them with the poison of serpents of the dust 25. The sword without and terrour within shall destroy both the young man and the virgin the suckling also with the man of gray hairs 26. I said I would scatter them into corners I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men 27. Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely and lest they should say Our hand is high and the LORD hath not done all this 28. For they are a nation void of counsel neither is there any understanding in them 29. O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end 30. How should one chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight except their Rock had sold them and the LORD had shut them up 31. For their rock is not as our rock even our enemies themselves being judges 32. For their vine is of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah their grapes are grapes of gall their clusters are bitter 33. Their wine is the poison of dragons and the cruel venom of asps 34. Is not this laid up in store with me and sealed up among my treasures 35. To me belongeth vengeance and recompence their foot shall slide in due time for the day of their calamity is at hand and the things that shall come upon them make haste 36. For the LORD shall judge his people and repent himself for his servants When he seeth that their power is gone and there is none shut up or left 37. And he shall say Where are their gods their rock in whom they trusted 38. Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink-offerings let them rise up and help you and be your protection 39. See now that I even I am he and there is no god with me I kill and I make alive I wound and I heal neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand 40. For I lift up my hand to heaven and say I live for ever 41. If I whet my glittering sword and mine hand take hold on judgment I will render vengeance to mine enemies and will reward them that hate me 42. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood and my sword shall devour flesh and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy 43. Rejoice O ye nations with his people for he will avenge the blood of his servants and will render vengeance to his adversaries and will be merciful unto his land and to his people 44. And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people he and Hoshea the son of Nun. 45. And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel 46. And he said unto them Set your hearts unto all the words which I testifie among you this day which ye shall command your children to observe to do all the words of this law 47. For it is not a vain thing for you because it is your life and through this thing you shall prolong your days in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it 48. And the LORD spake unto Moses that self same day saying 49. Get thee up into this mountain Abarim unto mount Nebo which is in the land of Moab that is over against Jericho and behold the land of Canaan which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession 50. And die in the mount whither thou goest up and be gathered unto thy people as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor and was gathered unto his people 51. Because ye trespassed aginst me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh in the wilderness of Zin because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel 52. Yet thou shalt see the land before thee but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel 1. GIve ear O ye heavens c. Moses doth in these words what he promised chap. 31.28 call heaven and earth to record against them And this he does in the very entrance and beginning of this Song to raise and awaken in them the greater attention it being a matter of great moment when he solemnly calls upon the Heaven and the Earth to hear Isa 1.2 Compare chap. 4.26 and 30.19 Psal 50.4 Jer. 2.12 and 6.19 2. My doctrine shall drop as the rain That is it shall be fitted to gain its end upon Men that are disposed to receive it as the Rain is for the fructifying the Earth Isa 55.10 11. 1 Cor. 3.6 7 8. 3. I will publish the name of the LORD i. e. I will proclaim as the Hebrew word signifies and is rendred Prov. 20.6 the Divine Perfections and this he does in the following Verse Ascribe ye c. It is your part to magnifie him as ye ought Psal 68.34 4. He is the rock c. i. e. God is the Rock he is stable and immutable and a sure Foundation to rest upon And his Works are without any flaw or fault his dealings with Men are just and unexceptionable he is true and sincere in all his Declarations In a word he is upright and just and one who never swerves from that which is right 5. They have corrupted themselves c. i. e. They have sinned as the Greek and Vulgar have it and have been so far from imitating God whose work is perfect c. that they have been most unlike him their Crimes being of so high a nature that they speak them to be not his peculiar People but a perverse and crooked Generation 6. That bought thee that hath redeemed thee out of Egypt Vid. Exod. 15.16 To this purpose the Psalmist Remember the congregation which thou hast purchased of old the rod of thine inheritance which thou hast redeemed Psal 74.2 This was a great aggravation of their sin that they denied the Lord which bought them 2 Pet. 2.1 Compare Isa 1.3 and 1 Cor. 6.20 Made thee The Hebrew word which we translate made is observed to signifie to advance and so it is rendred 1 Sam. 12.6 and this seems to be the import of it in this place God's creating them is implyed before in that he is said to be their Father Established thee i. e. Fixed and settled thee 8. Divided c. Of which see Gen. ch 10. and chap. 11. He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel i. e. He assigned to the Canaanites and the other Inhabitants of the Land called from them the Land of Canaan such a proportion of Land as would suffice the Israelites to whom it was designed when their Iniquities were full when they were come out of Egypt and were ready to possess it 9. The lot Heb. cord of his inheritance i. e. The Inheritance peculiarly belonging to him
2.16 Zach. 7.3 1 Cor. 7.5 16. Thunders c. These were so many tokens of the great and terrible Majesty of God who therefore ought to be feared and obeyed 18. Mount Sinai Deut. 4.11 Descended Vid. v. 11. In fire Hence the Law might be called a fiery Law Deut. 33.3 19. Moses spake So terrible was the sight that Moses said I exceedingly fear and quake Heb. 12.21 21. Charge Heb. contest Break through Namely by going beyond the bounds which were set See v. 12. 22. Priests Aaron and his Sons were not yet set a-part to the Priesthood as is generally supposed Yet see the Note on ch 18.12 And therefore by Priests here we may understand those who ministred in Holy things before Aaron and his Sons were consecrated And these are supposed to be the first-born ch 13.2 who are called young men ch 24.5 And what is rendred young men elsewhere signifies Ministers or those who serve 2 Kings 19.6 That come near to the LORD Who come near to minister unto the Lord. The Priest by vertue of his Office is placed between God and the People for whom he prays and offers Sacrifice unto God 23. Cannot come up i. e. They are sufficiently warned already of the danger of passing the bounds 24. Thou and Aaron Ch. 24.1 CHAP. XX. The ARGUMENT The Ten Commandments The People are in great fear Moses comforts them Idolatry is forbidden Rules concerning the Altar on which they should sacrifice 1. AND God spake all these words saying 2. I am the LORD thy God which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage 3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me 4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth 5. Thou shalt not bow down thy self to them nor serve them for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me 6. And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments 7. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain 8. Remember the sabbath-day to keep it holy 9. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work 10. But the seventh is the sabbath of the LORD thy God in it thou shalt not do any work thou nor thy son nor thy daughter thy man-servant nor thy maid servant nor thy cattel nor thy stranger that is within thy gates 11. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seventh day wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath-day and hallowed it 12. Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee 13. Thou shalt not kill 14. Thou shalt not commit adultery 15. Thou shalt not steal 16. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour 17. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife nor his man-servant nor his maid-servant nor his ox nor his ass nor any thing that is thy neighbours 18. And all the people saw the thundrings and the lightnings and the noise of the trumpet and the mountain smoaking and when the people saw it they removed and stood a-far off 19. And they said unto Moses Speak thou with us and we will hear but let not God speak with us lest we die 20. And Moses said unto the people Fear not for God is come to prove you and that his fear may be before your faces that ye sin not 21. And the people stood a-far off and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was 22. And the LORD said unto Moses Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven 23. Ye shall not make with me gods of silver neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold 24. An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt-offerings and thy peace-offerings thy sheep and thine oxen In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee and I will bless thee 25. And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone thou shalt not build it of hewn stone for if thou lift up thy tool upon it thou hast polluted it 26. Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon 1. ALL these words i. e. All these Precepts which follow These are called the ten Words or Commandments ch 34.28 The Hebrew which we render Words is observed to signifie Precepts See Deut. 18.19 2. I am the LORD c. Deut. 5.6 Psal 81.10 This Verse contains the Preface to the following laws and therein very powerfull arguments to gain their attention and obedience Viz. I. From the Excellency of the Person who Commands The Lord. II. His Relation to them whom he commands Thy God III. His Mercy bestowed on them Which have brought thee c. Bondage Heb. Servants 3. Thou shalt have Or There shall not be unto thee Before me Or besides me As the Chaldee and Greek render it This third Verse contains the first Commandment and teacheth that there is one God and he alone is to be worshipped saith Josephus Antiq. Judaic l. 3. c. 4. 4. Thou shalt not c. Levit. 26.1 Psal 97.7 There being Ten of these Commandments ch 34.28 This must be the second as Josephus rightly affirms See this farther proved in the Notes on v. 17. 5. A jealous God Idolatry is frequently expressed by Whoredom Deut. 31.16 Jer. 3.9 And God is said to be an husband to his People Jer. 2.2 Hos 2.19 And in proportion and conformity hereunto God's displeasure against Idolatry is expressed by Jealousy which is says Solomon the rage of a man Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance c. Prov. 6.34 This is here added to deterr Men from Idolatry And is a powerfull Argument to keep Men from the appearance and suspicion of this Sin Children That are rebellious says the Chaldee Third and fourth So long the Idolaters may be supposed to live and be punished in their Children Of them that hate me That is of Idolaters who are especially the haters of God Vid. Mor. Nevochim p. 1. c. 36. 6. And keep c. The keeping God's Commandments being the best argument that we love him 7. Thou shalt not c. Levit. 19.12 Deut. 5.11 Matt. 5.33 Thou shalt not swear falsely nor lightly and commonly but greatly reverence the Holy Name of God Not hold him guiltless i. e. He will severely punish More is understood than is expressed vid. 1 Cor. 10.5 8. To keep it holy i. e. To separate
be granted that the Book of the Law to be read to the People did not contain the whole Pentateuch Be all this as it will I cannot see how 't will serve the Purpose of this Author For 2. It does not follow from thence that Moses did not write the whole Pentateuch When 't is agreed that he wrote and deliver'd some parts of it does it thence follow he did not write the whole I shou'd have been much asham'd to have troubled the Reader with this passage of the Author above-written because there is nothing worthy of the Reader 's notice no Argument nor appearance of any But I think my self oblig'd fairly to represent what the Objector's say in this matter though they prove nothing Obj. XIII It is farther pretended that Moses cou'd not write those words where Joseph is brought in saying I was stollen away out of the Land of the Hebrews It is pretended that it was not then the Land of the Hebrews and that therefore Moses cou'd not term it so nor any Writer till after his time when the Israelites had invaded and taken possession of the Land To which I answer 1. That the Writer of this passage does onely report the words of Joseph so that the Objection bears as hard against a later Writer as against Moses For who-ever the Writer be 't is not the Writer that calls it the Land of the Hebrews he brings in Joseph calling it so If Joseph did not call it so the Relater or Writer hath not told us Truth and then the Objection bears against any Writer be it Moses or some other person and then in truth it is an Objection against the Book it self as not worthy of belief If Joseph did call it the Land of the Hebrews why might not Moses be the Writer as well as a later Author He was rather better able to report the Matter a-right than a later Writer as he liv'd nearer to that time when the words were spoken 2. That Joseph might at that time very properly call that Country the Land of the Hebrews And that he might do upon these accounts 1. Because it was the Land in which the Hebrews did at that time and had ever since the Time of Abraham done so inhabit Surely it may be call'd the Land of the Hebrews where the Hebrews dwelt and where they have dwelt for some-time past whether they dwelt there by permission or by force of Arms against the Will of the other Inhabitants 2. 'T was also that Land which was promis'd the Hebrews and particularly to Abraham the Father of that People And 3. The Hebrews had some propriety in that Land Abraham by purchase Gen. 23. Jacob by conquest Gen. 24. who afterwards bestow'd his part of the Land to Joseph by his Last Will and Testament ch 48.22 Obj. XIV It is pretended that Moses cou'd not write those words Gen. 35.21 And Israel journeyed and spread his Tent beyond the Tower of Edar This Tower of Edar or Tower of the Flock is by the Objector supposed for I see no offer of proof to be a Tower plac'd in After-times and put upon one of the Gates of the City of Jerusalem called the Sheep-gate and then this must be written not by Moses but by a later Writer who liv'd after that Tower was so call'd To which I answer 1. That here being nothing but the Objector's Supposition this Objection needs no Answer for 't is not reasonable that mere Suppositions shou'd be regarded without any shadow of proof 2. That it is by no means reasonable to suppose this Tower of Edar to be a Tower upon the Sheep-gate in Jerusalem One of the Ancients who is a more competent Judge than any later Objector affirms that the Tower of Edar was the place of the Shepherds near to Bethlehem where the Company of Angels declar'd the Nativity of our Saviour and that it was the place where Joseph fed his Flock and where the Shepherds that watched by night at the time of our Saviour's Birth Luke 2. heard the heavenly Host saying Glory be to God in the highest and on Earth peace good-will towards Men. Hieron quaest in Genes Idem ad Eustochium Epitaph Paul This account is confirm'd by the Context and also by the Targum of Jonathan on Gen. 35.21 who adds to the Text That this is the place from whence the King Messias shall be revealed in the last days And still this account receives a farther Confirmation from Micah 4.8 where we meet with the Tower of Edar in a most illustrious Prophecy of the Messias There are the same words with these of Gen. 35.21 For the Sheep-gate in Jerusalem there is no kind of Affinity between the words in the Hebrew that signifie the Sheep-gate and those which import the Tower of the Flock and that are used both in Genesis and in Micah And 't is therefore most like that this Name of the place continued from the Time of Jacob and therefore this can be no Objection of any moment in this case Obj. XV. It is pretended that Moses cou'd not write those words Gen. 20.7 Now therefore restore the man his wife for he is a Prophet It is pretended that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render a Prophet was not used in the Time of Moses and that therefore Moses cou'd not write those words but a later Writer And this they attempt to prove from 1 Sam. 9.9 where 't is said Before-time in Israel when a man went to enquire of God thus he spake Come and let us go to the Seer for he that is now called a Prophet was before-time called a Seer To which I answer 1. That if this be any Objection against Moses then may we with as good Reason object this where-ever we find the word we here render Prophet in the Pentateuch We find this word in several places and shall we therefore conclude that Moses wrote none of those places If it has any force here it has the same every-where else And yet Mr. Hobbs allows that Moses did write the Book of Deuteronomy from chap. XI to the end of chap. XXVII and yet in that part of Deuteronomy we find this word which we render Prophet several times E. g. If there arise among you a Prophet c. And thou shalt not hearken to the words of that Prophet Deut. 13.1 3. Again The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet c. I will raise them a Prophet And the Prophet which shall presume c. And when a Prophet speaketh in the Name of the Lord Deut. 18.15 18 20 22. Besides the word is used elsewhere as Exod. 7.1 Numb 12.6 and chap. 11.29 and Deut. 34.10 Will any believe this word was not used in the time of Moses or that if he wrote these places yet he wrote Seer and the word Prophet was added by a later Hand 2. Some of these words are quoted in the New Testament and there the word
shall not always continue but shall be destroyed in which words God threatens the drowning of Mankind by the floud of waters What we render strive is by the ancient Versions rendered by a word that signifies to continue or abide And what is rendred with Man in the Hebrew signifies as well in Man And then it will be easie to understand the importance of these words by comparing chap. 7.22 where it is said That all in whose nostrils was the breath of life Hebr. the breath of the spirit of life died Compare Gen. 2.7 Eccles 12.7 Heb. 12.9 For that he also is flesh i. e. For that he is a depraved mortal creature addicted to the works of the flesh Jud. v. 16 19. An hundred and twenty years i. e. So much time Men shall be allowed before the coming of the Floud to repent in Thus the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the Ark was a preparing 1 Pet. 3.20 Besides the World did not want a Preacher of Righteousness among them 2 Pet. 2.5 This warning began twenty years before the Birth of Japhet of whose Birth we have an account v. 10. in its due place For what is said chap. 5.32 is there added to complete the Genealogy which is the subject of that Chapter 4. Giants i. e. Not onely Men of great stature Numb 13.32 33. but of insolent tempers v. 5 11. and consequently such as struck a terror upon Men of smaller size and strength After that i. e. After that Race of Men last mentioned Mighty men i. e. Men of great power and force Of renown Or of great fame for their exploits in the wicked World 5. Every imagination c. i. e. All the secret thoughts and purposes of his mind were always bent upon Evil. Not onely the practices of Men were Evil as it is said that God saw that the wickedness of Man was great but the principles from whence those actions flowed were generally corrupted also 6. It repented God cannot properly be said to Repent 1 Sam. 15.29 The Scripture speaks in the language of the children of men as the Jews commonly express it and attribute many things to God which strictly speaking belong not to him Because when Men undoe what they had done they are said to repent God after this manner of Men is said to repent when he destroyeth that which he had made This in God does not imply any alteration or defect And it grieved him at his heart Or He was displeased and angry as the word in the Hebrew is observed to signifie See Gen. 34. v. 7. at the Evil heart of Man of which mention is made in the end of verse 5. 8. Found grace That is obtained favour Compare Heb. 11.7 9. Perfect in his generations i. e. He was an upright and sincere Man and unblameable in the midst of a wicked and ungodly World 11. The Earth That is the Inhabitants of it ch 11. v. 1. Violence Or Rapine They were irreligious toward God and unjust to one another 12. All flesh i. e. The whole Race of Mankind Compare Isai 40.5 with Psal 78.39 His way Or course of living But especially Religion which is the way of serving God and to happiness and is called the way Act. 22.4.18.26 14. Gopher-wood The Chaldee renders it by a word that signifies Cedar Whatever the Wood were it is certain that it was Wood fit for this purpose And the word in the Hebrew language seems to imply that the Wood was of a bituminous or pitchy nature which yet for the greater security was to be pitched within and without 15. Cubits Supposing a Cubit to be but a foot and half which hath been a commonly received opinion we shall not have any just cause to think that the Ark wanted any capacity for the reception of those creatures and that provision which was to be lodged there But we are not obliged to believe this common opinion which supposeth a Cubit to be but 18 inches Allowing it to be somewhat more than 21 the capacity of the Ark will be much greater But of this matter they who please may consult Dr. Cumberland's Book printed 1686. 16. A window Or a light possibly of some strong and Diaphanous stone to give light into the Ark. See the Note on Gen. 8.6 In a cubit c. i. e. Thou shalt raise the top of the Ark one Cubit that the Cover of it being sloping may the better conveigh the waters falling upon it Door By which Noah and his family and the living creatures were to enter With lower c. The Lower story was probably for the greater beasts The second for stowage of provision The third for Noah's family and the fowls and perhaps some of the smaller creatures 18. Covenant The word in this place signifies a promise to preserve Noah and his family c. though it generally signifie a mutual compact or agreement v. 19. And thus sometimes this word signifies See Numb 18.19 and chap. 25.12 13. 19. Two of every sort Not that there shall be but two of any sort compare ch 7. v. 2. but there must be two at least viz. male and female of every kind v. 20. 22. So did he Compare Heb. 11.7 CHAP. VII The ARGUMENT Noah and his Family by God's direction enter into the Ark The living Creatures do so likewise The time when the Floud began the great increase the effects and continuance of it 1. AND the LORD said unto Noah Come thou and all thy house into the ark for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation 2. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens the male and his female and of beasts that are not clean by two the male and his female 3. Of fowls also of the air by sevens the male and the female to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth 4. For yet seven days and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth 5. And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him A. M. 1656. 2349. 6. And Noah was six hundred years old when the floud of waters was upon the earth 7. And Noah went in and his sons and his wife and his sons wives with him into the ark because of the waters of the floud 8. Of clean beasts and of beasts that are not clean and of fowls and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth 9. There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark the male and the female as God had commanded Noah 10. And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the floud were upon the earth 11. In the six hundredth year of Noah's life in the second month the seventeenth day of the month the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up and the windows of heaven were opened
she also bare a son and called his name Ben-ammi the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day 1. TWO Angels Called Men ch 18.2 22. 2. Turn in c. Lot also shews Hospitality Heb. 13.2 Nay They refuse his invitation at first possibly to try how much he was in earnest Luk. 24.28 29. 3. Vnleavened bread For haste it is probable See ch 18.6 and Exod. 12.39 4. All the people Of every age they were generally corrupted there not being ten righteous persons among them ch 18.32 5. Know them viz. Carnally Gen. 4.1 See verse 8. Hence this Sin is called Sodomy 6. At the door Or to the gate It is another word in the Hebrew that is translated door afterward in this verse and v. 9. And that seems to signifie the immediate in let into the house 7. So wickedly Even against the course of nature Rom. 1.27 8. Two daughters Whom he ought not to have exposed to these wicked Men. Shadow of my roof And therefore he thought himself obliged to proâ—â—â—t them Jer. 48.45 â—â—g 9.15 9. Stand back Or get thee aside They speak with contempt Isa 65.5 Judge A Censor or Reprover of Manners v. 7. It is probable that Lot had formerly reproved them 2 Pet. 2.7 8. 11. Blindness i. e. With such a present darkness and obscurity of sight that they could not find the door 2 King 6.18 13. We will destroy Hebr. We are destroying 14. Which married Or were taking Hebr. i. e. They were betrothed and were shortly to marry his daughters Deut. 22.23 Matt. 1.18 20. 15. Which are here Or which thou hast as both the Greek and Vulgar render it well Iniquity Or punishment 16. Being mercifull i. e. Being minded to spare him and save him from this common destruction in a manner forces his deliverance upon him 17. He i. e. One of the persons before mentioned Look noâ— behind thee This Command was given as appears by what follows to his Wife as well as to him Luk. 17.22 and 9.62 Matt. 24.16 17 18. Philip. 3.13 14. 21. I have accepted thee Hebr. I have accepted thy face i. e. I have granted thy petition To turn away the face is to deny a request 1 Kings 2.16 20. 22. I cannot do any thing i. e. I cannot destroy this place God having ordered Lot's deliverance as well as the destruction of Sodom Zoar Hebr. Little So called from what we read v. 20. 23. The Sun was risen This is thought to be said for two Reasons 1. To shew that Zoar was near to Sodom 2. That when it is said that God rained it might not be thought to be natural there being no Clouds as in other great Rains but miraculous See Abravenel on the place And this seems probable from what follows 24. The Lord rained From the Lord out of Heaven i. e. It was God's work alone and immediately and not to be imputed to natural Causes Sodom c. and upon Admah and Zeboim Deut. 29.23 26. A pillar of salt Or a statue of salt Not such Salt as would dissolve with Rain but such as would and did continue a lasting Monument of this matter The word Pillar in the Hebrew implies its consistence Josephus affirms that this Pillar remained to his time and he lived after our Saviour's death 27. He stood See ch 18.22 In the way from the Plains of Mamre toward Sodom ch 18.2 16. 29. Abraham For whose sake Lot fared the better as he had done before ch 14.16 and for whom he had interceded chap. 18. v. 23. In the which i. e. In one of which viz. in Sodom 30. In the mountain viz. To which he was directed v. 17. Feared Being greatly terrified with the destruction of the neighbouring places and having been warned before to go to the Mountain and his Wife becoming a Pillar of Salt upon her looking back Two daughters i. e. Maiden-daughters v. 8. 31. In the Earth Or in the Land i. e. None hereabouts in this tract of Land that we are like to be given in Marriage to 33. Perceived not Being over-burthened with the Wine he drank Drunkenness deprives Men of their understanding and is an in-let to the foulest wickedness To which I may add That Lot's not perceiving may be understood thus That he did not perceive who the person was that did lie with him It was indeed his daughter he might suppose her to be a servant And this may well be allowed to be his case if it be considered how far he was overcome with Wine 37. Moab The word implies his Original viz. That he was from her Father as the Greek have it and she knowing the truth of this gives him this name 38. Called i. e. She called as in the Hebrew both here and verse 37. Ben-Ammi Or the Son of my People He was so called in memory of his Original he being of her Father not begotten by a Stranger See the Greek Both the Children carried in their Names the Memorial of their incestuous Original CHAP. XX. The ARGUMENT Abraham removes to Gerar. Abimelech takes Sarah as Abraham's Sister for which he is reprehended by God in a dream He excuseth his fact expostulates with Abraham and restores Sarah with a reproof Abraham prays to God who thereupon healed Abimelech and his Family 1. AND Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south countrey and dwelled between Caedesh and Shur and sojourned in Gerar. 2. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife She is my sister and Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah 3. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him Behold thou art but a dead man for the woman which thou hast taken for she is a man's wife 4. But Abimelech had not come near her and he said LORD wilt thou slay also a righteous nation 5. Said he not unto me She is my sister and she even she her self said He is my brother in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this 6. And God said unto him in a dream Yea I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart for I also withheld thee from sinning against me therefore suffered I thee not to touch her 7. Now therefore restore the man his wife for he is a prophet and he shall pray for thee and thou shalt live and if thou restore her not know thou that thou shalt surely die thou and all that are thine 8. Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told all these things in their ears and the men were sore afraid 9. Then Abimelech called Abraham and said unto him What hast thou done unto us and what have I offended thee that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done 10. And Abimelech said unto Abraham What sawest thou that thou hast done this thing 11. And Abraham said Because I thought Surely
the fear of God is not in this place and they will slay me for my wife's sake 12. And yet indeed she is my sister she is the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother and she became my wife 13. And it came to pass when God caused me to wander from my father's house that I said unto her This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me at every place whither we shall come say of me He is my brother 14. And Abimelech took sheep and oxen and men-servants and women-servants and gave them unto Abraham and restored him Sarah his wife 15. And Abimelech said Behold my land is before thee dwell where it pleaseth thee 16. And unto Sarah he said Behold I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver behold he is to thee a covering of the eyes unto all that are with thee and with all other thus she was reproved 17. So Abraham prayed unto God and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maid-servants and they bare children 18. For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah Abraham's wife 1. FRom thence i. e. From the Plains of Mamre ch 18. v. 1. He removed as is probable upon occasion of the destruction of Sodom of which he was an Eye-witness ch 19. 27 28. Gerar viz. In the Country of the Philistines ch 26. v. 1. When it was that the matter here spoken of happened is not certain because not revealed The reason why this relation comes in in this place is obvious enough We have another instance here we have one in the foregoing Chapter that God was not prone to destroy the innocent and righteous We must not suppose the order of time observed in this relation though the likeness of the argument be 'T is probable this might happen not long after Abraham came from Egypt We have not yet the account of Isaac's birth and have no reason to believe that Sarah was in Egypt where she staid some time v. 17 18. whiles she was big with Isaac That would not be a fit time for this journey besides her condition in that case might soon have been discovered What year of Abraham's and Sarah's life this happened in is not certain 2. Said This was mutually agreed on See ch 12. 13. and v. 5. of this Chapter Took Sarah Supposing her at liberty and with an intention to make her his Wife See v. 6. 3. God came i. e. God did reveal himself to Abimelech Ps 105.14 In a dream by night This was no natural and ordinary dream which is commonly attended with vanity Eccles 5.7 Isa 29.7 8. and therefore not to be heeded But a super-natural one sent by God and bringing with it its evidence and assurance This is one of the ways by which God revealed himself to his Prophets Numb 12.6 And sometimes he thus revealed himself to those whom he had not chosen for his peculiar people for the benefit of those whom he had thus chosen As to Pharaoh Nebuchadnezzar and Abimelech c. A dead man i. e. Thou shalt certainly die But then there is a condition implied in this as in other threats viz. If he did not restore unto Abraham his Wife v. 7. See Jonah 3.4 Ezek. 33.14 15. Besides the words imply what punishment Adultery deserves in God's account 4. Near her See verse 6. A righteous Nation i. e. People who are innocent See v. 17 18. 5. Integrity Or Sincerity Being far from designing any injury to another man 6. With-held Or Restrained See v. 17. To touch her See ch 26.11 1 Cor. 7.1 Prov. 6.29 and v. 4. of this Chapter 7. For he is a Prophet And therefore not to be injured Psal 105.15 and also the fitter Person to pray for him Jer. 27.18 8. Sore afraid Being terrified probably by the Divine Judgment upon Sodom 11. The fear of God c. This fear of God being the great restraint upon men's lusts and passions By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil Prov. 16.6 12. She is my sister And Lot is called his brother ch 13.8 Sarah was the daughter of Haran who died before Terah ch 11.28 Sarah her Father being dead might well be said to be the Daughter of Terah Abraham's Father and consequently his Sister Grand-children among the Eastern people were reputed and called the Children of their Grand-fathers or Grand-mothers Gen. 31.28 and 46.18 25. 1 Kings 15.10 Not the daughter of my Mother Haran and Abraham not having the fame Mother 13. And it came c. In these words he lets Abimelech know that it was not agreed upon onely at his coming to Gerar to impose upon him but several years before that 16. Brother As Sarah had called him A thousand pieces of Silver Or a thousand Shekels as the Chaldee hath it A Shekel of Silver is of our Money two shillings and four gence farthing and a little more Behold he is to thee a covering of the eyes i. e. Abraham thy Husband shall be to thee as a covering of the Eyes Those Women who are veiled or covered are not exposed as the uncovered to the view and unchast desires of those who see them An Husband may be very fitly called as Abraham is here a veil or covering of the Eyes Agreeably hereunto we find that married Women were covered with a veil Gen. 24.65 And that veil was a sign of subjection 1 Cor. 11.10 Perhaps Sarah had left off her veil that she might not be thought Abraham's Wife However Abimelech puts her in mind that she was a Wife which we yet express by being under Coverture and that therefore she ought not to expose her self to those that were with her or to any others Thus she was reproved These seem to be the words of Moses not Abimelech In which he tells us how Abimelech reproved Sarah 17. Prayed As was said v. 7. 18. Sarah To whom God had promised a Son by Abraham ch 17.19 And whom he therefore protected from being violated by Abimelech v. 3 17. he having taken her v. 2. CHAP. XXI The ARGUMENT The birth and circumcision of Isaac The joy of Sarah thereupon Hagar and Ishmael are sent away by Abraham Hagar in great distress is relieved Abraham and Abimelech enter into Covenant The place where this was done called Beersheba Abraham plants a Grove 2108. 1896. 1. AND the LORD visited Sarah as he had said and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken 2. For Sarah conceived and bare Abraham a son in his old age at the set time of which God had spoken to him 3. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him whom Sarah bare to him Isaac 4. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old as God had commanded him 5. And Abraham was an hundred years old when his son Isaac was born unto him 6. And Sarah said God hath made me to laugh so that all
unto the vine and his asses colt unto the choice vine he washed his garments in wine and his clothes in the blood of grapes 12. His eyes shall be red with wine and his teeth white with milk 13. Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea and he shall be for an haven of ships and his border shall be unto Zidon 14. Issachar is a strong ass touching down between two burdens 15. And he saw that rest was good and the land that it was pleasant and bowed his shoulder to bear and became a servant unto tribute 16. Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel 17. Dan shall be a serpent by the way an adder in the path that biteth the horse-heels so that his rider shall fall backward 18. I have waited for thy salvation O LORD 19. Gad a troop shall overcome him but he shall overcome at the last 20. Out of Asher his bread shall be fat and he shall yield royal dainties 21. Naphtali is a hind let loose he giveth goodly words 22. Joseph is a fruitful bough even a fruitful bough by a well whose branches run over the wâ—ll 23. The archers have sorely grieved him and shot at him and hated him 24. But his bow abode in strength and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob from thence is the shepherd the stone of Israel 25. Even by the God of thy father who shall help thee and by the Almighty who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above blessings of the deep that lieth under blessings of the breasts and of the womb 26. The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills they shall be on the head of Joseph and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren 27. Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf in the morning he shall devour the prey and at night he shall divide the spoil 28. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel and this is it that their father spake unto them and blessed them every one according to his blessing he blessed them 29. And he charged them and said unto them I am to be gathered unto my people bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite 30. In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying place 31. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife and there I buried Leah 32. The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth. 33. And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons he gathered up his feet into the bed and yielded up the ghost and was gathered unto his people 1. IN the last days 2315. 1689. i. e. Hereafter These words denote not any one precise time These Predictions were to be fulfilled in Sundry times And part of them extend to the time of the Messiah which is called the last days Isa 2.2 Acts 2.17 Heb. 1.1 3. The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power The Prerogatives of the first-born which Reuben had forfeited v. 4. were I. A double portion of goods Deut. 21.17 This was bestowed on Joseph ch 48.5 compared with 1 Chron. 5.1 II. Power and Dominion over the younger ch 27.29 37. This was given to Judah v. 8. with 1 Chron. 5.2 III. The honour of Priesthood in their own family at least See Exod. 24.5 Where by young men the Jews tell us are meant the first-born Besides the Levites were taken into the Service of God instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel Numb 3.41 This priviledge was given to Levi. 4. Vnstable c. This Verse gives an account how Reuben lost his Birth-right and the Priviledges thereof viz. By his lightness and unbridled Lust ch 35.22 And seems to intimate the mean condition of the Tribe of Reuben for the future in those words Thou shalt not excell See Judg. 5.15 16. 5. Brethren i. e. Not onely born of the same Father and Mother for so were Reuben and Judah also but as they conspired against Joseph's life which Reuben and Judah studied to preserve ch 37.21 26. and especially because of their Conspiracy against the Shechemites ch 34.25 The swords there mentioned being the instruments of Cruelty mentioned here They are Brethren in the Scripture-phrase who are like in manners and agree in the same design Job 30.29 with Psalm 102.6 and Prov. 18.9 6. O my soul c. In these words Jacob disavows the action of Simeon and Levi against the Shechemites as that to which he gave no consent either implicit or explicit He disowns it in these words O my soul c. Or My soul come not into their secret or counsel as the words may be rendred See ch 34.30 i. e. He gave no implicit consent so far was he from encouraging them by his words or tongue which in Scripture-phrase is called honour Psal 16.9 with Acts 2.26 and which he affirms here was not united to them A Man Or Men viz. the Shechemites One number being put for another Though it be also true that one Man viz. he that had defiled Dinah was principally designed and was a principal Man also who was killed in that slaughter 7. Cursed c. This refutes what is affirmed by Judith viz. That they were moved with the zeal of God Judith 9.4 Their anger Not their persons much less their posterity See v. 28. and 2 Sam. 15.31 Divide Levi was dispersed among the Tribes and the Inheritance of the Simeonites did not lie together Josh 19.1 9. with 1 Chron. 4.39 8. Praise Or confess The rest of the Nation shall be called Jews and their whole Country Judaea from Judah See Esther 3.6 Matt. 27.37 This Tribe was famous also for their Conquests over their Enemies Judg. 1.2 Psal 18.4 and the Dominion which it enjoyed over their Brethren It was famous for the Kingdom of the House of David but especially because the Messiah was born of this Tribe whose Kingdom is Everlasting 9. A Lion's whelp This Tribe for their Courage and Valour and their Eminence over the rest is fitly compared to a Lion which is strongest among beasts Prov. 30.30 And its gradual encrease in Power and Eminence over the rest is fitly compared to and represented by the Lion's whelp the Lion and the old Lion 10. The Scepter c. i. e. The Jews who received their denomination from Judah especially after their return from the Babylonian Captivity and to which Tribe that of Benjamin and Levi and others who adhered to it both upon the Schism after Solomon's Death and after the Captivity of the Ten Tribes were esteemed but as an Accession
a time yet they overcame at the last 20. Out of Asher c. These words are a description of the fruitfulness of Asher's Inheritance Compare Deut. 33.24 21. Naphtali c. It hath been thought that the former part of the Verse intimates the promptitude and readiness of this Tribe in their Wars and then what we read Judg. 4. and ch 5.18 may serve as an instance of it And that the latter part implies that they were not rash in undertaking War but treatable and willing to live at Peace being contented with their Lot Deut. 33.23 and so far from provoking others to quarrel that they were very civil in their Conversation with other Men. Though after all it must be owned that as the words lie in the Hebrew Text they are very obscure and need a farther Explication And perhaps 't will not be easie to find a better Explication of these obscure words than what is intimated by the Greek Interpreters who by what we render an Hind understand the Stock of a growing Tree and by what we render Words they seem to understand the Shoots or Branches of such a Tree And then Naphtali is compared to a growing Tree which puts forth goodly Branches The Situation of this Tribe suits very well with this Comparison 'T was situated upon the Waters Ps 1.3 of Jordan and the Lake of Genesareth the latter of which places hath been observed to be so called from words in the Hebrew importing the Gardens of Noblemen or Princes And as this Interpretation hath some countenance from the Greek so it hath some from the Hebrew also as those words might be understood It is very probable that the Situation of the Tribe is in this place to be considered 22. Fruitful c. A very fit resemblance this is Ps 1.3 Jer. 17.10 by reason of his numerous Off-spring Joseph was the Head of two Tribes Ephraim and Manasseh and they very numerous also Numb 1.33 35. Josh 17.14 15 16 17. Deut. 33.17 23. The Archers c. Joseph was as it were aimed and shot at and greatly oppressed by his Enemies His own Brethren reviled him shooting at him with the Arrows of bitter words they contrived his death He was sold into Egypt through Envy and imprisoned by a Lye His Chastity was greatly assaulted by his Mistress his Patience exercised by his Master and the Ingratitude of Pharaoh's Butler 24. His bow abode in strength The Divine Help and Mercy did not forsake him he was preserved and relieved by the mighty God of Israel By him he was kept alive when his Death was designed preserved Chast when he was greatly tempted to Lewdness rendered prosperous in his lowest Circumstances and from them advanced to great Dignity and made an Instrument of very great good to others From thence c. i. e. From the same Divine Power and Mercy it was that Joseph who had been sold tempted maligned and imprisoned and greatly oppressed became the Feeder and Stay and Support called here Stone Compare Gen. 28.11 or Rock of defence of his Father and his Family Neither was there a Man born like unto Joseph a Governour of his Brethren and a Stay of the People Ecclus 49.15 25. Even by or rather from the God c. This confirms the Exposition given above of From thence These Blessings light upon Joseph but then they come from the God of Israel who will help him and from the Almighty who will bless him with all kind of Temporal Blessings Such are seasonable Weather Lev. 26.4 Deut. 28.12 and 33.14 and consequently a fruitful Land a numerous Off-spring and Power to bring them up And these Blessings are very valuable if it be considered how great a Curse is imply'd in an Heaven of Brass and Earth of Iron Deut. 28.23 and in a miscarrying Womb and dry Breasts Hos 9.14 26. The blessings of thy father i. e. The Blessings which I have received and with which I bless thee and thy Brethren Have prevailed Do prevail or are greater Blessings of my progenitors viz. Abraham and Isaac Jacob blessed Joseph's two Sons whereas Abraham suffered Ishmael to be cast out and Isaac bestowed the Blessing on Jacob rejecting Esau Besides Jacob was blessed with many Sons none of which were excluded from Inheritance but were the Heads of their several Tribes and continued among God's peculiar People Vnto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills These words may imply the Plenty of that part of Canaan which was the Lot of Joseph's Children Compare Deut. 33.15 Or the eminence and long duration of these Blessings which is metaphorically expressed by the height and duration of ancient Hills Compare Isai 54.10 27. Benjamin c. As Judah is likened to a Lion Issachar to a strong Ass Dan to a Serpent Naphtali to an Hind let loose Joseph to a fruitfull Bough or Tree planted by the Waters so Benjamin is fitly compared to a ravenous Wolf for his War-like Courage and Success against his Enemies an account of which we have Judg. 20 and 21. Esth 2.5 and ch 9. Judg. 3.15 28. Twelve tribes They are considered here with respect to their future Inheritance and Levi not inheriting as the rest did they are said to be twelve Besides they are in Jacob's words here spoken of as Twelve For though Levi be mentioned here expressly yet Ephraim and Manasseh are not expressly mentioned but are blessed in Joseph They are here called twelve Tribes rather than Persons or Sons of Jacob because they are not here so much considered as single Persons as they are in their Posterity and several Habitations Blessed them Even Reuben Simeon and Levi who are reprehended by their Father yet received a Blessing in being taken in as Heads of their Tribes and Inheritors of the promised Land And though Reuben lost the priviledges of the First-born and Simeon and Levi were scattered yet none of them were excluded the Land of Canaan and deprived of any share of it And very probable it is that Jacob dismissed all his Sons with a general Benediction According to c. As God directed him and saw meet 29. Bury me See ch 47.30 30. In the cave c. This very particular description of the Place as it might be needfull to them who had been long absent from that Country where it was so it speaks Jacob very sollicitous about this matter and it put them in mind of returning to their Country which God had promised CHAP. L. The ARGUMENT The Mourning for Jacob. Joseph obtaineth leave of Pharaoh to bury his Father as he had desired He is buried in the Cave of the Field of Machpelah Joseph with his Company returns into Egypt Joseph removes the Fear and Suspicion of his Brethren The Age of Joseph He takes an Oath of his Brethren to carry his Bones with them into Canaan He dies and his Body is embalmed 1. AND Joseph fell upon his father's face and wept upon him and kissed him 2. And Joseph commanded his servants the
learn that God did make his Promise good 5. Seventy souls i. e. Seventy persons V. Gen. 46.26 27. The Greek have seventy five adding five persons of Joseph's Family Gen. 46.20 which number of the Greek it being a Translation of great fame and note is supposed to be followed also Act. 7.14 If St. Stephen had in that place followed the Version here he might have been defended for so doing in his Speech to the Jews but this is but supposed Another and more clear account may be given of the number of seventy five mentioned Act. 7.14 which the Reader may justly expect in its proper place It will be sufficient at present to observe That St. Stephen's design and his words too are very different from that of Moses here and Gen. 46. Moses gives account of Jacob and his Seed onely Gen. 46. v. 6 7 8 26. with Exod. 1. v. 5 6. but Stephen mentions those onely whom Joseph called into Egypt Joseph and his two Sons belong not to Stephen's number nor to his design they being in Egypt already In a word Moses reckons Jacob and his Seed or those that came out of his Loins Stephen mentions Jacob and his Kindred which takes in the Wives of Jacob's Sons See Gen. 45.10 11. with v. 5. and Joseph Antiqu Book 2. ch 3. For Joseph c. These words seem to refer to v. 4. Joseph is not numbred though he belong to the number he being before hand in Egypt And accordingly in the Greek we find these words at the close of the fourth Verse and immediately before those words where our English begin the fifth Verse 7. Was filled In the space of two hundred years and upwards the seventy increased to about six hundred thousand Men Exod. 12.37 a thing not at all incredible for supposing but fifty Men that should beget Children and that not till they arrived at twenty years of age and allow them three Sons a-piece yet in the space of two hundred years the whole sum would amount to 2952450 whence it is evident that the number mentioned Exod. 12.37 is not to be wondered at it speaking onely the Divine Blessing and Veracity 8. A new king Of a new House and Family perhaps Joseph Antiq. l. 2. c. 5. Knew not i. e. He did not consider and regard what Joseph had done Hos 2.8 9. He said The King of Egypt's pretences for his oppressing the Israelites were I. Their great Number v. 9. II. Their joining with the Enemies of Egypt if War should happen v. 10. III. Lest they should go out of Egypt when they pleased v. 10. 12. The more they multiplied So vain a thing it is to endeavour to make void God's Counsel Prov. 19.21 13. Rigor Without Mercy Hence Egypt is called An House of Bondage Exod. 20.2 15. Midwives of which c. These 't is like were principal Midwives the command being given also to the rest 17. Feared God i. e. They more feared God's displeasure than they did Pharaoh's 19. Lively They have great vigor and are skilfull See the Chaldee and Vulgar Latin 20. Dealt well They that fear God receive many blessings in this life Eccles 8.12 13. 21. He made them houses Them i. e. the Israelites and not the Midwives it being of the Masculine Gender in the Hebrew That is God by this means multiplyed and increased the Israelites which is expressed by making them Houses See Gen. 16.2 Ruth 4.11 Ps 127.1 3. Gen. 30.3 2 Sam. 7.11 22. All his people Not leaving it to the care of the Midwives any longer CHAP. II. The ARGUMENT Moses is born and hidden and laid in the Flags Pharaoh's Daughter finds him and brings him up He kills an Egyptian reproves one of the Hebrews and fleeth into Midian marrieth Zipporah by whom he had Gershom God regards the Misery of the Hebrews 1. AND there went a man of the house of Levi and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 2. And the woman conceived and bare a son and when she saw him that he was a goodly child she hid him three mouths 3. And when she could not longer hide him she took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it with slime and with pitch and put the child therein and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink 4. And his sister stood afar off to wit what would be done to him 5. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash her self at the river and her maidens walked along by the river's side and when she saw the ark among the flags she sent her maid to fetch it 6. And when she had opened it she saw the child and behold the babe wept And she had compassion on him and said This is one of the Hebrews children 7. Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for thee 8. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother 9. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her Take this child away and nurse it for me and I will give thee thy wages And the woman took the child and nursed it 10. And the child grew and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son And she called his name Moses and she said Because I drew him out of the water 11. And it came to pass in those days when Moses was grown that he went out unto his brethren and looked on their burthens and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew one of his brethren 12. And he looked this way and that way and when he saw that there was no man he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand 13. And when he went out the second day behold two men of the Hebrews strove together and he said to him that did the wrong Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow 14. And he said Who made thee a prince and a judge over us intendest thou to kill me as thou killedst the Egyptian And Moses feared and said Surely this thing is known 15. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing he sought to slay Moses But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian and he sat down by a well 16. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock 17. And the shepherds came and drove them away but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock 18. And when they came to Reuel their father he said How is it that you are come so soon to day 19. And they said An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and also drew water enough for us and watered the flock 20. And he said unto his daughters And where is he why is it that ye have left the man Call him that he may eat bread 21. And Moses was content to dwell with the man and he gave Moses
names of other Gods 14. Three times Deut. 16.16 15. Thou shalt c. Ch. 13.3 and 34.18 And none c. Deut. 16.16 Ecclus 35.4 Empty i. e. Without some Gift or Oblation Deut. 15.13 14. 16. Feast of harvest When they offered two Loaves of First-fruits Lev. 23.17 called The Feast of Weeks Exod 34.22 because it was seven weeks from the foregoing Feast Levit. 23.15 This was the Feast of Pentecost Act. 2.1 At this time the Law was given See Notes on ch 19.1 The feast of in gathering Called also The feast of Tabernacles Lev. 23.34 Deut. 16.13 17. Three times Viz. at the times last mentioned Before the LORD i. e. at the place where God appointed and where the Tabernacle and after that the Temple was 18. Of my sacrifice i. e. Of the Passover as the Chaldee hath it and as appears evidently from ch 34.25 With leavened bread i. e. Having leavened Bread in thy possession My sacrifice Or Feast Remain viz. Unburnt 19. The first-fruits Ch. 34.26 Thou shalt not seeth a kid c. Deut. 14.21 This the Jews understand as forbidding the eating of Flesh and Milk together And besides the shew of Cruelty in doing so Deut. 22.6 7. and Philo Jud. de Charitate it is supposed this was forbid the Israelites because it was a Rite used by Idolaters See Mor. Nevoch p. 3. c. 48. 20. Behold Ch. 33.2 An Angel i. e. Christ called so Mal. 3.1 He was tempted in the Wilderness 1 Cor. 10.9 Heb. 3.9 Maimon confesses that these words are explained by those Deut. 18.18 which words do manifestly belong to the Messias See the Notes on Deut. 18.15 More Nevoch p. 2. c. 34. 21. Not pardon your transgressions i. e. Your contumacious sins Vid. Josh 24.19 My name is in him Joh. 10.38 The Name of God signifies his Essence Exod. 3.13 And sometimes his Word says Maimon More Nevoch p. 1. c. 64. and is applicable to the Messiah in both these Senses 22. An adversary unto thine adversaries Or I will afflict them that afflict thee 23. For c. Ch. 33.2 Bring thee Josh 24.11 24. But thou shalt Deut. 7.25 26. There shall nothing Deut. 7.14 27. Backs Heb. Neck 28. I will send hornets Josh 2â—â— These words may well be understood literally See Exod 8.21 31. Sea of the Philistines i. e. The Mediterranean upon which their Country lay Desart Of Shur Exod. 15.22 Gen. 16.7 River i. e. Euphrates as the Greek have it 32. Thou shalt Ch. 34.15 Deut. 7.2 33. It will surely c. Deut. 7.16 Josh 23.13 Judg. 2.3 CHAP. XXIV The ARGUMENT Moses is called up into the Mountain The People promise Obedience Moses builds an Altar and twelve Pillars The young Men offer Sacrifices He enters the People into Covenant with God God manifests himself Moses continues in the Mount forty Days and forty Nights 1. AND he said unto Moses Come up unto the LORD thou and Aaron Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel and worship ye afar off 2. And Moses alone shall come near the LORD but they shall not come nigh neither shall the people go up with him 3. And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the judgments and all the people answered with one voice and said All the words which the LORD hath said will we do 4. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD and rose up early in the morning and builded an altar under the hill and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel 5. And he sent young men of the children of Israel which offered burnt-offerings and sacrificed peace-offerings of oxen unto the LORD 6. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basons and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar 7. And he took the book of the covenant and read in the audience of the people and they said All that the LORD hath said will we do and be obedient 8. And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said Behold the blood of the covenant which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words 9. Then went up Moses and Aaron Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel 10. And they saw the God of Israel and there was under his feet as it were a paved-work of a saphire-stone and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness 11. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand also they saw God and did eat and drink 12. And the LORD said unto Moses Come up to me into the mount and be there and I will give thee tables of stone and a law and commandments which I have written that thou mayest teach them 13. And Moses rose up and his minister Joshua And Moses went up into the mount of God 14. And he said unto the elders Tarry ye here for us until we come again unto you and behold Aaron and Hur are with you if any man have any matters to do let him come unto them 15. And Moses went up into the mount and a cloud covered the mount 16. And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai and the cloud covered it six days and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud 17. And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like deuouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel 18. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud and got him up into the mount and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights 1. COme up i. e. After thou hast propounded my Laws to the People and sprinkled the Blood c. to v. 9. God's Seventy of the elders Who will be good Witnesses of glorious appearance This number was afterward ordained by God and taken into the Government Num. 11.16 17. 2. Near the LORD i. e. Into the midst of the Cloud v. 18. The top of the Mount where was a glorious appearance and sign of God's more special presence v. 16 17. But they shall not come nigh i. e. Aaron Nadab and Abihu and the seventy Elders though they went up into the Mount shall not pass into the midst of the Cloud nor go up to the top or the Mount as Moses did Neither shall the people go up The Elders were allowed to go up some part of the Mount v. 1. Moses might onely come near the People are to stay at the bottom of the Mount 3. All the words of the LORD and all the judgments i. e. The Ten Commandments ch 20. which are called The words which God spake Exod. 20.1 And again the ten Words ch 38.28 and the Judicial Laws contained in the three foregoing Chapters which are called Judgments ch 21.1 All the words Ch. 19.8 verse 7. Deut. 5.27 4. An altar On God's part who is the principal party in this Covenant Twelve pillars On the People's behalf 5. Young men
Moses face to face as a man speaketh unto his friend And he turned again into the camp but his servant Joshua the son of Nun a young man departed not out of the tabernacle 12. And Moses said unto the LORD See thou sayest unto me Bring up this people and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me Yet thou hast said I know thee by name and thou hast also found grace in my sight 13. Now therefore I pray thee if I have found grace in thy sight shew me now thy way that I may know thee that I may find grace in thy sight and consider that this nation is thy people 14. And he said My presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest 15. And he said unto him If thy presence go not with me carry us not up hence 16. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight Is it not in that thou goest with us So shall we be separated I and thy people from all the people that are upon the face of the earth 17. And the LORD said unto Moses I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken for thou hast found grace in my sight and I know thee by name 18. And he said I beseech thee shew me thy glory 19. And he said I will make all my goodness pass before thee and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy 20. And he said Thou canst not see my face for there shall no man see me and live 21. And the LORD said Behold there is a place by me and thou shalt stand upon a rock 22. And it shall come to pass while my glory passeth by that I will put thee in a clift of the rock and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by 23. And I will take away mine hand and thou shalt see my back-parts but my face shall not be seen 1. UNto thy seed Gen. 12.7 2. And I will send an Angel Deut. 7.22 Josh 24.11 By the Angel here is meant a Creature one of God's ministring Servants and not the Angel mentioned Exod. 23.20 as is evident by comparing the Text. 3. Stiff-nceked Ch. 32.9 Deut. 9.13 4. And when the people The order in which the things here reported to have been said and done will most clearly appear if after v. 3. we read v. 5. and then v. 4. and 6. And this our Translators seem to be sensible of by their rendring those words v. 5. For the LORD had said c. They could not but see that the threatning words which God bid Moses say to the Children of Israel v. 5. was the reason why the people mourned v. 4. The word For with which the fifth Verse begins plainly shews that this was the reason they mourned They did this upon the sad tidings that God would not go up in the midst of them God does after this promise his Presence v. 14. 5. That I may know We must not think that God did not know his own purpose and the event of things And therefore the Greek render the word as signifying to shew or make known to others And the words That I may know according to this rendring are as much as That I may or and I will discover See the Notes on Gen. 22.12 6. By the mount Or From the mount At some distance possibly from the Mount as being unworthy to come near the place where God did reveal himself 7. The Tabernacle His Tabernacle says the Greek i. e. The Tent of Moses where he was wont to give Judgment and to answer in matters of doubt Without the camp This was an Argument of God's displeasure with the People It is not to be supposed that Moses did this without God's direction and the descent of the cloudy Pillar upon this Tabernacle v. 9. was an argument that God withdrew from the People the token of his Presence and Favour And called it c. By the same name which the Tabernacle which was to be built by God's Command was called This was at present a provisional Tabernacle instead of that v. 9. Which sought the LORD i. e. That sought the knowledge of God's Will by Moses Ch. 18.15 19 20. 8. Rose up c. In expectation of what would follow upon this removal of the Tent. 9. Cloudy pillar The token of the Angel's presence ch 13.21 and ch 14.19 10. Worshipped They bowed down and worshipped God for this token of his presence 11. Face to face i. e. Plainly and familiarly not in Visions and Dreams and dark speeches This was a peculiar privilege to Moses Num. 12.6 8. Deut. 34.10 Departed not He stayed to give Judgment ch 18.26 12. Whom i. e. What Angel I know thee by name In a special manner I know thee Above all men as the Geeek render it See v. 11. 13. Thy way i. e. Thy gracious and mercifull Administration Vid. Ps 103.7 and 67.2 That I may find grace c. That so I may be assured of thy Favour 14. My presence i. e. My self Here God promises the presence of his Divine Majesty and that he will not leave them to the conduct of a created Angel They shall be under the care of the Angel of his Presence according to his Promise Exod. 23.20 Vid. Isa 63.9 15. And he said unto him Which words may be rendred And he had said unto him and so perhaps the words v. 17. The Lord said might have been better rendred The Lord had said 16. Be separated i. e. Distinguished by a peculiar privilege Ps 76.1 18. Thy glory i. e. Thy Face as it is expressed v. 20. That which Moses begs is a more plain and familiar knowledge of the Divine Nature and Essence or such a seeing of God v. 20. as this mortal state will not admit of 19. I will make all my goodness c. i. e. God promises to grant to Moses a knowledge of his goodness he should see the footsteps of his Mercy and he would let him know how he is affected to mankind And will be gracious Rom. 9.15 20. See my face i. e. Perfectly know me 1 Cor. 13.12 22. My glory i. e. Glorious appearance which speaks me present Cover thee with my hand i. e. Powerfully protect thee and hide thee 23. My back-parts This is spoken after the manner of Men For God is a Spirit We know God but imperfectly in this Life we learn something of him by the effects of his Power and Wisdom and Goodness A fuller knowledge is reserved for a future state CHAP. XXXIV The ARGUMENT The two Tables are renewed The Lord's Name proclaimed Moses begs God's Presence and Pardon Idolatry is strictly forbid God renews his Covenant and repeats several Laws that were given before Moses continues fasting in the Mount forty days and forty Nights The Face of Moses
The Chaldee understands it of the Shecinah or Divine Presence 10. I make Deut. 5.2 A terrible thing Such as speaks the Majesty and Power of God who is terrible in his doing toward the children of men Ps 66.5 12. Take heed Ch. 23.32 Deut. 7.2 13. Images Heb. Statues 14. Jealous Ch. 20.5 15. Go a whoring Idolatry is a spiritual Whoredom Ps 73.27 He that loves and honours the Creature instead of the Creator is guilty of it Jam. 4.4 And thou eat of his sacrifice And so have Communion with an Idol Num. 25.2 Ps 106.28 Ezek. 18.6.22.9 1 Cor. 10.20 Rev. 2.20 16. Their daughters 1 King 11.2 17. No molten They are specially warned against molten Gods they having transgressed so lately in the molten Calf ch 32.4 18. Vnleavened Ch. 23.15 Month Ch. 13.4 19. All Ch. 22.29 Ezek. 44.30 20. Lamb Or Kid. Empty Ch. 23.15 21. Six Ch. 23.12 Deut. 5.12 Luk. 13.14 22. And Ch. 23.16 Years end Heb. Revolution of the year 23. Thrice Ch. 23.14 17. Deut. 16.16 25. Thou c. Ch. 23.18 26. Kid Ch. 23.19 Deut. 14.21 27. Write thou these words Deut. 4.13 i. e. Do thou write them in a Book apart The ten Commandments onely were written in the two Tables and they were written by God v. 1. Deut. 10.2.4 28. And he Ch. 24.18 Deut. 9.9 And he wrote Not Moses but God See v. 27. Commandments Heb. Words 29. Shone Was glorious says the Greek which rendring agrees well with what we read 2 Cor. 3.7 While he talked with him These words express the cause why the Face of Moses did shine viz. from his converse with God 2 Cor. 3.18 30. Were afraid And by this means it is likely Moses came to the knowledge of it 33. He put Or He had put Viz. during the time that he spake with them A veil 2 Cor. 3.13 14. 34. He took the veil off 2 Cor. 3.16 35. With him That is With God as appears from v. 34. CHAP. XXXV The ARGUMENT The People are commanded to rest on the Sabbath-day Free-will Offerings for the Tabernacle to be received Both Men and Women offer Materials Bezaleel and Aholiab chosen for the Work 1. AND Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together and said unto them These are the words which the LORD hath commanded that ye should do them 2. Six days shall work be done but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day a sabbath of rest to the LORD whosoever doth work therein shall be put to death 3. Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath-day 4. And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel saying This is the thing which the LORD commanded saying 5. Take ye from amongst you an offering unto the LORD Whosoever is of a willing heart let him bring it an offering of the LORD gold and silver and brass 6. And blue and purple and scarlet and fine linen and goats hair 7. And rams skins died red and badgers skins and shittim-wood 8. And oyl for the light and spices for anointing oyl and for the sweet incense 9. And onyx-stones and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breast-plate 10. And every wise-hearted among you shall come and make all that the LORD hath commanded 11. The tabernacle his tent and his covering his taches and his boards his bars his pillars and his sockets 12. The ark and the staves thereof with the mercy-seat and the veil of the covering 13. The table and his staves and all his vessels and the shew-bread 14. The candlestick also for the light and his furniture and his lamps with the oyl for the light 15. And the incense-altar and his staves and the anointing oyl and the sweet incense and the hanging for the door at the entring in of the tabernacle 16. The altar of burnt-offering with his brasen grate his staves and all his vessels the laver and his foot 17. The hangings of the court his pillars and their sockets and the hanging for the door of the court 18. The pins of the tabernacle and the pins of the court and their cords 19. The clothes of service to do service in the holy place the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons to minister in the priest's office 20. And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses 21. And they came every one whose heart stirred him up and every one whom his spirit made willing and they brought the LORD's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation and for all his service and for the holy garments 22. And they came both men and women as many as were willing-hearted and brought bracelets and ear-rings and rings and tablets all jewels of gold and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD 23. And every man with whom was found blue and purple and scarlet and fine linen and goat's hair and red skins of rams and badgers skins brought them 24. Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD's offering and every man with whom was found shittim-wood for any work of the service brought it 25. And all the women that were wise-hearted did spin with their hands and brought that which they had spun both of blue and of purple and of scarlet and of fine linen 26. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goat's hair 27. And the rulers brought onyx-stones and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breast-plate 28. And spice and oyl for the light and for the anointing oyl and for the sweet incense 29. The children of Israel brought a willing-offering unto the LORD every man and woman whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses 30. And Moses said unto the children of Israel See the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Vri the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah 31. And he hath filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom in understanding and in knowledge and in all manner of workmanship 32. And to devise curious works to work in gold and in silver and in brass 33. And in the cutting of stones to set them and in carving of wood to make any manner of cunning work 34. And he hath put in his heart that he may teach both he and Aholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. 35. Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart to work all manner of work of the engraver and of the cunning workman and of the embroiderer in blue and in purple in scarlet and in fine linen and of the weaver even of them that do any work and of those that devise cunning work 2. Six days Ch. 20.9 Levit. 23.3 Deut. 5.12 Luk. 13.14 An holy day Heb. Holiness Put to
would not have them exceed the limits which God had given 8. And every wise-hearted Ch. 26.3 4. 12. Fifty loops Ch. 26.10 14. For the tent See the Notes on ch 35.11 19. A covering Ch. 35.11 25. For the other side Or for the second side 29. Coupled Heb. Twinned 30. Vnder every board two sockets Heb. Two sockets two sockets under one board 31. Bars of shittim-wood Ch. 25.28 and 30.5 37. Of needle-work Heb. The work of a needle-worker or embroiderer CHAP. XXXVII The ARGUMENT The Ark is made and Mercy-seat with Cherubims and the Table and Candlestick As also the Altar of Incense and anointing Oyl 1. AND Bezaleel made the ark of shittim-wood two cubits and a half was the length of it and a cubit and a half the breadth of it and a cubit and a half the height of it 2. And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without and made a crown of gold to it round about 3. And he cast for it four rings of gold to be set by the four corners of it even two rings upon the one side of it and two rings upon the other side of it 4. And he made staves of shittim-wood and overlaid them with gold 5. And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark to bear the ark 6. And he made the mercy-seat of pure gold two cubits and an half was the length thereof and one cubit and an half the breadth thereof 7. And he made two cherubims of gold beaten out of one piece made he them on the two ends of the mercy-seat 8. One cherub on the end on this side and another cherub on the other end on that side out of the mercy-seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof 9. And the cherubims spread out their wings on high and covered with their wings over the mercy-seat with their faces one to another even to the mercy-seat-ward were the faces of the cherubims 10. And he made the table of shittim-wood two cubits was the length thereof and a cubit the breadth thereof and a cubit and a half the height thereof 11. And he overlaid it with pure gold and made thereunto a crown of gold round about 12. Also he made thereunto a border of an hand-breadth round about and made a crown of gold for the border thereof round about 13. And he cast for it four rings of gold and put the rings upon the four corners that were in the four feet thereof 14. Over against the border were the rings the places for the staves to bear the table 15. And he made the staves of shittim-wood and overlaid them with gold to bear the table 16. And he made the vessels which were upon the table his dishes and his spoons and his bowls and his covers to cover withall of pure gold 17. And he made the candlestick of pure gold of beaten work made he the candlestick his shaft and his branch his bowls his knops and his flowers were of the same 18. And six branches going out of the sides thereof three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof 19. Three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch a knop and a flower and three bowls made like almonds in another branch a knop and a flower so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick 20. And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds his knops and his flowers 21. And a knop under two branches of the same and a knop under two branches of the same and a knop under two branches of the same according to the six branches going out of it 22. Their knops and their branches were of the same all of it was one beaten work of pure gold 23. And he made his seven lamps and his snuffers and his snuff-dishes of pure gold 24. Of a talent of pure gold made he it and all the vessels thereof 25. And be made the incense-altar of shittim-wood the length of it was a cubit and the breadth of it a cubit it was four-square and two cubits was the height of it the horns thereof were of the same 26. And he overlaid it with pure gold both the top of it and the sides thereof round about and the horns of it also he made unto it a crown of gold round about 27. And he made two rings of gold for it under the crown thereof by the two corners of it upon the two sides thereof to be places for the staves to bear it withall 28. And he made the staves of shittim-wood and overlaid them with gold 29. And he made the holy anointing oyl and the pure incense of sweet spices according to the work of the apothecary 1. AND Bezaleel made the Ark Ch. 25.10 This Ark was a more peculiar Symbol of the Divine Presence See the Notes on ch 25.22 And the making of it was first recommended ch 25.10 and reported here in the first place And it was made by Bezaleel the principal Workman whom God had filled with his Spirit ch 35.21 6. The mercy-seat Ch. 25.17 8. On the end Or Out of c. And so also in the words which follow 10. Table Ch. 25.23 16. Dishes Ch. 25.29 To cover withall Or to pour out withall 17. Candlestick Ch. 25.31 20. In the Candlestick That is in the Shaft or Middle-part of the Candlestick See the Notes on ch 25.33 25. And he made c. See ch 30.1 29. The holy anointing oyl Ch. 30.35 CHAP. XXXVIII The ARGUMENT The Altar of Burnt-offering The Laver of Brass The Court and Hangings Of the Gold Silver and Brass spent in this work 1. AND he made the altar of burnt-offering of shittim-wood five cubits was the length thereof and five cubits the breadth thereof it was four-square and three cubits the height thereof 2. And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it the horns thereof were of the same and he overlaid it with brass 3 And he made all the vessels of the altar the pots and the shovels and the basons and the flesh-hooks and the fire-pans all the vessels thereof made he of brass 4. And he made for the altar a brasen grate of net-work under the compass thereof beneath unto the midst of it 5. And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass to be places for the staves 6. And he made the staves of shittim-wood and overlaid them with brass 7. And be put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar to bear it withal he made the altar hollow with boards 8. And he made the laver of brass and the foot of it of brass of the looking-glasses of the women assembling which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation 9. And he made the court on the south-side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen an hundred cubits 10.
neighbour's wife to defile thy self with her 21. And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God I am the LORD 22. Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind it is abomination 23. Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thy self therewith neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto it is confusion 24. Defile not you your selves in any of these things for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you 25. And the land is defiled therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it and the land it self vomiteth out her inhabitants 26. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments and shall not commit any of these abominations neither any of your own nation nor any stranger that sojourneth among you 27. For all these abominations have the men of the land done which were before you and the land is defiled 28. That the land spue not you out also when ye defile it as it spued out the nations that were before you 29. For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations even the Souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people 30. Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs which were committed before you and that ye defile not your selves therein I am the LORD your God 3. Egypt Which was an Idolatrous Nation Ezek. 20.7 8. ch 23.8 and where they had defiled themselves And they being warned against Idolatry before ch 17.7 are seasonably here cautioned to shun the doings of Egypt Of Canaan That Land was guilty of that uncleanness which is forbidden in the following words and therefore the Israelites are here very seasonably warned against the Practices of that People v. 24 25 27 28. and ch 20.23 And the Wilderness is chosen as a very fit place to give these Laws in the Israelites being removed from the Snares and Temptations of Egypt and not as yet mingled with the People of Canaan 5. Which if a man do he shall live in them Ezek. 20.11 Rom. 10.5 Gal. 3.12 Life in the phrase of the Holy Scripture implies Ease and Prosperity or the Comforts and Blessings of Life Levit. 25.36 1 Sam. 25.6 1 King 1.25 These were promised to the Israelites upon Obedience to the Laws of Moses In or by these Laws while they adhered to them they enjoyed these good things The express promise of Eternal life belongs to the Gospel-Covenant Joh. 17.3 1 Tim. 4.8 2 Tim. 1.10 Heb. 8.6 For though Obedience to the Law the Moral part of it especially were the way to a future as well as present Happiness Matt. 19.17 18 19. Yet that Obedience through the Corruption of humane Nature being imperfect could not intitle them to the Reward of Eternal life 6. Near of kin to him Heb. Remainder of his flesh This general Expression is to be explained by the following Particulars To uncover their nakedness This is to be understood of carnal Copulation as is plain from what follows as well as from the use of the words themselves in other places v. 18. 1 Cor. 12.23 7. Of thy father or the nakedness of thy mother The Hebrew Particle which we translate Or may be translated Even as it sometimes signifies 1 Sam. 28.3 2 Sam. 2.15 Zech. 9.9 and then the latter words are but Exegetical of the former And then the Prohibition is but one though the fault be double For he that lieth with his Father's Wife doth uncover his Father's nakedness as well as his Mothers ch 20.11 and verse 8. of this Chapter It is expressly said v. 8. that the nakedness of the Father's Wife is the nakedness of the Father And chap. 20.11 that the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness Again ch 20.20 21. The Man that lies with his Uncle's or Brother's Wife is said to uncover his Uncle's and Brother's nakedness And he that defiles his Father's bed may be fitly said to uncover his Father's nakedness She is thy Mother i. e. Thine own Mother the Mother-in-law being forbid in the next Verse 8. The nakedness Chap. 20.11 Deut. 22.30 and 27.20 1 Cor. 5.1 9. Born at home or born abroad i. e. Begotten by thy Father of another Wife or Woman or born of thy Mother by another man ch 20.17 10. Thine own Thy Son and Daughter being thine own Flesh 11. Thy Sister i.e. By the same Father 12. Thou c. Ch. 20.19 Near kinswoman viz. Partaking of the same Flesh 14. Thou shalt not uncover c. Ch. 20.20 See the Notes on verse 7. 15. Thou c. Ch. 20.12 16. Thou c. Ch. 20.21 Thy brother's wife i. e. During his life but if he dye and dye Childless then the Brother that was next married her Deut. 25.5 17. Wickedness Incest saith the Vulgar 18. Wife to her Sister Or One wife to another This is the Marginal reading but we are not so to understand these words as if Polygamy were here forbid For that it was not is evident from the practice of the Israelites which passeth without reproof And therefore though the Marginal reading be such as the Original abstractly considered will bear yet the subject-matter requires that we take the word Sister in the common acceptation of it and then is an Israelite forbid to take to Wife his Wife's Sister whiles that Wife is living To vex her As a Rival to her which frequently occasions vexation 1 Sam. 1.6 19. Also c. Ch. 20.18 21. Thy seed That is Thy Children or Off-spring Deut. 18.10 Pass through the fire Chap. 20.2 2 King 23.10 Here is no mention of Fire in the Hebrew Text but that it is to be understood is plain from Deut. 18.10 2 King 23.10 Such a Custom obtained among the ancient Heathens they made it a part of their Religion to burn some of their Children as a Sacrifice to their false God 2 Chron. 28.3 Jer. 7.31.19.5 Ps 106.37 38. Molech Called Act. 7.43 Molach the name of an Idol which the Ammonites worshipped 1 King 11.7 and otherwise called Milchom 2 King 23.13 It hath been thought to be the same with the Planet Saturn or else the Sun which they worshipped and Molech may indifferently relate to the Star or the Image and Figure thereof Jer. 49.3 Amos 5.36 It was a very principal Idol among the Heathen and the Hebrew word implies Dominion and Kingly Superiority 23. Neither c. Ch. 20.15 25. Vomiteth out her inhabitants Being as it were overcharged and burthened with them Jer. 9.19 26. Stranger Or Sojourner and Proselyte 27. For all these abominations c. As Abominations implies such things as have a a Moral turpitude a filthiness and malignity antecedent to any positive Law these words cannot extend to all the particulars mentioned from v. 7. but these words must referr to the sins mentioned v. 20 21 22 23.
shall add thereto the fifth part thereof 32. And concerning the tithe of the herd or of the flock even of whatsoever passeth under the rod the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD 33. He shall not search whether it be good or bad neither shall be change it and if he change it at all then both it and the change thereof shall be holy it shall not be redeemed 34. These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai 2. Make a singular vow i. e. Shall exempt and separate from common use The persons shall be for the LORD i. e. The value of these persons shall be for an Holy use For the persons themselves were redeemable as appears from what followeth and the price with which they were redeemed was set a-part for the reparation or service of the sanctuary 2 Kings 12.4 5. Where there is said to have been a Chamber on purpose to receive these Oblations Maimon Erachin chap. 1. By thy estimation i. e. According to the rate afterwards set down and fixed and which thou art to give as a Law to the Priests for the time to come v. 15. 3. Of the male i. e. Of every Male alike The difference of price respects the Sex and the Age not the other qualities and circumstances of the persons Shekels See the Notes on Gen. 20.16 8. If he be poorer c. i. e. He who made the Vow be not able to pay the fixed rate 9. Shall be holy Or separated to the Service of God and not be changed or redeemed v. 10 12. 10. He shall not alter c. It is not in their power to alienate what was before dedicated to God And an exchange in this case was forbid though for the better because they might not have any pretence of alienating what was before set a-part to an Holy use The Israelites are here greatly cautioned against this Sin in this Verse 11. Vnclean Beasts were said to be clean or unclean with respect to food Levit. 11.3 4. Or with respect to sacrifice Gen. 7.2 ch 8.20 And in this latter sense the word unclean is to be understood here as appears from the following words This Law doth also extend to Bullocks Sheep and Goats which yet were clean for Sacrifice as to their kind when by reason of some blemish or defect they became unfit for the Altar Maimon Erachin chap. 15. But it doth not extend to a Dog Deut. 23.18 12. As thou valuest it who art the Priest Heb. According to thy estimation O Priest 13. He shall add c. i. e. The first Owner Another Man was not under such an obligation but might have it at the price at which it was valued by the Priest The fifth part seems to be inflicted upon the first Owner for his unconstancy 14. Sanctifie his house c. i. e. Separate or set it a-part to the Service of God The price of which House when it was estimated and redeemed was taken into the Treasury of the Sanctuary and bestowed upon the Reparation of the House See verse 2. 15. The fifth part See verse 13. 16. An homer c. Or the land of an homer c. i. e. Not the Land which bears so much which would suppose the Price uncertain and variable but the Land which requires so much Seed Homer is a Measure containing ten Ephahs Ezek. 45.11 An Ephah contained very near our Bushes See the Notes on Exod. 16.36 An Homer and a Cor are the same measure Ezek. 45.14 And both the Greek and Chaldee in this place render Homer by Cor. 17. From the year Or before the year See verse 18. 20. Or if he have sold It may be as well translated And if he have sold Which is not to be understood of the first Owner who had no right to sell the Field which he had dedicated to God but of the Treasurer in whose power it was to sell and to convert the price thereof to an Holy use 21. Devoted See v. 28. The possession thereof shall be the Priest's But the Priests are to pay a price for it which is to be laid up for the maintaining the Sanctuary Maim Erachin chap. 4. 22. Bought Not being his Paternal inheritance 25. Twenty Gerahs Exod. 30.13 Numb 3.47 Ezek. 45.12 26. Firstling c. Heb. First-born c. No man shall sanctifie it The reason follows It is the LORD's God had by his Command required that the First-born should be sanctified or set a-part and a Man cannot separate or sanctifie that which he hath no right to 28. Notwithstanding Josh 6.19 Devoted thing This was a thing so vowed and dedicâ—â—â—d to God or to dâ—â—â—â—tion that he that dedicated it or executed God's sentence was to disclaim all title and claim to the Things or Persons or the common use of them for the future Most holy Levit. 2.3 29. Of men Men were sometimes devoted to destruction by God's appointment Deut. 25.19 Josh 6.17 sometimes by Men Numb 21.2 3. Exod. 22.20 32. Passeth under the rod These words intimate the way of Tithing when the Tenth was set out as the Flock or Herd went out of the Fold and were numbred by him that set out the Tenth with a Stick or Staff in his hand pointing to it Jer. 33.13 33. Change See verse 10. THE Fourth Book of Moses CALLED NUMBERS THE General Argument OF THE Fourth Book of MOSES CALLED NUMBERS THIS Book is called Numbers from the subject matter which it begins withall viz. An account of the number of the People of Israel This Account is taken by God's special command to Moses in taking of which he was assisted by Aaron as well as by the Princes of Israel ch 1.44 This Account is laid before us ch 1. And the diligent Reader may from the Relation there given discern the special Providence of God over that People and see very good reason for the Order in which the several Tribes are placed and also why the Levites are not numbred here among the other Tribes We have next an Account of the Order of the several Tribes in their Tents and of the number of their several Camps ch 2. Next follows an Account of the Sons of Aaron and of the setting aside the Levites to the Service of the Tabernacle instead of the First-born of the number and charge of these Levites and of the Redemption of the First-born of the Israelites who were not redeemed by the Levites ch 3. We have an Account ch 4. of the Charge and Service of the Levites who are numbred from thirty years old to the age of fifty We have after this several Laws viz. Concerning removing the Unclean out of the Camp Of Restitution in case of Trespass Of the tryal of Jealousie Of the Nazarites Of the form of blessing the People and then we have a relation of the Offerings of the Princes at the Dedication of the Tabernacle and Altar ch 5 6 7. Of lighting the Lamps and
that causeth the curse shall enter into her and become bitter and her belly shall swell and her thigh shall rot and the woman shall be a curse among her people 28. And if the woman be not defiled but be clean then she shall be free and shall conceive seed 29. This is the law of jealousies when a wife goeth aside to another in stead of her husband and is defiled 30. Or when the spirit of jealousie cometh upon him and he be jealous over his wife and shall set the woman before the LORD and the priest shall execute upon her all this low 31. Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity and this woman shall bear her iniquity 2. Camp There were three several Camps as may be learnt from the foregoing Chapters and as the Jewish Writers observe I. The Shekinah or Sanctuary where God was said to dwell 2 Chron. 31.2 And to be especially present with the Israelites Exod. 29.42 43. II. The Camp of the Levites who with the Priests camped round about the Sanctuary chap. 3. III. The Camp of Israel which is described chap. 2. Of this Camp are those words understood which we find Deut. 23.10 11. Leper Levit. 13.3 It was required before that he should dwell alone and that his habitation should be without the Camp Levit. â—3 46 That Law was not practicable till the Camp was setled which was now done It is certain that the Leper was excluded out of each of the Camps above named for he was to dwell alone and therefore shut out of the Camp of Israel and out of the Cities afterward 2 Kings 7.3 Issue Levit. 15.2 He that was under this pollution though he might continue in the Camp of Israel and was not confined or obliged to dwell alone as the Leper was v. 5 6 7 8 9. yet he was not permitted to go into the Levite's Camp till he was clean Levit. 15.13 14. much less might he go into the Sanctuary Dead Levit. 21.1 This was still a lower degree of Uncleanness For he that was unclean by an Issue was upon that account to bring a Sacrifice for his Atonement Levit. 15.14 15. But he that had touched a dead Body was not obliged to bring an expiatory Sacrifice but to the use of the Water of Separation onely Numb 19.12 Now though he that was thus defiled with the touch of a dead Body were excluded from the Sanctuary 2 Chron. 23.19 Numb 19.13 into which no person might enter that was in any thing unclean yet have we no cause to suppose him excluded from any of the other Camps 3. I dwell Or Am more peculiarly present 6. When a man c. Levit. 6.3 That men commit i. e. Which they are ordinarily obnoxious to or overtaken with We have a more particular account of this matter Levit. 6. 7. Confess The Confession of Sin is required in order to Pardon Prov. 28.13 Job 33.27 28. And this Confession among the Jews was made in this form of words O God I have sinned I have done perversely I have trespassed before thee and I have done thus and thus and lo I repent and am ashamed of my doings and will never do so no more Maimon H. Teshub c. 1. His trespass i. e. The thing in which he hath trespassed or injured his Neighbour With the principal Or In the principal Levit. 6.5 Fifth â—ee the Notes on Levit. 6.5 8. No kinsman Which might frequently happ'n where the wronged persons were Proselytes Priest Whom God substitutes as his Receiver Ram of the atonement See Levit. 6.6 7. 9. Offering Or Heave-offering See Numb 18.8 10. Hallowed things Such were things separated by Vow Levit 27.21 Numb 18.14 and First-fruits Numb 18.12 His Levit. 10.13 12. A trespass This is to be understood of Disloyalty to her Husband and to be interpreted by the words which follow 13. No witness c. For in such cases she was to be put to death Levit. 20.10 Joh. 8.4 5. 14. The spirit of jealousie i. e. A jealous Mind or Affection As the spirit of meekness signifies a meek spirit or temper Gal. 6.1 15. The tenth part of an Ephah Or an Omer See the Notes on Exod. 16.36 Of Barley-meal he shall pour no oyl c. This Offering of Barley-meal without either Oyl or Frankincense betoken'd sorrow and a sense of guilt It was not an Offering of sweet savour as that is called which had both Oyl and Frankincense Levit. 2.2 But this is an Offering bringing iniquity to remembrance and therefore will admit neither of Oyl nor Frankincense Levit. 5.11 16. Her Or It i. e. The Offering not the Woman of whom in v. 18. Before the LORD See the Notes on Levit. 1.5 17. Holy water i. e. Water out of the Laver Exod. 30.18 Dust This was likewise a sign of sorrow Job 2.12 See the Notes on v. 15. 18. Vncover This is likewise another token of sorrow Levit 21.10 and v. 15. And the Woman's Fidelity and Chastity being questioned the Covering of her Head betokening her Subjection and Chastity 1 Cor. 11. was fitly taken away Bitter water Though we are told by the Jewish Writers that some bitter thing was put into this Water which made it bitter yet it might be truly called bitter from the Effect of it upon the guilty to whom bringing a Curse it was bitter in the End 19. Charge her by an oath Or adjure her as the Vulgar Latin hath it See the Notes on Levit. 5.1 With another instead of thy husband Or being in the power of thy husband Heb. Vnder thy husband 21. Charge See v. 19. An Oath An Example saith the Vulgar That is a common instance in forms of Execration which do accompany Oaths Rot Heb. Fall 22. Amen Or Be it so We have Amen here twice and that perhaps with a distinct reference to v. 19. and to what follows from v. 20. 23. These curses Those words from v. 20. at least In a book So a Scroll or Parchment or small Writing was called among the Jews Deut. 24.1 Blot c. i. e. Shall blot out the Curses with the Water and when he hath done so the Woman must drink that Water which was the Receiver of these words of Execration v. 24. 24. Bitter See verse 18. 28. Conceive seed Not by the virtue of the Water which hath a contrary effect upon the guilty but by the special Providence of God 30. Set the woman See v. 18. 31. Then shall the man be guiltless c. The Jews have from hence taught that the Water would not try the suspected Woman if her Husband were not innocent himself when he brought her to this tryal CHAP. VI. The ARGUMENT Of the Vow of the Nazarites and of their Offering for their Separation The Form of the Priests Blessing the People 1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses saying 2. Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite
sanctuary both of them full of fine flour mingled with oyl for a meat-offering 44. One golden spoon of ten shekels full of incense 45. One young bullock one ram one lamb of the first year for a burnt offering 46. One kid of the goats for a sin-offering 47. And for a sacrifice of peace-offerings two oxen five rams five he-goats five lambs of the first year This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel 48. On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud prince of the children of Ephraim offered 49. His offering was one silver charger the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels one silver bowl of seventy shekels after the shekel of the sanctuary both of them full of fine flour mingled with oyl for a meat-offering 50. One golden spoon of ten shekels full of incense 51. One young bullock one ram one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering 52. One kid of the goats for a sin-offering 53. And for a sacrifice of peace-offerings two oxen five rams five he-goats five lambs of the first year This was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud 54. On the eighth day offered Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur prince of the children of Manasseh 55. His offering was one silver charger of an hundred and thirty shekels one silver bowl of seventy shekels after the shekel of the sanctuary both of them full of fine flour mingled with oyl for a meat-offering 56. One golden spoon of ten shekels full of incense 57. One young bullock one ram one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering 58. One kid of the goats for a sin-offering 59. And for a sacrifice of peace-offerings two oxen five rams five he-goats five lambs of the first year This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur 60. On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni prince of the children of Benjamin offered 61. His offering was one silver charger the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels one silver bowl of seventy shekels after the shekel of the sanctuary both of them full of fine flour mingled with oyl for a meat-offering 62. One golden spoon of ten shekels full of incense 63. One young bullock one ram one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering 64. One kid of the goats for a sin-offering 65. And for a sacrifice of peace-offerings two oxen five rams five he-goats five lambs of the first year This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni 66. On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai prince of the children of Dan offered 67. His offering was one silver charger the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels one silver bowl of seventy shekels after the shekel of the sanctuary both of them full of fine flour mingled with oyl for a meat-offering 68. One golden spoon of ten shekels full of incense 69. One young bullock one ram one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering 70. One kid of the goats for a sin-offering 71. And for a sacrifice of peace-offerings two oxen five rams five he-goats five lambs of the first year This was the offering of Ahlezer the son of Ammishaddai 72. On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ocran prince of the children of Asher offered 73. His offering was one silver charger the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels one silver bowl of seventy shekels after the shekel of the sanctuary both of them full of fine flour mingled with oyl for a meat-offering 74. One golden spoon of ten shekels full of incense 75. One young bullock one ram one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering 76. One kid of the goats for a sin-offering 77. And for a sacrifice of peace-offerings two oxen five rams five he-goats five lambs of the first year This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ocran 78. On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan prince of the children of Naphtali offered 79. His offering was one silver charger the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels one silver bowl of seventy shekels after the shekel of the sanctuary both of them full of fine flour mingled with oyl for a meat-offering 80. One golden spoon of ten shekels full of incense 81. One young bullock one ram one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering 82 One kid of the goats for a sin-offering 83. And for a sacrifice of peace-offerings two oxen five rams five he-goats five lambs of the first year This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan 84. This was the dedication of the altar in the day when it was anointed by the princes of Israel twelve chargers of silver twelve silver bowls twelve spoons of gold 85. Each charger of silver weighing an hundred and thirty shekels each bowl seventy all the silver vessels weighed two thousand and four hundred shekels after the shekel of the sanctuary 86. The golden spoons were twelve full of incense weighing ten shekels a-piece after the shekel of the sanctuary all the gold of the spoons was an hundred and twenty shekels 87. All the oxen for the burnt-offering were twelve bullocks the rams twelve the lambs of the first year twelve with their meat-offering and the kids of the goats for sin-offering twelve 88. And all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings were twenty and four bullocks the rams sixty the he-goats sixty the lambs of the first year sixty This was the dedication of the altar after that it was anointed 89. And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy-seat that was upon the ark of testimony from between the two cherubims and he spake unto him 1. ON the day These words do by no means import a precise time as will appear not only from the use of the words elsewhere Gen. 2.4.35.3 but from the 10th and 11th Verses of this Chapter And therefore these words bring in the Relation of what happened after the erecting the Tabernacle but by no means import that it came to pass assoon as ever the Tabernacle was set up and anointed So that the numbring of the Tribes and the ordering of their Standards c. before mentioned may be allowed to have come to pass before this Offering of the Princes Set up Which was done on the first day of the first Month Exod. 40.17 18. Anointed them and sanctified c. i. e. Had by anointing set them a-part to their holy or separate use Exod. 40.9 with Levit 8.11 12. 2. And were Heb. Who stood Thus these Men are said to stand with Moses and Aaron in numbring the People Numb 1.5 3. Their offering i. e. Their Gift or Gifts as the Latin and Greek well render the word for the Gifts which they brought were directed to several purposes as appears afterward 5. To every man according to his service That is To each according
Heb. From the eyes Manner Or Ordinance 27. If any soul i. e. If any private person Or any one of the common people as it is expressed Levit 4.27 29. Sinneth Heb. Doeth 30. Presumptuously Heb. With an high hand i. e. Wilfully and designedly and not through ignorance and inadvertence 31. Broken Not onely broken but disanulled and made void by Contemning that Authority upon which the Commandment stands His iniquity i. e. The punishment due upon account of his Sin 32. Gathered sticks Not onely gathered but bound them up together as the Hebrew word may well signifie Exod. 5.7 34. In ward Levit 24.12 It was not declared c. They knew that he who defiled the Sabbath was obnoxious to Death Exod. 31.14 ch 35.2 But the kind of death they were not taught and might be also at a loss whether what this Man did was such a work as was forbid and such as might be esteemed a defiling the Sabbath 38. Bid them Deut. 22.12 Matt. 23.5 39. A whoring This may be understood of Idolatry which is spiritual Whoredom CHAP. XVI The ARGUMENT The Rebellion of Korah Dathan and Abiram The Israelites separate from their Tents The Earth swallows up Korah and those that belonged to him A Fire from Heaven consumes them that offered Incense The Censers are made into Plates The People murmur A Plague is sent among them Aaron makes Atonement for the People 1. NOW Korah the son of Izhar the son of Kohath the son of Levi and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab and On the son of Peleth sons of Reuben took men 2. And they rose up before Moses with certain of the children of Israel two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly famous in the congregation men of renown 3. And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said unto them Ye take too much upon you seeing all the congregation are holy every one of them and the LORD is among them wherefore then lift you up your selves above the congregation of the LORD 4. And when Moses heard it he fell upon his face 5. And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company saying Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his and who is holy and will cause him to come near unto him even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him 6. This do Take you censers Korah and all his company 7. And put fire therein and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose he shall be holy ye take too much upon you ye sons of Levi. 8. And Moses said unto Korah Hear I pray you ye sons of Levi 9. Seemeth it but a small thing unto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them 10. And he hath brought thee near to him and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee and seek ye the priesthood also 11. For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD and what is Aaron that ye murmur against him 12. And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab which said We will not come up 13. Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness except thou make thy self altogether a prince over us 14. Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards wilt thou put out the eyes of these men we will not come up 15. And Moses was very wroth and said unto the LORD Respect not thou their offering I have not taken one ass from them neither have I hurt one of them 16. And Moses said unto Korah Be thou and all thy company before the LORD thou and they and Aaron to morrow 17. And take every man his censer and put incense in them and bring ye before the LORD every man his censor two hundred and fifty censers thou also and Aaron each of you his censer 18. And they took every man his censer and put fire in them and laid incense thereon and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron 19. And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation 20. And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron saying 21. Separate your selves from among this congregation that I may consume them in a moment 22. And they fell upon their faces and said O God the God of the spirits of all flesh shall one man sin and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation 23. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying 24. Speak unto the congregation saying Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah Dathan and Abiram 25. And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram and the elders of Israel followed him 26. And he spake unto the congregation saying Depart I pray you from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs lest ye be consumed in all their sins 27. So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah Dathan and Abiram on every side and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood in the door of their tents and their wives and their sons and their little children 28. And Moses said Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works for I have not done them of mine own mind 29. If these men die the common death of all men or if they be visited after the visitation of all men then the LORD hath not sent me 30. But if the LORD make a new thing and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up with all that appertain unto them and they go down quick into the pit then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD 31. And it came to pass as he had made an end of speaking all these words that the ground clave asunder that was under them 32. And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up and their houses and all the men that appertained unto Korah and all their goods 33. They and all that appertained to them went down alive into the pit and the earth closed upon them and they perished from among the congregation 34. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them for they said Lest the earth swallow us up also 35. And there came out a fire from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense 36. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying 37. Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest that he
he did acknowledge the true God with which profession as he joined Enchantments ch 24.1 so he added Sacrifices on the high places of Baal v. 41. with ch 23.2 9. God came c. i. e. God manifested himself to him or the Word of God came to him as the Chaldee What men c. This is to introduce what follows and does not imply that God did not know who they were See Gen. 4.9 10. 11. I shall be able to over-come them Heb. I shall prevail in fighting against them 13. The LORD refuseth c. This is not all which he might and ought to have said to prevent any farther importunity in this matter For God had strictly forbid him to Curse this People and assured him that they were Blessed which Declaration was sufficient to have prevented any farther Message from Moab and to have restrained Balaam from any farther inquiry in this matter 14. Balaam refuseth They ought to have said the Lord refuseth to give him leave v. 13. in order to the preventing of another Message 16. Let nothing Heb. Be not thou letted from c. 18. If Balak would Chap. 24.13 He professes himself restrained by God from which restraint he is willing to get loose as appears from the following words 20. God came See verse 9. 22. God's anger was kindled because he went This may seem strange that God should be angry with him for going when he bid him rise up and go v. 20. For the removing this difficulty it is to be considered I. That God had expressly forbid his going at the first God had said to him Thou shalt not go with them v. 12. II. That God did after this onely permit but not command nor yet approve his going God having declared himself positively v. 12. Balaam ought not to have made farther inquiry yet this he did out of Covetousness upon the arrival of more honourable Messengers v. 15. with 2 Pet. 2.15 III. His going was attended with an evil design The Angel says Thy way is perverse before me v. 32. and he seemed to go with a purpose to Curse Israel which the King of Moab expressly desired and God as expressly had forbidden v. 12. Nevertheless the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam But the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee because the Lord thy God loved thee Deut. 23.5 23. The Ass saw 2 Pet. 2.16 Jud. 11. Which was more than Balaam or his Servants did God thinking fit to restrain their sight 28. And the LORD opened the mouth c. This God did by his irresistible Power and no Man can think it incredible that believes that there is a God who made the World 29. Balaam said c. Balaam seems not to be astonished at the speaking of the Ass partly this may be imputed to that stupidity and hardness of heart to which we suppose him given up and partly to this That he being a South-sayer and Magician he had been used to very uncouth appearances and to things which to others would have been very astonishing 30. Vpon which thou hast ridden Heb. Who hast ridden upon me Ever since I was thine Or Ever since thou wast c. 31. Fell flat on his face Or Bowed himself 32. To withstand thee Heb. To be an adversary unto thee 34. I have sinned for I knew not c. He He makes no Confession of his Covetousness which was the faulty Principle which set him forward Displease thee Heb. Be evil in thine eyes 36. In the utmost coast See chap. 21.16 39. Kirjath-huzoth Or a City of Streets A place in the extremity of the Country of Moab See the Vulgar Latin 40. Sent to Balaam c. To feast upon the Oxen and Sheep which he had slain 41. The high places of Baal i. e. The high places set a-part for the Worship of their Idol or False God Baal See chap. 25.2 3. Thither Balak brings Balaam as to a place most advantageous for his purpose both as it was a place dedicated to Baal and for its height giving him a prospect of the Camp of Israel CHAP. XXIII The ARGUMENT Balak's Sacrifices The Words of Balaam Balaam is brought by Balak to another place His Parable He Blesseth the Israelites Balak takes him to another place 1. AND Balaam said unto Balak Build me here seven altars and prepare me here seven oxen and seven raâ—s 2. And Balak did as Balaam had spoken and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram 3. And Balaam said unto Balak Stand by thy burnt-offering and I will go peradventure the LORD will come to meet me and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee And he went to an high place 4. And God met Balaam and he said unto him I have prepared seven altars and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram 5. And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth and said Return unto Balak and thus thou shalt speak 6. And he returned unto him and lo he stood by his burnt-sacrifice he and all the princes of Moab 7. And he took up his parable and said Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram out of the mountains of the east saying Come curse me Jacob and come defie Israel 8. How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed or how shall I defie whom the LORD hath not defied 9. For from the top of the rocks I see him and from the hills I bebold him lo the people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations 10. Who can count the dust of Jacob and the number of the fourth part of Israel Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his 11. And Balak said unto Balaam What hast thou done unto me I took thee to curse mine enemies and behold thou hast blessed them altogether 12. And he answered and said Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth 13. And Balak said unto him Come I pray thee with me unto another place from whence thou mayest see them thou shalt see but the utmost part of them and shalt not see them all and curse me them from thence 14. And he brought him into the field of Zophim to the top of Pisgah and built seven altars and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar 15. And he said unto Balak Stand here by thy burnt-offering while I meet the LORD yonder 16. And the LORD met Balaâ—â— and put a word in his mouth â—â—d said Go again unto Balak and say thus 17. And when he came to him behold he stood by his burnt-offering and the princes of Moab with him And Balak said unto him What hath the LORD spoken 18. And he took up his parable and said Rise up Balak and hear hearken unto me thou son of Zippor 19. God is not a man that he should lye neither the son of man that he should repent
hath he said and shall he not do it or hath he spoken and shall he not make it good 20. Behold I have received commandment to bless and he hath blessed and I cannot reverse it 21. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel the LORD his God is with him and the shout of a king is among them 22. God brought them out of Egypt he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn 23. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob neither is there any divination against Israel according to his time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel What hath God wrought 24. Behold the people shall rise up as a great lion and lift up himself as a young lion he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey and drink the blood of the slain 25. And Balak said unto Balaam Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all 26. But Balaam answered and said unto Balak Told not I thee saying All that the LORD speaketh that I must do 27. And Balak said unto Balam Come I pray thee I will bring thee unto another place peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence 28. And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor that looketh toward Jeshimon 29. And Balaam said unto Balak Build me here seven altars and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams 30. And Balak did as Balaam had said and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar 1. BVild me here seven Altars Balaam appointed this for the Worship of the true God as appears from v. 4. But herein was blameable that he would have Altars erected in the high places of Baal where now he was ch 22.41 Such were they who feared the Lord and yet had their Sacrifices in the houses of the high places They are said to fear the Lord and serve their own Gods 2 King 17.32 33. Besides this though his number of Sacrifices were not reproveable see Job 42.8 1 Chron. 15.26 2 Chron. 29.21 yet the multiplying of Altars hath a bad name in the Scriptures Hos 8.11 3. Stand by c. Attending upon the Service and expecting success He went to an high place Or he went solitary The Marginal reading is confirmed by the Chaldee and is preferible to the other For Balaam was in an high place before ch 22.41 and Solitude now best complied with the End of his going which was to meet with a Divine Revelation 6. He stood by See verse 3. 7. Parable The word signifies not onely a Similitude or figurative Speech but a weighty Sentence and such as deserves great esteem and regard and so it doth in this place East A place noted for Southsayers Isa 2.6 9. I see him Or I have seen him Balaam had been taken by Balak into the high places that he might thence see and Curse the Israelites which Course proved ineffectual Shall dwell alone i. e. They shall not sojourn in a strange Country as they have done in Egypt but be possessed of a Land of their own And shall not be reckoned among the nations They shall be a peculiar and separate People from the rest of the Nations both in their Religion and Laws and also shall be under a more special Care and Providence of God Exod. 19.5 Levit. 20.24 26. Psal 148.19 20. 2 Sam. 7.23 Psal 76.1 2 3. Ezra 9.2 Esth 3.8 Deut. 11.12 10. The dust The seed say the Greek very agreeably to the sense of the word here God promised Abraham to make his Seed as the Dust of the Earth and not to be numbred like that Gen. 13.16 and this Promise was repeated to Jacob Gen. 28.14 Fourth part i. e. One Camp or Squadron which consisted but of three Tribes and was with that respect the fourth part For thus they were divided by God's Command Numb 2. And perhaps more than this did not fall within his view See chap. 22.41 Me Heb. My soul or My life Death of the righteous i. e. Such a death as those die who are in Covenant with God and obey his Precepts 13. Shalt not see them all Lest he should be dismayed at the sight of so great a number 14. Pisgah Or The hill See Deut. 3.27 and 34.1 16. Put a word Ch. 22.35 19. God is not a man that he should lye c. That is God will make good his Promises and particularly that of bringing this People into the promised Land he not being like a Man who for want of Veracity or Power performs not his Promise 21. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel That is Whereas it might be hoped by the Enemies of the Israelites that through their default they had forfeited all right to God's Promises he adds He hath not beheld c. It is weakly inferred from these words that God sees no sin in his own People and it is in it self a great untruth That he hath not knowledge of their sins no Man can affirm nor ought any man to say that he approves or will not punish them For I. God hath declared otherwise He said unto Moses I have seen this people and behold it is a stiff-necked people Exod. 32.9 with Deut. 9.13 14. And by the Prophet he said unto the whole Family of Israel whom he brought out of Egypt You onely have I known of all the families of the earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities Amos 3.2 II. This cannot be the sense of these words for then Balaam would in vain have given Counsel to draw the Israelites into sin that they might be destroyed of which see an account chap. 24.14 The true sense of these words is next to be inquired after and it is this That God would not give up the Israelites to destruction for their sins which were not like the sins of the neighbouring Countries which were now ready to be destroyed for them He hath not beheld may be rendred in the Present Tense He doth not behold and Neither hath he seen Neither doth he see The word which we render Iniquity is observed to signifie an Idol in other places See 1 Sam. 15.23 Isa 66.3 And the Ancients understood it of Idolatry as is evident from the Vulgar Latin and Onkelos and our Church understands this place in the same sense as may be seen in the Book of Homilies The LORD is God c. i. e. Instead of any Image or Idol which was not now among them God is with them as their King giving them Victory and matter of Triumph See 2 Chron. 13.12 with Numb 10.9 compared with Josh 6.16 1 Sam. 4.5 22. God c. Ch. 24.8 When Philo the Jew cites this passage where 't is said God brought them out of Egypt he does it to this sense That God did put an end to the many Calamities in Egypt and bring their great numbers thence as One Man De vit Mosis
of wait 23. Or with any stone wherewith a man may die seeing him not and cast it upon him that he die and was not his enemy neither sought his harm 24. Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments 25. And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge whither he was fled and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high-priest which was anointed with the holy oyl 26. But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge whither he was fled 27. And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge and the revenger of blood kill the slayer he shall not be guilty of blood 28. Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high-priest but after the death of the high-priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession 29. So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings 30. Whoso killeth any person the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses but one witness shall not testifie against any person to cause him to die 31. Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer which is guilty of death but he shall be surely put to death 32. And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that it fled to the city of his refuge that he should come again to dwell in the land until the death of the priest 33. So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are for blood it defileth the land and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein but by the blood of him that shed it 34. Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit wherein I dwell for I the LORD dwell amâ—ng the children of Israel 2. Command Josh 21.2 4. A thousand cubits round about The Greek Interpreters say two thousand And this seems to agree best with what is said in the following Verse But the difficulty which ariseth from comparing these words with verse 5. may be solved without supposing any Error in the Hebrew Text in this place For supposing One thousand Cubits in length from each side of the City to be the extent of its Suburbs which is here affirmed the Two thousand Cubits v. 5. is but the Measure of the breadth of the Suburbs on each quarter of the City viz. On the East and South and West and North-sides of it Nor does it appear that the fifth Verse imports any more than the breadth of the several Sides or extremities of the Suburbs 6. Six cities for refuge Deut. 4.41 Josh 20.2 and 21.3 These were for the relief of the Man-slayer but not of the Murderer verse 21. To them ye shall add Heb. Above them ye shall give 8. He inheriteth Heb. They inherit 10. When Deut. 19.2 Josh 20.2 11. Vnawares Heb. By Error i. e. Without Malice or Design See v. 20 21. 12. From the avenger He is called The avenger of blood v. 19. The Hebrew signifies a Redeemer and because the right of Redemption of Estates belonged to the nearest of the kindred it imports such a Kinsman here Vntil he stand before the Congregation The City of Refuge protected the Innocent and such as were not condemned but it did not protect them from giving an account before the Judges This they were obliged to do at their entrance into the City of Refuge Josh 20.4 or in the place where the fact was committed 15. For the stranger Or Proselyte as the Greek have it i. e. One who undertakes the Religion of the Israelites and was thereby distinguished from the Sojourner who though he did not oblige himself to all their Laws was yet permitted to live among them 16. And if he smite him c. Exod. 21.14 Here are mentioned an Instrument of Iron a Stone and Hand-weapon of Wood because it is presumable that he who strikes with such killing Instruments does intend to take away life whereas it is indeed the Design and Enmity which speak a Man a Murderer v. 20 21. 17. With throwing a stone Heb. With a stone of the hand 19. The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer He may not onely do it lawfully but is obliged to see it be done by others at least for the Murderer ought not to live See v. 31. and the City of Refuge must not protect him Deut. 19.12 13. 20. If he Deut. 19.11 21. With his hand In this case where the Enmity is proved he that kills is a Murdererer whatever Instrument he used And on the other hand he that did not hate is no Murderer though he killed a Man with a killing Instrument See the Note on v. 16. 22. Without enmity Exod. 21.13 24. The congregation The Judges or Elders to whom such Causes belong See v. 12. and Josh 20.4 25. Vnto the death of the high-priest That being a time of publick mourning when their great Advocate died was a fit season for Men to lay aside their private Animosities and forget their particular Feuds and Quarrels Beside this does fairly intimate that our Redemption and our Liberty from the guilt of our sins is owing to the death of Christ our great High-priest 27. He shall not be guilty of blood Heb. No blood shall be to him 29. In all your dwellings That is In the whole Land which you are going to possess you shall observe this Law which did not oblige them out of their own Land See v. 10. 30. Mouth of witnesses Deut. 17.6 and 19.15 Matt. 18.16 2 Cor. 13.1 Heb. 10.28 31. Satisfaction Or Price Guilty of death Heb. Faulty to die 33. Pollute Or Make it guilty The land cannot be cleansed Heb. There can be no expiation for the land 34. Defile not Do not render unclean by your evil practices CHAP. XXXVI The ARGUMENT A Question put to Moses relating to the Inheritances of Daughters The Law concerning the Marriage of Heiresses The Marriage of the Daughters of Zelophehad agreeably to that Law 1. AND the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead the son of Machir the son of Manasseh of the families of the sons of Joseph came 〈◊〉 and spake before Moses and before the princes the chief fathers of the children of Israel 2. And they said The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophebad our brother unto his daughters 3. And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel then shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers and shall be put to the inheritance of the
1. These Repetitions of Laws formerly given are such that they give a more clear and distinct meaning of those Laws than was to be collected from what had been said So that the Repetition does lay before the Reader an Explication of the repeated Law Of this I shall give some instances Exod. 21.16 He that stealeth a man c. shall surely be put to death Onkelos renders it He that stealeth one of the children of Israel I shou'd in this case be ready to suspect that Paraphrast as partial and giving too limited a sense of those words But when Moses repeats the Law he â—ixeth the Sense and confirms that Sense which that Paraphrast hath given For thus he hath it If a man be found stealing any of his â—rethren of the children of Israel Deut. 24.7 Again If thou buy an Hebrew servant six years it shall serve and in the seventh he shall go â—â—t free for nothing Exod. 21.2 This Law is repeated and explained in Deuteronomy There 't is said When thou sendest him out free from thee thou shalt not let him go away empty thou shall furnish him liberally out of thy flock c. chap. 15.12 13 14. Again If thou meet thine enemies ox or his ass going astray c. Exod. 23.5 c. This Law is repeated thus Thou shalt 〈◊〉 see thy brother's Ass c. Deut. 22.24 see Deut. 22.1 Which words determine the sense of that Law Exod. 23.15 And none shall apâ—ear before me empty This Law is farther explained Deut. 16.2 See the Note on that place The wages of him that is hired shall not 〈◊〉 with thee all night c. Levit. 19.13 This Law receives a great Explication from Deut. 24.14 15. Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy whether he be 〈◊〉 thy brethren or of thy strangers that are in â—â—y land c. At his day thou shalt give him â—â—s hire c. 2. Sometimes a Law is repeated with a Caution to the Israelites that they do not make an ill use of the Law Of this we have a remarkable instance Deut. 15. where there is a Repetition of the Law of Release mentioned Levit. 25 But there is added a Caution v. 9. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart saying The seventh year the year of release is at hand And thine eye be evil against thy poor brother and thou givest him nought and he cry unto the Lord against thee and it be sin unto thee 3. Sometimes new matter or a new reason is added to the repeated Law Thus it is in those Laws repeated from Exod. 20. in Deut. 5.15 16. Another instance we have to this purpose chap. 16.2 And another Deut. 18.3 where we have an addition granted towards the Maintenance of the Priests 4. Sometime we have a Dispensation allowed in some case as to a Temporal Law that was mentioned before Of this we have a remarkable instance Deut. 12.15 21. IV. These Repetitions do mightily engage the diligent and carefull Reader to compare Spiritual things with Spiritual God is not tied to our Rules and Methods to deliver his Laws as we teach Arts and Sciences by certain Rules which the Wit of Man hath devised 'T is enough that he deliver his Will as he thinks fit And if He think fit to do it by Parts and upon sundry Occasions 't will well become us to use the greater diligence in collecting and laying things together that we may by this means arrive at the sense and meaning of the whole Revelation If these things be duly considered we shall not find any force in this popular and loose Objection which is brought against this Book And I shall onely on this occasion add V. That if these Repetitions had not been written by Moses and had been put together by an uncertain Collector of some loose Papers they might have been omitted easily 'T is not very likely we had ever had these Books in this Order if Moses himself had not been the Author of them Here 's no shew of worldly Artifice or Craft nothing appears here like Artifice And the Way and Order in which these things are delivered will hardly allow us if we consider things with Application to call the Author or Authority of these Holy Books in question I am of belief that the little variety we find in the four Gospels is so far from being an Objection against those Books that they rather confirm us in the belief of them as Books that were not composâ—â— by Confederacy and Combination The sâ—me may be said of these Books The Repetitions and Varieties are no Objection against them or against their Author I return to this Book called Deuteronomy which lies before us A Book that hath all the Marks and Signatures of a Divine Original and an inspired Author as Moses was 'T is hardly possible for any man to read it with any care but he must be the better for it 'T is fraught with admirable Precepts of Piety Justice Charity Humanity and Fortitude These Precepts are backed with Motives to Obedieâ—ce that are strong and penetrating that are lively and poinant that are most pathetical and moving He must be very stupid and profligate that does not embrace it with the Highest Veneration How does Moses this Man of God Court the Israelites to be Obedient and Happy What wondrous Care does he shew He speaks as becomes the greatest Prophet and one Divinely inspired Take heed to thy self and keep thy soul diligently lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen chap. 4.9 Take ye therefore good heed unto your selves v. 15. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God chap. 8.11 Take heed to your selves that your heart be not deceived chap. 11.16 He calls Heaven and Earth to witness against them He lays before them Life and Death Blessing and a Curse To conclude Here 's enough to engage the Reader that hath any sparks of Goodness left And for the Pious Reader his Heart must be melted down when he reads it and burn within him Here 's nothing required so much as an honest Mind The Book is generally plain and very easie to be understood God grant we may read it with due care and not put a bar to our profiting by it NOTES ON THE Book of DEUTERONOMY CHAP. I. The ARGUMENT The Speech of Moses to the Israelites at the end of the fortieth year He puts them in mind of God's Oath to their Fathers of his giving them Rulers and the sending the Spies to search the Land and of God's Anger for their Vnbelief 1. THese be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness in the plain over against the Red sea between Paran and Tophel and Laban and Hazeroth and Dizahab 2. There are eleven days journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea 3. And it came to pass in the fortieth year in the eleventh month on
the great Stature of Og. After the cubit of a man That is according to the Cubit of a Man grown up and of an usual size which is about half a yard 12. The Cities Numb 32.33 Josh 13.8 c. 14. Havoth-jair Numb 32.41 15. Gilead viz. The half of it See verse 12. Vnto Machir That is to his Posterity 16. Half the valley For the right understanding of this place it is to be considered that the Hebrew word here translated Valley signifies sometimes a Valley and sometimes a River and in the latter sense is rendred in this Verse in the words immediately foregoing The river Arâ—â—â— And so it ought to be rendred here and so it is rendred by the Greek and Vulgar Latin in this place And what we render half the Valley imports as much as to the middle of the River viz. Emphatically of the River just before mentioned Their Land extended from Gilead unto the middle of the River Arnon The truth of this appears from other places viz. Josh 12.2 We have an account of the same place being the place where Sihon dwelt who is there said to have ruled from Aroer which is upon the bank of the river Arnon and from the middle of the river which last are the same words in the Hebrew which we find here rendred by half the Valley and from half Gilead Again Deut. 2.36 the same place is described viz. From Aroer which is by the brink of the river of Arnon and from the city that is by the river viz. Ar of Moab which stood within the River and which was a City they were not permitted to invade even unto Gilead And the border even unto the river Jabbok These words seem to be Elliptical The sense is And the border was even unto the river Jabbok 17. Vnder Ashdoth-Pisgah Or under the Springs of Pisgah or the Hill 18. Ye shall pass over c. Numb 32.20 Meet for the war Heb. Sons of power 20. Return Josh 22.4 21. Commanded Numb 27.18 24. Thy greatness and thy mighty hand viz. In giving us the Conquest over such powerfull Enemies as Sihon and Og. 25. I pray thee let me go over c. It is not unreasonable to suppose that Moses should think the Threatning of God reversible and it must needs be very desirable by him to see that Land which had been so long ago promised so much expected and so greatly vilified by them that had been sent from Kadesh-barnea to search the Land But besides this it may be said that he had a desire especially to see that place where God would choose to dwell which the Jews affirm is meant by the goodly Mountain as well as the remoter Parts of the promised Land in which was Lebanon 26. Was wroth Numb 20.12 chap. 1.37 27. Pisgah Or the Hill See Numb 27.12 Behold it This was a favour not granted to the Men that searched and that murmured 28. Charge Give him Commission to execute my Will Encourage i. e. Give him assurance of success 29. Beth-peor Or the house of Peor The name of a Place or City so called CHAP. IV. The ARGUMENT The Israelites are exhorted to Obedience by several great Motives Such as their own Interest and the Reasonableness of it They are particularly warned against Idolatry and that very powerfully They are obliged to teach the Law unto their Children Three Cities of Refuge are set a part by Moses 1. NOW therefore hearken O Israel unto the statutes and unto the judgments which I teach you for to do them that ye may live and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you 2. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you neither shall you diminish ought from it that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you 3. Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baal-peor for all the men that followed Baal-peor the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you 4. But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day 5. Behold I have taught you statutes and judgments even as the LORD my God commanded me that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it 6. Keep therefore and do them for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations which shall hear all these statutes and say surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people 7. For what nation is there so great who hath God so nigh unto them as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for 8. And what nation is there so great that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day 9. Onely take heed to thy self and keep thy soul diligently lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life but teach them thy sons and thy sons sons 10. Specially the day that thou stood'st before the LORD thy God in Horeb when the LORD said unto me Gather me the people together and I will make them hear my words that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth and that they may teach their children 11. And ye came near and stood under the mountain and the mountain burnt with fire unto the midst of heaven with darkness clouds and thick darkness 12. And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire ye heard the voice of the words but saw no similitude onely ye heard a voice 13. And he declared unto you his covenant which he commanded you to perform even ten commandments and he wrote them upon two tables of stone 14. And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it 15. Take ye therefore good heed unto your selves for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire 16. Lest ye corrupt your selves and make you a graven image the similitude of any figure the likeness of male or female 17. The likeness of any beast that is on the earth the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air 18. The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth 19. And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven and when thou seest the sun and the moon and the stars even all the host of heaven shouldest be driven to worship them and serve them which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven 20. But the LORD hath taken you and brought you forth out of the iron furnace even out of Egypt to be unto him a people of inheritance as
which I give them to possess it 32. Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left 33. You shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you that ye may live and that it may be well with you and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess 1. SAid unto them By their principal Men their Elders or Heads of their several Tribes See chap. 29.10 For Moses must be supposed to have spoken to the whole Congregation of all Israel after the same manner in which they are said to speak to him viz. By the Heads of their Tribes and by their Elders as is expressed in v. 23. of this Chapter where he says Ye came near unto me not that all the Men of Israel did so for it follows by way of Explication even all the Heads of your Tribes and your Elders Keep and do them Heb. Keep to do them This is the great End of their hearing and learning them 2. The LORD c. Exod. 19.5 3. With our fathers viz. With Abraham Isaac and Jacob. It is not said that God did not enter into Covenant with them but that he made not this Covenant with them viz. this at Horeb. Here God did more largely reveal his Will and thereupon solemnly entred into Covenant with the People and their Posterity as appears from the following words 4. Face to face i. e. Clearly and distinctly Numb 12.18 though not in any visible shape ch 4.12 5. I stood between the LORD and you viz. as a Mediator and at your request v. 27. to teach you the Statutes which were given after the Ten Commandments 6. I am the LORD Exod. 20.2 c. with the Notes on that Chapter Levit. 26.1 Psal 81.10 Bondage Heb. Servants 9. Visiting Exod. 34.7 10. And shewing mercy Jer. 32.18 12. Keep It is Remember Exod. 20. but that was in order to the keeping of it 14. Sabbath Gen. 2.2 Heb. 4.4 15. Therefore c. i. e. Thou art obliged upon the account of that Redemption which is mentioned as an argument to Obedience of these Laws v. 6. and Exod 20.2 as well as in Memory of the Creation to observe this day of rest 16. And that it may go well with thee These words are here added to what we read Exod. 20.12 as a farther motive to Obedience and we find the Apostle takes notice of it Eph. 6.3 Upon the whole Obedience to this Precept hath the promise not onely of a long but an happy Life 17. Thou shalt not kill Matt. 5.21 18. Neither c. Luk. 18.20 19. Neither Ro. 13.9 21. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife c. The words in this Verse contain the same Precept which we find in Exod. 20.17 It is delivered with some variety The most considerable is this That whereas Exod. 20.17 the coveting the Neighbour's House is first forbidden and then the coveting his Wife here on the other hand is first forbid the desire of his Wife and then the coveting his House c. which is a good argument that this Verse as also Exod. 20.17 to which it answers contains but one Commandment however some Men to serve their Ends have divided it into two For if it were two we could not distinguish between the Ninth and Tenth the one being first in one and the other in the other place Nor is it to be supposed that Moses would put the Tenth before the Ninth See the Note on Exod. 20.17 22. He added no more i. e. He did not deliver the following Laws which we find in Exod. ch XXI XXII c. as he did these Moral Precepts by an audible voice and the solemn manner in the midst of the Fire c. but he delivered them to Moses who imparted them to the People 24. We have heard Exod. 19.19 And he liveth Ch. 4.33 It appears that this was a case not to be parallelled and that though they had escaped hitherto yet they were very fearfull for the future v. 25 26. See Judg. 6.22 23. 25. Hear Heb. Add to hear 27. Speak thou unto us Exod. 20.19 29. O that there were such an heart c. These words do fully assure us that their Obedience and the happiness which would thence accrue to them were things greatly pleasing and acceptable to God the most sincere lover of Souls CHAP. VI. The ARGUMENT An Exhortation to the Fear and Love of the One true God and to Obedience to his Laws and Instruction of their children They are warned not to forget God in their Prosperity and particularly against Idolatry 1. NOW these are the commandments the statutes and the judgments which the LORD your God commanded to teach you that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it 2. That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God to keep all his statutes and his commandments which I command thee thou and thy son and thy son's son all the days of thy life and that thy days may be prolonged 3. Hear therefore O Israel and observe to do it that it may be well with thee and that ye may increase mightily as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee in the land that floweth with milk and honey 4. Hear O Israel The LORD our God is one LORD 5. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might 6. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart 7. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up 8. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes 9. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and on thy gates 10. And it shall be when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob to give thee great and goodly cities which thou buildedst not 11. And houses full of all good things which thou filledst not and wells digged which thou diggedst not vineyards and olive-trees which thou plantedst not when thou shalt have eaten and be full 12. Then beware lest thou forget the LORD which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage 13. Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God and serve him and shalt swear by his name 14. Ye shall not go after other gods of the gods of the people which are round about you 15. For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee and destroy thee from off the face of the earth 16. Ye shall not tempt the LORD
your God as ye tempted him in Massah 17. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God and his testimonies and his statutes which he hath commanded thee 18. And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD that it may be well with thee and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers 19. To cast out all thine enemies from before thee as the LORD hath spoken 20. And when thy son asketh thee in time to come saying What mean the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments which the LORD our God hath commanded you 21. Then thou shalt say unto thy son We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand 22. And the LORD shewed signs and wonders great and fore upon Egypt upon Pharaoh and upon all his houshold before our eyes 23. And he brought us out from thence that he might bring us in to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers 24. And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes to fear the LORD our God for our good always that he might preserve us alive as it is at this day 25. And it shall be our righteousness if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD â—â—r God as he hath commanded us 1. GO Heb. Pass over 2. Fear the LORD The fear of God being the principle of Obedience is frequently in the Scripture put for the whole of Religion or Godliness 4. One LORD He is but one in his Essence and onely to be worshipped 1 Cor. 8.5 6. These words are by way of Explication of the first Precept of the Decalogue chap. 5.7 5. Thou shalt love This love of God is another great Principle of Obedience and that which renders the Fear of him acceptable to him See chap. 10.12 Matth. 22.37 Mark 12.30 Luk 10.27 6. And these words See chap. 11.18 7. Teach them diligently Heb. Wheâ— or Sharpen i. e. Inculcate them that they may take deep Root and make a lasting Impression 8. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand c. Their great care to remember these Precepts is commended to them by these Expressions For we do not forget what is fastened to our Hands and placed before our Eyes See the Notes upon Exod. 13.9 and v. 16. Compare Prov. 6.21 11. When c. ch 8.10 c. 12. Then beware c. Prosperity is generally very dangerous to Mankind Hence it is they are warned at such times of Plenty and Affluence of worldly things to beware ch 8.11 These things being a great snare and occasion of Pride and Haughtiness and many other Vices See Psal 73. and compare v. 5. with v. 6. and v. 7. with v. 8. 1 Tim. 6.9 17. Bondage Heb. Bondmen or Servants 13. Fear Chap. 10.12 20. and 13.14 By his name viz. Onely by his Name This Interpretation cannot be rejected with any reason Swearing could never be lawfull but when it was necessary and all that the Israelites were obliged to from these words was this that when they did swear they should do it by the Name of God onely and not by any Creature Matt. 5.34 Those words in this Verse serve Him are expressed by Christ by Him onely shalt thou serve Matth. 4.10 And the Greek here render those words to the same sense Hence it appears that the Doctrine which Christ taught does not contradict a Moral Precept of Moses 16. Ye shall not tempt c. Mat. 4.7 The meaning is ye shall not provoke him to anger by putting his Justice and Veracity to the proof and trial which Men do then when they break his Laws or call his Truth and good Providence in question As ye tempted Exod. 17.2 20. In time to come Heb. To morrow Testimonies This word seems to import those Laws especially which were the Memorials or Witnesses of something past v. g. The Passeover was a Memorial of their deliverance from Egypt as the Sabbath was both of that and of the World's Creation 22. Sore Heb. Evil 25. Our righteousness Both the Vulgar Latin and Greek understand this word Righteousness to import Mercy as it is observed to do in some other places And then the meaning of the words is this That God will be mercifull to us for the future if we obey his Laws And this agrees with verse 24. where this Obedience is said to be for our good always c. CHAP. VII The ARGUMENT The seven Nations are to be destroyed and likewise their Monuments of Idolatry No Covenants or Affinities with them allowed God's great love to the Israelites Great Motives to Obedience 1. WHen the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it and hath cast out many nations before thee the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites seven nations greater and mightier then thou 2. And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee thou shalt smite them and utterly destroy them thou shalt make no covenant with them nor shew mercy unto them 3. Neither shalt thou make marriages with them thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son 4. For they will turn away thy son from following me that they may serve other gods so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you and destroy thee suddenly 5. But thus shall ye deal with them ye shall destroy their altars and break down their images and cut down their groves and burn their graven images with fire 6. For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all people that are upon the face of the earth 7. The LORD did not set his lâ—ve upon you nor choose you because ye were more in number then any people for ye were the fewest of all people 8. But because the LORD loved you and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt 9. Know therefore that the LORD thy God he is God the faithfull God which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations 10. And repayeth them that hate him to their face to destroy them he will not be slack to him that hateth him he will repay him to his face 11. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which I command thee this day to do them 12. Wherefore it shall come to pass if ye hearken to these judgments and keep and do them that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the
which he hath given thee the unclean and the clean may eat thereof as of the roe-buck and as of the hart 16. Onely ye shall not eat the blood ye shall pour it upon the earth as water 17. Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn or of thy wine or of thy oyl or the firstlings of the herds or of thy flock nor any of thy vows which thou vowest nor thy free-will-offerings or heave-offering of thine hand 18. But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose thou and thy son and thy daughter and thy man-servant and thy maid servant and the Levite that is within thy gates and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto 19. Take heed to thy self that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon thy earth 20. When the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border as he hath promised thee and thou shalt say I will eat flesh because thy soul longeth to eat flesh thou mayest eat flesh whatsoever thy soul lusteth after 21. If the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock which the LORD hath given thee as I have commanded thee and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after 22. Even as the roe-buck and the hart is eaten so thou shalt eat them the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike 23. Onely be sure that thou eat not the blood for the blood is the life and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh 24. Thou shalt not eat it thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water 25. Thou shalt not eat it that it may go well with thee and with thy children after thee when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD 26. Onely thy holy things which thou hast and thy vows thou shalt take and go unto the place which the LORD shall choose 27. And thou shalt offer thy burnt-offerings the flesh and the blood upon the altar of the LORD thy God and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the LORD thy God and thou shalt eat the flesh 28. Observe and hear all these words which I command thee that it may go well with thee and with thy children after thee for ever when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God 29. When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee whither thou goest to possess them and thou succeedest them and dwellest in their land 30. Take heed to thy self that thou be not snared by following them after that they be destroyed from before thee and that thou enquire not after their gods saying How did these nations serve their gods even so will I do likewise 31. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God for every abomination to the LORD which he hateth have they done unto their gods for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods 32. What thing soever I command you observe to do it thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it 2. Ye shall utterly destroy Ch. 7.5 God did not think it enough to forbid them Idolatry but commands them to destroy all the Monuments and Memorials thereof Possess Or Inherit 3. You shall overthrow Heb. Break down their altars c. Judg. 2.2 This enumeration of Particulars after what was said v. 2. speaks God's great care that the Israelites should flie from all Idolatry 4. Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God By diligent comparing what is said above v. 2 3. and what follows v. 5 6. it appears that the meaning of this place is q. d. Ye shall not for the publick worship of God set up several Altars in sundry Mountains and Groves c. as the Idolatrous Nations did but serve him publickly in one place which he should choose v. 5 6. 5. Choose Or set a-part for that purpose as he did Jerusalem afterwards 1 King 8.29 2 Chron. 7.12 To put his name there i. e. To dwell or more especially to be present there where he is worshipped according to his Will The Name of God is put for God himself see Levit. 24.11 16. and 2 Sam. 6.2 And so it is â—â—â—re there is mention of calling on his Name building an House to his Name believing on his Name Psal 80.18 23.3 1 Chron. 22.8 and that so it is in this place is evident from the words of God to Solomon concerning the Temple which he had built I have chosen this place to my self for an house of sacrifice 2 Chron. 7.12 And this sense is confirmed from the following words in this Verse Even unto his habitation shall ye seek and from v. 11. There shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there 6. And thither ye shall bring c. This Command was for the preventing Idolatry which would not easily have been prevented had they been allowed their several Groves and Altars which the Idolaters had made use of And your tithes By Tithes here are not meant the Tithes paid to the Levites which were holy unto the Lord Levit. 27.30 and therefore not to be eaten by the People v. 18. nor yet the Tithe of those Tithes which was paid to the Priests Numb 18.26 and belonged onely to them and their Families Neh. 10.38 But a second Tithe which the People were to set aside after they had paid the Levites and which they might eat together with the Levite the Stranger Fatherless and Widow of which see Deut. 14.22 23 27 29. This second Tithe which the People was commanded to set aside every year was thus to be imployed viz. It was to be eaten for two years together in Jerusalem when God had chosen that place v. 17 18. and ch 14.23 and might be eaten by the first Owners and their Families with the Levites And in case the persons setting aside this Tithe lived at a great distance from Jerusalem they were allowed to turn it into Money and spend it there chap. 14.24 25 26. But every third year this same Tithe was to be laid up in the Country whence it did arise and to be eaten there not onely with the Levites as that which was spent at Jerusalem but with the other poor People of the Neighbourhood chap. 14.28 29. And heave-offerings of your hand viz. The first-fruits of the Earth of which see chap. 18.4 with chap. 26.2 The firstlings of your herds c. These are expressed as distinct from the first-fruits of the Earth expressed before by Heave-offerings 7. Ye shall eat viz. Your allowed part 8. This day That is this time of your wandring in the Wilderness where they could
not practise those Precepts which were annexed to the Land and required a settled condition See v. 9 10. 11. Your choice vows Heb. The choice of your vows Whatever was offered as a Vow was to be select and perfect whereas what was less perfect might serve in a Free-will-offering that being brought upon meer good-will without any preceeding Vow or Obligation Levit 22.20 21 22 23. 12. He hath no part Chap. 10.9 See the Note on ch 10.9 15. Lusteth after Or Desireth The unclean This being but common and ordinary Food which is here spoken of he that was legally unclean was permitted to eat of it which by the Law he might not have done had it been a part of a Peace offering Levit 7.20 As of the roe-buck and as of the hart q. d. As freely as he may eat of any other Flesh which is not forbidden as unclean such was that of the Roe-buck and Hart which were not forbidden by the Law See chap. 14.5 16. Onely Chap. 5.23 17. The tithe of thy corn For the right understanding of these words see the Note on the 6th Verse of this Chapter Firstlings of thy herds c. For the First born strictly so called they belonged to the Priests Numb 18.15 And therefore it hath been supposed with great probability that these Firstlings here spoken of are to be meant of such as after the setting a side the First-born were then by the Owner set a part and dedicated to God For as the Tithe here spoken of is to be understood of the second Tithe so may the Firstling be understood in a like sense 19. Take heed Chap. 14.27 Ecclus 7.51 As long Heb. All thy days 20. When the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border c. For the fuller understanding the design of the words of this and the two following Verses it is to be remembred That while the Israelites were in the Wilderness they might not eat any Meat at their private Tables but such whereof they had first sacrificed to God at the Tabernacle See Levit. 17.4 and the Note upon that place This Precept was very practicable in the Wilderness where they encamped round about the Tabernacle The case was greatly altered when they came into the Land to which these Precepts were annexed v. 1 8 9 10 14. and so is the Law likewise concerning this matter For then many of them would live at a great distance from the Tabernacle and could not without great difficulty bring the Beasts which they killed for their private Tables to the Sanctuary And for that reason they were dispensed with and are not obliged to bring the Beast which they killed to the Door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation as in the Wilderness Levit. 17.9 But then lest they should surmise that they are likewise dispensed with as to the other part of that Law Levit. 17.10 11 c. forbidding the eating Blood they are strongly warned not to eat it v. 23 24 25. which is the true reason of those words in that place Hence it appears that the design of these words is not onely to let them know that they may lawfully kill and eat Flesh in all their Gates for that they were told before verse 15. But to acquaint them with the reason upon which they were dispensed with as to the bringing the Beast they killed to the Tabernacle which is particularly expressed verse 21. which words may be thus translated from the Hebrew Because the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to put his name there is too far from thee thou mayest kill of thy herd c. As he hath promised thee Gen. 28.14 chap. 19.8 This promise was conditional See ch 11.22 23 24. 22. Even as the roe-buck See the Note on v. 15. 23. Be sure Heb. Be strong That is be greatly carefull of this matter See Levit 17.10 11 12. 26. Thy holy things Such things as are separated and set a-part for holy uses viz. Sacrifices and Tithes c. See v. 17. 27. And thou shalt eat the flesh viz. Of thy Sacrifices last above-named for this cannot extend to the Burnt-offerings or any other part of the Oblation which was due to the Altar or the Priest 29. Succeedest them Heb. Inheritest or possessest them 30. Take heed to thy self that thou be not snared by following them Heb. after them That is take heed of their sin and fear their punishment 31. Thou shalt not do so c. That is thou shalt not worship thy God as they did Abomination to Heb. Abomination of the. 32. Not add Ch. 4.2 Josh 1.7 Prov. 30.6 Rev. 22.18 CHAP. XIII The ARGUMENT Enticers to Idolatry how near soever are to be stoned to death Idolatrous Cities are not to be spared 1. IF there arise among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams and giveth thee a sign or a wonder 2. And the sign or the wonder come to pass whereof he spake unto thee saying Let us go after other gods which thou hast not known and let us serve them 3. Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams for the LORD your God proveth you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul 4. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice and ye shall serve him and cleave unto him 5. And that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God which brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in so shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee 6. If thy brother the son of thy mother or thy son or thy daughter or the wife of thy bosom or thy friend which is as thine own soul entice thee secretly saying Let us go and serve other gods which thou hast not known thou nor thy fathers 7. Namely of the gods of the people which are round about you nigh unto thee or far off from thee from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth 8. Thou shalt not consent unto him nor hearken unto him neither shall thine eye pity him neither shalt thou spare neither shalt thou conceal him 9. But thou shalt surely kill him thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death and afterwards the hand of all the people 10. And thou shalt stone him with stones that he die because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage 11. And all Israel shall hear and fear and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you 12. If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities which the
dwell among them which the Servant of an Israelite was supposed to do before 17. Sodomite That word denotes him who defiles himself with mankind Gen. 19.5 Though the word in the Hebrew Text may be rendred Whoremonger by the same reason that the other is rendred Whore in the beginning of this Verse 18. The hire of a whore c. The Heathens were wont to consecrate to their Gods some of the gains which they received as the reward of their prostitution of themselves to Uncleanness See Micah 1.7 Thus the Whore saith I have peace-offerings with me This day have I paid my vows Prov. 7.14 God declares that he will not accept of this hire in opposition to the filthy Practices of the Heathen The price of a dog c. By the price of a Dog is meant that which a Dog is sold or exchanged for This is not here rejected because the Dog is an unclean Creature as appears from Numb 18.15 but because a Dog was worshipped by the Egyptians God to draw his People from Idolatry casts this Contempt upon that Creature in refusing the price it should be sold for 20. Vnto a stranger c. Stranger here being opposed to Brother v. 19. Signifies one who is not an Israelite and consequently one who by Traffick and Merchandise might be better able to pay interest for Money than the Israelite who did not drive that Trade 21. When thou shalt vow c. See Numb 30.2 and Eccles 5.21 24. Not put any in thy vessel viz. To carry away with thee See vers 25. CHAP. XXIV The ARGUMENT A Law concerning Divorce Of a newly married Man Of Men-stealers Of Pledges Of the Leprosie Against Oppression Of Justice and Care of Strangers And Mercy to the poor Fatherless and Widows 1. WHen a man hath taken a wife and married her and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes because he hath found some uncleanness in her then let him write her a bill of divorcement and give it in her hand and send her out of his house 2. And when she is departed out of his house she may go and be another man's wife 3. And if the latter husband hate her and write her a bill of divorcement and giveth it in her hand and sendeth her out of his house or if the latter husband die which took her to be his wife 4. Her former husband which sent her away may not take her again to be his wife after that she is defiled for that is abomination before the LORD and thou shalt not cause the land to sin which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance 5. When a man hath taken a new wife he shall not go out to war neither shall he be charged with any business but he shall be free at home one year and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken 6. No man shall take the nether or the upper mill-stone to pledge for he taketh a man's life to pledge 7. If any man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel and maketh merchandise of him or selleth him then that thief shall die and thou shalt put evil away from among you 8. Take heed in the plague of leprosie that thou observe diligently and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you as I commanded them so ye shall observe to do 9. Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way after that ye were come forth out of Egypt 10. When thou doest lend thy brother any thing thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge 11. Thou shalt stand abroad and the man to whom thou doest lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee 12. And if the man be poor thou shalt not sleep with his pledge 13. In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down that he may sleep in his own raiment and bless thee and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God 14. Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy whether he be of thy brethren or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates 15. At his day thou shalt give him his hire neither shall the sun go down upon it for he is poor and setteth his heart upon it lest he cry against thee unto the LORD and it be sin unto thee 16. The fathers shall not be put to death for the children neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers every man shall be put to death for his own sin 17. Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger nor of the fatherless nor take a widows raiment to pledge 18. But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence therefore I command thee to do this thing 19. When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field and hast forgot a sheaf in the field thou shalt not go again to fetch it it shall be for the stranger for the fatherless and for the widow that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands 20. When thou beatest thine olive-tree thou shalt not go over the boughs again it shall be for the stranger for the fatherless and for the widow 21. When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard thou shalt not glean it afterward it shall be for the stranger for the fatherless and for the widow 22. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bond-man in the land of Egypt therefore I command thee to do this thing 1. BEcause he hath found some uncleanness in her i. e. He hath observed some light Carriage or some other defect of Mind or distemper of Body For it is not supposed here that she is guilty of Adultery which was punishable with Death Or that the Husband was jealous of her upon that Account in which case the Law had made provision Numb 5. Then let him write her c. Or And he do write c. For here is no Precept of a Divorce but a permission onely and for a time onely and for the hardness of their Hearts as our Saviour expresseth it to the Jews saying Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives but from the beginning it was not so Matt. 19.8 But our Saviour hath forbid what Moses did but permit Matt. 19. v. 9. 4. Her former husband which sent her away may not take her again This is a just Punishment for his Levity And this prohibition is very reasonable upon several Accounts viz. 1. As it would tend to restrain Men from divorcing their Wives rashly and for light Causes 2. As the Woman was thereby secured against coming any more under the same Yoke 3. As it prevented the filthy Practice of lending out or prostituting of Wives and the many Mischiefs arising from thence which might have been
and the Preserver of thy Life And so he is of thy Prosperity which Life sometimes signifies see v. 19. and all the Comforts of Life CHAP. XXXI The ARGUMENT Moses does greatly encourage the Israelites and Joshua their Leader Moses delivers a Copy of the Law to the Priests with a command to read it every seventh Year God foretells the Apostacy of the Israelites and declares his displeasure thereupon He appoints a Song as a witness against them He encourageth Joshua The Law to be put into the Ark. Moses foretells the Apostacy of the Israelites 1. AND Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel 2. And he said unto them I am an hundred and twenty years old this day I can no more go out and come in also the LORD hath said unto me Thou shalt not go over this Jordan 3. The LORD thy God he will go over before thee and he will destroy these nations from before thee and thou shalt possess them and Joshua he shall go over before thee as the LORD hath said 4. And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og kings of the Amorites and unto the land of them whom he destroyed 5. And the LORD shall give them up before your face that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you 6. Be strong and of a good courage fear not nor be afraid of them for the LORD thy God he it is that doth go with thee he will not fail thee nor forsake thee 7. And Moses called unto Joshua and said unto him in the sight of all Israel Be strong and of a good courage for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them and thou shalt cause them to inherit it 8. And the LORD he it is that doth go before thee he will be with thee he will not fail thee neither forsake thee fear not neither be dismayed 9. And Moses wrote this Law and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD and unto all the elders of Israel 10. And Moses commanded them saying At the end of every seven years in the solemnity of the year of release in the feast of tabernacles 11. When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing 12. Gather the people together men and women and children and thy stranger that is within thy gates 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 13. And that their children which have not known any thing may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it 14. And the LORD said unto Moses Behold thy days approach that thou must die call Joshua and present your selves in the tabernacle of the congregation that I may give him a charge And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation 15. And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle 16. And the LORD said unto Moses Behold thou shalt sleep with thy fathers and this people will rise up and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land whither they go to be among them and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them 17. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day and I will forsake them and I will hide my face from them and they shall be devoured and many evils and troubles shall befall them so that they will say in that day Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not amongst us 18. And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought in that they are turned unto other gods 19. Now therefore write ye this song for you and teach it the children of Israel put it in their mouths that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel 20. For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers that floweth with milk and honey and they shall have eaten and filled themselves and waxen fat then will they turn unto other gods and serve them and provoke me and break my covenant 21. And it shall come to pass when many evils and troubles are befallen them that this song shall testifie against them as a witness for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed for I know their imagination which they go about even now before I have brought them into the land which I sware 22. Moses therefore wrote this song the same day and taught it the children of Israel 23. And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge and said Be strong and of a good courage for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them and I will be with thee 24. And it came to pass when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book until they were finished 25. That Moses commanded the Levites which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD saying 26. Take this book of the law and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God that it may be there for a witness against thee 27. For I know thy rebellion and thy stiff neck behold while I am yet alive with you this day ye have been rebellious against the LORD and how much more after my death 28. Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes and your officers that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to record against them 29. For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt your selves and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you and evil will befall you in the latter days because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands 30. And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song until they were ended 2. I can no more go out and come in See the Note on Numb 27.17 The strength of Moses was at present vigorous chap. 34.7 but he could not think it could last long besides this God had declared that he should not go over Jordan as it follows here 9. This law i. e. The whole body of it Vnto the priests the sons of Levi which bare the ark c. The fairest account of these words and the most unexceptionable is this That there is here an Ellipsis of
the copulative Particle as there is in some other places Vid. Hab. 3.11 Jud. 5.27 Exod. 15.9 and then Moses is said here to deliver the Law unto the priests and to the sons of Levi which bare the ark c. Numb ch 3. and ch 4. and unto all the elders of Israel So that the Law was delivered to the three Ranks and Degrees of Men of which the whole Congregation consisted viz. the Priests the Levites and the Representatives of the People And this Interpretation of these words will receive some confirmation from the Greek Interpreters in another place not unlike to this viz. Josh 3.3 When ye see the ark c. and the Priests the Levites bearing it There the Greek suppose an Ellipsis and do therefore render it and the Levites supplying the copulative Particle supposed to be wanting here 10. At the end c. See the Note on chap. 15.1 In the solemnity Or rather in the time as the Hebrew word signifies and as it is rendred by the Chaldee Syriack and Greek This appointed time was very convenient for this solemn hearing of the Law For it was at a time of the year when their Harvest was gathered in chap. 16.13 and they were freed from those cares and in a year when they were freed both from the Labours and from the Exactions which in other years they were liable unto chap. 15.1 2. 11. Thou shalt read This care concerned the body of the People and was discharged by the King as the Jews affirm or some other great Man when there was no King See Nehemiah 8. But then that all Israel might hear it was necessary that there should be care taken that it should be done by so many that all might hear it 13. Their children i. e. Their Posterity as appears from what follows May hear and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as ye live in the land 15. In a pillar of a cloud See Exod. 33.9 10. 17. I will hide my face from them i. e. I will remove from them the tokens of my favour and punish them as appears from the following words 19. This song i. e. The Song which follows in the next Chapter which is composed in the form of a Song that they might the more easily learn and remember it Put it in their mouths i. e. Take care that they learn it That it may be a witness for me against or among the children of Israel That is that it may be a perpetual Monitor among them of my Mercy towards and of the justice of my proceedings with them see v. 21. 22. Taught it As he was commanded v. 19. 23. He gave That is God gave as it is evident from the following words 26. Put it in the side of the ark Here it was put for the greater security and as the authentick Copy and Original was laid up in a safe place 30. And Moses spake in the ears of all c. Not that he did this all at once but either at several times or else he did it at once to the Heads and Representatives of the whole Congregation CHAP. XXXII The ARGUMENT The Song of Moses which sets forth the Divine Perfections and the Mercies of God to the Israelites And also lays before them their Rebellions and particularly their Idolatry It gives an account also of the wrath of God upon that account Moses is commanded to go up into Mount Nebo to take a view thence of the Land of Canaan and to die there 1. GIve ear O ye heavens and I will speak and hear O earth the words of my mouth 2. My doctrine shall drop as the rain my speech shall distil as the dew as the small rain upon the tender herb and as the showers upon the grass 3. Because I will publish the name of the LORD ascribe ye greatness unto our God 4. He is the rock his work is perfect for all his ways are judgment a God of truth and without iniquity just and right is he 5. They have corrupted themselves their spot is not the spot of his children they are a perverse and crooked generation 6. Do ye thus requite the LORD O foolish people and unwise is not he thy father that hath bought thee hath he not made thee and established thee 7. Remember the days of old consider the years of many generations ask thy father and he will shew thee thy elders and they will tell thee 8. When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance when he separated the sons of Adam he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel 9. For the LORD's portion is his people Jacob is the lot of his inheritance 10. He found him in a desart land and in the waste howling wilderness he led him about he instructed him he kept him as the apple of his eye 11. As an eagle stirreth up her nest fluttereth over her young spreadeth abroad her wings taketh them beareth them on her wings 12. So the LORD alone did lead him and there was no strange god with him 13. He made him ride on the high places of the earth that he might eat the increase of the fields and he made him to suck honey out of the rock and oyl out of the flinty rock 14. Butter of kine and milk of sheep with fat of lambs and rams of the breed of Bashan and goats with the fat of kidneys of wheat and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape 15. But Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked thou art waxen fat thou art grown thick thou art covered with fatness then he forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed the rock of his salvation 16. They provoked him to jealousie with strange gods with abominations provoked they him to anger 17. They sacrificed unto devils not to God to gods whom they knew not to new gods that came newly up whom your fathers feared not 18. Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindfull and hast forgotten God that formed thee 19. And when the LORD saw it he abhorred them because of the provoking of his sons and of his daughters 20. And he said I will hide my face from them I will see what their end shall be for they are a very froward generation children in whom is no faith 21. They have moved me to jealousie with that which is not God they have provoked me to anger with their vanities and I will move thew to jealousie with those which are not a people I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation 22. For a fire if kindled in my anger and shall burn undo the lowest hell and shall consume the earth with her encrease and set on fire the foundations of the mountains 23. I will heap mischiefs upon them I will spend mine arrows upon them 24. They shall be burnt with hunger and devoured with burning heat and with bitter destruction I will also send the teeth of beasts upon
It was the custom to set out proper and peculiar Inheritances by a Cord or Line and hence this Cord sometimes signifies the Inheritance set out by it and the Cord of an Inheritance signifies a separate and peculiar Inheritance or Portions of Land Josh 17.5 Amos 7.17 Zech. 2.1 2. and Psal 16.5 6. 10. He that is God found him It is to be considered for the better apprehending the sense of the place that the Hebrew word which is translated found signifies not onely to find but to suffice or to provide sufficiently for as appears from Numb 11.22 and Josh 17.16 And this latter sense of the word agrees best with the Context here For it cannot so properly be said that God found the Israelites in the Desart as that he sustained them and provided sufficiently for them there Besides that both the Greek and the Chaldee render this place in this latter sense of the words Compare what is elsewhere said to this purpose ch 8.15 Jer. 2.6 Hos 13.5 He led him about The reading in the Margent he compassed him about agrees exactly with the Greek as well as with the Hebrew Text and better with the Context and scope of the words than what is retained in the Text Psal 32.7 and it speaks the great protection on every side which the Israelites received from God in the Wilderness He instructed him This God did by giving his Law to the Israelites in the Wilderness He kept him as the apple of his eye That is as the sight of the Eye is by God's Care and wise Providence fenced about and preserved from harm by the Eye-lids by its deep situation and by several other means so did he preserve in the Wilderness Israel from harm and danger 11. As an eagle c. The care of God over the Israelites is well compared to that of an Eagle towards her young when she does by her voice stir them up hover over them cover them bear and defend them by her strength and for the preservation whereof she is fitted by the quickness of her Eye in espying danger by her inclination to her young by her swiftness and great strength Compare Exod. 19.4 Isa 46.3 4. Rev. 12.14 12. Alone i. e. Without the help of any strange God as it follows At the commandment of the Lord they rested in their tents and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed Numb 9.23 13. He made him ride on the high places of the earth or land That is he gave him the good Land which for its situation its strength or fruitfulness being called the high places of the land conformably thereunto God is said to have made him ride on them when he gave it him in possession Isa 58.14 To suck honey out of the rock c. These words give us a farther account of the fruitfulness of this Land the Fields whereof did not onely yield an increase but the Rocky and steep places which generally are barren afforded Honey and Oyl This was a Land of Hills and Valleys Deut. 11.11 14. With fat of lambs There is a two fold fat The fat of the inwards of a Beast that was allowed to be offered or the Suet this was to be offered up upon the Altar and by no means to be eaten But then there was the fat that was mingled and interspersed with the rest of the Flesh which not being appropriated to the Altar might lawfully be eaten Levit. 3.9 with Levit. 7.23 By the fat of Lambs in this place is meant fatted or well-fed Lambs Of the breed of Bashan i. e. Of the fairest and best kind Bashan was a place famous for Cattel Numb 32.4 33. The fat of kidneys of wheat i. e. The finest and plumpest Wheat Psal 81.16 The Kidneys of Wheat is but a Metaphorical Expression there being some resemblance between the figure of that Grain and the Kidneys Blood of the grape Or Red Wine which in colour is like Blood Isa 27.2 15. Jeshurun waxed fat c. That is Israel grew rich c. Jeshurun comes from a word that signifies Vpright and it is evident that it is put for Israel who was under great obligations to be upright but instead thereof in his prosperity rebelled against God as a pampered Horse kicks The rock of his salvation i. e. God his strong and mighty Saviour and Deliverer 16. They provoked him to jealousie with strange gods i. e. With their Idolatry they made him Jealous or very angry Exod. 20.5 chap. 34.14 This the Israelites frequently did Psal 78.58 1 King 14.22 17. They sacrificed unto devils Whatever pretext they might have for their Idolatry when they sacrificed they did it unto Devils the wasters and destroyers of Mankind and not unto God their Saviour 2 Chron. 11.15 They sacrificed their sons and daughters unto devils and shed innocent blood even the blood of their sons and of their daughters whom they sacrificed unto the Idols of Canaan Psal 106.37 38. And the Gentiles also in their Sacrifices to Idols sacrificed to Devils and when they did pertake of those Sacrifices they did communicate with Devils 1 Cor. 10.20 21. Whom they knew not Or Who knew not them as the words may be rendred They had received no Benefits by them as they had from the Lord the God of Israel Hos 13.15 19. Because of the provoking of his sons and of his daughters That is because his Children called here his Sons and Daughters had provoked him or stirred up his Anger to which sense the Vulgar and the Chaldee render the words Daughters are here expressly named because the Women were notoriously guilty of provoking God by their Idolatry Thus we read The women knead their dough to make cakes to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink-offerings unto other gods that they may provoke me to anger Jer. 7.18 And again The Women burn incense to other gods Jer. 44.15 And the women sat weeping for Tammuz Ezek. 8.14 20. I will see what their end shall be I will discover by this course what shall become of them or what shall happen to them at the last for their provocations To this sense the Greek render the words 21. With that which is not God i. e. With Idols presently afterward called Vanities because they are nothing 1 Cor. 8.4 and consequently are not able to help their Worshippers 1 Sam. 12.21 1 King 16.13 I will move them to jealousie with those which are not a people c. The meaning is that God would by a people that was not peculiar to him as the Israelites were provoke them to Jealousie And this God fulfilled by delivering them to the Assyrians Chaldaeans and their other Enemies who were none of his People and by rejecting them and taking the Gentiles into his favour and into the Church of Christ Rom. 11.14 And to this purpose the Apostle applies the words of the Prophet I will call them my people which were not my people Rom. 9.25 This did greatly provoke the Jews