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
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
the perpetual Service of God at the Sanctuary so that instead of coming in his Course he would always wait there and never stir from that place Ver. 7. Then he shall minister in the name of the LORD Verse 7 his God Attend continually at the Altar to do all the Service of the Sanctuary The LXX translate it He shall minister to the name of the LORD i. e. to the Divine Majesty who dwells there As his brethren the Levites do As all those do who live at that place Which stand there before the LORD To minister unto him This was the case of Samuel Ver. 8. They shall have like portion to eat This Verse 8 shows that he is speaking of the Priests for the Levites did not eat of the holy things offered at the Altar And the meaning is that the rest of the Priests who waited there should allow him the same Portion which they themselves had in the Sacrifices Besides that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony Which was to remain proper to himself and not be divided with other Priests at Jerusalem suppose where he ministred The Hebrew words are something obscure being beside his sales by or unto the fathers That is such Possessions as their Fathers purchased and left to them For though the Priests had no share in the Land of Canaan given them at the division of it yet they might purchase Houses and Goods and Cattle and sometimes they purchased Fields as we read Abiathar had Fields of his own at Anathoth 1 Kings II. 26. and the Prophet Jeremiah who was a Priest also purchased a Field of his Uncle's Son in his own Town XXXII Jer. 7 8 c. But the Jews make a quite different construction of these three Verses which they understand in this manner That if any Levite i. e. Priest for they only ministred before God came up out of the City where he commonly resided out of pure Devotion to attend at the three Solemn Feasts which were held at the place where the Sanctuary was where they were bound to wait only when their Course came but at these Feasts might all come and minister in the Sanctuary his Brethren whose Week it was then to attend should both admit him to minister before God with them and also give him an equal Portion with themselves in the extraordinary Sacrifices which were then offered at those Festivals Except only those which were peculiarly assigned to them whose Week of waiting at the Altar it then was who by the Ordinance of God delivered to Moses and Aaron who they suppose are here called the Fathers were to have the right Shoulder of the Peace-offerings See VII Levit. 33. where it is said He among the Sons of Aaron that offereth the Peace-offerings and the fat shall have the right shoulder for his part in which none other was to participate But why this should be called the Sales I do not understand unless we interpret it as Fosterus doth Venditiones i. e. res venditas à patribus things sold by the Fathers That is appropriated by them to the particular Priest that offered the Sacrifice as things sold are to those that buy them Ver. 9. When thou art come into the Land which the Verse 9 LORD thy God giveth thee The Land of Canaan which the LORD was about to bestow upon them according to his promise Thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those Nations Now he returns to warn them again not to fall into the Idolatry and the Superstitions of the Country whither they were going See XVIII Levit. 3. Ver. 10. There shall not be found among you So Verse 10 as to be tolerated Any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire This was the most abominable Idolatry practised in that Country whither they were going who consecrated their Children in this manner to Moloch or the Sun of which I have said sufficient XVIII Levit. 21. Therefore I shall only add here that this wicked Custom seems to have flowed from this Country of the Phaenicians and Tyrians unto the Carthaginians Who were guilty of the Impiety of Sacrificing their Children as they did also here unto Moloch XX Levit. 2 3. Which spread it self in a manner over all the World as many have shown particularly Joh. Geusius in his Treatise de Victimis Humanis Pars I. Cap. XI and it was found among the Americans when that new World was discovered See also P. II. Cap. V. Or that useth divination Of which there were many sorts and one was by raking into the bowels of their Sacrifices particularly of Humane Sacrifices by the observation of which they pretended to foretell things as many Authors testifie Yea they offered little Children on purpose that thereby they might make their Auguries as the same Geusius hath observed in that Book Cap. XXI Unto which perhaps there is a peculiar respect in this place for I find most of the things here mentioned joyned in other places with making their Children pass through the fire particularly 2 Kings XXI 6. 2 Chron. XXXIII 6. and the Prophet Ezekiel seems to intimate that hereby they divined when he charges the Israelites with this crime XX. 26 31. For he adds Shall I be enquired by you O House of Israel Who have enquired that is by making your Children pass through the fire But it must be confessed that the Hebrew words Kosem kosemim which we translate useth divination are by many thought to have a peculiar respect unto such as used to divine by casting or drawing of Lots And the word as our Learned Dr. Castell observes is so used in the Arabian Language for distribution of Lots Which sort of Divination was much in use among the Greeks and Romans and had been so it is very likely in more ancient times among the Eastern Nations For nothing is more known than the Sortes Praenestinae and Pativinae among the Romans and the Dodonaeae and Dindymenae and many others among the Greeks Particularly that at Bura in Achaia where there was a Cave in which was the Image of Hercules before which they who resorted thither to enquire directions in any Case or the success of any Affair used to fall down and say their Prayers and after that to throw four Dice upon the Table and by the Letters or Marks upon which they fell the divination was made as Pausanias describes it in his Achaica In other places they used them in a different manner and the ancient Arabians divined by Arrows as our famous Dr. Pocock hath shown in his Notes upon Gregor Abul-farajus his Book concerning the Original and Manners of the Arabians p. 327 328 c. Where he describes the manner of it and shows that it was performed before some Idol and therefore was strictly forbidden by Mahomet in his Alcoran as a Diabolical Invention In which he seems to have imitated Moses who may be thought here to forbid such kind of
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
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