the Children of Esau did to the
LORD our God commanded us i. e. not to meddle withal CHAP. III. Verse 1. THen we turned and went up by the way of Verse 1 Bashan and Og the King of Bashan came out against us c. See XXI Numb 33. where there are the very same words Ver. 2. And the LORD said unto me Fear him not Verse 2 for I will deliver c. The same words in XXI Numb 34. Only there he saith I have delivered him into thy hand that is resolved to do it Which may interpret what is said in the foregoing Chapter of this Book v. 31. concerning Sihon Verse 3 Ver. 3. So the LORD our God delivered into our hands Og also the King of Bashan c. See XXI Numb 35. Verse 4 Ver. 4. And we took all his Cities at that time all the Cities c. threescore Cities See upon XXXII Numb 41. All the Region of Argob A small Province lying between Jordan and the Mountains of Gilead a little above the Sea of Tiberias which Region was afterwards called Trachonitis from the asperity of the Mountains The Kingdom of Og in Bashan Belonging to his Kingdom in Bashan v. 13. and 1 Kings IV. 13. Verse 5 Ver. 5. All these Cities were fenced with high Walls Gates and Bars c. So they are described 1 Kings IV. 13. Verse 6 Ver. 6. And we utterly destroyed them c. For they were Amorites and therefore under the Curse of God being part of the seven Nations of Canaan devoted to destruction See II. 34. Verse 7 Ver. 7. But all the Cattle and the Spoil of the Cities we took for a prey to our selves As they had done before when they destroyed Sihon and his People II. 35. Verse 8 Ver. 8. And we took at that time out of the hand of the two Kings of the Amorites the Land which was on this side Jordan Which was given to the two Tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the Tribe of Manasseh v. 12 13. If Men were not blinded with prejudice they could not but see from hence that the word beeber in the first Verse of this Book is rightly translated on this side for beyond Jordan as they would have it signifie in the Land of Canaan these two Kings had no possessions nor did Moses make any Conquest there From the River of Arnon unto Hermon This River was the Bounds of their Country on the South and Hermon which was one of the Mountains of Gilead where it joyns to Libanus was their bound on the North. Ver. 9. Which Hermon the Sidonians call Sirion Verse 9 And so it is called in XXIX Psal 6. and joyned with Lebanon for it was as much a part of Libanus as of Gilead these two Mountains there meeting together Whence Jeremiah calls Gilead the Head of Lebanon XXII 6. because Libanus begins where Gilead ends And the Amorites call it Shenir And so it is called XXVII Ezek. 5. and had this Name as Bochart conjectures from the multitude of wild Cats which were in this Mountain For the Arabians called that Creature Sinaur or Sinar See Hierozoicon P. I. Lib. III. Cap. XIV Ver. 10. All the Cities of the Plain All the flat Verse 10 Country which the LXX thought was called Misor for they retain here that Hebrew word And all Gilead i. e. All that part of it which belonged to him which was but half as I observed before II. 36. And all Bashan That part of his Country which was properly and peculiarly called Basan which being the most rich and fertile as the word signifies gave denomination to his whole Kingdom Vnto Shalchah and Edrei Cities of the Kingdom of Og in Bashan The former of these is mentioned XIII Josh 11. just as it is here as the Bounds of Bashan towards Mount Hermon or Lebanon So Chytraeus A Town in Basan in the Mountains of Libanus near to Machati And Edrâ—i was the place where they fought with Og and overthrew him XXI Numb 33. Verse 11 Ver. 11. For only Og King of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Giants Or of the Rephaim a very ancient People in this Country XIV Gen. 5. who were either descended from the Amorites or mingled with them and Og was the very last of them so that he and his People being destroyed none of them remained Behold his Bedstead was a Bedstead of Iron Which was no unusual thing in ancient days though far later than this For Thucydides saith that when the Thebans took Plateae they made Beds of the Brass and Iron they found there which they dedicated to Juno And Beds of Silver and Gold are mentioned by divers Authors as Huetius observes in his Demonstr Evangel Propos IV. Cap. XIV N. VII Is it not in Rabbath of the Children of Ammon This is thought by some to be a considerable Objection against Moses being the Author of this Book For how should this Bedstead say they come to the Children of Ammon in his days No doubt they imagine it would have remained in Bashan whilst Og lived though in length of time it might be carried into the Country of the Ammonites As if Og fearing the worst might not send his Bed and his best Furniture unto the Ammonites knowing they would be safe among them because the Israelites were forbid to make War upon them Or Moses having conquered the Country and kept all the Spoil v. 7. might not sell this among other Goods to the Children of Ammon who preserved it in their capital City No body can see an unreasonableness in either of these Suppositions of the same Huetius Nor do I see how the Conjecture of another learned Person Andraeas Masius upon the XIIth of Joshua can be confuted which is That when the Ammonites drove out that monstrous sort of People mentioned II. 21. Og might possibly escape and so is said here to be left of the remnant of the Giants who flying hither to the Amorites was made their King because of his goodly Presence and great Valour But the Ammonites kept his Bedstead and showed it as a Monument of that illustrious Victory which they got over the Rephaim or as they called them the Zamzummims in that Country Nine cubits was the length thereof and four cubits was the breadth thereof This is mentioned to show of what a vast Stature Og was For Bedsteads being according to the common Custom made a third part longer than the Persons that lye in them he was six Cubits high as Maimonides computes that is as high again as any other Man More Nevochim P. II. Cap. XLVII Which is very sober Discourse in comparison with what other Jews say of him See Sâ—kikkard in his Bechinah Happeruschim p. 120. After the cubit of a Man According to the Cubit of ordinary Men saith the same Maimonides which is a little more than half a yard not of Og before mentioned But what need was there say the former Objectors to mention this since the Israelites saw Og lye dead before
it c. According to their own desire but on condition they should help their Brethren to conquer the Land of Canaan See XXXII Numb 20 21 22. Verse 19 Ver. 19. But your Wives and your little Ones and your Cattle for I know you have much Cattle shall abide in your Cities which I have given you See XXXII Numb 16 24 26. Verse 20 Ver. 20. Vntil the LORD have given rest unto your Brethren as well as unto you c. Brought them to a Settlement in the Land of Canaan and given them a peaceable possession of it After which we read that Joshua dismissed these Tribes and sent them to their Wives and Children XXII Josh 4. Verse 21 Ver. 21. And I commanded Joshua at that time About that time when by God's order he appointed Joshua to be his Successor and took him to be his Associate in the Government XXVII Numb 18 c. Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two Kings So shall the LORD do unto all the Kingdoms whither thou passest This seems to be the Preface to the Charge which by God's Command he gave to Joshua at that time XXVII Numb 19 23. Ver. 22. Ye shall not fear them for the LORD your Verse 22 God fighteth for you This is part of the Charge it self which he had heard him give all the People eight and thirty years ago I. 21 29 30. Ver. 23. And I besought the LORD at that time Verse 23 saying Being told by God at the same time XXVII Numb 12 13. that he should shortly dye and only see the Land of Canaan but not enter into it Moses made his humble Supplication to God that he would not execute the Sentence which he had denounced against him For the word besought signifies Supplication to one that is offended Ver. 24. O LORD God thou hast begun to shew Verse 24 thy Servant thy greatness and thy mighty hand In subduing the two Kings of the Amorites For what God is there in Heaven or in Earth that can do according to thy works and according to thy might He speaks according to the Language of those times when Men worshipped many Gods of several sorts None of which he acknowledges were able to bring to pass such things as the LORD had done Ver. 25. I pray thee let me go over and see the good Verse 25 Land that is beyond Jordan To see is here to enjoy it as the rest of the Israelites were to do For God bad him go up into a Mountain and behold it but threatned he should not enter into it Which Threatning he might well think was reversible as others had been against the People of Israel upon his Prayer for them though they had more highly offended the Divine Majesty than he had done For though he doubted at the first especially when he saw no Water come out of the Rock at the first stroke yet he presently recovered himself and smote it the second time believing God would relieve them That goodly Mountain Most think that he desired to go so far into it as to see the place where God intended to settle his Divine Presence which proved to be Mount Moriah But nothing was known of this a long time after unless we suppose it was revealed unto him that where Abraham offered Isaac there the LORD would dwell It seems to me that he means that goodly Country full of noble Mountains for thus the word Mountain is often used particularly XIII Numb 29. where the Spies say the Amorites dwell in the Mountain i. e. in that mountainous part of Canaan And Lebanon He desired to go through the whole Country as far as Lebanon which was the most Northerly part of it famous for goodly Cedars as the Mountain before spoken of was in the South of Canaan Verse 26 Ver. 26. But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes See I. 37. And would not hear me Refused to grant my Petition And the LORD said unto me Let it suffice thee speak no more unto me of this matter This suggests that Moses renewed his Petition after the first denial and more earnestly begg'd this Favour of God which he could not obtain but was enjoyned silence This argues great displeasure and is mentioned by him as an Admonition to the Israelites Chapter IV. to be fearful to offend the Divine Majesty Ver. 27. Get thee up to the top of Pisgah See what I have noted upon XXVII Numb 12. Verse 27 And lift up thine eyes Westward and Northward c. Take a full view of the Country in all the Quarters of it which might be seen from the top of this Mountain which was called Nebo See XXXIV 1 2 3. Ver. 28. But charge Joshua and incourage and Verse 28 strengthen him c. Bid him not doubt that I will bring my People thither under his Conduct though I deny thee entrance into it Ver. 29. So we abode in the Valley over against Verse 29 Beth-peor It is likely that there was a Temple built to Baal-Peor which fronted this Valley for so Beth signifies an House or Temple of Peor Which gave the Name to a City wherein it stood which was part of the Inheritance of the Reubenites XIII Josh 20. In this Valley Moses was buried XXXIV 6. where he made this most excellent Exhortation to all the People CHAP. IV. Verse 1. NOW therefore hearken O Israel Having Verse 1 commemorated several Benefits which God had bestowed upon them since their coming out of Egypt and the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai with several severe Punishments which he had inflicted on them for their Disobedience to it Moses proceeds now to exhort them earnestly to the observance of it Vnto the Statutes These seem to be such Laws as concerned the Worship of God And the Judgments And then these were such as concerned their Dealings one with another Which two words comprehend all that is signified by Testimonies and Precepts also in other places Which I teach you for to do them Which he was about to set before them and press upon their Practice That ye may live and go in and possess the Land which the LORD God of your Fathers giveth you Not perish as their Fore-fathers had done in their Rebellion but be happy and enjoy what God had promised and was ready now to bestow upon them Verse 2 Ver. 2. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you neither shall ye diminish from it This is thought by some to signifie that they should not make the least alteration in the Laws he had given them about the Rites of Divine Worship and Abstinence from several Meats and such like things which were distinctive Marks whereby they were separated from other Nations to be a peculiar People to him Thus Chiskuni interprets these words Thou shalt not add fear upon the fear of the blessed God That is any other Worship to the Divine Worship prescribed by these
Laws nor diminish that Worship Which Interpretation seems to be warranted by what follows Thy eyes have seen what the LORD thy God did because of Baal-Peor But in the words before-going which introduce these Judgments being mentioned as well as Statutes there must be a larger sense of this Injunction which relates to all the Laws of God and the meaning seems to be Ye shall not transgress any of these Precepts either by doing any thing contrary to them which was to add or omitting any thing which they required which was to diminish Thus Grotius interprets it upon 2 Corinth XI 24. Addere ad legem est facere quod lex vetat diminuere est omittere quod lex jubet But which way soever we take it nothing is more certain than that this Prohibition preserved these Books from any alteration since the time they were written For the whole Body of the People acknowledging their Divine Authority none of them dared to change any thing either by addition or diminution Of which there is a wonderful instance in the People that came out of Assyria in the room of the Israelites who were transported thither to inhabit the Country of Samaria who receiving this Law their Posterity have kept it all along to this day as uncorrupted as the Jews themselves have done although they were their mortal Enemies and have been exposed to all the Changes and Revolutions that can befall a Nation during the long interval of Two thousand and four hundred years Thus the most learned Dr. Alix observes in his Reflections upon the four last Books of Moses p. 144. And I do not see why the perfection of the Scripture without the Oral Law of the Jews should not be thought to be established by these words as another learned Person Joh. Wagenseil understands them in his Confut. Carminis Lipmanni p. 585. Yet as the forenamed Chiskuni notes it doth not seem reasonable to conclude from hence that they were prohibited to add any Constitutions as a Hedge and Fence to the Law or as an Explication of it when the sense was doubtful See Mr. Thorndike in his Rights of the Church in a Christian State p. 180 c. That ye may keep the Commandments of the LORD your God which I command you This justifies the Explication I gave of the foregoing words as respecting all God's Laws and XII 32. makes it more plain And indeed God being their Law-giver it was the highest presumption to make any Alteration in any of his Laws Verse 3 Ver. 3. Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baal-peor c. How he cut off Twenty four thousand by a Plague and by the Hand of Justice who had been guilty of Idolatry by the enticements of the Midianitish Women XXV Numb 5 9. Which seems to be a reason why they should take a special Care about the Worship of God that nothing were done contrary to the Laws he had ordained concerning it For all the men that followed Baal-peor the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you The Judges put to death all those that they knew to be guilty and the Hand of God found out all the rest so that there was not a Man of them left who was not swept away by the Pestilence Verse 4 Ver. 4. But ye that did cleave unto the LORD Did not depart from his Worship but bewailed the Apostasie of some of their Brethren XXV Numb 6. Are alive every one of you this day A singular Providence watched over them to preserve them in such good health that not one in so many Thousands was dead since that time Nor in the War with the Midianites wherein they slew all the Males did they lose so much as one Man XXXI Numb 7 49. Ver. 5. Behold I have taught you Statutes and Judgments Verse 5 v. 1. Even as the LORD my God commanded me Sincerely and uprightly without adding any thing of my self or diminishing any thing that he said That ye should do so in the Land whither ye go to possess it To be the Rule of your Life when ye come into the Land of Canaan Ver. 6. Keep therefore and do them for this is your Verse 6 wisdom and understanding in the fight of all the Nations It is your interest to observe them as you will soon find by experience which will teach you that it is not only the wisest Course in it self but will get you the reputation of being a wise People among all your Neighbours Which shall hear of all these Statutes There being mention before v. 1 5. of Judgments as well as Statutes and here only of the latter Abarbinel thence infers That even those Laws which depended wholly upon the Will and Pleasure of God and for which they could give no reason for such they understood by Chukkim would procure them very great Honour if they were carefully observed For the Nations seeing how wonderfully they prospered would be apt to impute it to these extraordinary Prescriptions which they followed Just saith he as a Physician who cures desperate Diseases by some small trifling Remedies as they seem to others is highly applauded for the profoundness of his Knowledge and Wisdom But Maimonides takes this word Statutes to comprehend all the Laws of God and undertakes to show that all the Six hundred and thirteen Precepts have a wise End in them for the Profit and Benefit of those that observe them either to beget some wholesome Opinion in their Mind or to pull out some perverse one either to institute some good Order or to take away Iniquity c. See More Nevochim P. III. Cap. XXXI And say Surely this Nation is a wise and understanding People Who continued in Safety Liberty and Prosperity abounding with all manner of Blessings while they continued all to go up to worship One God sincerely at one Place at certain Set-times as if the whole Nation was but one Family All the rest of their Laws also were admirably fitted to unite them unto God and one to another and consequently to make them appear a wise People in the Eyes of other Nations whose Writers have not only highly magnified Moses but their Law-Givers have transcribed several of his Laws into their own Constitutions This appears by the old Attick Laws and those of the Twelve Tables as many learned Men have observed Nay the Oracle reported by Porphyry in Eusebius his Praeparatio Evangelica Lib. IX Cap. X. thus extols this Nation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Chaldaeans and the Hebrews who came from Chaldaea are the only wise People who worship God the Eternal King in a pure manner And the Oracle of Apollo Clarius recorded by Macrobius Lib. I. Saturnal Cap. 18. is no less remarkable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acknowledge Jao so they pronounced the Name JEHOVAH to be the highest God of all For though Macrobius fancied the Sun to be here called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no Body
your God which he made with you and make you a graven Image c. For this Verse 23 was the principal thing in the Covenant that they should worship him alone Which is the reason it is so often repeated and was immediately after the delivery of the Law from Mount Sinai mentioned alone as if it was the only thing he had said unto them XX Exod. 22 23. Ye have seen that I have talked with you from Heaven Ye shall not make with me Gods of Silver neither shall ye make unto you Gods of Gold Ver. 24. For the LORD thy God is a consuming Verse 24 Fire So he appeared upon the Mount when he delivered his Laws from thence in flaming Fire XXIV Exod. 17. The learned Huetius thinks that from these Words of Moses the ancient Persians took up the Worship of Fire at first only as a Resemblance of God or a Symbol of him as Maximus Tyrius saith Dissert XVIII but afterwards as God himself Demonstr Evangel p. 94. Even a jealous God Who cannot endure any Rival in your Affection See XX Exod. 5. These were two awakening Arguments to keep them from Idolatry that God cannot endure it and will be very terrible in his punishment of it Ver. 25. When thou shalt beget Children and Childrens Verse 25 Children and shalt have remained long in the Land When they were very much multiplied and had been long settled in the possession of the Land of Canaan And shall corrupt your selves By the Worship of other Gods And make a graven Image or the likeness of any thing Which he had strictly prohibited and solemnly caution'd them to beware of v. 23. And shalt do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God to provoke him to Anger By imitating the idolatrous Customs of other Nations Verse 26 Ver. 26. I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you this Day A solemn kind of Asseveration that as surely as the Heaven and the Earth shall endure they should utterly perish That ye shall soon utterly perish from off this Land whereunto ye go c. As soon as the Measure of your Iniquity is filled up ye shall speedily be destroyed without Remedy Which the Hebrews refer to the Captivity by Salmaneser and Nebuchadnezzar after they had been almost Eight hundred Years in this Country and so might be said to have remained long in the Land Verse 27 Ver. 27. And the LORD shall scatter you among the Nations See XXVI Levit. 33. And ye shall be left few in number among the Heathen c. XXVI Levit. 22. Verse 28 Ver. 28. And there ye shall serve Gods the work of Mens Hands Wood and Stone c. The Idols of the Heathen To the Worship of which he threatens to abandon them as a punishment for their Apostasie from God And the Heathen sometime compelled them to worship their Gods as we read in the Third of Daniel Which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell This is a Description of the most stupid Idolatry to which they should be delivered if they fell from God See XXI Numb 29. Ver. 29. But if from thence than shalt seek the LORD thy God When they were scattered among the Heathen v. 27. Thou shalt find him if thou seek him with all thy Heart Verse 29 and all thy Soul If they then repented sincerely and became unfeigned Worshippers of the LORD their God alone he promises them forgiveness Ver. 30. When thou art in tribulation and all these Verse 30 things are come upon thee In great distress by the execution of the foregoing Threatnings Even in the latter Days In future Times or in their most declining State The Jews themselves apply this to the present State wherein they now are and have been many Years as appears by the ancient Nitzacon set forth lately by Wagenseil p. 254. where he saith the whole Nation must repent before God send Deliverance unto them If thou turn to the LORD thy God and shalt be obedient to his Voice The great end of punishment was to convert them and make them more observant of God's Commands Ver. 31. For the LORD thy God is a merciful God Verse 31 See XXXIV Exod. 6 7. XIV Numb 17 18. He will not forsake thee neither destroy thee c. He promises not to cast them off nor destroy them utterly tho' they were utterly thrown out of their Land v. 26. but restore them to his Favour according to the Covenant made with their Fathers and confirmed by an Oath XVII Gen. 19. XXII 16 17. See XXVI Levit. 44 45. Ver. 32. For ask now of the Days that are past which Verse 32 were before thee since the day that God created Man upon the Earth c. Turn over the Annals of the whole World from one end of it to the other ever since it was made and search whether thou canst find any thing like to that which God hath done for you Which R. Isaac thus glosses in his Munimen Fidei lately set forth by Wagenseil p. 103. From the Creation of the World till their going out of Egypt there were passed Two thousand four hundred and forty eight Years and yet in all that long Tract of Time there never were seen or heard in any part of the World such prodigious Miracles as were wrought to bring them out of Egypt and afterward in leading them through the Red Sea raining Manna on them and the appearance of the Divine Majesty at Mount Sinai c. Verse 33 Ver. 33. Did ever People hear the Voice of God speaking out of the midst of Fire as thou hast heard and live Here was a double or rather tripple Prodigy never heard of before that God should speak to them audibly and distinctly so long as to inform them in their Duty towards himself and one another and this out of the midst of devouring Flames and without the least hurt to any one of them XX Exod. 18. XX. 18. XXIV 17. Verse 34 Ver. 34. Or hath God assayed to go and take him a Nation from the midst of another Nation Another Wonder never before heard of that God by two Men alone Moses and Aaron should demand the Delivery of a Nation under the Power of another Nation far greater and stronger than themselves and effect it also by no other Means but such as here follow By Temptations This word may be thought to signifie the grievous Trials of the Israelites whose Miseries were increased after the first Attempt for their Deliverance which seemed to them a strange way of proceeding V Exod. 19 22 23. But by Temptations may in this place be in general meant Miracles as the Hebrews understand it and the Chaldee word Tenessin signifies This and the two following words being of the very same import with the three words in the New Testament which we often meet withal and seem to be taken from hence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 With Miracles Wonders and Signs II Act. 22. 2 Corinth XII II Hebr.
first heard of their Sin XXXII Exod. 11 12 13. and the next Morning after he had broken the Calf and done Execution upon the Offenders v. 30 31 32. Forty days and forty nights I did neither eat bread nor drink water XXXIV Exod. 2 28. Because of all your sins which ye sinned in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD to provoke him to anger He spent this time very much in earnest Supplication to God to forgive not only this but all their other sins whereby they had deserved to be cast off by him For they provoked him at Marah XV Exod. 23. and in the Wilderness of Sin XVI 2 3. and at Massah XVII 2 3 4. Verse 19 Ver. 19. For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you Which God had expressed both before he came down from the Mount and after XXXII Exod. XXXIII 3 5. Insomuch that the LORD removed out of the Camp and would not for the present dwell among them v. 7. But the LORD hearkned unto me at that time also See XXXIV Exod. 8 9 10. Where the LORD tells him he expected they should be more faithful hereafter in observing their Covenant with him particularly this part of worshipping no other God See there v. 10 11 12 13 14. Ver. 20. And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him c. This shows the heinousness of this Sin which had like to have cost Aaron his Life though he meerly complied with the impetuous Verse 20 Desire of the People out of Fear and want of Courage to resist them Ver. 21. And I took your sin So Idols are termed Verse 21 in XXXI Isa 7. The Object or Occasion of Sin as well as the Punishment of it being called by the Name of Sin The Calf which you had made and burnt it with fire and stamp'd it and ground it very small c. This he did before he went up the second time into the Mount XXXII Exod. 20. And I cast the dust thereof into the Brook that descended out of the Mount From the Rock which Moses smote with his Rod XVII Exod. 6. which constantly supplied them with Drink which for the present they could not have but mixed with their Sin as we read XXXII Exod. 20. Ver. 22. And at Taberah Besides this great Sin Verse 22 committed at Horeb he puts them in mind of several other that they might be the more humbled and have no Opinion of their own Righteousness remaining in them See concerning this XI Numb 1 2 3. And at Massah As the foregoing Sin was committed after the making the Golden Calf so this was before it XVII Exod. 7. And at Kibroth hattaavah ye provoked the LORD to wrath This Provocation was immediately after that at Taberah XI Numb 33 34. All which three places had their Names from the Sin of the Israelites or from their Punishment Ver. 23. Likewise And yet this was not all When the LORD sent you from Kadesh-Barnea saying Go up and possess the Land which I have given you Verse 23 XIII Numb 1 2 3. Then ye rebelled against the Commandment of the LORD your God and ye believed him not nor hearkned to his word XIV Numb 1 2 3. of which unbelief God there complains v. 11. Verse 24 Ver. 24. Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you To comprise all in a few words You have been a disobedient People ever since I was acquainted with you So he suspected they would prove IV Exod. 1. and upon the first disappointment found it to be true V Exod. 24 25. Verse 25 Ver. 25. Thus I fell down before the LORD forty days and forty nights as I fell down at the first because the LORD had said he would destroy you Having interposed some other Instances of their rebellious Disposition besides their making the Golden Calf he returns to what he had begun to say concerning his Intercession with God for a Pardon which he could not obtain without long Importunity For we cannot from these words gather as some of the Jews do that Moses was three times in the Mount forty days and forty nights it being plain that he speaks here of the same time which he mentioned v. 18. And if we should think he intended any other we might conclude he was four times in the Mount so many days and nights because he mentions it over again in the next Chapter X. 10. Because the LORD had said he would destroy you XXXII Exod. 10. XXXIII 5. This wade him so earnest to obtain an Assurance from God that he would continue to be as gracious to them as he had been of which he had given him some hope before he went up into the Mount See XXIII Exod. 17. XXXIV 9 10. Ver. 26. I prayed therefore unto the LORD and said Verse 26 O LORD God destroy not thy People and thine Inheritance which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness c. He used the same Argument in his Petition for them when he went into the Mount the second time which he had urged before he came down the first time from it XXXII Exod. 12. Ver. 27. Remember thy Servants Abraham Isaac Verse 27 and Jacob. The very same he had said there v. 13. And look not unto the stubborness of this People nor to their wickedness nor to their sin He prays that the gracious Promise of God to their pious Fore-fathers would move him to over-look the high Provocations of their Posterity Which he aggravates in several words the more to humble them and to magnifie God's Mercy in granting them a Pardon The word Stubborness seems to relate to their very evil Disposition of Mind and their Wickedness to all their undutiful Murmurings and their Sin to their Idolatry which is often called in Scripture peculiarly by the Name of Sin It being the highest Provocation from whence sprang all manner of Wickedness Thus Jeroboam is said to have made Israel to sin by setting up the Calves at Dan and Bethel to be worshipped Ver. 28. Lest the Land whence thou broughtest them Verse 28 out say Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the Land which he promised them and because he hated them he hath brought them out to slay them in the Wilderness Chapter X. The sence of this also he had before urged XXXII Exod. 12. Ver. 29. Yet they are thy People and thine Inheritance Verse 29 which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power c. They were redeemed by him out of the Land of Aegypt and after a wonderful manner separated from all other People to be his peculiar XIX Exod. 4 5 6. and besides having repented of this Sin in making the Golden Calf God had again owned them to be his and promised his Presence should go with them XXXIII Exod. 14. Insomuch that Moses there saith before he went into the Mount again v. 13. Consider
rewarded their Obedience to them as if he had received the Benefit thereof Verse 14 Ver. 14. Behold the Heaven Where the Sun Moon and Stars shine And the Heaven of Heavens And all the glorious Regions beyond them Is the LORD 's thy God Are all his Possession as they are his Work The Earth also with all that therein is As well as this Earth and all the Creatures that are in it Ver. 15. Only the LORD had a delight in thy Fathers to love them and he chose their Seed after them Verse 15 even you above all People c. He would have them sensible therefore that the Possessor of Heaven and of Earth could have no need of them or of their Services who were a very inconsiderable Part of his Creatures But it was his own meer good Will and Pleasure which moved him to show such Love to Abraham as he had done and to his Posterity for his sake above all other Nations on Earth Ver. 16. Circumcise therefore the fore-skin of your Verse 16 heart Do not satisfie your selves therefore with the bare Circumcision of your Flesh and the Observance of such External Rites and Ceremonies but cut off and cast away all your naughty Affections which make you insensible both of God's Mercies and Corrections and disobedient to his Commands And be no more stiff-necked As he had often before complained they were particularly XXXII Exod. 9. and see IX 6. of this Book It is a Metaphor as I observed from Oxen who when they are to draw in a Yoke and go forward pull back their Neck and their Shoulder to withdraw themselves from the Yoke To both which the Scripture alludes IX Nehem. 29. And sometime severally we find mention of them as in the place before-named in Exodus he speaks of their stiff-neck and in VII Zachar. 11. he saith They pull'd away the shoulder St. Stephen puts both these together in his Character of the wicked Jews that killed our blessed Saviour VII Acts 51. that they were stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart Therefore the contrary disposition God promises towards the Conclusion of this Book as the greatest Blessing he could bestow on them XXX 6. Ver. 17. For the LORD thy God is God of gods and Verse 17 Lord of lords Superiour to all other Beings whether Kings on Earth or Angels in Heaven A great God a mighty and a terrible Who can do what he pleases every where and therefore is to be greatly dreaded Which regardeth not persons nor taketh reward The most righteous Judge of Men who will not connive at your Sins because you are Circumcised nor be bribed by any Sacrifices to overlook your Wickedness XXIII Exod. 8. XIX Lev. 15. I Deut. 17. Nor on the contrary reject those that uprightly obey him though they be not Jews So St. Peter learnt to understand these words X Acts 34. Verse 18 Ver. 18. He doth execute the Judgment of the Fatherless and Widow Takes their part as we speak and defends them against those that would oppress them And loveth the Stranger in giving him Food and Raiment Provideth for those who are driven unjustly out of their own Country or travelling on their honest Occasions fall into want For he seems here to speak of those who were neither Proselytes of Justice nor of the Gate as the Jews speak but were meer Gentiles Verse 19 Ver. 19. Love ye therefore the Stranger Be kind and hospitable to such distressed Persons which is a Vertue that flows from the Love of God v. 12. to which it is in vain to pretend if we love not all Mankind This Love consists in imitating God's Care of such Persons whereof he speaks in the foregoing Verse viz. doing them Justice equally with others and affording them Food and Raiment For ye were strangers in the Land of Egypt This Vertue was peculiarly required of the Jews who had been in that Condition which he commanded them to pity See XXIII Exod. 9. XIX Levit. 33 34. And if they had sincerely practised this Duty towards Aliens the Grace of God shown to the Gentiles in our blessed Saviour would not have seemed so strange to them as it did Ver. 20. Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God him Verse 20 shalt thou serve This was explained before v. 12. To him shalt thou cleave Serve that is and Worship none but him And swear by his Name See VI. 13. Ver. 21. He is thy praise Whom thou oughtest Verse 21 therefore to praise Or rather in whose Love and Favour thou oughtest to glory and to think it the highest honour to be his Servant and to have him for thy God as it here follows He is thy God Who hath bestowed upon thee all the good things which thou enjoyest That hath done for thee all these great and terrible things which thine eyes have seen In bringing them out of Egypt destroying Pharaoh in the Red-sea leading them through the Wilderness giving them the Country of Sihon and Og c. Whom therefore they were bound to Love and Serve and to confide in his Mercy and not in their own Power or Righteousness VIII 17 18. IX 4 5 6. Ver. 22. Thy Fathers went down into Egypt with Verse 22 threescore and ten persons See XLVI Gen. 27. I Exod. 5. Their Family he would have them remember was very small Chapter XI about Two hundred Years ago And now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the Stars of Heaven for multitude Vastly increased them according to his Promise unto Abraham XV Gen. 5. XII Exod. 37. XXVI Numb 51 62. Which alone as Conradus Pellicanus here notes was sufficient to fill their Hearts with his Love and their Mouths with his Praise CHAP. XI Verse 1 Verse 1. THerefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God Who of so small hath made thee so great a Nation And keep his charge A Phrase used frequently concerning the Levites III Numb 7 8 c. But here comprehends all the Particulars following His Statutes and his Judgments and Commandments which he had charged them to observe See VI. 1. Verse 2 Ver. 2. And know you this day Consider seriously what I have said to you till you be sensible of it VIII 5. IX 6. For I speak not with your Children which have not known and which have not seen The words I speak are not in the Hebrew and they may as well be supplied thus For not with your Children have these things been done c. Which agrees well with v. 7. The Chastisement of the LORD your God The Plagues he sent upon the Egyptians His greatness Which appeared by the many great things he did only upon the stretching out of Moses his Rod. His mighty hand and stretched out arm These are more words to express the same thing Ver. 3. And his miracles and his acts which he did in the midst of Egypt Or His miraculous Acts c. Verse 3 He uses so many words to make them sensible how much they were
that end were erected to them The Soveraign Caelestial Gods being worshipped in the Sun Moon and Stars wherein they were thought to dwell and these petty Deities the Daemons were worshipped in Images and Columns which were made for them and for no other Deities as our Mr. Mede observes P. I. pag. 778. Verse 4 Ver. 4. Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God That is not serve him upon the Mountains nor in Groves nor under green Trees Which appears to be the sence both from the foregoing words v. 2 3. and from the following opposition in the next Verse And it is very probable that during their continuance in the Wilderness none Sacrificed in High Places but offered all at the Door of the Tabernacle which was not far from them When they came into Canaan and were many of them at a distance from the Tabernacle they did Sacrifice in High Places and we do not find them reproved for it while they worshipped the LORD alone and had Priests who officiated there and in other places according to the Precepts of the Law But when the Temple was built and the Ark of God's Presence no longer removed from place to place the Prophets required them not to Sacrifice any longer in High Places nor any where else but only at the Temple And they blamed even good Kings for not taking away the High Places though no Sacrifices were offered upon them to any strange god but to the true God alone Which Connivance proved in time a great Mischief for here they first began to worship strange gods the Israelites being very prone to chuse Mountains and such shady places as the rest of the World did wherein to set up their Images 2 Kings XVII 10 11. XX Ezek. 28. IV Hosea 13. Ver. 5. But unto the place which the LORD your Verse 5 God shall chuse out of all your Tribes Unto one certain place which God intended to set apart unto which all the Tribes should resort as the only place where they might Sacrifice By which means the Notion of the Unity of God was preserved and his Worship kept pure and sincere as long as they kept to this one place where the Priests of God constantly attended to see his Service rightly performed To put his Name there By the Name of God is meant God himself as to call upon his Name is to call upon him and therefore the Sence is where he would make his dwelling place by settling the Ark and the Cloud of Glory there which was the Token of his Presence This place at first seems to have been Mizpeh and afterward Shiloh And when that was destroyed the Ark removed to several places Kirjath-jearim Mizpeh Gilgal Nob Gibeon the House of Obed-Edom till at last it settled at Jerusalem Where when the Temple was built God saith to Solomon I have chosen this place to my self for an House of Sacrifice 2 Chron. VII 12. Which is the plain sence of these words Chuse a place to put his Name there Even unto his Habitation shall ye seek and thither thou shalt come This explains what he means by the place where he would put his Name viz. the place where his Sanctuary was settled which was his Habitation where he placed his Majesty as Onkelos paraphrases that all might repair thither to seek his Grace and Favour Verse 6 Ver. 6. And thither ye shall bring your Burnt-offerings and your Sacrifices By Sacrifices as distinct from Burnt-offerings must be meant their Sin-offerings and Peace-offerings And the latter of these were sometimes for Mercies received and sometimes Free-will-offerings or Vows as we read in VII Lev. 12 16. Which if they had been bound as oft as there was occasion to bring to one certain place Jerusalem suppose though they were at never so great a distance from it it would have been an intolerable expense to devout People And therefore the Jews think the meaning is that they were bound to these Sacrifices either for Offences committed or for Mercies received c. at the next Feast at the farthest and not to defer them beyond that time See Dr. Lightfoot in his Temple Service p. 99 100. of the first Edition And your Tithes Not those which were to be paid to the Levites or by them to the Priests but another Tythe which was to be set aside after that to the Levites was paid and employed as is directed XIV 22 23 c. See here below v. 17. And Heave-offerings of your hand The First-fruits as the LXX and Vulgar Latine rightly translate it viz. of Corn and Wine and Oil and other Fruits of the Earth Which are called the Heave-offerings of their hand because they brought them in their own hand and having heaved them up to the LORD they gave them to the Priests See XVIII Numb 11 12. and XVIII Deut. 4. XXVI 4 10. And your Vows and your Free-will-offerings Which were comprehended before under the Name of Sacrifices but here more particularly expressed to signifie That though they might chuse whether they would offer them or no or whether they would vow them yet they could not chuse the place where they should be offered if they vowed or were disposed to it but must be determined by this Law And the Firstlings of your Herds and of your Flocks This shows that the Heave-offerings of their hand comprehend only the First-fruits of the Earth besides which these Firstlings also belonged to the Priests XVIII Numb 15 16 17. Ver. 7. And there ye shall eat Their part of the Verse 7 things before-mentioned the People being wont in ancient time before the Law of Moses to feast upon part of the Sacrifices of Peace-offerings as appears from XVIII Exod. 12. XXXIV 13 14. Before the LORD your God Not in the Tabernacle or Temple where only the Priests might eat the most holy things which were peculiarly theirs XVIII Numb 10. but in some place very near to the Sanctuary It being the custom of other People and perhaps before the time of Moses to feast with their gods in their very Temples or near their Altars according to that of the Apostle 1 Corinth VIII 10. Therefore God entertained his People also at his own House commanding them here and in other places to eat their Sacrifices before him at his Sanctuary and no where else that is in some place adjacent to the Sanctuary Whereby they declared that they had communion with him and not with Idols by partaking with him at his Table that is his Altar For there could be no need of their eating there but only to signifie this and to secure them in his Religion by feasting in his Presence and thereby owning themselves to belong to him This is repeated very often in this Book v. 18. of this Chapter XIV 23 26. XV. 20. XVI 5. but especially XXVII 6 7. where they are required before the Temple was built to eat their Sacrifices near the Altar which was erected after they came over
without repeating them all again In every place that thou seest To be beautiful lovely and inviting by its situation and shady Trees and Fountains c. Such as are mentioned v. 2. Which the Gentiles chose perhaps wherein to Sacrifice because they were more delightful or solemn than other Whence Ezekiel VI. 3. mentions Rivers and Valleys together with Mountains where there were fine Pastures and Springs of Water which were so pleasant and refreshing in those Countries that they fancied the gods delighted in them So St. Hierom notes upon VII Jerem. that this Gentile Error omnes provincias occupavit c. spread it self in all parts of the World That they should offer their Sacrifices at the heads of Fountains and delightful Groves Verse 14 Ver. 14. But in the place which the LORD shall chuse in one of thy Tribes there shalt thou offer thy Burnt-offerings This he had said before v 5 6 11. but repeats it again because of the great importance of it to prevent all strange Worship Elijah indeed offered upon Mount Carmel after the Temple was built but it was by a Prophetical Inspiration and if any one at that time had askt him if they might take that liberty he would have answered by no means but he that offers out of Jerusalem shall be cut off XVII Levit. 4. As for what I do now it is an extraordinary Case to convince the lying Prophets of Baal c. Thus Maimonides in Geder Zeraim And there thou shalt do all that I command thee Bring their Tithes and First-fruits before-mentioned v. 6. and eat and rejoyce before the LORD v. 7. Ver. 15. Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat Verse 15 flesh For common Food In all thy Gates In any City Town or House While they were in the Wilderness indeed they might not kill their Beasts but only at the Door of the Tabernacle and consequently they eat nothing but Peace-offerings which had been first presented unto God and part of them burnt at his Altar XVII Levit. 3 4 c. But when they went into Canaan they were freely indulged to kill their Beasts in any place without bringing any part of them to the Altar Whatsoever thy Soul lusteth after Of all sorts of Creatures not prohibited in the XIth of Leviticus According to the Blessings of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee Suitable to every Man's Estate and Condition The unclean and the clean may eat thereof They who were under any Legal Uncleanness might not eat of the Sacrifices but of common Food at their ordinary Tables they might as well as others As of the Roe-buck and as of the Hart. He instances in these because there was great plenty of them in that Country as Aelian observes in the end of his fifth Book Where he saith they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the highest Mountains of Amanus Libanus and Carmel These Creatures might not be sacrificed to God but they might eat of others which were used in Sacrifice Sheep Goats Oxen as freely as of these which were not Verse 16 Ver. 16. Only ye shall not eat the Blood But of the Blood of those Creatures they might no more eat than of those that were sacrificed at the Altar But as there it was to be sprinkled upon the Altar and then poured out at the foot of it so here it was to be poured on the Earth Ye shall pour it upon the Earth as water So that it might sink into the Ground and disappear as Water doth when it is poured on the Earth Which is so strictly enjoyned though it was not the Blood of an Oblation to prevent those Superstitions which were exercised by the old Idolaters about the Blood of their Sacrifices In which they thought their Daemons delighted and by eating of which they hoped to have Communion with them as Maimonides observes in his More Nevochim P. III. Cap. XLVI Verse 17 Ver. 17. Thou mayest not eat within thy Gates In their own private Habitations The Tithe of thy Corn or of thy Wine or of thy Oil. This cannot be meant of the Tithe paid to the Levites which the People might not eat any where being appropriated to the Levites alone He speaking therefore of a Tithe which the People might eat though not at home yet in the place where the Sanctuary was it must be meant of that which the Hebrews call the second Tithe which was set out after that to the Levites was paid Concerning which he speaks XIV 22 23 c. Or the firstlings of the Herds or of thy Flock These were entirely the Priests Portion by an express Law XVIII Numb 15 17 18. and therefore could not lawfully be eaten by the People either at home or at the Sanctuary Which makes it necessary to understand this of some other Firstlings and it is not improbable that it is meant of the Females which opened the Womb. For the Males only were the LORD's as appears from XIII Exodus and other places who gave them to his Priests but he would have the First-born Females also to be in some sort Sacred by requiring them to be eaten at his Sanctuary where his Priests had their share of them For I see no ground to think that as there was a secondary Tithe so there was a secondary Firstling set apart by every Man to this use Nor any of thy Vows which thou vowest c. All such things were also wholly the LORD's XXVII Levit. 28. and given by him to his Priests XVIII Numb 14. But that is only to be understood of what was vowed to God absolutely without mentioning any particular use to which it was designed Besides which they might vow what they pleased to be spent in Solemn Feasts with the Levites the Widows the Fatherless and other poor People and of such Moses here speaks Or Heave-offerings of thine hand These were First-fruits of Corn Wine and Oil as I said upon v. 6. which were also the Priests Portion XVIII Numb 12. Therefore this can be meant of no other First-fruits but such as Men freely offered without any obligation to it to be spent in this fashion for he was speaking before of such kind of things Unless we will understand this of the First-fruits of young Trees which might not be eaten in three Years after they were planted but in the fourth Year were to be holy to praise the LORD withal XIX Levit. 24. which as Josephus saith were spent in these Sacred Feasts See there Verse 18 Ver. 18. But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall chuse thou and thy Son and thy Daughter c. See before v. 11 12. Verse 19 Ver. 19. Take heed to thy self that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the Earth He gives this Caution lest Covetousness should make them defraud the Levites of their Tithes and not let them have convenient Habitations or prophaneness make them not invite
Egypt and the LORD thy God redeemed thee And did not bring them empty out of their Slavery but loaded with Silver and Gold and Raiment XII Exod. 35. By which Bounty of God to themselves they might take the best measure of their Duty to their poor Brethren when they were dismissed from Servitude Therefore I command thee this thing to day In remembrance of that great Benefit he enjoyned this Benevolence to poor Slaves Ver. 16. And it shall be if he say I will not go away Verse 16 from thee Refused to enjoy his Liberty when his six years Service was expired Because he loveth thee and thine house The Phrase in Exodus XXI 5. being Saying shall say I love my Master c. Abarbinel from thence gathers that it was necessary he should often profess how loth he was to leave his Master and his Family and make repeated Declarations of his Affection to them Because he is well with thee Lives happily Out of these words Maimonides infers that there was to be reciprocal Love between the Servant and his Master for if the Servant loved his Master yet if his Master did not love him his Ear was not bored for he could not take Content in his staying with him But these words suppose his Master's kindness to him by his good usage of him Ver. 17. Then shalt thou take an Awl and thrust it through his ear unto the door c. But first he was to bring him before the Judges that he might there in Verse 17 open Court profess the same that he had done to his Master and thereby make it appear there was no fraud or deceit in the business and that his Master did not keep him against his will contrary to this Law See XXI Exod. 6. where all this is explained And also unto thy Maid-servant thou shalt do likewise This relates only to the not sending Maid-servants away empty not to the boring their Ears if they had no mind to be freed for that was not used if we may believe the Hebrew Doctors to Maid-servants It was sufficient if they had a mind to stay with their Masters that they addicted themselves in solemn words to their Service for ever But there were many differences between a Man-servant and a Maid-servant at least in some Cases See upon XXI Exod. 7. which are explained with great nicety by the Hebrew Doctors with which I need not trouble the Reader because there is no such Slavery among us in these days Verse 18 Ver. 18. It shall not seem hard unto thee when thou sendest him away free from thee It is plain by this that he returns to what he was speaking of v. 12 13 c. concerning their not letting their Servants go away empty when they had their Freedom For this was the chief thing that could seem hard to them For he hath been worth a double hired Servant to thee Who served at most only for three years and had Wages paid him all the time XVI Isaiah 14. In serving thee six years Twice as long as an hired Servant and for nothing So that considering what Wages he gave the other and how small a price perhaps they paid for him they would find themselves gainers by such Slaves and therefore should not think much to give them a Gratuity when they send them away And the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest He incourages them to hope they should be greater gainers otherways by this Charity which would procure God's Blessing upon their future Labours This Argument he had pressed twice or thrice before in this Chapter v. 4 6 10. Ver. 19. All the firstling-males that come of thy herd Verse 19 and of thy flock shalt thou sanctifie unto the LORD thy God All the first-born Males were the LORD's by a Law made at their coming out of Egypt and he gave them to his Priests for their Portion XIII Exod. 2 15. XVIII Numb 15. Thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy Bullock nor shear the firstling of thy Sheep Besides the Firstling-Males which alone were separated to the LORD there were also Firstling-Females which though they were not sanctified to him as the Males were yet were not to be employed by the Owners as the rest of their Cattle but offered as Peace-offerings to God Of which they themselves had a good share though some part of them was given to the Priests Ver. 20. Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God Verse 20 It is evident from hence that he speaks of such Female-firstlings as I mentioned in the foregoing Verse for of the Males they might not eat but they belonged entirely to the Priests Year by year At their Solemn Festivals when they were first to offer them unto God and then the Feast upon these Peace-offerings followed In the place which the LORD shall chuse thou and thy houshold With the Levites and Strangers c. whom they were to invite to these Sacred Entertainments For this is but a Repetition of the Law twice or thrice mentioned before XII 6 7 c. 17 18 26. XIV 23. and upon this occasion here again inculcated because it was of exceeding great moment to preserve them in the Worship and Service of God alone Verse 20 Ver. 20. And if there be any blemish therein as if it be lame or blind or have any ill blemish This is another Reason why he mentions these Feasts again that he might admonish them what to do with these First-lings if there were any blemish in them which made them unfit for Sacrifice These blemishes he had spoken of in XXII Levit. 21 22 24. But here adds the Lame to those there named Which the Prophet Malachi also mentions and so do the Heathens as unacceptable unto God I Mal. 8. Thou shalt not sacrifice it to the LORD thy God No not to make such a charitable Feast at the Sanctuary Verse 22 Ver. 22. Thou shalt eat it within thy gates It was free for them to eat it at home though it is very probable God expected they should invite the Levites and the Strangers the Fatherless and Widows to partake of it as they did of the third Tithe XIV 29. because if it had been without blemish it must have been so imployed at the Sanctuary The unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike Whereas if it had been sacrificed at their Feasts only the clean could have eaten of it As the Roe-buck and the Hart. See XII 15 22. Verse 23 Ver. 23. Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water He takes all occasions to mention this because it was designed to preserve them free from Idolatry See XII 16 23 24. CHAP. XVI Chapter XVI Verse 1. OBserve the Month of Abib Which God Verse 1 by a special order made the beginning of their Year See XII Exod. 2. XIII 4. XXXIV 18. And keep the Passover unto the LORD thy
pleasure of the Conquerour but beg the Punishment may be mitigated by Mercy and Clemency Namely the Hittites and the Amorites the Canaanites and the Perizzites the Hivites and the Jebusites as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee He distinctly mentions the Nations which were to be utterly destroyed that this severity might be extended no further And so he had done before VII 1. where he mentions Seven Nations though here are only Six the Gergasites being omitted The reason of which Maimonides in Hilcoth Melachim thinks to be that they upon the first Summons of Joshua fled the Country into Africa and therefore are not named in IX Josh 1 2. among those that gathered themselves together to fight against Israel But I take the true reason of this to be that the Gergasites were a People mixed among the rest and did not live in a separate part of the Country by themselves but that they opposed Joshua as well as others and were delivered into his hand appears from XXIV Josh 11. Now this looks like a great Cruelty to kill so many Nations till we consider who the People were that God commanded to be utterly extirpated viz. most abominable Idolaters who offered their Children to Moloch as a piece of pious Worship Magicians Witches Necromancers and guilty of all those filthy Lusts mentioned in XVIII Lev. For which Crimes God thought them not fit to live any longer upon the face of the Earth and therefore commanded them to be utterly destroyed in this War which was undertaken by his order and called therefore the War of the LORD And so was that against Sihon and Og who were likewise Amorites and upon that score rooted out by God's order XXI Numb ult II Deut. 34. For it was Mercy to others not to suffer such a wicked Generation to live Verse 18 Ver. 18. That they teach you not to do after all their abominations which they have done unto their gods Here is the great reason given of the forenamed severe Execution that if they had been spared they would have infected the Israelites with their filthy Idolatry Which some make an Argument why Peace was not to be proclaimed to these Nations v. 10. because they were so wicked that on no terms it was fit to suffer them to live But they that object this against what was before said forget or do not consider that the great Condition of Peace with them was that they should renounce their Idolatry and then there was no such danger in sparing them And this so settled in the opinion of the ancient Jews that after they had taken a City they thought upon these terms there was room for Mercy So the Book Siphri upon these very words lest they teach you to do after all their abominations From whence it is to be observed saith that Author if they repented the Israelites might let them live And so R. Solomon himself It is to be understood that if they repented and became Proselytes it was lawful to receive them So should you sin against the LORD your God Both by suffering them to live and imitating them in their wickedness Verse 19 Ver. 19. When thou shalt besiege a City a long time in making war against it to take it thou shalt not destroy the Trees thereof by forcing an Ax against them for thou mayest eat of them and thou shalt not cut them down It is very plain that he speaks of Fruit-trees such as bare Apples Olives Dates c. which were to be preserved both in War and in Peace except in a few Cases In War if the Enemy made advantage of them for their Archers to lurk and shelter themselves behind them by which the Israelites were much annoyed then they think they might be cut down to shorten the Siege And in Peace if they did not bring forth Fruit or if the Fruit would not be so profitable as the Wood would be for building and other uses or if they hindred the growth of better Trees in all these Cases they might be cut down as the Jewish Doctors resolve Who when they please mind the reason of a Law and not the bare words insomuch that they extend this Law to a great many other things which they say might not be destroyed if they were useful and profitable No Houses for Instance nor Garments nor Houshold-stuff nor were they to stop up Fountains c. See Selden Lib. VI. de Jure Nat. Gent. Cap. XV. and Guil. Schickardus in Jus Regium Cap. V. Theorem XVIII For the Tree of the field is man's life The word Life is not in the Hebrew Text but we add it to make out the sense In which we follow many good Authors among the Jews particularly Aben-Ezra who observes many such elliptical i. e. concise Forms of Speech in Scripture As in 1 Sam. XVI 20. where an Ass of Bread is an Ass loaded with Bread So here the Tree is a Man i. e. the Life or Support of Man Just as XXIV 6. it is said a Man should not take the upper or neither Milstone to pledge ki nephesh hu because it is his Life i. e. that whereby he gets his livelyhood But there are a great many who translate the words by way of Interrogation and the Hebrew will bear it and joyning them with those that follow make this the sense Is the Tree of the Field a Man that it should come against thee in the Siege So the Vulgar the Greek and the Arabick Translation and the Chaldee Paraphrast and Josephus as Mr. Selden observes Lib. VI. de Jure Nat. Gent. Cap. XII As much as to say they need not fear any danger from the Trees as if they were Souldiers that could fight against them And if this sense do not seem dilute as some have censured it there is no need of rendring the words by way of Interrogation but only of repeating the word not out of the foregoing words in this manner Thou shalt not cut them down for the Tree of the Field is not a Man c. Of this there are many Examples as Glassius and our Gataker have shown And thus R. Bechai among the Jews expounds these words and the famous Abarbinel who thus glosses upon them It is not decent to make War against Trees who have no hands to fight with thee but against Men only And this sense Grotius follows Lib. III. de Jure Belli Pacis Cap. XII Sect. II. where he produces Philo for this opinion and Josephus who says If Trees could speak they would cry out that it was unjust that they who were no cause of the War should suffer the mischiefs of it And thus Onkelos translates these words and those that follow For the Tree of the Field is not as a Man that it should come against thee in the Siege that is they had no cause to fear Trees and therefore should not hurt them But this is a reason against cutting down any Trees whatsoever whereas Moses
desist from the Doctrine of the Law Verse 4 Ver. 4. Moses commanded us a Law He commanded them to observe that Law which God had given them when he was about to depart from them This he did in this very Book I. 3. V. 1. VI. 1. VIII 1 c. He spake of himself in the third Person which is very usual throughout all this Book Even the Inheritance of the Congregation of Jacob. As a peculiar Blessing which God had bestowed on them and on their Posterity above all other Nations in the World IV Deut. 8. Who as they had not this Law given to them so they were not bound to observe it as the Jews themselves conclude from this very place Nor did they force any Body to embrace this Law when they made a Conquest of a neighbouring Country but left them to their liberty provided they would become Proselytes of the Gate that is forsake Idolatry and keep the common Precepts enjoyned to all Mankind Thus Maimonides interprets the word Inheritance See Schickard in his Jus Regium Cap. V. Theorem XVII and Grotius de Jure Belli Pacis Lib. I. Cap. I. Sect. XVI The Author of Ez Hachajim a MS. highly valued by the famous Wagenseil saith that when a Child began to speak the Father was bound to teach him this Verse In which instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hereditary some of the Jews read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 espoused as if the Law were espoused to the Jewish Nation See Wagenseil on Sota p. 519 520. Ver. 5. And he was King in Jeshurun Or For he Verse 5 was King that is under God the Supreme Ruler and Governour of Israel and therefore in his Name and by his Authority required them to observe these Laws Which plainly shows him to have had the Supream Power in all things both Civil and Sacred Which is excellently expressed by our Mr. Thorndike in his Review of the Rights of the Church c. p. 68. where he observes That the Israelites being made a free People by the Act of God bringing them out of Egypt and intitling them to the Land of Canaan upon the Covenant of the Law had Moses not only for their Prophet and their Priest for by him Aaron and his Successors were put into the Priesthood the Tabernacle and all belonging to it consecrated but also for their King their Lawgiver their Judge and Commander in chief of their Forces under God if not rather God by Moses For we find that after Moses his decease either God by some extraordinary signification of his Will and Pleasure stirred up some Man in his stead for the time or if there was none such ruled their proceedings himself by Vrim and Thummim answering their Demands and directing what to do and what course to follow in all the Publick Affairs that concerned the State of that People Whereupon when they required Samuel to make them a King he declared it was not Samuel but himself whom they had rejected Because they had rejected him whom God had immediately set over them in his own stead by whose death the power returned to God as at the beginning Concerning the word Jeshurun see XXXII 15. and Selden Lib. II. de Synedr Cap. II. N. 2. When the Heads of the People and the Tribes of Israel were gathered together To renew their Covenant with God and to receive his last Commands See XXIX 1 2 9 10. XXXI 28 29. Verse 6 Ver. 6. Let Reuben live and not die and let not his Men be few In the last Clause of this Verse we repeat the word not which is wanting in the Hebrew without any necessity For the words may be thus translated exactly Let Reuben live and not die though his Men be few Which seems to be a confirmation of the Prophecy of Jacob XLIX Gen. 4. That he should not excel and yet should live and not perish That is be in some measure a flourishing Tribe though not so numerous as some others See there And possibly it may be here suggested that though they passed armed over Jordan before their Brethren to settle them there according to their engagement XXXII Numb 27. IV Josh 12 13. yet none of them should perish but both they and their Wives and Children that stand behind them should be all preserved Ver. 7. And this is the blessing of Judah As much as to say Judah shall be remarkably blessed For these words this is the blessing are used of none of the rest of the Tribes either of Reuben which went before Verse 7 or the others that follow after Here is no mention made of Simeon who was next to Reuben because that Tribe was included in Judah with whom their Possessions were mixed XIX Josh 1. and therefore they went together to make Expeditions I Judg. 3. Judah also is here put before Levi because it was to be the Royal Tribe according to the Prophecy of Jacob which Moses was assured God would fulfil and therefore prays as follows And he said hear LORD the voice of Judah Grant his Petition when he calls for help against his Enemies So Onkelos paraphrases it Hear his Prayer when he goes forth to war And bring him unto his People Return him home in peace unto his People as the same Onkelos expounds it Let his hands be sufficient for him To avenge him of his Enemies as he also explains it And be thou an help to him from his Enemies Suffer them not to prevail over him but give him the victory when he fights with them So the Hierusalem Targum paraphrases these two last passages Let his hands exercise Revenge upon his Enemies in battles and do thou support and sustain him against those that hate him This was notoriously fulfilled in this Tribe which was the most valiant and successful of all other For in all their Wars this Tribe was the principal and the safety of all the rest seems to have depended upon this See I Judg. 1 2 c. XX. 18. And as these places show that this was the most considerable Tribe before they had Kings so after that it was able together with Benjamin to maintain its ground against the other ten Tribes and all other Opposers Ver. 8. And of Levi he said let thy Thummim and Verse 8 thy Vrim be with thy holy one Continue in this Tribe the high dignity of Consulting with thee and receiving Directions from thee by the High Priest concerning the Publick Safety Or as some take it because Thummim is here set before Vrim which is not in any other place make them upright and faithful as well as understanding and knowing in the discharge of their Duty For though by holy One be principally meant the High Priest who was in a peculiar manner anointed to be separated to the Service of God especially in this part of it to approach him with Vrim and Thummim which gave Aaron the name of the Saint of the LORD CVI Psal 16. yet it comprehends
out of the Earth Some think it hath respect to the rich Mines which were in this Country but of that I can find no proof Verse 20 Ver. 20. And of Gad he said blessed be he that inlargeth Gad. That is blessed be God who hath allotted to him such a large Inheritance which he afterward also further enlarged as we read 1 Chron. V. 18 19 20. He dwelleth as a Lion Lives secure and fearless though encompassed with Enemies whom the Gadites tore in pieces as it here follows if they offered to molest them For this was a very warlike Tribe as we learn from 1 Chron. XII 8. and therefore here compared to a Lioness so Labi signifies which equals a Lion if not exceeds him in strength and fierceness as Bochartus hath observed out of good Authors in his Hierozoicon P. I. Lib. III. Cap. L. And so Onkelos here translates it He dwelleth as a Lioness And the Hierusalem Targum puts in both after this manner He remains quiet as a Lion and a Lioness neither is there People or Kingdom that shall stand before them And teareth the arm with the Crown of the Head Kills the Princes with their Kings as Onkelos truly expounds it For by Arms are meant Men of Strength and Power and by the Crown of the Head is properly to be understood the chief Commander Ruler or King And therefore the LXX also translate Crown of the Head by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prince or Supream Governour Ver. 21. And he provided the first part for himself Verse 21 He first received his Portion in the Land which they conquered as Onkelos expounds it Which he is said here to provide for himself because this Tribe with Reuben and part of Manasseh desired to be possessed of the Country of Sihon which was accordingly given to them XXXII Numb 1 2 33. Because there in a portion of the Law-giver Which Moses who was their Lawgiver gave them by God's order whereas the other Nine Tribes and a half had theirs given them by Joshua Was he seated The word in the Hebrew signifies hid i. e. protected when going to the War in Canaan they left their Wives and Children and Cattle without any defence but God's Providence according to the Promise they made to Moses XXXII Numb 16 17 c. What the Hierusalem Targum and Onkelos and several of the Rabbins even Abarbinel himself here say of Moses being buried in this Tribe which they make the sense of these words I think is no more to the purpose than what the Cabbalists observe upon this place that in the Blessing of Gad the whole Alphabet is found because Moses our Master saith Baal Hatturim was buried in his Territory who observed the whole Law from Aleph to Tau i. e. from the beginning to the end See Theodorick Hackspan Cab. Judaica N. 10. And he came He speaks of this as a thing already done because he certainly foresaw they would perform their Engagement With the Heads of the People With the chief Commanders of the rest of the Tribes of Israel Or as the words may be translated more literally He came with the Heads of the People i. e. the Gadites marched in the Front before the Children of Israel For so was the Agreement between Moses and them as we read in XXXII Numb 17. that they should go ready armed before the Children of Israel Of which engagement Joshua put them in mind when they were entering into Canaan I Josh 14. and they stood to it v. 16 17. He executed the Justice of the LORD Upon the Seven Nations of Canaan whom God commanded them to extirpate And his Judgments with Israel Going in the foremost of the Israelites to Battle till the whole Country was subdued to them XXXII Numb 21 22 29. XXII Josh 1 2 3 c. Ver. 22. And of Dan he said Dan is a Lions whelp Courageous as a young Lion So Onkelos Which was most eminently verified in Sampson who was of this Tribe and whom the Spirit of the LORD began Verse 22 to move in the Camp of Dan XIII Judges 25. He shall leap from Bashan The Tribe of Dan had no Inheritance near Bashan but he compares them to the young Lions of that place For Lions haunted Mountains IV Canticles 8. and this Mountain in particular was famous for them and bred very fierce ones Which every one knows leap upon their Prey when they assault it and fasten their Nails and their Teeth in it So Bochart observes many ancient Authors describe them P. I. Hierozoicon L. III. Cap. II. p. 739. And thus did the Danites on a sudden leap from one end of Judaea to another and seized on the City of Laish near to the Fountain of Jordan calling it by the Name of Dan as we read XVIII Judg. 29. Ver. 23. And of Naphtali he said O Naphtali satisfied Verse 23 with favour That is with the Favour of God which is explained in the next words And full with the blessing of the LORD The word full as Maimonides observes signifies that which is most perfect and absolute in its kind More Nevoch P. I. Cap. XIX Such was the Country of Galilee wherein this Tribe had their possession which was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. as Josephus speaks L. III. de Bello Judaico Cap. IV. fat throughout in all its parts and very fertil planted with all manner of Trees insomuch that it invited him to Husbandry who was averse to Labour and by that means was intirely inhabited and had no void space in all the Country c. Possess thou the West and the South The same Josephus makes this Tribe to have possessed the East and the North in the upper Galilee Lib. V. Antiq. Cap. I. p. 142. which is directly contrary to what Moses here saith Therefore Bochartus in his Hierozoicon P. I. Lib. III. Cap. XVIII judiciously expounds these words of Moses not with respect to the whole Land of Canaan but to the Danites before mentioned For the portion of Naphtali extended from the South of the City called Dan or Laish to the Sea of Tiberias And so the three Chaldee Paraphrasts expound the Hebrew word jam which we translate West by the Sea of Tiberias or Genesaret which is the same For the Hebrews call great Lakes by the name of Seas and by this Sea is not meant the Mediterranean but the Sea of Galilee or Tiberias or Genesaret for by all these Names it is called as Mr. Selden observes in his Mare Clausum p. 21. Verse 24 Ver. 24. And of Asher he said Let Asher be blessed with Children With a numerous and beautiful Issue Let him be acceptable to his Brethren All the rest of the Israelites shall court them for their goodly aspect Or as some rather think he prophecies this Tribe should win the favour and affection of others by their affability and obliging behaviour For which Jacob predicts they should be famous XLIV Gen. 21. And let him dip his
the Blessing wherewith Jacob his Father blessed them in a Land of Corn c. And so the Hierusalem Targum making more express mention of the word Fountain Israel shall dwell by himself securely from the Fountain of Benediction wherewith Jacob blessed them in a Land producing Wine and Oil and the Heavens above are commanded to send Dews and Rain upon them Ver. 29. Happy art thou O Israel He was not Verse 29 able further to express their Happiness and therefore breaks out into admiration of it exciting them thereby to be deeply sensible of it and affected with it Who is like unto thee Who had the LORD for their God as he said before v. 26 c. and IV. 7 8. A People saved by the LORD Who have been redeemed by his mighty Power So the Hierusalem Targum Whose Redemption I suppose he meant out of Egypt is from the presence of the LORD Who had preserved them ever since and would still protect them as it here follows This R. Isaac in Chissuk Emuna P. I. Cap. XVIII saith signifies the Spiritual Blessings God bestowed on them For true Felicity saith he doth not consist in Victory over Enemies and Plenty of Corn or such like things of which he had spoken before in the foregoing Verse but in the Salvation of the Soul of which no Nation in the World was secure but the Jews Which made Moses saith he break out into these words O happy People saved by the LORD As much as to say among all People is there any saved like to thee This he saith because Christians were wont to tell them that they fixed their Minds wholly on the Corporal Felicity which their Law promised them which made him look about to find out all that he could draw to an higher sense And he fixes so much upon these words that he repeats it again a little after that the Salvation here promised is everlasting And yet his Eyes could not be opened to see that this Salvation was to be brought to them by the MESSIAH and that our LORD Jesus is he whose Gospel is as full of such Promises as their Law is of the Promises of Corn and Wine and Oil. The shield of thy help To defend them from all the Assaults of their Enemies He adds this saith the same R. Isaac to show that they to whom he promises Spiritual Blessings are not thereby put out of hope of Temporal For the People that are saved by the LORD have him also for their Shield and their Sword as it here follows And who is the sword of thy excellency To cut their Enemies in pieces so that they should glory and boast in magnificent Victories over them Or as Onkelos translates it From his presence are all the Victories of thy valiant Men. And thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee Find themselves deceived in all their vain hopes of saving themselves or hurting the Israelites Or should be so afraid of them that with feigned Stories they should court their Friendship as the Gibeonites did Or more simply should submit to them though not heartily yet out of fear as this Phrase is used XVIII Psal 44. LXVI 3. and other places And thou shalt tread upon their high places Upon the Necks of their Kings as both Onkelos and the Hierusalem Targum understand it taking bamoth here for great Men in high stations And thus Joshua did as we read X Josh 21. Chapter XXXIV But this word commonly signifies either strong holds or places of idolatrous worship which neither their great men nor their gods themselves should be able to preserve from ruin CHAP. XXXIV Verse 1. AND Moses went up Having thus declared Verse 1 his affectionate Concern for the Happiness of every one of them he took his leave of the Elders and all the People and went up whither God had commanded him XXXII 49 c. From the plains of Moab In which was their last station before they entred into Canaan XXXIII Numb 48 49 50. Where God delivered several Commands to them XXXV Numb 1. XXXVI 13. and where Moses spake to them what we read in this Book I Deut. 5. Vnto the Mountain of Nebo Which was the highest part of the Mountain of Abarim as appears from XXVII Numb 12. compared with XXXII Deut. 49. Near to which there was a City of the same Name XXXII Numb 38. XV Isa 2. To the top of Pisgah Which was the very top of the Mountain Nebo See III Deut. 27. XXI Numb 20. That is over against Jericho A famous City on the other side of Jordan I see no ground to believe that the People of Israel accompanied him hither as Josephus tells the story with so many tears that Moses wept also and having beseeched them not to take his Departure so heavily he dismissed them together with the Elders and remained there alone And the LORD Or as Jonathan hath it the WORD of the LORD who had accompanied him with his blessed Presence through the Wilderness Showed him all the Land of Gilead unto Dan. God had often promised him that he should see the good Land promised to their Fathers though not be permitted to enter into it XXVI Numb 12. III Deut. 27. And now fulfils his word and gives him a full prospect of it bidding him first look Northwards through the whole Land of Gilead which comprehends all that was given to the two Tribes and half on this side Jordan where they now were to the Land of Naphtali which was in the upper Galilee beyond the Sea of Genesaret as far as to the utmost Northern Border which was then called Laisch and afterwards Dan XIX Josh 47. XVIII Judg. 28. and in latter times Cesaraea Philippi The mention of Dan which was not the name of this place till after that Tribe had conquered Laish in the time of the Judges shows that this was not written at the same time with the rest of this Book no more than what we read v. 5 6 10. of his Death and Burial c. unless we suppose Moses to have given an account of his own Death and Burial by the Spirit of Prophecy which is not probable but it is most likely by Samuel who was a Prophet and wrote by Divine Authority what he found in the Records which were left by Joshua and others who succeeded him who gave an account of Moses his leaving the World and of all that was done after till the end of the time of the Judges Ver. 2. And all Naphtali and the Land of Ephraim Verse 2 and Manasseh Having seen the Northern Parts he bad him turn his Eyes towards the Midland Country where Ephraim and Manasseh were situated And all the Land of Judah Which lay Southerly Vnto the utmost Sea By which some understand the Salt Sea which lay on the South-Border of the Land of Judah XXXIV Numb 3. But then there will be no mention of the Western Part of Canaan which lay upon the Mediterranean or Midland
so much as a wrinkle in his Cheeks So some of the Ancients interpret the last Clause Others He had not lost so much as a Tooth out of his Mouth See Bocharius in his Hierozoicon P. I. Lib. II. Cap. XLV p. 506. Both Onkelos and the Hierusalem Targum refer it to the Splendor of his Countenance which continued to the last From hence it was that the Heathen who were not wholly unacquainted with this Story but had not a perfect knowledge of it imagined that Moses was troubled to die when he was so vigorous For Trebellius Pollio in the Life of Claudius saith that the most learned Mathematicians were wont to say that no Man lived beyond an Hundred and twenty years For though Moses lived an Hundred and five and twenty years so he mistakes being Dei ut Judaeorum libri loquantur familiaris a Man familiar with God as the Books of the Jews tell us yet he complaining that juvenis interiret he died when he was young they say he was told by an uncertain God that no Man should ever live longer This Mistake arose from their misinterpretation of those words VI Gen. 3. Yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years For Huetius well observes that this incertus Deus was the true God the Creator of Heaven and Earth whom St. Paul saith they called also the unknown God Demonstr Evang. Propos IV. Cap. I. N. LVII And I cannot but add that this passage out of Trebellius was taken notice of above an hundred years ago by a learned Man I have often mentioned David Chytraeus to show that these Sacred Books were not unknown to the Heathen and that they had a Reverence for them Verse 8 Ver. 8. And the Children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days The time of Mourning for the Dead was longer or shorter according to the Dignity of the Person And the Jews have a Tradition which distinguishes between the days of Weeping and Mourning The former of which never exceeded a Month which was the time they wept for Moses the latter never lasted more than a year as they gather from the Example of the greatest Doctor they ever had R. Judah who composed the Mischna for whom they mourned Twelve Months See Schickard in his Jus Regium Cap. VI. Theor. XIX and upon L Gen. 3 10. XX Numb 29. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended They lamented him compleatly thirty days and no longer By which it seems that weeping and mourning whatsoever difference was between them were anciently of the same length though the Jews in the forenamed Tradition are pleased to make the one last much longer than the other Now by this and what follows in the Book of Joshua we may certainly know the truth of what I said on v. 5. concerning the day on which Moses died For if we add unto these thirty days which followed immediately upon it the three days wherein the Spies lay hid in the Mountain II Josh 22. and allow three or four days more for their going and coming back and then add the three days they lay by Jordan before they passed over III Josh 2. they make just a Month and ten days from the first day of the last Month when I supposed Moses died unto the day they got safe over Jordan which was the tenth day of the first Month. Whereas if we reckon as the Jews do that Moses died on the seventh day of the last Month it would have been the seventeenth day of the first Month before they got over Jordan I observe also that though the Talmudists generally make him to have died on the seventh day of Adar yet there have been some who placed it on the first For the Medrasch Rabbah telling the story of Haman's casting Lots to find the best time to do Execution on the Jews saith he pitched upon the Month ADAR because it had been unlucky to the Jews by the death of their Master Moses therein But he did not consider saith that Medrasch that as Moses died on the first day of this Month so he was born on the same first day Ver. 9. And Joshua the Son of Nun was full of the Spirit of Wisdom To take the Government upon Verse 9 him and manage it prudently as soon as Moses left them Which was necessary to be mentioned that it might not be thought they wanted a Head to conduct them as their Neighbours possibly might imagine when the News came of Moses his death For as the Samaritans tell the story in Hottinger's Smegma Orientale p. 462. when they heard the Lamentations which the whole Congregation made for Moses they began to rejoyce and gather their Forces together to set upon the Israelites as wanting a Leader But they soon found themselves mistaken Joshua having taken the Charge of them and being endued with his Spirit For Moses had laid his hands upon him Whereby he committed to him the Supream Authority after his departure and implored the Spirit of God to qualifie him for it For power to execute any Office among the Jews was given by laying on of hands whereby they were ordained and appointed to it And this was a Rite of Prayer also as many have observed for the obtaining the Gifts of the Spirit which were necessary for the discharge of that Office And though no words of Prayer be mentioned yet the very laying on of hands denotes it as our learned Dr. Outram observes from this very place and from I Tim. V. 22. Lib. I. de Sacrif Cap. XV. N. VIII Of Moses his laying on Hands upon Joshua we read XXVII Numbers 18 c. And he was solemnly also a little before Moses his death presented unto God by his own Command XXXI of this Book 14 c. And the Children of Israel hearkned unto him and did as the LORD commanded Moses Obeyed him as their Supream Governour according to God's Command delivered to Moses XXVII Numb 20. XXXI Deut. 23. See 1 Josh 16 17 c. Ver. 10. And there rose not a Prophet since in Verse 10 Israel like to Moses This is a plain demonstration that the promise God makes by Moses that he would raise up a Prophet like to him XVIII Deut. 15 19 c. was not fulfilled either in Joshua or in Samuel who it is likely wrote this Chapter as I said before and the best of the Jews confess shall not be fulfilled till MESSIAH come Thus the Author of Sepher Ikkarim Lib. III. Cap. XX. It cannot be but that a Prophet shall at last arise like to Moses or greater than he for the King Messiah shall be as great or greater Therefore these words are not to be expounded as if there should never be such a Prophet but that in all the time of the following Prophets till the Cessation of Prophecy none should arise like to Moses But after that there shall be one like him or rather greater than he Whom the LORD
knew face to face Or as de Dieu thinks it should be translated who knew the LORD face to face This was one Preheminence of Moses above all the Prophets that he conversed more familiarly with God than any of them did See XII Numb 8. which place explains this for to know him face to face was to speak familiarly to God and to hear God speaking in like manner unto him And so the Hierusalem Targum expounds these words only instead of the LORD he saith Who knew the WORD of the LORD talking with him and delivering to him most excellent Laws for the good government of his People In which Laws he still lives they all remaining upon Record to this day when the Laws of all the famous Lawgivers whom the Gentiles honoured as gods are obliterated But it must be observed that in this wherein Moses excelled all the Prophets our blessed Saviour far transcended him For he was in the bosom of the Father I Joh. 18. and spake what he saw and heard c. III Joh. 11 32. Verse 11 Ver. 11. In all the signs and the wonders which the LORD sent him to do The Hierusalem Targum hath it Which the WORD of the LORD sent him to do in the Land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his Servants and to all his Land See IV. 34. VI. 22. VII 19. In these signs and wonders Moses excelled all the Prophets doing more Miracles than all that succeeded him as Maimonides observes More Nevochim P. II. Cap. XXXV But our blessed Saviour excelled him in this as well as them doing more wonders than all the Prophets put together had done from the beginning of the World and far greater also than theirs XXI Joh. ult Ver. 12. And in all that mighty hand and in all that great terror which Moses showed As the former Verse relates to what he did in Egypt so this hath respect unto their passing through the Red Sea and to all that befel them in the Wilderness both at the giving of the Law and afterward till this time So the Hierusalem Targum expounds these words In all that strong hand and in all those great Visions which Moses managed And Onkelos to the same purpose In the sight of all Israel In the place forenamed Maimonides insists much upon this that Moses wrought all his Miracles publickly the whole Congregation being Witnesses of them And so our Saviour commonly wrought his till they sought to kill him in their Synagogues at their Publick Feasts when there was the greatest Concourse of the People of Israel So that in this he was a Prophet like unto Moses though infinitely superiour which some of the old Jews could not but discern as I observed upon Chap. XVIII when upon these words of Isaiah LII 13. He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high they thus gloss in Tanchuma which is an ancient Book among them This is the King MESSIAS who shall be exalted above Abraham extolled above Moses and be very high above the Angels of the Ministry Upon which Conradus Pellicanus thus glosses and concludes his Commentary as I shall do mine with these words What is it to be above the Angels let the Jews explain we can understand nothing by it but the very WORD of God which was in the beginning with God and was God by whom all things were made and without him nothing was made viz. the LORD God of Hosts to whom in perfect Vnity God the Father Son and Holy Spirit be all Honour and Glory for ever Amen Thus ends the Pentateuch which as our great Primate of Ireland computes contains the History of Two thousand five hundred and fifty two years and an half from the beginning of the World to the death of Moses FINIS By reason of the Distance of the Author this Omission hapned which the Reader is desired to insert in its proper place At the end of Page 511. Line ult after three hundred years add these words But if any one think good thus to apply the words of this Verse unto Vespasian they must not take this for the literal meaning of them because it is evident that by the Stranger is to be understood those of other Nations who lived among them Particularly those Gentiles who were brought into their Country by the Assyrians instead of the Ten Tribes as some of the best of the Jewish Writers expound it What the Doctor also saith concerning their advancing Vespasian to the Imperial Dignity cannot be maintain'd ERRATA Page 21. Line 24. read their Cities Page 30. Line 14. r. Elate Page 39. Line 18. r. faith Page 43. Line 17. r. Ammonites Page 67. Line 15. r. Atargatis Page 85. antepen r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 86. Line 11. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Page 90. Line 24. r. even before Page 116. Line 2. r. Melech Page 145. Line 13. r. until the other Page 174. Line 5. for notion r. reason Page 183. Line 10. for Geder r. Seder Page 194. Line 18. r. Author of Sepher Ikkarim Page 220. Line 20. r. Acra-batta Page 242. Line 20. r. Arcadica * Page 264. Line 24. blot out but as the persons concerned in the Controversie brought it and read But whoever brought the Controversie before this Court when the Inferiour could not determine it they gave the sentence Page 269. Line 10. r. Cunaeus Lib. II. Page 290. Line 29. r. had her first Page 323. Line 15. r. Chillel Page 332. Line 20. r. was so setled Page 348. Line 2. r. slake Page 358. Line 24. r. both Sexes Page 365. Line 6. r. whom all that Page 372. Line 1. r. make thee Page 382. Line 31 32. r. paid to her father Page 408. Line 20. for inherent r. indigent Page 420. Line 28. r. Chasidah Page 428. Line 2. r. remember it Page 438. Line 16. r. of no consequence Page 439. Line 26. r. as a reason Page 442. Line 28. r. Dr. Pocock Page 488. Line 19. r. would furnish Page  Line 20. r. that should further Page 507. Line 9. r. strangeness Page 599. Line 16. r. retained the manner Page 612. Line 1. r. Olive Tree thrives Page 617. Line 27. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a field Page 641. Line 12. r. Mountain Page 650. Line 22. r. he speaks of himself Page 652. Line penult r. staid behind them Page 663. Line 20. r. Gazellas Page 665. Line 5. r. great numbers Page  Line 25. r. IV Gen. 10. Page 668. Line 17 18. r. He came the Heads of the People Page 685. Line 12. r. he having BOOKS Printed for Richard Chiswell BIshop Patrick's Commentary on the First Book of Moses called Genesis The Second Edition 4 to 1698. His Commentary on the Second Book of Moses called Exodus 4 to 1697. His Commentary on the Third Book of Moses called Leviticus 4 to 1698. His Commentary on the Fourth Book of Moses called Numbers 4 to 1699. His Commentary on the Fifth Book of Moses called Deuteronomy 4 to 1700. His Hearts Ease or a Remedy against all Troubles A Consolatory Discourse directed to those who have lost their Friends and dear Relations To which is added Two Papers printed in the time of the late Plague The Seventh Edition 120. 1699. The Life of Henry Chichele Archbishop of Canterbury In which there is a particular Relation of many remarkable Passages in the Reigns of Henry the Fifth and Sixth Kings of England Written in Latin by Arthur Duck LLD. Chancellor of the Dioscess of London and Advocate of the Court of Honour Now made English And a Table of Contents annexed Archbishop Tollotson of Sincerity and Constancy in the Faith and Profession of the True Religion Being the First Volume Published from the Originals by Dr. Barker Chaplain to his Grace His Second Volume Containg Sixteen Sermons on several Occasions His Third Volume Containing Sixteen Sermons on several Subjects His Fourth Volume Containing several Discourses on Natural and Instituted Religion The Nature and Necessity of Regeneration the Danger of all known Sin c. His Fifth Volume Proving Jesus to be the Messiah the Son of God The Danger of Apostacy from Christianity c. His Sixth Volume Being the First part of his Discourses on the Divine Attributes 1699. His Seventh Volume Being the Second or Remaining Part of his Discourses on the Divine Attributes 1700. A Discourse of the Government of the Thoughts By George Tullie Sub-Dean of York The Third Edition Corrected 120. 1699. Preparation for Death Being a Letter sent to a young Gentlewoman in France in a dangerous Distemper of which she died By William Wake D.D. The Sixth Edition 120. Private Devotions digested into Six Litanies with Directions and Prayers By Hen. Valentine The Bishop of Sarum's Exposition of the 39 Articles of the Church of England in Folio 1700. The Life of John Whitgift Archbishop of Canterbury in the Times of Queen Elizabeth and King James the First Written by Sir George Paul Comptroller of his Graces Houshold To which is added a Treatise intituled Conspiracy for Pretended Reformation Written in the Year 1591. By Richard Cosin LLD. Dean of the Arches and Official Principal to Archbishop Whitgift 80. 1699.