here again when we thought we had been at the end of our Travels At this rate we shall never get out Whereupon he presently smote the Rock twice in a fume whereas God bad him only speak to it v. 8. To sanctifie me in the Eyes of the Children of Israel i. e. Openly to assert me to be the holy One of Israel faithful to my Promises as well as infinite in Power of which they had given the Israelites occasion to doubt by declaring some distrust of what God said to them v. 8. For these words plainly show that their Sin did not consist only in an inward Diffidence but in such outward Expressions of it in their Anger and Impatience as might be apt to breed Unbelief in the Israelites who were already too prone thereunto And it is no improbable Conjecture of a Jewish Doctor in his Book of the Death of Moses that the Divine Glory not appearing now upon this Rock as it did at Horeb XVII Exod. 6. which perhaps they expected it gave some occasion to their Unbelief Which he thinks was not so great a Sin in it self as to have deserved the following Punishment had not God in passing this Sentence had a respect to the Excellency and Dignity of their Persons in whom a Fault of this Nature was far more grievous than in an ordinary Man Therefore ye shall not bring this Congregation into the Land which I have given them They brought them into the Land of Sihon and of Og but not into Canaan which was properly the Land promised to them Verse 13 Ver. 13. This is the Water of Meribah Called Meribah-kadesh XXXII Deut. 51. to distinguish it from that Meribah mentioned XVII Exod. 7. where the Israelites were guilty of the same Crime Because the Children of Israel strove with the LORD Expostulated with him most undutifully and accused him of unkindness to them v. 3 4. And he was sanctified in them The Hebrew Doctors differ very much in their Opinions about this also Whether he was sanctified in the Waters or in the People of Israel or in Moses and Aaron Some fancy it is meant of the Waters viz. that God did himself great honour in bringing Waters again out of a Rock and therefore the Name of the place was called Kadesh from his being sanctified there Thus Chaskuni But it seems to have been called so before this being a place well known to the Edomites v. 16. The common Opinion is that he speaks of Moses and Aaron for God's Name saith R. Solomon is much revered when he doth not spare even his holy Ones X Lev. 3. But Nachmanides expounds it of the Israelites before whose face as he expounds sanctified in them God's Power and Faithfulness and Goodness appeared and who alone are mentioned in this verse not Moses and Aaron But all three Opinions in the Issue concur in this one that God made his Power c. appear in the Eyes of all the Israelites by bringing Water out of a Rock and at the same time demonstrated his Holiness and impartial Justice in punishing his greatest Friends for their Unbelief Ver. 14. And Moses sent Messengers By God's Verse 14 order as his words seem to import in II Deut. 2 3 4. From Kadesh On the Confines of the King of Edom's Country Vnto the King of Edom. When the Israelites came out of Egypt Moses speaks of Edom as governed by Dukes XV Exod. 17. for the Sons of Esau at first had no higher Title XXXVI Gen. 15 c. Not long after it seems their Posterity became Kings and now Nine and thirty Years after the Israelites coming out of Egypt they were still under Kingly Government And this King to whom Moses now sends Messengers the great Primate of Ireland takes to have been Hadar the last of those that Moses mentions XXXVI Gen. 39. who for his Inhumanity to the Children of Israel was shortly after punished with Death and the Kingdom turned again into the Government by Dukes For Moses as he thinks writing the Book of Genesis in the latter end of his Life or then adding what was necessary to what he had written before reckons immediately after Hadar several Dukes reigning all at one time in several parts of the Country which they had shared among them See Vsser Chronolog Sacra cap. 11. Thus saith thy Brother Israel In the Language of those times all that were near of Kin called one another Brethren and these two Nations descended from two twin Brothers Thou knowest For they could not but have received Intelligence before this time of such publick things All the Travel that hath befaln us How we and our Fathers before us have travelled from place to place without any certain Habitation See CV Psalm 13. Verse 15 Ver. 15. How our Fathers After several Removals from one part of Canaan to another Went down into Egypt Which was so publick a thing they being invited by Pharaoh who sent Carriages for them that the Edomites could not be ignorant of it And we have dwelt in Egypt a long time See XII Exod. 40 41. and what I have observed there And the Egyptians vexed us and our Fathers See I Exod. 11 12 13 c. Verse 16 Ver. 16. And when we cried unto the LORD he heard our voice II Exod. 23 24 25. III. 7 8. And sent an Angel See III Exod. 2 c. Maimonides here by Angel understands Moses himself for the Prophets are sometimes called Angels i. e. Messengers sent from God II Judg. 1. This he asserts in the first part and more than once in the second part of More Nevochim but it is very unreasonable to think that Moses would thus magnifie himself to the King of Edom who understood not such Language and could not but be more moved to hearken to his Embassy if he believed the Israelites were under the Conduct of a heavenly Minister who as other Jews think was Michael the Prince of the heavenly Host whom they commonly understand by the Angel here mentioned But many great Men particularly Masius think this is short of the Truth unless we understand by Michael the Eternal Son of God who was as he speaks the perpetual Prince and Director of the People of God For though he was then properly made the Messenger of the Father when he took on him our Flesh and dwelt here among us yet from the beginning it was his constant care to reconcile Men to God and preserve Religion among them So that he might be called the Angel of God before he became a Man because God the Father by him communicated with Men about all things necessary for their Good And the Jews seem to have had some obscure Notion of this For what else could Moses Gerundensis mean when he saith the Angel whom Moses saw in the Bush was the same whom Jacob calls the God of Bethel and whom he calls the Angel Redeemer of whom Moses he saith speaks in this place and in VI Deut. 21.
it fell into the Hands of the Moabites again as may be gathered from XLVIII Jerem. 32. And they took the Villages thereof As well as the City it self And drove out the Amorites that dwelt there If it had not been possessed by them they would not have meddled with it Ver. 33. And they turned Or returned as the LXX have it from Jaazer And went up by the way of Bashan A famous Verse 33 Mountain LXVIII Psal 15. lying more Northerly than the Country of Sihon and belonging also to the Amorites where was very rich Pasture and an excellent Breed of Cattle XXXII Deut. 14. XXII Psal 12. and stately Oaks XXVII Ezek. 6. And Og the King of Bashan The whole Country of which he was King had its Name from that Mountain and was called the Kingdom of Og in Bashan III Deut. 10. where he is said as well as Sihon to be a King of the Amorites v. 8. and v. 11. that he was of the Remnant of the Giants or of the Rephaim who were a mighty People in that Country of Bashan See XIV Gen. 5. which in after Ages was called Batanaea Went out against them To oppose their Passage He and all his People With all the Men of War in his Country To the Battle at Edrei A City near that Country afterward called Adara as St. Hierom tells us in his Book de Locis Hebraicis He offered the Israelites Battle which by God's order they accepted Verse 34 Ver. 34. And the LORD said unto Moses That he might report it to the People Fear him not They had reason to be courageous and not affrighted because he was a Giant having lately overcome a mightier King than he of which God puts them in mind in the end of this verse For I have delivered him into thy hand and all his People c. For their greater incouragement he adds his Promise on which he bids them rely as if they saw it already done that he would give them the Victory over Og and all his Forces and bestow upon them his Country This History Moses reports more at large III Deut. 1 2 3 c. Ver. 35. So they smote him and his Sons and all his Verse 35 People until there was none left him alive After they had overthrown him and his Army they pursued the Victory till they had destroyed all the People of the Country Some part of which held out longer than the rest as appears from XXXII 39 c. but at length was wholly subdued by Jair the Son of Manasseh who had all the Region of Argob given him for his pains XXXII 41. III Deut. 14. And they possessed his Land Wherein were sixty walled Cities besides a great many small Towns III Deut. 4 5. XIII Josh 30. All which was given to the half Tribe of Manasseh III Deut. 13. XIII Josh 29 30. 1 Kings IV. 13. CHAP. XXII Chapter XXII Ver. 1. AND the Children of Israel set forward Verse 1 In what Month of the fortieth Year this which follows fell out we cannot tell but it is likely in the seventh when they removed from the Mountains of Abarim XXI 20. XXXIII 48. And pithed in the plains of Moab Which had formerly belonged to the Moabites from whom it took its name but had been taken from them by the Amorites and now was in the possession of the Israelites On this side Jordan Unto which River this Plain extended and they pitched near to it from Beth-Jesimoth unto Abel-Shittim XXXIII 49. where they stayed till under the Conduct of Joshua they came to Jordan and passed over it III Josh 1. By Jericho Rather against Jericho as the LXX translate it For Jericho was on the other side of Jordan directly opposite to the place where they now pitched And therefore the Vulgar Latin translates or rather paraphrases it Where Jericho is situated beyond Jordan i. e. passing the Ford they came directly to Jericho Verse 2 Ver. 2. And Balak the Son of Zippor Who was King of the Moabites at this time and descended it is likely from the ancient Kings of that Country XXI 26. Saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites To Sihon and Og the two Kings of the Amorites as they are called III Deut. 8. who were such near Neighbours to Balak that he not only saw but considered as the word implies what a speedy Conquest the Israelites had made of their Country Verse 3 Ver. 3. And Moab was sore afraid of the People Lest they should expel them out of their Country as they had done the Amorites for they knew nothing of God's Command to the Israelites not to disturb them in their Possessions Some imagine but I see no good ground for it that they were afraid the Israelites should get possession of the Land of Canaan unto which they thought themselves perhaps to have a better Title being descended from the eldest Daughter of Lot who was the Son of Abraham's elder Brother for Abraham was the youngest Son of Terah But no Body can see any Right that this Descent gave Lot or his Children there being no Promise made of it by God to any Person but Abraham and his Posterity Because they were many Too strong for the Moabites to deal withal having conquered those who had been too hard for them and taken a great Territory from them XXI 26. And Moab was distressed because of the Children of Israel As Moses in his Song after they had passed the Red Sea foretold they would be XV Exod. 15. Ver. 4. And Moab said By Messengers which Verse 4 were sent it is most likely by the King and the Princes of the Country Vnto the Elders of Midian Who were their Neighbours and Confederates The Title of Elders it appears by this was given in other Nations as well as among the Israelites to the greatest Persons in their Countries or the Israelites after their manner so called Men every where who were in high Authority For these Persons who are here called Elders are called Kings XXXI 8. and Princes XIII Josh 21. In like manner they who in the seventh verse of this Chapter are called the Elders of Moab are in the next verse called the Princes of Moab Which it is evident was the ancient Language among the Egyptians L Gen. 7. unless we suppose Moses as I said to have spoken in the Language of the Jews and it is very likely was also the ancient Language of Phoenicia and the Countries thereabouts and perhaps in much remote parts For it is a known Story That when the Phoenicians fled before Joshua and forsook the Land of Canaan they fixed in Asrick where they left this name of Elders among the Carthaginians See Mr. Selden Lib. I. de Synedr cap. 14. p. 587 c. Midian This is not the Country wherein Jethro was a Prince for that was not far from Mount Sinai as appears from III Exod. 1. whereas this was remote from that place adjoyning to the Moabites and near
their Wrists or Hands XXIV Gen. 47. XVI Ezek. 11. Rings They were Ornaments of the Fingers XLI Gen. 42. III Esther 10. Ear-rings Nothing more common in those Countries especially among the Midianites and Ishmaelites as we find VIII Judges 24 25 26. where there is a different word used to express this Ornament yet the word Hagil here used certainly signifying something round and the Ornaments incompassing the Arms and other parts being before-mentioned it cannot well be thought to denote any thing but Rings in their Ears And so we translate it XVI Ezek. 12. And Tablets Some Ornaments about the Breasts See XXXV Exod. 22. To make an Atonement for our Souls before the LORD For the Guilt of which Moses accused them v. 14. or any other which they had contracted in the War Verse 52 Ver. 52. And all the Gold of the Offering which they offered up to the LORD c. was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels It hath been observed before that Three thousand Shekels made a Talent and therefore their Offering amounted to above Five Talents and an half Verse 53 Ver. 53. For the men of war had taken spoil every man for himself Or rather had taken the Spoil mentioned v. 12. of which part of the Booty no Division was made between the Men of War and the People v. 26. but they kept it intirely to themselves and now very gratefully made a Present of a considerable part of it to the LORD See v. 12. where the word Spoil is used strictly for a part of the Booty distinct from the other two the Captives and the Prey and so it signifies here Verse 54 Ver. 54. And Moses and Eleazar the Priest took the Gold This was said before v. 51. and therefore the sence here is that having received it as an Offering to the LORD they brought it into the Tabernacle of the Congregation as it here follows in the conclusion of this verse Of the Captains of thousands and of hundreds It was not their Oblation only but the Oblation of every one of the Men of War v. 50 51. But the Commanders received it from the common Soldiers and presented it unto Moses and Eleazar from the whole Host And brought it into the Tabernacle for a Memorial for the Children of Israel before the LORD That God might be mindful of them i. e. propitious to them who were so grateful to him for his Benefits The Hierusalem Targum upon v. 50. fancies these Officers to have represented to Moses their great Chastity when they made this Offering saying We broke into the Chambers and Closets of the Kings of Midian and there we saw their beautiful and charming Daughters from whom we took the golden Ornaments upon their Heads and in their Ears and on their Arms their Fingers and Breasts but did not cast a wanton look upon one of them And therefore they hoped this Oblation they made would rise up for them in the Day of the great Judgment as a Reconciliation for their Souls before the LORD CHAP. XXXII Chapter XXXII Ver. 1. NOW the Children of Reuben and the Children Verse 1 of Gad. Here the Children of Reuben who was Jacob's First-born are mentioned in the first place but in the rest of the Chapter v. 2 6 25 29 32. the Children of Gad are constantly first mentioned because they were the first Movers of that which follows as the Hebrews conjecture Had a very great multitude of Cattle More than any other Tribe And when they saw the Land of Jazer Which was lately taken from the Amorites after they had slain Sihon their King XXI 32. This City and Country belonging to it were near to the Spring of the River Arnon and there is frequent mention of it in the Book of Joshua and in Isaiah XVI 8 9. and Jeremiah XLVIII 34. And the Land of Gilead A noble Country so called from the Mountain Gilead which bounded it on the East as Jordan did on the West the River Jabbok on the South and Mount Libanus on the North. That behold the place was a place of Cattle Which in the fourth verse is called a Land of Cattle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the LXX translate it fit for feeding of Cattle being famous for Pasture and other grazing Ground For Bashan was in this Country III Deut. 12 13. where every one knows the largest and fattest Oxen were bred XXII Psal 12. and Sheep also XXXII Deut. 14. and therefore is joyned with Gilead VII Micah 14. which being woody and mountainous in some part of it was no less famous for breeding Goats See IV Cantic 1. which delight to brouse on such Trees as Mount Gilead abounded withal See Bochartus in his Hierozoicon P. I. Lib. II. cap. 51. Verse 2 Ver. 2. And the Children of Gad and the Children of Reuben Neither here nor in the foregoing verse is there any mention of the Children of Manasseh half of which had their Portion in this Country because they were neither the Contrivers nor Movers of this but it is most probable had a lot assigned them here because these Countries were too much for the other two Tribes alone and they of Manasseh had much Cattle also Came and spake unto Moses and Eleazar and the Princes of the Congregation Who were wont often to assemble to dispatch Publick Affairs XXVII 2. XXX 1. Ver. 3. Ataroth A place which was part of the Verse 3 Portion of Gad as appears by v. 34. And Dibon This is mentioned as a place in the Kingdom of Sihon XXI 30. and was given to Gad also as we read v. 34. And Jazer See v. 1. and 35. where we find this also belonged unto Gad. And Nimrah Called Beth-Nimrah v. 36. and given to the same Tribe It is usual I observed before for the Hebrews to cut off the first part of the Names of places for brevity sake XXV 1. but this place is elsewhere called at length Beth-Nimrah XIII Josh 27. where it is mentioned as a part of Sihon's Kingdom and signifies as much as Domus Pardorum an Habitation of Leopards So Bochartus who observes that when both Isaiah XV. 6. and Jeremiah XLVIII 34. speak of the Waters of Nimrim they mean this very place Which was given to Gad but in the days of those Prophets mentioned as in the Country of the Moabites who had usurped upon their Neighbours the Gadites and taken this Place from them as they had done Jazer also as appears from the places above-mentioned XVI Isa 8 9. XLVIII Jerem. 34. And Heshbon The principal City of Sihon King of the Amorites XXI 26 27 28. and was given to the Reubenites v. 37. And Elealah This is frequently mentioned with Heshbon as a Place adjoyning to it v. 37. XVI Isa 9. And Sheban Called also Shibmah v. 37. and Sibmah XVI Isa 8 9. XLVIII Jerem. 31. where it appears to have been a Place famous for Vines and in the days of that Prophet was faln into the Hands of the
XXV Exod. 16. XL. 3. And over all the Vessels thereof and over all things that belong unto it Not to use them in any Sacred Ministry which belonged to the Priests alone but to carry them when they were to be removed and to keep them in Safety at all times See VIII ult Where it is expresly said they shall do no Service there They shall bear the Tabernacle and all the Vessels therefore As is particularly directed in the fourth Chapter And they shall minister unto it Which Ministry is at large described in the third Chapter And shall encamp round about the Tabernacle As a Guard unto it They being like to the Legions about the Palace of a great King to secure and defend it from Violence or Rudeness Which was the reason that they did not march under any of the Standards of the other Tribes because they were to make a Camp by themselves the order of which is directed in the same third Chapter And for the same reason they were not to go to the Wars because their Camp was to attend upon the Tabernacle the House of God Ver. 51. And when the Tabernacle setteth forward the Levites shall take it down and when it is to be pitched the Levites shall set it up When the Israelites removed to a new station the Tabernacle was Verse 51 taken in pieces that it might be the more easily carried from place to place In which the Levites were to be employed and likewise in putting it together again when it was to be set up where they rested in their Journeys as is more fully ordered in the fourth Chapter Where the manner of taking it down and setting it up again is directed and every ones Office about it whether Priests for they had some hand in it or Levites exactly appointed And the Stranger Who is not of this Tribe though an Israelite That comes nigh To perform any of the forenamed Offices Shall be put to death As a presumptuous Person in medling with that which doth not belong unto him The Author of Schebet Jehudah extends this to all Strangers who worshipped strange Gods and saith there was a Golden Sword hung up in the Gate of the Temple with this Inscription The Stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death Ver. 52. And the Children of Israel The rest of the Verse 52 Tribes before-mentioned Shall pitch their Tents every Man by his own Camp c. In the order prescribed in the next Chapter Ver. 53. But the Levites shall pitch round about the Verse 53 Tabernacle of Testimony As is directed Chap. III. where they are ordered to make a Camp nearer the Tabernacle within the other Camp of the Israelites That there be no Wrath upon the Congregation of the Children of Israel To prevent the other Camp of the Israelites from coming too nigh the Tabernacle whereby they might have incurred God's Displeasure And the Levites shall keep the Charge of the Tabernacle of Testimony That is therefore they were to be a constant guard about it that no Man might approach nearer than God allowed and so bring heavy Punishments upon himself and upon the Congregation Verse 54 Ver. 54. And the Children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses so did they Consented to all that is here required and did accordingly CHAP. II. Chapter II Verse 1 Ver. 1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron saying The just number of Days that were spent in taking the fore-named Account of the People is uncertain see I. 19. but that being finished now order is given for their Encamping under their several Standards And it is directed to Aaron as well as Moses though the Order for numbring them was directed to Moses only Chap. I. 1. Aaron having by that first Order been joined with him in taking the Account of them Verse 2 Ver. 2. Every Man of the Children of Israel shall pitch by his own Standard By the Banner of that Tribe to which he was joined by the following Order With the Ensign of their Fathers House Every Family and Houshold had their particular Ensigns beside that great Banner under which they encamped and marched it being pitched and carried as will appear in the midst of them How these Banners and Ensigns were distinguished one from another we have no certain Knowledge The later Jews say particularly Aben Ezra upon this place that Judah carried in his Standard the Figure of a Lion and Reuben the Figure of a Man Ephraim of an Ox and Dan of an Eagle for which I can see no ground For though Judah be compared to a Lion yet the Reasons he gives for the other are very absurd with which I shall not trouble the Reader But only observe that there is not one word of any such thing in their ancient Writers no not in the whole body of the Talmud as the famous Bochartus assures us And it is not likely that they who so lately smarted for making the Golden Calf would adventure to make any other Images and expose them to the Eyes of all the People Nor is it impertinent to observe that when Vitellius in after-ages was to march against the Arabians through Judaea the great Men of the Nation met him and beseeched him to march another way The Law of their Country not allowing Images such as were in the Roman Ensigns to be brought into it So Josephus relates L. XVIII Antiq. cap. 7. for which one can see no reason if their Ancestors in the Wilderness had by the Command or Allowance of Moses carried an Eagle in any of their Standards See Bochart in his Hieroz P. I. L. III. C. V. It is more probable if there be room for Conjecture in this matter that the Name of Judah might be embroidered in great Letters in his Standard and of Reuben in his and so of the rest or they were distinguished by their Colours only as now our Regiments are Far off about the Tabernacle of the Congregation shall they pitch At such a distance as might show their Reverence to the Tabernacle and that there might be another Camp of the Levites within them who made a nearer Inclosure about it in the same Form with the Camp of Israel which was Quadrangular This Distance of the Camp of Israel from the Tabernacle is reasonably judged by III Josh 4. to have been Two thousand Cubits That is a Mile Verse 3 Ver. 3. And on the East-side toward the rising of the Sun These are two Expressions after the manner of the Hebrews for the same thing Or Kedma which we here translate on the East may be translated on the fore part viz. of the Tabernacle Which was towards the Sun's Rising Shall they of the Standard of the Camp of Judah pitch These had the most honourable Post as we now speak of all others pitching before the most holy Place where Moses and Aaron had their Station in the Camp of the Levites III. 38. And therefore the
Causes brought before Moses in two of them he made haste to determine but in the other two he was slow Those of the first sort were this and that of the Daughters of Zelophehad Chap. XX. these he judged presently because they were pecuniary Matters but the other two viz. about him that blasphemed XXIV Levit. and him that gathered Sticks on the Sabbath-day XV Numb being capital Causes he took longer time to judge for he put them in Ward till the Mind of the LORD was known To teach those that succeeded him in the Office of Judges to make quick dispatch in Money Matters but to proceed slowly in Capital Causes But as this was no pecuniary Cause so it doth not appear but he took as much time to understand the Mind of God in it as in the other two about Blasphemy and Sabbath-breaking For he went in to consult with him as he did also in the case of Zelophehad's Daughters whose Cause he brought before the LORD XXVII 5. I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you These words seem to signifie that Moses might go into the Holy Place when he pleased to enquire of God where God spake with him in an audible Voice VII 89. whensoever he desired Satisfaction about any Doubt So Abarbinel who in this forsakes the Talmudists For they fancy that because God called to Moses and then spake to him out of the Tabernacle I Levit. 1. he could never go into the Holy Place but when he was called Which was true only at that time when the Glory of the LORD had newly filled the Tabernacle so that he durst not come into it till he was invited But was not a general Rule to be observed in all his Colloquies with the Divine Majesty that he should wait till he had a singular Call to come to him for it is plain by this place that he went in to speak with him whensoever he had occasion Verse 9 Ver. 9. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying He brought this Case before the LORD as his manner was in such Doubts and the LORD gave him the following Answer Which was to be a Rule not only to these present Enquirers but to all Posterity Verse 10 Ver. 10. If any Man of you or of your Posterity shall be unclean From hence the Jews observe that this is a Law concerning particular Persons only not concerning all the People or the major part of them For as the Mischna saith in the Title Pesachim Cap. 7. if all the People or the greater part or the Priests had contracted any Defilement they ought notwithstanding to keep the Passover even in that Defilement But if the lesser part only were defiled then they that were clean ought to keep it in the first Month and they that were defiled in the second This they ground upon the very first words of this Law v. 6. There were certain Men and upon these if any Man of you c. From whence saith Maimonides this Doctrine follows out of ancient Tradition that there were some private Persons who were adjourned to the second Passover but if the generality should be defiled by the dead they were not to be so adjourned but to sacrifice in that Vncleanness A great deal more to the same purpose may be seen in the fore-named Mr. Selden Lib. 2. de Synedr Cap. I. n. 3. By reason of a dead body This Case is mentioned instead of all other of like nature For there was the same reason for those who were unclean by a Leprosie for Women in Child-bed or that were menstruous or those that had a Running-issue or had touched a dead Carcass And this some of them ground upon v. 13. Where speaking of those who should keep the Passoever it is said in general the Man that is clean c. therefore he that was any way unclean might not keep it Or be in a Journey afar off Out of his own Country for it could not be kept any where but in Judaea XVI Deut. 2. or at such a distance that he could not reach the Tabernacle upon the Day appointed In the Mischna indeed this dereck rechokah as it is in the Hebrew a long way off is defined to be fifteen Miles from Jerusalem or the place where the Tabernacle was Whence Maimonides saith If any Man on the fourteenth Day of the Month Nisan at Sun rising was fifteen Mile or more from Jerusalem this was a remote way but if he was not so far from it he was not comprehended in this remote way for he might be at Jerusalem time enough in the Afternoon to keep the Passover that Evening though he went but a slow pace and that on foot But I do not take this to be a reasonable Explication Philo hath determined the distance a great deal better according to the Interpretation I mentioned at first L. III. de Vita Mosis Where he saith the second Passover was permitted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. To such who were hindred by their Travels into Countries a great way off from sacrificing with the rest of their Nation For it was not their fault that they were deprived of this honour especially considering that so small a Country as Judaea could not contain such a populous Nation but sent out Colonies into many places As for those who were only XV Mile from Jerusalem they might easily have come to the Feast if not on the Fourteenth day yet the day before and if this distance had been a good reason to excuse their absence most of the Nation might have staid away without any danger Yet he shall keep the Passover unto the LORD When that Uncleanness is gone and he is returned to his own Country again Verse 11 Ver. 11. The fourteenth day of the second Month at Even they shall keep it They had a whole Month's time given them to dispose themselves and their Affairs so that they might be able to keep it And eat it with unleavened Bread and bitter Herbs Those Jews who are called Karaites as Mr. Selden observes in the place before-named n. 7. expresly say that they were not bound in the second Month Passover unto more than this to eat the Lamb with unleavened Bread and bitter Herbs but they were not obliged to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days because they might do that in the Passover of the first Month. For the Unclean are only prohibited to eat the Passover but not to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread If the same Persons that could keep it in the first Month hapned again to be unclean in the second they could not keep it in the third or the fourth Months For this had been to confound one Feast with another and there is no order for it Ver. 12. They shall leave none of it till the morning nor break any bone of it This belongs to the eating of the Paschal Lamb XII Exod. 10 46. According to all the Ordinances of the Passover they Verse
Verses Verse 25 Ver. 25. And the Standard of the Children of Dan set forward c. See concerning him and those mentioned in the two next Verses Chap. II. v. 25 27 29. Which was the rereward of all the Camps throughout their Hosts The Hebrew word Measseph which we translate was the rereward comes from a word which every where signifies to gather together or collect And therefore is here to be so understood and the whole Sentence thus rendred Then set forward the Standard of the Camp of Dan gathering to it all the Camps throughout their Hosts Or according to their Armies as we here translate the last part of these words v. 14 18 22. So Forsterus translates it the meaning being that all the rest of the People who were not a part of the four before-mentioned Camps all under XX Years old who were not able to go forth to War together with the mixt multitude that came with them out of Egypt XII Exod. 38. and all the unclean Persons who were shut out of the Camp V. 2. came after this hindermost Standard of the Children of Dan. Verse 28 Ver. 28. Thus were the Journeyings of the Children of Israel c. In this order they marched when they removed from one station to another Verse 29 Ver. 29. And Moses said unto Hobab His Wives Brother as Theodoret understands it The Son of Raguel the Midianite The Son of Jethro Priest of Midian For Raguel and he are thought by many to be the same Person II Exod. 18. III. 1. or one was the Father and the other the Son and then Hobab was the Grand-son of Raguel Moses his father-in-law These words may either refer to Raguel who is supposed to be Jethro and then it is rightly translated Father-in-law or they may as well refer to Hobab and be translated Brother-in-law For so the Hebrew word Choters sometimes signifies a very near Kinsman It cannot without great staining be otherwise expounded in the I Judg. 16. and IV. 11. After Jethro therefore was gone back to his own Country XVIII Exod. 27. Hobab his Son stayed still with his Sister Zipporah and accompanied Moses all the time he stayed near Sinai Which was not far from Midian Whether he thought to return now the Isrelites were marching away from that Neighbourhood but Moses was desirous to have his company further even to the Land of Promise We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said I will give it you i. e. To the Land of Canaan for thither God intended to have brought them shortly after this removal as appears from I Deut. 6 7. Come thou with us and we will do thee good See verse 32. For the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel Promised to bestow a noble Country upon us for our Inheritance Ver. 30. And he said I will not go This was his Verse 30 present Resolution till Moses had further perswaded him But I will depart to my own Land Which he was loth to leave merely in hope of what the Israelites had not yet in possession And to my Kindred With whom all Men love to live and die Verse 31 Ver. 31. And he said i. e. Moses replied Leave us not I pray thee Do not persist in that Resolution but be perswaded to go along with us Forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the Wilderness He being a Borderer upon this Wilderness was well acquainted with every part of it and the better able to advise them how to secure their Camp for the Cloud only served to direct them where it should be pitched and defend themselves from the People on all sides that might be injurious to them Which made Moses so earnest with him to stay with them while they had such need of his assistance And thou mayest be to us instead of Eyes To give them Advice and Counsel in any difficulty they might meet withal in the places where they stayed or to direct them how to provide themselves with such things as they wanted For he having lived long thereabouts could not but understand the Neighbouring Countries The LXX understand this Passage as if he desired him to continue to be what he had been hitherto in the Wilderness viz. a good Adviser like his Father Jethro assuring him they would look upon him as an Elder That is have him in great honour Verse 32 Ver. 32. And it shall be if thou go with us Not only stay with us while we are here in the Wilderness but go along with us into Canaan Yea it shall be Depend upon it That what Goodness the LORD shall do unto us the same will we do unto thee Give thee some part of the Possession which God shall bestow upon us Accordingly it appears that as Moses prevailed with him to accompany them so he and his Posterity were settled among the Israelites I Judg. 16. IV. 11. where either he or his Father is called the Kenite who lived in Tents not in Houses after the manner of their Fore-fathers in Midian Ver. 33. And they departed from the Mount of the Verse 33 LORD viz. Horeb in the Wilderness of Sinai where they had stayed a long time I Deut. 6. Three days journey They travelled three Days before the Cloud settled again upon the Tabernacle though it stood still some times but did not descend to give them time for necessary Refreshment and for Sleep See XI 1. And the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days journey It is said v. 21. that the Sanctuary was carried between the two first Standards and the two last i. e. in the midst of the Camp as we expresly read II. 17. Which Abarbinel thinks is to be understood not of all their Journeys but only this That was the constant order of their March first went the Standard of Judah next that of Reuben after this the Tabernacle of the Congregation then followed the Standard of Ephraim and last of all that of Dan. But now in their first Removal God did them the honour to appoint the Ark to go before them in the front of all the Camps as he did when they passed over Jordan III Josh 6. That is in their first and last Journeys this extraordinary Favour was shown them but in all the rest the Ark went in the midst of them And thus Aben Ezra upon this place This first Removal was not like the rest of their Removals But I see no good ground for this Exposition The plain meaning seems to be That the LORD as their King and Governour led them by the Cloud which was always over the Ark just as a General leads his Army though he be not in the front of it but in the midst from whence he Issues out his Orders To search out a resting place for them There was no need of enquiry after a fitting Station for them but he speaks after the manner of Generals who send Officers before them to take up
was kindled Or When the LORD heard it he demonstrated he was highly offended by sending a Fire among them And the Fire of the LORD burnt among them Some take this Phrase Fire of the LORD to signifie a great Fire as Mountains of the LORD are high Mountains Which came either from Heaven like Lightning as in 2 Kings I. 12. or from the Pillar of Cloud and Fire over the Tabernacle where the Glory of the LORD appeared some times like unto Fire And consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the Camps Where the mixt Multitude were as I observed X. 25. who came out of Egypt and may well be supposed to have stirred up the Israelites to complain of their tedious Journey which had not yet brought them near to the Land of Cannan And perhaps some of them lagged behind on purpose that they might complain of Weariness as some take it or rather of want of stronger Food But Bochartus hath demonstrated that this word which we translate the uttermost parts signifies in all or throughout Of which he gives many Instances out of Lud. de Dieu upon XXXIII Ezek. 1. See XIX Gen. 4. XLVII 2 c. Hierozoicon P. I. L. II. cap. 34. And therefore so it should be here rendred Consumed some in every part of the Camp where they began to make Complaints one to another of their being still in a Wilderness Ver. 2. And the People cried unto Moses Of whose Verse 2 power with God they had great Experience but had reason to distrust their own Interest in him because of their murmuring Humour For it is like they are the same People that cried now to Moses who before complained v. 1. And when Moses prayed unto the LORD As they begg'd he would The Fire was quenched Went out and no signs of it appeared So the Hebrew Phrase signifies it sunk What number of them was burnt we are not told it is likely nor many because the terrour of it instantly made them deprecate God's Displeasure by Moses their Intercessor which put a stop to it Ver. 3. And he called the name of the place Taberah Which for another reason was also called Kibroth-hattaavah v. 34. They are mentioned indeed in IX Deut. 22. as if they were two distinct places but Verse 3 it is plain by the story that the things which occasioned both these Names hapned in one and the same station And therefore they were only different Names for the same Place unless we suppose Kibroth-hattaavah to have been the name of that particular piece of Ground in that place where the Lusters were buried Because the Fire of the LORD burnt amâ—ng them This is the reason of the Name of Taberah which signifies a burning which was imposed on this place to preserve the Memory both of God's Judgments and of his Mercy Verse 4 Ver. 4. And the mixt Multitude that was among them The Hebrew word hasaphsuph is well translated by Bochartus Populi colluvies undecunque colâ—cta the Dregs or Scum of the People gathered together from all parts For the doubling of words increases their sense in the Hebrew Language and makes the same with the Superlative Degree in other Tongues Of which he gives many Instances in his Hierozoicon P. II. Lib. V. cap. 6. See XIII Lev. 19. where Adamdameth signifies exceeding red as hasaphsuph here doth a very great collection of all sorts of People both Egyptians and other Neighbouring Nations who were invited by their wonderful Deliverance out of Egypt to joyn themselves to the Israelites as Proselytes to their Religion See XII Exod. 38. The Jews in Tanchuma say there were Forty thousand of them and Jannes and Jambres at the Head of them Fell a lusting He doth not say for what and the Jews have taken the liberty to fancy what they please Some of them say that they lusted after such Women as Moses had lately forbidden them to marry So the Paraphrase of Vzielides Moses heard the People weeping because those that were near of kin to them were forbidden in Marriage And he makes as if these Proselytes petitioned Moses to abrogate those Laws about Incest Such Conceits others have indulged to themselves as Mr. Selden shows Lib. II. de Synedr Cap. IV. p. 202. when the words in the end of this Verse and v. 13 18. plainly show they lusted for Flesh to eat And the Children of Israel also Though the mixt multitude were the first Fomentors of this Discontent yet it run among the Children of Israel throughout the whole Camp And rose so high that they fell into a great Passion Wept again They had shed some Tears it seems before when they complained verse 1. but now they wept aloud out of Anger Vexation and Grief Or else this weeping again refers to their first Murmuring a Year ago like unto this XVI Exod. 3. And said They could not refrain from bursting out into such discontented Language as argued they were extreamly angry or rather inraged Who shall give us flesh to eat It is an Expression of a vehement impatient Desire mixed with Despair after flesh-Meat Which they needed not to have wanted if they would have killed their Cattel which they brought with them out of Egypt in great abundance XII Exod. 38. but they preserved them for breed when they came to Canaan and if they killed them daily they would not have lasted long to suffice Six hundred thousand People besides Women and Children See v. 21 22. Besides this while they continued in the Wilderness they were not permitted to eat any Flesh but only their share of the Peace-offerings that were offered at the Altar XVII Levit. 3 4 5. Which lasted the Jews think till they came to the Land of Canaan when this Restraint was taken off XII Deut. 15 16. And indeed the Wilderness was so barren a place that they could there have no great increase of Cattel scarce sufficient for Sacrifice They were angry therefore that they were not yet brought to a Country where they might have had all sorts of Flesh without killing their own Cattel and have taken their fill of that and all other Food as appears by the next Verse at as easie rates as they had done in Egypt Whereas now they despaired as I said of getting any such Food for so such Questions as this signifie CXIII Psal 5. LIII Isa 8. VIII Joh. 16. Verse 5 Ver. 5. We remember the fish This shows that all kind of Food is comprehended under Flesh for which they longed particularly this which is one sort of Flesh 1 Corinth XV. 39. Which we did eat in Egypt freely Or for nothing For they could easily catch them in the River of Egypt which abounded with them XIX Isa 8. and in the Sea also which was not far from them wherein was exceeding great plenty of excellent Fish The Cucumbers and the Melons c. None of which grew here in the Wilderness but were there in such Plenty and Perfection that they were the
of Moses by whose Consent and in whose Presences the rest were joined to him but these two without his Knowledge and being absent from him became his Consorts in Spiritual Gifts This he thought tended to the Diminution of his Master for whom he expressed a great Honour The two Targums say that they prophesied of the Death of Moses and the Advancement of Joshua to be the Leader of God's People which made Joshua the more concerned to have them suppressed But this is like the rest of their Conceits several of which are mentioned by Mr. Selden in the place before-named Sect. 3. Verse 29 Ver. 29. And Moses said unto him Enviest thou for my sake This shows that Joshua thought it a Disparagement unto Moses that they should have the Gift of Prophecy bestowed on them and be no way indebted to Moses for it As the other were who were brought by him to the Tabernacle where he presented them to God as Men fit to partake of it But these two seemed to have no dependance on him for what they received Would God that all the LORD's People were Prophets This shows also that the Gift of Prophecy was a distinct thing from the Gift of Government For he did not wish they might all be made Rulers than which nothing could have been more absurd And that the LORD would put his Spirit upon them That they might all break forth by his Inspiration into his Praises Which is an high Demonstration of that most excellent Spirit that dwelt in Moses which had nothing of Envy Pride or Vain-glory in it For he sought not himself in the least but purely the Glory of God and the Good of his People Which admirable Temper of Mind St. James from hence commends to all Christians when he saith IV. 5. Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain the Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to Envy But he giveth more Grace Where doth the Scripture by which word the Apostles commonly mean the Old Testament say any thing like this unless it be in this place the Sense of which is fully expressed by St. James as Hermannus Witzius well explains his meaning Doth that Spirit whereby we are regenerated and governed move us to Envy or any such like vicious Desire No far from that it giveth greater Grace and makes us rejoyce in the good of our Neighbours c. as Moses did when he said Dost thou envy for my sake and thereby excitest me to the like Envy Is that suitable to the Spirit that is in us which I wish God would bestow upon all his People This agrees with what St. James saith But he giveth more Grace Miscell Sacr. L. I. cap. 18. n. 27. Ver. 30. And Moses gat him into the Camp From Verse 30 the Tabernacle where the Elders had been presented unto God and indued with his Spirit He and the Elders of Israel That they might exercise their Authority joyntly with him And there I suppose Eldad and Medad were assumed into the same Authority for we do not read that they were brought to the Tabernacle being sufficiently approved by God in the Camp Ver. 31. And there went forth a Wind from the Verse 31 LORD At the Prayer it is likely of Moses and the Elders who promised the People Flesh enough a mighty Wind of an extraordinary force was raised beyond the common Course of Nature The Psalmist informs us from what Quarter this Wind blew when he saith LXXVIII Psal 26. He caused the East-wind to blow in the Heaven and by his power he brought in the South-wind Which some understand as if sometimes an East-wind blew and sometimes a South that these Quails as we call them might be brought from several Coasts But the Hebrews wanting compound words make use of these two words to express that which we call a South-east Wind. Or as Bochartus will have it the Hebrew word Kadni which properly signifies the East doth sometimes signifie the South and is by the LXX often so translated of which he gives a great many Instances And therefore the Psalmist as the manner of the Hebrew Language is repeats the same thing in other words See Hierozoic P. II. L. I. cap. 15. And so the famous Ludolphus both in his Commentary upon his Aethiopick History and in his Dissertation de Locustis saith they were brought in by a South-wind blowing from all Points of that Quarter And brought Quails No Body that I have met withal hath laboured so much to give a clear Explication of this whole following Discourse as Job Ludolphus in his most learned Commentary upon his Aethiopick History Lib. I. cap. 13. n. 96. Where he hath a long Discourse to which I refer the Reader to show that the Hebrews do not take the word Selau here used to signifie Quails but we take that translation of it only from Josephus See what I have noted on XVI Exod. 13. The no less learned Bochartus indeed hath said a great deal to justifie Josephus and hath shown that Egypt and the Neighbouring Regions abound still with Quails from whence this Wind blew fair to bring them to the Hebrews And every one knows that there are certain Winds called Ornithia's from their bringing great Flights of Birds along with them Quails also he observes are wont to fly from the Southern Countries to the Northern in the Spring time as it now was and to fall sometimes in such vast quantities as to sink a Ship Notwithstanding all which and a great deal more which he alledges with great learning there are several things said in the following Relation which by no means can be brought to agree to Quails and therefore Ludolphus rather takes Selau to signifie Locusts by which it is easie to give a plain Explication of all that is said of them It is certain they were not only used for Food in those Parts of the World but that some of them were very delicious Meat in several Countries for they that have eaten them See XI Lev. 22. compare them to young Pigeons or to a fresh Herring or to a Crab or Lobster like to which they are in Shape and Figure and they are several ways prepared and accounted very wholsome Food when they have thrown away the Heads and Wings and Leggs Pliny saith that some Parts of Ethiopia lived upon them and that they were preserved fumo sale by being dried in the Smoak and salted for their nourishment throughout the whole Year Now all that is said in this and in the following verses will have a plain and easie meaning as I said if we follow this Interpretation but not if we take them for Quails or Pheasants or Sea-fowl As for example what was said before concerning God's sending a mighty Wind is not hard to understand if we suppose him to speak of Locusts which all Authors say are brought with a Wind But it was never heard to bring Quails which cannot fly high nor far much less so far as from the
it was to inspect it and judge whether it was a Leprosie or no XIII Lev. 2 c. And behold she was leprous He could not but judge her to have a Leprosie and consequently pronounce her unclean Ver. 11. And Aaron said unto Moses He was Verse 11 made sensible that Moses had greater interest in God than himself and therefore desires his intercession for them Alas my Lord Have pity upon us miserable Wretches I beseech thee lay not the Sin upon us He supplicates him as his Superior and humbly begs his pardon and that he would obtain remission of the Punishment which they had justly deserved by their Sin For he was afraid he himself might suffer as he saw she did Wherein we have done foolishly and wherein we have sinned He prays him to look upon their Offence as proceeding from Folly and Weakness though in it self a great Sin Ver. 12. Let her not be as one dead c. For so Verse 12 she was not only legally being to be separated from the Living but naturally also this being as I said the worst kind of Leprosie which eat into the very Flesh and made her look like an Abortive as it here follows or Still-born Child which had lain long dead and was half wasted away in its Mothers Womb. Ver. 13. And Moses cried unto the LORD Most Verse 13 earnestly petitioned the LORD for her such was his Meekness and Piety And his crying perhaps supposes the Divine Majesty to be gone afar off if not out of sight Heal her now O God I beseech thee For it was beyond any other power but his to recover her Ver. 14. And the LORD said unto Moses if her Verse 14 Father had but spit in her face An expression of extream Anger abhorrence and contempt XXX Job 10. LII Isa 6. Should she not be ashamed seven days She could not have had the confidence to come presently into his Presence but be ashamed for a great while to look him in the Face Let her be shut out of the Camp Much more is it fit that Miriam should avoid my Presence and not presume to come before me who have set a greater Mark of my Indignation and Detestation upon her For Spittle might soon be wiped off but the Leprosie stuck to her and made her unfit for all Conversation with God or Man Seven days Which was the time for legal Cleansing from such great Impurities XIV Lev. 8. VI Numb 9. XXXI 19. And after that let her be received in again I suppose she was presently freed from her Leprosie but kept out from the Camp so long to declare God's Displeasure against her and to humble her by exposing her to shame Verse 15 Ver. 15. And Miriam was shut out of the Camp seven days That her Offence might be known to all by her open Punishment And the People journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again For the Cloud was gone which should have directed them in their Motions And besides this respect perhaps was shown unto her because she was a Prophetess and hereby she had time given her to humble her self before God and to beg his Pardon for her Sin Brought in again When one would have expected that such Sacrifices should have been offered for her Cleansing as are required in XIV Lev. But this was an extraordinary Case she being on a sudden miraculously struck with the highest Degree of the Plague of Leprosie and as suddenly cured by the same Hand that struck her Ver. 16. And afterward the People removed Which Verse 16 shows that the Cloud which departed from the Tabernacle v. 10. returned again to it together with Miriam that it might guide them in their removal to another Station For till it was taken up from the Tabernacle they stirred not from the place where they were IX 17 18. From Hazeroth After they had abode there seven days at the least And pitched in the Wilderness of Paran Where they were before See X. 12. but now were brought into another part of it called Rithmah XXXIII 18. which was call'd also by another name Kadesh-barnea XIII 26 I Deut. 19. Or else we must suppose these two Places to have been so very near together that they might be said to have pitched either in the one or the other This Station was at the foot of the Mountain on the South part of Canaan I Deut. 20. so that their next removal was to have been into the Land promised to them if they themselves had not hindred by their renewed Rebellion This removal was in the fourth Month of the second Year after they came out of the Land of Egypt See XI 20 35. CHAP. XIII Chapter XIII Verse 1 Ver. 1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses saying They being now come to the Borders of Canaan the LORD ordered Moses to exhort them to go up and take possession of it and not to fear nor be discouraged as we read in I Deut. 21. But the People out of a distrust of God's Power as Moses seems to intimate IX Deut. 23. desired they might first send some to search out the Land before they attempted its Conquest I Deut. 22. About which it is likely Moses consulted the Divine Majesty who gave them leave so to do Verse 2 Ver. 2. Send thou Men. For their greater satisfaction God ordered them to have their desire For there seems to have been a general Fear upon them every one of them coming to Moses with this request I Deut. 22. which could not be removed but by sending some to bring them intelligence what kind of Country it was and what People they had to deal withal v. 18 19 20. That they may search the Land of Canaan To make a discovery both of the Country and of the Inhabitants and the best way to invade it I Deut. 22. Which I give unto the Children of Israel To the possession of which God now intended to introduce them For he had already brought them to the Confines of it and bidden them go up and possess it I Deut. 20 21. but they would needs make this delay for a discovery of the condition of the Country which was their own contrivance at the first and not a Divine Counsel Of every Tribe of their Fathers shall ye send a Man That there might be no suspicion of Partiality in their Report Every one a Ruler among them Men of Authority and Prudence who might be the more believed Yet not of the highest Rank for such are called by the name of Princes I. 16. but Rulers perhaps of Thousands who were very considerable in their Tribes For they are called by the same name in the Hebrew every one being said to be a NASI and a ROSCH a Leader and a Head in their Tribes which may incline one to think that there were higher and lower Persons of this sort who had the same Title in every Tribe Ver. 3. And Moses by the Commandment of the Verse 3 LORD Which was given
him in the fifth Month called Ab as St. Hierom notes from the Jews of the second Year after they came out of Egypt It is not certain upon what day but it is likely in the beginning of the Month which answers to the nineteenth of our July sent them from the Wilderness of Paran From Radesh-Barnea XXXII 8. I Deut. 19 20. IX 23. XIV Josh 7. All those Men were heads of the Children of Israel So the Rulers of Thousands and Hundreds are called XVIII Exod. 25. as well as the Princes I Numb 16. But these were a lower sort of Heads or great Men in the several Tribes of Israel Ver. 4. And these are their Names Of the Tribe of Verse 4 Reuben Shammua the Son of Zaccur There is little to be observed concerning this Verse and those that follow to the XVIth but that it is evident these were not the same Men who in the first Chapter of this Book are called the Heads and Princes of the Tribes being inferiour Persons who ruled over some part not over a whole Tribe The three first Tribes also that are here mentioned sprang from the three eldest Sons for Levi did not make a Tribe in Israel of Jacob But in the Enumeration of the rest there is not any Order observed of which I can give an account Perhaps they being to disperse themselves when they entred the Country they were to search see verse 22. and thinking it not prudent to go above two at the most in company cast Lots who should be associated And the first Lot fell to those of the Tribe of Reuben and Simeon the next to those of Judah and Issachar and so to the rest Verse 11 Ver. 11. Of the Tribe of Joseph i. e. Of the other Branch of Joseph's Family viz. of the Tribe of Manasseh as it here follows Verse 16 Ver. 16. These are the Names of the Men that Moses sent to spy out the Land He would have their Names remembred which is the reason of this Remark for the sake of those two worthy Men Caleb and Joshua whose Vertue was very illustrious in the midst of a crooked and perverse Generation And Moses called Oshea the Son of Nun. So he is called v. 8. being named for the Tribe of Ephraim Jehoshua He was called by this name presently after they came out of Egypt XVII Exod. 9. when he went to fight with Amalek Whom he having overcome Moses lookt upon it as a Token that he should save and deliver the People of Israel and then called him by this Name Which imports some thing more than Oshea for that denotes only a Prayer for Salvation as Menochius observes but this carries in it a Promise of it And some think the addition of the first Letter in the name Jehoshua was from the name of JEHOVAH Implying that the LORD would imploy him in leading and conducting his People into the Land of Promise Wherein he was a Type of the Saviour of the World the LORD JESUS whose Name is the same with this who conducts those that believe on him to an Heavenly Inheritance If I could find the like comfortable Signification in the rest of the Names of these Men I should think there might be some ground for their Opinion who fancy Moses chose Joshua because there was a good Omen in his very Name For all Nations took great care that no Man should be imployed in Affairs of moment whose Names carry any unlucky Signification in them So Cicero observes in his first Book of Divination that the Generals of Armies and the Censors took care that none should so much as lead the Sacrifices to the Altar but who were bonis Nominibus of Names that signified Good Of which the Consuls also were very observant ut primus miles fiat bono nomine that the first Souldier whom they listed should be of a good Name such as Valerius Salvius Statorius or the like On the contrary the Name of Naevius was deemed so bad that in his Oration pro Quinct Sext. he saith having named the Man methinks I have said enough Ver. 17. And Moses sent them to spy out the Land and Verse 17 said unto them That is when he sent them to spy out the Land as was said in the foregoing Verse he gave them the following Directions Get ye up this way Southward This South-part of Canaan fell afterward to be part of the Lot of the Tribe of Judah XV Josh 1 2 3. and was very dry and consequently barren I Judg. 15. and therefore fittest for their entrance to spy out the Land unobserved being less inhabited than the better parts of the Country Besides it was nearest to the place where they now were encamped And go up into the Mountain Where the Amorites dwelt I Deut. 19. together with some Amalekites and other People XIV 43 45. From whence they were to go down into the Valleys Verse 18 Ver. 18. And see the Land what it is and the People that dwell therein These are the general Directions which he gave them to inform themselves both of the Country and of its Inhabitants Whether they be strong or weak few or many In particular with respect to the latter he directs them to inform themselves whether the Inhabitants were strong bodied or feeble and whether their number was great or small Verse 19 Ver. 19. And what the Land is that they dwell in whether it be good or bad And with respect to the former he would have them bring an account first what sort of Country it was whether healthful and delightful or unwholesome and unpleasant And what Cities there be that they dwell in And then how large their Cities were and of what strength Whether in Tents or in strong Holds Whether they lived in Tents as the Arabians did and the Israelites while they were in the Wilderness or in Houses and whether they were fortified Or rather as we would say in our Language whether in open Villages or in walled Cities For so the word Mahanaim signifies not Tents as we here translate it but Hosts or Camps XXXII Gen. 1. and here Towns without Walls as the LXX interprets it And the Vulgar Verse 20 also only inverting the order of the words whether in walled Towns or without walls Ver. 20. And what the Land is c. And last of all what is the Soil of the Country whether rich and fertile or poor and barren and also whether it be a woody Country or otherwise And be ye of good courage and bring of the fruit of the Land In which Discoveries there being some hazard he bids them be confident God would preserve them so that they might venture to bring away with them some of the Fruit which the Country produced Now the time was the time of the first ripe Grapes Towards the Vintage Ver. 21. So they went up and searched the Land Verse 21 from the Wilderness of Zin Which was on the South of the Land of Canaan XXXIV
3. XV Josh 1 3. being different from the Wilderness of Sin which lay near to Egypt XVI Exod. 1. Vnto Rehob as Men come to Hamath The City of Rehob lay in the North of the Land of Canaan and fell to the Lot of the Tribe of Asher XIX Josh 28. And it lay not far from Hamath which in after times was called Ephiphania a City which we very often read of afterwards as the bounds of Judaea Northward which Moses saith was unto the entrance of Hamath XXXIV 8. So that they took a Survey of the whole Country from one end of it to the other South and North and also as they passed along observed those Parts that lay East and West For they gave an account of the Canaanites as dwelling by the Sea which was Westward and by the Coast of Jordan which was on the East v. 29. Or if by the Sea we understand not the Western Ocean but the dead Sea as some do yet it appears by these very words that they bent their Course as they passed from South to North unto the Western and Eastern Parts also For Rehob and Hamath both lay at the foot of Libanus one to the North-west towards Sidon and the other to the North-east Verse 22 Ver. 22. And they ascended by the South In their return from searching the Country And came unto Hebron That is Some of them For the words in the Hebrew is not they came as it is they ascended but he came Which demonstrates that they did not go all of them together in a Company for that had been dangerous and might have made them taken notice of but dispersed themselves some going to discover one place some another And it is a probable Conjecture of some of the Hebrew Doctors that Caleb was the Man that went to take a view of Hebron and was so little affrighted at the sight of the Giants there that he was the very Person that afterward drove them out and had this place given him for his Portion For it was in the South part of the Lot of the Tribe of Judah being formerly called Kirjath-Arba XIV Josh 9 12 14. Where Ahiman Sheshai and Talmai the Children of Anak were These were the Grand-children of Arba from whom Hebron had the name of Kirjath-Arba i. e. the City of Arba who was the Father of Anak Whose Family was more eminent than any other in Canaan these three Sons of his being Men not only of great Bulk but Prowess and Valour Bochartus thinks Lib. I. Canaan cap. 1. that Anak signifies as much as the Roman name Toropiatus being like to that Gaul whom Manlius vanquished And Ahiman signifies as much as Who is my Brother importing there was none to be compared with him Sesai he takes to be as much as Sixtius viz. Six Cubits high as Goliath was And Talmai he derives from Talam a Furrow as if he seemed in length to equal a Furrow in the Field These were the People that made the Israelites tremble for it is likely their whole Family were of a very large Stature though not so big as these And indeed they were so very terrible to all their Neighbours that it became a Proverbial saying in those Countries Who can stand before the Children of Anak IX Deut. 2. Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt The Egyptians boasted of the great Antiquity of their Nation and Cities But Moses shows that Hebron was built before the Capital City of their Country For so Zoan was and called in after Ages Tanis lying not far from that Mouth of the River Nile which from thence was called by Plutarch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 R. Solomon will have it that Hebron was built by Cham one of the three Sons of Noah and the Father of Mizraim from whom the Egyptians descended But of this there is no certainty and the Gemara upon Sota cap. 7. saith It is not likely that a Man would build a House for his younger Son before he had built one for his elder for Canaan was the youngest of all the Sons of Cham X Gen. 6. Yet those Doctors are willing to suppose that Cham built both these Cities and therefore interpret the word banah which is rightly translated built as if it signified fruitful according to XVI Gen. 2. and make the Sense to be That Hebron was seven times more fruitful than Zoan Which is very foolish as upon other accounts so on this that Hebron was a strong place and therefore not fertile Verse 23 Ver. 23. And they came unto the Brook Eshchol A place which lay in a Valley at the foot of the Mountain I Deut. 24. And cut down from thence a Branch with one Cluster of Grapes This was done no doubt in some private place upon the Southern Borders of Canaan just as they were returning to the Camp of Israel again For it would have given the Country too great an Alarm if they had marched in the High-way with this Bunch upon their Shoulders And they bare it between two A great many Authors mention Vines and Grapes of an extraordinary bigness in those Eastern and Southern Countries I need only refer to Strabo who says the Vines in Margiana and other places were so big that two Men could scarce compass them with their Arms and that they produced 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Bunch of Grapes of two Cubits Lib. II. Geograph p. 73. and Lib. XI p. 516. Which is in part justified by Olearius in his late Travels into Persia Book III. where he saith not far from Astracan he saw Vines whose Trunks were so thick that a Man could do no more than grasp them about with both his Arms. And Forsterus in his Dictionarium Hebraicum p. 862. saith there was a Preacher at Norimberg called Achacius who lived as a Monk eight Years in the Holy Land as they call it who told him upon his Sick-bed That in his time there were Clusters of Grapes at Hebron of such bigness that one single Kernel was sufficient to quench his Thirst a whole day when he was sick there of a Tympany J. Conradus Dieterius hath collected a great deal more to this purpose out of Leo Africanus and Nic. Radzivillius and other Authors in his Antiq Biblicae p. 249. And since him the most learned Huetius in his Quaestiones Alnetanae Lib. II. cap. 12. n. 24. where among other things he observes that Crete Chios and other Islands in the Archipelago afford Bunches of Grapes of ten pound weight sometimes of thirty six yea of forty And he mentions Grapes of a prodigious bigness in the Island of Madera Vpon a Staff See IV. 10. And they brought of the Pomegranates and Figs. Which grew in the parts nearest to the place where the Israelites were encamped Ver. 24. The place was called the Brook Eshcol because Verse 24 of the Cluster of Grapes which the Children of Israel cut down from thence That is when the Israelites got possession of the Land
or both of them because they were near Jordan which ran into them And by the Coast of Jordan Where the Canaanites were also seated as is evident from XI Deut. 30. For there were both Western and Eastern Canaanites as appears from XI Josh 3. and they are frequently joyned with the Perizzites particularly I Judg. 4. who were a fierce sort of rough People that dwelt in the woody part of the Mountains So that the Intentions of the Men who made this Report was to represent to the People that whether they invaded the Land by the Southern Parts or the Eastern they would find both strongly guarded by a mighty People much superiour to them in force Which account the following verse shows put the People into a Tumult Ver. 30. And Caleb stilled the People It is plain by this that the People understood by their way of speaking Countenances and Gestures that the meaning of these Men who made this Report which was not false in it self was that though the Country indeed was very rich and desirable yet it was impossible for them to drive the Inhabitants out of it Which put them into a mutinous Disposition as Caleb perceived by their Looks and their Muttering and therefore stept forth before it brake out to quiet their Spirits with his Account of the Country and Inhabitants in which Joshua no question joyned with him It is not indeed here mentioned because Caleb perhaps stood next to those who began to make a Commotion and therefore spake first but he was seconded by Joshua we may be sure because we find him mentioned in the next Chapter and in the first place together with Caleb as indeavouring to appease the Tumult And he is not only exempted from the Punishment inflicted upon the People for their Rebellion XIV 30 38. but is expresly said to have followed the LORD fully as well as Caleb XXXII 12. Before Moses The Hebrew Phrase El Moscheh may signifie that he stilled them as they were coming towards Moses in a Seditious manner or quieted them so far as to make them hearken to Moses or as we render it in his Presence when they were ready to fly in his Face One of the Doctors in the Gemara before-mentioned cap. 9. saith That Joshua being about to speak they bitterly reproached him and would not suffer him to proceed And therefore Caleb thought good to give them a great many blandishing words and to call Moses this Son of Amram which lookt like Contempt of him whereby he stilled them and disposed them to listen to him And then he said Is not he the Person that brought us out of Egypt that divided the Red Sea for us to pass through it that gave us Manna from Heaven What if he should bid us make Ladders and climb up into the Skies should we not obey him And said Let us go up at once Or go up immediately without a stop And possess it He speaks as if it were already their own as indeed it was by God's gift and they need only enter and take possession of it For we are able to overcome it There will be no such difficulty as these Men represent in the Conquest of it Ver. 31. But the Men that went up with him The Verse 31 rest of the Company that went to search the Land who if they had not persisted in their Unbelief the People perhaps might have been perfectly appeased by Caleb and Joshua Said We be not able Now they open their Minds more plainly in their Reply to Caleb Whom they oppose directly and declare their Opinion downright that they were not an equal Match for their Enemies To go up against the People To beat them out of the Mountains which they inhabited For they are stronger than we These Men had no confidence in the Promise and Power of God on which Caleb and Joshua relyed but measured all things by Human strength Ver. 32. And they brought up an evil report of the Verse 32 Land which they had searched unto the Children of Israel In the heat of their Opposition they now disparage the Country which they had before praised v. 27. and also stretch their Report of the Inhabitants beyond the Truth Saying The Land through which we have gone to search is a Land that eateth up the Inhabitants thereof Unless we suppose that there was a great Plague at this time in the Country as the Hebrews do who love to excuse their Fore-fathers sins this was a gross lie But take it as they suppose yet this was a very malignant Report For if they saw the People of the Country every where as they passed along carrying their Neighbours to their Graves as the Jews tell the Tale this which they should have ascribed to the Providence of God who sent this Mortality that they might have fewer Enemies to oppose them and that these Spies might pass more freely and less observed they most wickedly ascribe to the badness of the Air which being very unhealthful to the Natives might well be thought would be much more so to Strangers Thus bad Minds as the aforesaid Gemara glosses well enough upon this Story turn that which God intends for their Benefit into their Hurt And if we had any better Authority for this Story the word achal which we translate eat up would well enough agree with it For as Maimonides observes in the first part of his More Nevoch cap. 30. it is used in the Holy Scriptures concerning any kind of Consumption Destruction or Desolation As here in this Book XI 1. XXVI Lev. 38. 2 Sam. II. 26 c. And all the People that we saw in it were Men of great Stature The Hebrew Phrase is Men of Measures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the LXX translate it Men of larger size than the rest of Mankind Which we have no reason to think was true But having seen the Sons of Anak in one part of the Country they imagined all the rest of the People to be near unto their Stature For this is the Description of that Giant of Gath mentioned 1 Chron. XX. 6. where he is called a Man of Measure and 2 Sam. XXI 20. where he is called in the Plural Number as they are here a Man of Measures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Man above the common bigness And thus very great Houses are called Houses of Measure XXII Jerem. 24. Ver. 33. And there we saw the Giants Men of Verse 33 greater Bulk and Strength than the biggest of those very great Men see VI Gen. 4. which they spake of in the foregoing words The Sons of Anak They had mentioned this once before v. 28. and now repeat it again because they were struck with such a Terror at the sight of them that they were always at their Tongues end Just as Homer mentions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Bochartus makes the Comparison Lib. I. Canaan cap. 1. Which came of the Giants Who were descended from a Gigantick Race of Men
particularly from Arba who was their Grand-father as Joshua tells us XIV 15. XV. 13 14 c. Where he shows how Caleb drove these Anakims out of their Cities and made them fly to the Philistims where there were some Remainders of them till the days of David And others of them perhaps fled into Greece for there was a Race of Men among the Greeks called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who Vossius thinks it probable might descend from these Children of Anak Lib. I. de Orig. Progressu Idolol cap. XIII And we were in our own sight as Grashoppers Their Fear magnified them above measure though no doubt they were Men of such an extraordinary heighth Verse 26 that they might look upon themselves to be as small and contemptible as Grashoppers are compared with us And such very tall Men there are still in some parts of the World as Job Ludolphus observes in his Commentary upon his Histor Aethiopica Lib. I. cap. 2. n. 22. And so we were in their fight One of the Jewish Doctors makes bold to call these Men Liars For though their Fear might make them seem in their own sight as Grashoppers yet how could they tell saith he that they were so in the sight of the Children of Anak Here the Gemarists in the place I mentioned above cap. 10. endeavour to help them out by continuing the Tale of the great Mortality which was then in those Countries Where a Funeral-Feast as the manner was being one day made under certain Cedar-trees which are very shady the Spies got up to the top of them to hide themselves among the thick Boughs But the People below hapning to look up the Spies heard them say there are Men got up into the Trees who look like Grashoppers But there needs no such Inventions to defend them when an Hyperbole will do it Their plain meaning being this that the Anakims looked down upon them with the utmost Contempt By all which it appears that they had not only a sight of the Anakims but the Anakims also saw them and lookt upon them it is likely as they did upon other Travellers who were wont to come thither either for their Pleasure or to traffick in their Country or in their way to other places Whom it was not their Custom to examine strictly whence they came and what their business was but let pass to and fro among them freely CHAP. XIV Chapter XVI Ver. 1. AND all the Congregation By all the Congregation Verse 1 may be here meant all the great Men for so the Phrase sometimes signifies except Caleb and Joshua and perhaps some few others Lift up their Voice and cried Shrieked and made loud Lamentations And the People wept Which put all the People into Tears That night Which followed after the Report made by the Spies Ver. 2. And all the Children of Israel murmured against Verse 2 Moses and against Aaron As they had frequently done before but now in a more tumultuous manner And the whole Congregation said unto them The great Men spake in the name of the whole body of the People Would God that we had died in the Land of Egypt In a Fit of Fury and Despair they quite forgot how miraculously God had brought them from thence and consequently could as easily bring them into Canaan Or would God we had died in this Wilderness When several of their Brethren were burnt and smote with a very great Plague in this very Wilderness of Paran XI 1 33. Ver. 3. Wherefore hath the LORD brought us into this Land Having vented their Passion against God's Ministers they most undutifully accuse him as if he Verse 3 had dealt deceitfully with them To fall by the Sword Of the Children of Anak who they fancied were irresistible That our Wives and Children should be a prey To the People of Canaan after all the Men of Israel were killed Were it not better for us to return into Egypt Their Rage deprived them of the use of their Reason Verse 4 Ver. 4. And they said one to another let us make a Captain and let us return into Egypt They knew that Moses would not conduct them thither and therefore they thought of chusing another Leader But though they might in a Raging Fit speak of returning to Egypt yet it is an amazing thing that they should continue in this Madness and deliberate about it nay actually appoint them a Captain as Nehemiah saith they did IX 17. For how could they get thither without Food which they could not expect God would send them from Heaven when they had forsaken him Or how could they hope to find their way when his Cloud which directed them was withdrawn from them Or hope to deal with those that might oppose their Passage if they hit upon the right way And after all if they came into Egypt what Entertainment could they look for there among a People whose King and Princes and First-born had lately perished on their account Nothing can be said in answer to these things but that outragious Discontent will not suffer Men to consider any thing but that which grieves them and that foul Ingratitude and Forgetfulness of God's Benefits and that throws them into such Discontents Ver. 5. And Moses and Aaron fell on their faces To deprecate God's Displeasure which lately arose against Verse 5 them upon a less occasion than this XI 33. and they might justly fear would now destroy them all for their incurable Infidelity as Josephus explains it Before all the Assembly of the Congregation of the Children of Israel Some fancy that their falling down before them was to beseech them to desist from their Murmuring and to trust in God who would go before them and sight for them as he saith he told them I Deut. 29 30. But falling on their Faces being the Posture of the most humble Supplicants to God and not to Men as all understand it in other places particularly XVI 4. XX. 6. their falling down before the Assembly signifies no more but that in their presence Moses and Aaron humbled themselves deeply before the Divine Majesty and prayed to him with the greatest Earnestness to forgive them and to bestow a better Mind upon them Which they did in their presence to awaken them to consider the danger they were in by their heinous Sin that they themselves might cry to him for Mercy For the usual Posture of Prayer in that Nation was standing but in very great Distress and Anxiety of Mind when they were exceeding solicitous to obtain their Petition they kneeled down and sometimes fell on their Faces which was still a sign of greater Ardor and Concernment as appears from our Blessed Saviour XXVI Matth. 39. XXII Luke 41. Ver. 6. And Joshua the Son of Nun and Caleb the Son of Jephunneh which were of them that searched the Land rent their Clothes As the manner was on any Verse 6 sad and doleful occasion especially when they heard any Man blaspheme
thou redeem See XIII Exod. 13. XXXIV 20. Verse 16 Ver. 16. And those that are to be redeemed Viz. Of the First-born of Men mentioned before not of unclean Creatures which were to be redeemed by a Lamb XIII Exod. 13. and that after they were eight Days old XXII Exod. 30. From a Month old shalt thou redeem Then the Money was due but they commonly staid till the fortieth Day when the Woman was purified According to thy estimation Some think this relates not to what follows that the Priest should set a value upon them for that was a set rate five Shekels for every one but to what goes before that after a Child was a Month old the Priest should appoint a day for the payment of the Redemption-money either immediately after the Women had lain in a Month or on the fortieth Day that she might be Purified and the Child redeemed both together But it rather refers to what follows for though the price be determined yet so it is in another case XXVII Lev. 3 4. and notwithstanding is said to be by the estimation of the Priest because he was to take this Money not according to the quality of the Person but as much of a poor Man as of a rich and not more of a rich Man than of a poor For the Money of five Shekels c. Which was the price set upon the First-born when they were exchanged for the Levites III. 46 47. This Redemption of every First-born was a matter of great Importance and therefore so often mentioned as a very learned Friend of mine Dr. Alix observes in his Reflections on the four last Books of Moses Chap. 3. For as the Separation of the Tribe of Levi to God's Service instead of the First-born whom God spared and preserved in Egypt of which we read in the third Chapter of this Book made every Levite become a living Memorial of that great Miracle wrought at the Israelites going out of Egypt so this Law concerning the Redemption of the First-born made a further impression upon their Minds of that mighty Hand of God which compelled Pharaoh to let the Isaelites depart out of his Country Ver. 17. But the firstling of a Cow or of a Sheep or Verse 17 a Goat thou shalt not redeem For they were clean Creatures and only unclean Beasts were to be Redeemed v. 15. They are holy Separated by my appointment for an holy use viz. to be offered in Sacrifice not redeemed or put to any other use Thou shalt sprinkle their Blood upon the Altar and burn their fat c. Just as they did with their Peace-offerings VII Lev. 31 33. Ver. 18. And the flesh of them shall be thine The Verse 18 whole Body of the Beasts not merely some part of them after the Fat was burnt became the Priests intirely As the Wave-breast and the Heave-right-shoulder are thine As these parts of the Peace-offerings were the Priests See v. 11. so that all their Family who were clean might eat of the Flesh of these Firstlings as they did of those parts of the Peace-offerings Verse 19 Ver. 19. All the Heave-offerings of the holy things which the Children of Israel offer unto the LORD He repeats what he had said in the beginning of this Discourse v. 8. that he had given him all the Heave-offerings which comprehend those mentioned VI. 19 20. Have I given thee and thy Sons and thy Daughters with thee by a Statute for ever Settled upon the Priests and their whole Family for their Support by an unalterable Law See v. 11. It is a Covenant of Salt for ever before the LORD unto thee c. i. e. An everlasting Covenant never to be revoked See upon II Lev. 13. And these things being to be eaten before the LORD there was a place in the Court of the Women where they feasted upon them as L'Empereur observes upon Middoth cap. 2. sect 6. Verse 20 Ver. 20. And the LORD spake unto Aaron saying See v. 1. Thou shalt have no Inheritance in their Land i. e. In the Land of the Children of Israel whom he speaks of in the foregoing verse Where having told him what reward he and his Family should have for his Service he bids them be satisfied therewith and not expect any more And indeed it was so very liberal a Provision that their desires could not reasonably extend any further For as they had two sorts of First-fruits as I observed v. 12. so after a Tythe of that which was given to the Levites there was another Tythe of what remained to be spent in sacrificing at Jerusalem that is for the most part upon the Priests and Levites unto whom and unto the Poor it wholly belonged every third Year XIV Deut. 22 28. XXIII Exod. 19. XXXIV 20. Add hereunto the First-born all the Sin-offerings and their share in the Peace-offerings and the Skins of the Sacrifices which alone as Philo observes was a great Revenue and it will appear it could not be so little as a fifth part of the Fruit of the Country that came to the Priests for their Maintenance as Mr. Thorndike observes in the Rights of the Church in a Christian State p. 211. Neither shalt thou have any part among them When the Land was divided no fields or Vine-yards c. were to be given to the Priests or to any of the Tribe of Levi. And as the Jewish Doctors say they were to have no part among their Brethren in the Spoil So Jarchi upon this place and Maimonides and others who indeavour to answer the Objection which may be raised against this from the XXXIst Chapter of this very Book v. 28 29. Where a Tribute was taken of the Prey they got from the Midianites and given to Eleazar and the Levites This Tribute say they was offered because the Spoil came by executing God's Vengeance upon a Land that was not theirs XXV 17. But of the Land of Sihon and Og which God bestowed upon them as he did the Land of Canaan nothing was given to the Priests and Levites for they were admonished to the contrary as they understand them by these words Neither shalt thou have any part among them no not of the Spoil Certain it is that of the Land of the Country they were to have no part God having otherwise provided for them that they might attend wholly to his Service and not spend their time in Tilling the Ground or feeding Cattle which would have taken up their Thoughts very much from their Sacred Employment Yet the Levites had certain Cities and their Suburbs assigned to them XXXV 2 c. which was executed by Joshua as God commanded XXI Josh 2 3. whereby they were dispersed among the Tribes of Israel that they might the better instruct the People in the Divine Law XXXIII Deut. 10. 2. Chron. XXX 22. II Malachi 4 5 c. By accident also the Priests came to have some Land See XXVII Lev. 20 c. and my Notes there I
The LORD brought us out of Egypt Certain it is that thus the ancient Christians understood such places taking the Angel here spoken of to be the Eternal LOGOS or WORD as St. John calls the Eternal Son of God Whose sence no Man I think hath better explained than our Mr. Thorndike who though he confesses it to be plain by the Scriptures that it was always an Angel that appeared under the Old Testament who is sometimes called by the proper Name of God JEHOVAH yet this is no prejudice to what the Fathers of the Church teach concerning the Appearing of the Eternal WORD Who was that LORD who then assumed some Angelical Nature wherein he might appear to deal with Men for a short time after which he dismissed it when he had done that Business for which he assumed it And hath brought us forth out of Egypt XIII Exod. 22. XIV 19. And behold we are in Kadesh Near to Kadesh for it is not likely they were admitted into the City it self which gave its Name to the adjacent Country A City Or Town for it doth not seem to have been a walled place In the uttermost of thy Borders In the Confines of the King of Edom's Country and belonging it is likely to his Dominion Verse 17 Ver. 17. Let us pass I pray thee through thy Country In our way to the Land of Canaan which God hath promised to give us We will not pass through the Fields or through the Vineyards They engaged not to turn aside as they went along into any private Man's Grounds See XXI 22. Neither will we drink of the Water of the Wells Which any private Person had digged for his own use but only of the Rivers which are common to all Creatures We will go by the King's High-way Keep in the common Rode which is made for all Passengers by the King's allowance We will not turn to the right hand or to the left Out of the Rode but go strait on Vntil we have passed thy Borders Got to the other side of the Country of Edom. Ver. 18. And Edom said unto him This sounds Verse 18 as if the whole Country had joyned in the following Answer Thou shalt not pass by me Go through our Country v. 20. Lest I come out against thee with the Sword The King bids them not attempt it for he would oppose their passage with all his Forces He was afraid no doubt lest they should seize his Country or spoil it and therefore would not trust their Declarations which they made to the contrary Ver. 19. And the Children of Israel Who were Verse 19 sent upon this Message v. 14. Or else some new Ambassadors whom Moses dispatched with new Intreaties after he understood his Denial Said unto him Gave him new Assurances of their honest Intentions We will go by the High-way Believe us we will not step out of the common Rode And if I and my Cattle drink of thy Water Out of the Wells before-mentioned v. 17. which private Men had digged and therefore had a Propriety in them Then I will pay for it For Water was commonly sold in those dry Countries where it was very scarce I will only without doing any thing else The Hebrew words ein dahar which we translate without doing any thing else literally signifies in our Language it is no word i. e. not mere fair Promises but we will perform what we say Go through on my feet Go through as fast as we can travel on foot Verse 20 Ver. 20. And he said thou shalt not go through He persisted in his Resolution and would not rely on their most solemn Asseverations Yet he consented as appears by II Deut. 28 29. to furnish them with necessary Provisions both of Meat and Drink for their Money And Edom came out against him with much People and with a strong hand For fear they should press into his Country he raised a great and powerful Army to oppose them and showed himself ready to fight them if they moved that way Verse 21 Ver. 21. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his Border Which Grotius censures in his second Book de Jure Belli Pacis cap. 2. sect 13. as contrary to the Law of Nations by which the High-ways as well as the Sea and the Rivers of all Countries ought to be free for all that have a mind to pass through them upon just occasions And he gives many Examples of such permission out of Heathen Story and therefore looks upon the denial of this as a just ground of War with Sihon and Og mentioned in the next Chapter where I shall consider it as it might have been with Edom and Moab had not God prohibited it Nor doth the fear he thinks which the Edomites it is likely had of letting such a vast number of People pass through their Country alter the case for no Man's fear is to take away another Man 's right And there might have been Means contrived to remove this fear by letting them pass through in small Companies at a time or unarmed He had better have said in my opinion by giving Hostages on both sides for the performance of Conditions For it might have put the Israelites in as great fear to have gone through in small Parties or if they should have disarmed themselves But when all is said it seems not clear that all Men have such a right as that great Man thinks they may claim For no Man can challenge a passage through a private Man's Ground without his leave and every Prince hath the same dominion in all his Territories that a private Man hath in his Land There are many Examples also as Gronovius hath observed of Countries which have suffered extreamly by granting this Liberty which show that Princes have reason to deny it for their Peoples Security and the Examples of those who have granted it are Examples of Fact rather than of Right and of such as were not in a Condition to refuse what was demanded See Selden's Mare Clausum Lib. I. cap. 20. Wherefore Israel turned away from him By God's command who ordered them also to buy what they wanted of the Edomites II Deut. 5 6. For they stayed some time in Kadesh by their consent before they removed that they might furnish themselves as they offered with Necessaries XI Judges 17. Ver. 22. And the Children of Israel even the whole Verse 22 Congregation For they might not divide into several Bodies lying in several places but all march together when the Cloud moved in the order God appointed X. 13 14 c. Journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. Another place upon the edge of the Edomites Country XXXIII 37. where they pitched in a part of that Mountain which was called Mosera X Deut. 6. Whether Mount Hor gave the Name of Hori to him who was the Ancestor of Seir and the first Planter of the Country which was afterward conquered by Esau XXXVI Gen. 20 30. II
the Spies Then he fought against Israel He marched out of his Country with an Army and fell upon the Israelites as they passed that way And took some of them Prisoners He attacked it 's likely at first only the Skirts of their Camp where he surprised some of them and carried them away captive as the words are in the Hebrew Verse 2 Ver. 2. And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD It was resolved it seems that they should engage them but the Israelites being afraid of them because they were unexperienced in War implored the Divine Aid by this Solemn Vow If thou wilt indeed deliver this People into my hand Give us the Victory over them Then will I utterly destroy their Cities They vow to reserve none of the Spoil to their own use but devote it all to destruction For such was the Nature of this Vow called Cherem See XXVII Lev. 29. Ver. 3. And the LORD hearkned to the voice of Verse 3 Israel He approved their Vow And delivered up the Canaanites The Israelites vanquished their Army And they utterly destroyed them and their Cities Utterly devoted them to destruction according to their Vow For they did not now actually destroy them they remaining when Joshua came to Canaan who executed this Cherem or Curse upon them XII 14. Which if it had been executed now they must have entred into the Land of Canaan at this time from whence we cannot imagine they would have returned to march further about before they got into it but have gone on to prosecute their Victory by subduing the Country as they had begun And he called the name of the place Hormah From the Cherem or Herem as some write it which was pronounced against it Which when it was put in execution this Name became more proper to it I Judges 17. Ver. 4. And they journeyed from Mount Hor. Where Verse 4 their Camp was pitched when the King of Arad assaulted them and whither they returned after they had overthrown him By the way of the Red Sea Towards Ezion-Gaber as we read II Deut. 8. To compass the Land of Edom. Which extended it self unto the Red Sea And the Soul of the People was much discouraged because of the way The word we translate discouraged signifies two things to faint and to breathe short through the anguish and bitterness of ones Spirit VI Exod. 9. And secondly to be angry at or at least impatient by reason of some Trouble And so it may be best taken in this place as Buxtorfius observes in Histor Serp. Aenei cap. 1. not simply for their being tired with a tedious long and troublesome March but that accompanied with no small Indignation and Wrath. Which did not only burn within but broke out into words of great Impatience as appears by what follows Whence the Hebrew words Ketzar-Ruach short of Spirit signifies Angry or Hasty XIV Prov. 29. and in XXI Job 4. we translate it troubled and in XI Zach. 8. loathed where it had better been translated I was angry with them Now that which made the People thus fret or faint if we will have it so interpreted was the way wherein they were now led which was about the Land of Edom. For when they were come towards Canaan in the middle of the fortieth Year at the end of which they were promised to enter in and possess it they are carried back again towards the Red Sea whether God had sent their Fathers after they had brought a false Report upon the Land XIV 25. This made them think perhaps that they should never come to Canaan or at least it was tedious to march such a great way about after they had been kept so long from their Inheritance and were lately in such hopes of it when Moses demanded a passage into it through the Country of Edom. Ver. 5. And the People spake against God and against Moses This shows they were in a very great rage which made them so forgetful of their Duty as to charge God himself with ill Conduct Whereas Verse 5 their Fathers were wont only to murmur against Moses and Aaron Wherefore have ye brought us out of Egypt The Hebrew word heelithunu made us to go up is a strange word as Dr. Lightfoot calls it in this Language declaring the great fume they were in when they uttered it To die in the Wilderness As if they had said so Abarbinel explains it what can we expect or hope for but Death from this long stay in the Wilderness For there is no Bread neither is there any Water For we want the most necessary things for the support of Life as he also well explains it which they spake in a rage for they had both by a miraculous Providence over them They themselves immediately confess they had Manna and they had lately received Water out of a Rock But nothing would satisfie unless they were brought to a Country where Bread and Water was to be had without a Miracle For the meaning of their Complaint was that God did not deal with them as he did with other People who to speak in our Phrase do not live from hand to mouth As the Israelites did who had Bread given them only to suffice for one day and no more and that such Bread as they despised It is likely also they began now to want Water again which did not follow them as formerly out of the Rock and what they had in their Vessels perhaps was near spent And our Soul loatheth this light Bread As for the Bread God bestowed upon them they were so far from being satisfied with it that they loath it and call it by the scornful Name of Light Bread So we translate the Hebrew word Hakkilkel which being the doubling of a word which signifies light or vile in that Language imports as much as very despicable exceeding vile or as the LXX translate it very empty having no Substance in it to fill their Stomachs So Abarbinel expounds this passage We are tired with long Journeys which require more solid Bread than this to support us Verse 6 Ver. 6. And the LORD sent fiery Serpents among the People So most of the Jews translates this place taking Seraphim for an Adjective as Grammarians speak and consequently rightly translated fiery But there are those who take it to signifie a peculiar sort of Serpents being added to Nechashim Serpents by way of opposition as they speak and signifying such Serpents as the Greeks call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whom Pliny reckons among the Sceleratissimi Serpentes most pernicious Serpents Lib. XXIV cap. 13. Or as others will have it those called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they made great Inflamations in Mens Bodies and an unquenchable thirst being also of a flame colour But the famous Bochartus hath alledged a great many Arguments to prove that they were a sort of Serpents called Hydrus because in Winter they lived in Fens and Marshes which being
so that he durst not yield to them though it appears by what follows he was strongly inclined to follow them Verse 19 Ver. 19. Now therefore I pray you tarry you also here this night Take a Lodging with me as your Predecessors did v. 8. That I may know what the LORD will say unto me now Whether the LORD will alter his Mind as he hoped he might otherwise he would have rested in the first Answer he received from God and not tried again if he could prevail by his Importunity to get leave to go as these great Promises of Riches and Honour made him desire Ver. 20. And God came unto Balaam at night Notwithstanding which God was pleased again to visit him with his Presence at least by one of his Angelical Ministers Verse 20 And said unto him If the Men come to call thee Press thee again to comply with them Rise up and go with them Since thou hast such a Mind to go follow thy Inclinations These words seem to be spoken angrily though not sarcastically as some would have them like those 1 Kings XXII 15. But yet the word which I shall say unto thee that shalt thou do Some take these words to be not so much a Command as a Prediction that he should not be able to say a word but what he was ordered by God Ver. 21. And Balaam rose up in the morning and Verse 21 sadled his Ass Commanded his Ass to be made ready for he had Servants to wait upon him v. 22. And great Persons in those Countries were wont to ride upon Asses of which we find Examples before this in Abraham XXII Gen. 1. and in Moses IV Exod. 20. and in after times the Judges of Israel were thus mounted V Judges 10. and their Children X. 4. XII 14. And went with the Princes of Moab They set out perhaps together or he desired them to go a little before and he would follow them For it appears by the following part of this Relation that he did not make a part of their Train but travelled at least some part of the way with his two Servants alone Ver. 22. And God's anger was kindled because he went This may seem strange since he had a permission to go along with them But the meaning is Verse 22 not that God was displeased because he did as he was permitted but because he went so readily without offering to stay at home as he had been commanded at the first and because he carried along with him an evil Mind desirous to get the Money and the Honour that was proferred him and consequently with an Inclination to curse Israel and with hopes that he might by some means or other compass that wicked end This is plainly signified by the Angel's words v. 35. where he permits him still to go on but with a Caution not to attempt to speak a word otherwise than he bad him This is more plainly evident from XXIII Deut. 5. And the Angel of the LORD The same Angel which is thought to have spoken to him v. 12 20. Stood in the way In the very path wherein his Ass was going For an Adversary against him To stop his proceedings that he might not go on in his sin and perish as R. Solomon glosses Now he was riding upon his Ass and his two Servants were with him He was in his Journey upon the Rode but separated from the rest of the Company having only his own two Servants with him who waited on him Verse 23 Ver. 23. And the Ass saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way The LORD saith the same R. Solomon let the Ass see what his Master could not his Mind being blinded by his Converse with Daemons or rather God deprived him for the present of the power of seeing what stood just before him And his Sword drawn in his hand Threatning to kill him if he went forward And the Ass turned aside out of the way Out of the Rode wherein they were travelling And went into the Field Which lay on the side of the High-way And Balaam smote the Ass to turn her into the way As the manner is still when such Creatures are unruly Ver. 24. And the Angel of the LORD stood in the Verse 24 path of the Vineyards It is uncertain whether the Ass turned into the way again or went on in the Field till they came to these Vineyards A Wall being on this side and a Wall on that side In a very narrow Passage Ver. 25. And when the Ass saw the Angel of the Verse 25 LORD Which opposed him here again as he had done in the broad High-way She thrust her self unto the Wall To avoid the Angel And crusht Balaam's foot against the Wall The Angel and his drawn Sword which it is likely he brandished took up so much of the way on both sides that there was not room for the Ass to pass without going too close to Wall And he smote her again Being very angry at her untowardness Ver. 26. And the Angel of the LORD went further Verse 26 and stood in a narrow place Through which Balaam was to pass Where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left Where the Angel took up the whole Passage and left no space on either side for the Ass to go Verse 27 Ver. 27. And when the Ass saw the Angel of the LORD And no way to avoid him She fell down under Balaam Being unable either to turn back the way was so narrow or to go forward because the Angel filled up all the Passage And Balaam's anger was kindled and he smote the Ass with a Staff Harder than he had done before Verse 28 Ver. 28. And the LORD By his Angel as Bochart interprets it Opened the Mouth of the Ass Which naturally is a dumb Creature having no Organs of Speech but by an extraordinary power of God who made Man's mouth had her Tongue so moved to the Palate Teeth and Lips and the Air was so compressed within her Mouth as to form words as plain as we speak And she said unto Balaam That an Ass should by the power of God be made to speak one would think should not seem incredible to Christians when Heathens did not disbelieve such things but received them as undoubted Truths Witness what they say of the Ass upon which Bacchus rode and the Ram of Phryxus and the Horses of Achilles and Adrastus and the Bull of Europa and the Lamb in Egypt when Bocchoris reigned there and the Elephant of Porus in India All which are reported to have spoken and vast numbers of other Instances are heaped up by two eminently learned Frenchmen Bochartus in his Hierozoicon P. I. Lib. II. cap. 14. and Huetius in his Alnetanae Quaestiones Lib. II cap. 12. n. 26. which things are alledged out of their Books not to prove all such Stories to be true but that they thought them true thought it did not exceed
remote As Balaam here foretelling a great Ruler should come out of Jacob first speaks of the greatest of all above Fourteen hundred years after his time and then of David who reigned about Four hundred years after this And destroy all the Children of Sheth They who interpret this of David take Sheth to have been some great Person in that Country or some Place of great note the Inhabitants of which are here threatned to be destroyed But these are mere conjectures which have no foundation in History whereas if we understand it of Christ and translate the first word not he shall destroy but as Castalio and others do he shall rule over the sence is very remarkable It being a Prophecy that in the times of the MESSIAH there shall be no longer such a distinction as God now made between the Israelites and other Nations by the peculiar Laws he gave them at their entrance into Canaan but all Mankind who are equally descended from Seth shall be united under his Government And thus not only Lyranus and Abulensis and others interpret it but Onkelos also whose words are He shall have dominion over all the Sons of Men. For he thought it reasonable by the Children of Seth to understand all Mankind who were propagated from him who succeeded in the place of Abel that was killed all the Seed of Cain perishing in the Flood Ver. 18. And Edom shall be a possession So it was Verse 18 in the days of David 2 Sam VIII 14. And Seir shall be a possession This was a famous Mount in the Country of Edom XXXVI Gen. 8. and being the strongest part of the Country may signifie here that no place should be able to hold out though never so strongly fortified by Nature or Art And so we read they all became David's Servants 2 Sam. VIII 14. 1 Chron. XVIII 13. For his Enemies i. e. For the Israelites And Israel shall do valiantly For they subdued in those days many other Countries as we read in the forenamed Chapters 2 Sam. VIII I Chron. XVIII Verse 19 Ver. 19. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion This may relate to Christ as well as to David in whom it was literally fulfilled And so Baal-Hatturim observes that v. 16. it is said of Balaam that he knew the Mind of the most High for he prophesied of the Messiah when he said Out of Jacob shall one come that shall have dominion The word jerd as the Masora notes is used only here and in LXXII Psal 8. where the Psalmist describes the Universal Kingdom of Christ in these words He shall have dominion from Sea to Sea and from the Rivers unto the end of the Earth And shall destroy him that remains in the City Not only rout them in the Field but take their defenced Cities And it is likely he particularly aims at some great City and best fortified which was the Metropolis and the strongest hold in the Kingdom Such a one there was in Edom as the Psalmist suggests LX. 9. Verse 20 Ver. 20. And when he looked on Amalek On the Country which the Amalekites inhabited He took up his Parable and said See v. 3. Amalek was the first of the Nations The most eminent among the neighbouring Nations or one of the most noble as Bochart renders it Gens una è nobilissimis But his latter end shall be that he perish for ever This God commanded Saul to execute 1 Sam. XV. 3. according to the doom passed upon them after their fight with Israel XVII Exod. 14 16. and he lost his Kingdom for doing his Work imperfectly Which the Vulgar Latin takes to be the meaning of the seventh verse of this Chapter Onkelos paraphrases the whole verse in this manner Amalek was the beginning of the Wars with Israel therefore his end shall be to perish for ever The Targum Hieros more plainly The Amalekites were the first People that made War against Israel and in the latter days they shall make War against them c. Ver. 21. And he looked on the Kenites He standing Verse 21 now upon the top of Peor which was it is likely the highest place of the Country for which reason Balak brought him thither after he had tried other high places XXIII 28. might see a great way and possibly behold the very Rocks wherein the Kenites dwelt But what People are meant by this name is not clearly evident For there were a People called Kenites who were a part of the Nations that inhabited the Land of Canaan XV Gen. 19. these cannot be here intended for they were too far off from this place And as for the Kenites mentioned in I Judges 16. IV. 11. who dwelt among the Israelites when they came into Canaan they had as yet no fixed state but were with them in the Wilderness Therefore it is likely they were some of the Kindred of Jethro originally derived from the same Family that he was of who remained in Midian and adjoyned so close to the Country of the Amalekites that they are said to dwell among them 1 Sam. XV. 6. For it is plain the word Keni in Hebrew is the Name of a People not of a particular Person and there might be a great many of them some in Canaan others in Midian and of these latter some went with the Israelites into Canaan when they conquered it and others remained still in their own Country They seem all to have been descended from one Ken or Kain mentioned IV Judges 11. as Scaliger conjectures in his Elenchus Trihaeres cap. 23. Jethro's Posterity being but one Family of this People Strong is thy dwelling-place They were but a small People who dwelt upon steep Mountains And puttest thy Nest in a Rock This is but a further description of their Country in other words For Nest signifies their Habitation only it seems to import that their dwelling was little in craggy Mountains where they lookt upon themselves as very safe and secure the access to them being very difficult And from hence I suppose they were called Shelamites as both the Hierus Targum and Onkelos here term them instead of Kenites i. e. peaceable People because no body medled with them nor they with any body Verse 22 Ver. 22. And the Kenite shall be wasted By little and little diminished Vntil Ashur shall carry thee away captive Till at last they were all carried away by the Assyrians when they over-ran Syria 2 Kings XVI 9. Verse 23 Ver. 23. And he took up his Parable and said Having rested a while he sighed and said aloud See v. 3. Alas who shall live when God doth this What miserable times will those be when the Assyrians shall over-run a great part of the World How few will escape their Devastations Or who would not desire rather to die than live in those days But some I observe refer this not to what goes before but to what follows which relates to the Desolations made by the following
Verse 2 Moab Called the People Invited them to a Feast For the ordinary Charms unto Idolatry were good Victuals and bad Women Vnto the Sacrifices of their Gods To eat of the Sacrifices which had been offered to their Gods particularly to Baal-Peor These Feasts upon their Sacrifices were very magnificent among the Heathen being accompanied with Musick and Dancing and sometimes pompous Processions which inticed youthful Minds to partake of them Here the Israelites casting their Eyes upon the Daughters of Moab which doubtless on this occasion appeared in the best Dress and richest Ornaments were smitten with their Beauty and courted their Enjoyment Who would not yield to this Motion but upon condition that they would first worship their Gods whereupon pulling a little Image of Peor out of their Bosom they presented it to the Israelites to kiss it and desired them to eat of the Sacrifices that had been offered to him Thus the Jewish Doctors tell the story And indeed it hath been observed by the Writers of the Church that Women have been the most dangerous Seducers of Men from the true Religion being from the beginning the Spreaders of the old Heresies For Simon Magus advanced his Heresie Helenae meretricis adjutus auxilio being assisted by the help of the Harlot Helena Nicolaus of Antioch also choros duxit foemineos The famous Marcion sent before him some Roman Ladies to prepare his way Apelles Montanus Arius Donatus did all take the same course as St. Hierom shows in his Book adversus Pelagianos And the People did eat Which was an act of Idolatry as to eat of the LORD's Sacrifices was an Act of Divine Worship whereby they owned themselves the Servants of the Gods of Moab See XXXIV Exod. 15. And bowed down to their Gods This was still a more plain act of idolatrous Worship expresly forbidden by God in the second Commandment Verse 3 Ver. 3. And Israel was joyned unto Baal-Peor This seems to signifie that they were devoted to the Service of this Idol in great affection with which they performed the forenamed actions The Jews commonly take this Baal-Peor to have been no better than a Priapus and the worship of him to have consisted in such obscene Practices or Postures at least as are not fit to be named Particularly their great Commentary upon Numbers saith That the Israelites being unwilling to enjoy their Women upon those terms they told them they needed only uncover their Nakedness before Baal-Peor which was all the Worship required of them unto which they easily submitted This Maimonides himself relates for a truth that his Worship consisted in revealing their Secret Parts before him More Nevochim P. III. cap. 45. But Solomon Jarchi goes further making this Worship to consist in Actions as ridiculous as they were beastly All which seems to me very unlikely and so it doth to several Men of great Judgment particularly Mr. Selden who thinks with great probability that Peor as I observed before XXIII 28. being the name of a Mountain in the Country of Moab the Temple of Baal stood upon it by whom some understand Saturn others the Sun which is most likely and thence he was called Baal-Beor because there he was especially worshipped as Jupiter was called Olympius because he was worshipped in a famous Temple which stood on the Mountain Olympus And every one knows that anciently they chose the highest Mountains before all other places for the Divine Service insomuch that at Jerusalem the Temple was set upon the Hill of Sion which the Psalmist saith God preferred before all other places LXXVIII Psal 68. Or Peor perhaps was the name of some great Prince as the same Mr. Selden conjectures translated into the number of the Gods for the Psalmist saith CVI Psal 28. that when they worshipped Baal-Peor they are the Sacrifices of the dead Which seems to signifie that in him they worshipped some dead Man who perhaps was the first Institutor of this Worship whatsoever it was Another great Man of our own Nation hath said much to strengthen this Opinion having shown at large that the ancient Heathens were wont to Deify the Souls of Men and Canonize them after Death and these we called Baalim Being accounted an inferiour sort of Deities who they fancied were Ministers for them to their Caelestial Gods See Mr. Mede Book III. p. 724 c. Yet it must be acknowledged that there are others of great note who take all for truth which the Jewish Writers report concerning the filthy Worship of Baal-Peor and imagine that Fornication was a part of it as in future times it was both among the Greeks and Romans in the Worship of some of their Gods For what the Jews found then practised they fancied was done in these early days But it is observable that the more ancient the Books of the Jews are which speak of this matter the less they say of the impurities in the Service of Baal-Peor For Example the Hierusalem Talmud hath none of that leud stuff in it which Solomon Jarchi upon this place took out of the Babylonian which was composed long after the former And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel As appeared immediately by the severe punishment he inflicted on them both for their Idolatry and for their Fornication Verse 4 Ver. 4. And the LORD said unto Moses take all the Heads of the People and hang them up The plain meaning seems to be that he should take i. e. cause to be apprehended the Heads of the People i. e. the Rulers of Thousands and Hundreds and other principal Persons in their Tribes who had been guilty of the foul Idolatry before-mentioned and by hanging them up put a stop to the Peoples lewdness when they saw these great Men made Publick Examples of God's Displeasure For it is very likely more of the Princes of the People were guilty besides Zimri especially if it be true which the Samaritan Chronicle affirms that the Daughters of the chief Men of Moab were sent finely dressed to allure the Israelites and one of the King's Daughters among the rest But though the LXX and the Vulgar and Symmachus thus understand it that he commanded the Heads of the People to be hanged up yet a great many other ancient Translators and many famous Doctors take the word Otham them whom he commanded to be hanged up not to refer to the Heads of the People but to such as had joyned themselves to Baal-Peor and they interpret the foregoing words as if he had bid him take unto him i. e. to his assistance the Heads of the People as they think he did as is related in the next verse The Judges indeed there mentioned seem to me to be distinct from the Heads of the People and Moses did not take them to his Assistance but commanded them to do their duty Yet it must be acknowledged that there is a great current of Interprepreters which runs the other way as if Moses was commanded to
so constant was God to his Promise that he preserved his Line in a continued Succession of twelve Persons from Phineas to Azariah who executed the Priest's Office in the Temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem as we read 1 Chron. VI. v. 4. to the 10th From which time to the Captivity of Babylon there were nine more as we read there in the following verses And after the end of the Captivity unto the time of Antiochus Eupator the Jews reckon fifteen more the last of which Onias was killed by Lysias And after him there were eight of the Family of the Asmonaei the last of which Aristobulus was killed by Herod who after that made whom he pleased Because he was jealous for his God God who searches the hearts saw that this motion proceeded not from any private Passion but out of pure Love and fervent Affection to him and from Indignation to see his Divine Majesty so affronted For Zeal is a mixed Affection of Love and Anger And made an Atonement for the Children of Israel Procured a Pardon for all his Brethren 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Philo expresses it by his uncommanded and spontaneous diligence to vindicate God's Honour flowing from his sincere Devotion to God's Service Verse 14 Ver. 14. Now the name of the Israelite that was slain even that was slain with the Midianitish Woman God would have his Name stand upon record partly to make it infamous and partly to do honour to Phineas who durst venture to set upon a Man who had so great an interest in his Tribe as is mentioned in the next words Zimri the Son of Salu a Prince Not the chief of the whole Tribe but of a great Family in that Tribe Of a House among the Simeonites In the Hebrew the words are of a House of a Father For the Tribes were divided into Families and these into Houses every one of which had a Head or Chief See the first Chapter of this Book v. 2. and Zimri was one of those principal Persons though not Prince of all the Simeonites Verse 15 Ver. 15. And the name of the Midianitish Woman that was slain was Cozbi the daughter of Zur This is set down also to show how little Phineas feared the great Men either in Israel or elsewhere For Zur is reckoned afterwards as one of the Kings of Midian XXXI 8. or Princes XIII Josh 21. He was Head over a People and of a chief House in Midian The Hebrew word Vmmoth which we translate People signifies Nations So that if we translate these words exactly they sound thus He was Head of Nations of a House of a Father in Midian that is Chief of divers Families who all sprung from the same Father or Original in that Country Ver. 16. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying Verse 16 Some time after this though not long as appears from XXXI 1 2. but a little before Moses his death Ver. 17. Vex the Midianites Among whom this Verse 17 pernitious Contrivance was hatched For Balak being so incensed against Balaam that he bid him be gone in all haste out of his Country XXIV 11. Balaam would not stay to propound unto him this mischievous Advice which was in his Head but went to the Midianites and there discovered it Which was the same thing he knew as if he had acquainted Balak with it there being a great Friendship between the two Nations XXII 4. It is likely also that the Midianites were the first that advised Balaam should be sent for which made their Guilt the greater but the Moabites did not escape though for Lot's sake perhaps II Deut. 9. their Punishment was deferred till future times as Balaam prophesied XXIV 17. And they were also excluded by a Law made immediately after this from the Society of the Israelites for this very Fact XXIII Deut. 3 4. And smite them With the Sword as we find they did Chapt. XXXI Ver. 18. For they vex you with their wiles Have Verse 18 sorely distressed you by their subtil Devices Wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor Drawn you in to commit foul Idolatry Here Peor which was a Mountain in Moab where Baal had a Temple as I observed XXIII 28. is used for the Idol it self which was there worshipped being a contraction of Baal-Peor And so it is XXXI 18. XXII Josh 17. And in the matter of Cozbi And into lewd filthiness with Idolatrous Women The Daughter of a Prince of Midian By whose consent no doubt she went upon this wicked design that by her noble Garb and Attendance she might the more powerfully intice the great Men of Israel to Idolatry Their Sister Whom the whole Family were content to prostitute that they might compass the destruction of the Israelites But by Sister may be meant one of the same Country or Nation the same kind of Language being used among them that was among the Jews who called one another Brethren and Sisters being descended from the same stock as Christians did all those that were of their Religion Which was slain in the day of the Plague When so many Thousands fell by the Pestilence For Peor's sake For worshipping Baal-Peor into which they were inveigled by the Women who invited them to a Feast and there by their Charms excited another fleshly Appetite in them which they would not let them satisfie unless they would both eat of their Sacrifices and worship their Idol And perhaps they told them it was not lawful for them to consent to their desire unless they would be of their Religion CHAP. XXVI Chapter XXVI Ver. 1. AND it came to pass after the Plague Mentioned Verse 1 in the foregoing Chapter v. 9 17. Though some fancy it refers unto all the Plagues that had swept away all the former Generation except two Persons It is likely this may be done in the eighth Month of the fortieth Year after they came out of Egypt The LORD spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the Son of Aaron the Priest saying As God had formerly joyned Aaron with Moses I Numb 1 17. II. 1. IV. 1 c. So now Aaron being dead he joyns his Son Eleazar with him to show that he succeeded not only in his Place and Office but also in his Authority Ver. 2. Take the Sum of all the Congregation of the Verse 2 Children of Israel They had been twice numbred before this Once before the building of the Tabernanacle in the first year after they came out of Egypt when they paid every Man half a Shekel towards it XXX Exod. 11 13. XXXVIII 25. And again when they were to be encamped in the second month of the second year I Numb 1 2 c. And now all those Men who had been then numbred thirty eight years ago being dead as appears from v. 64. of this Chapter God commands them to be numbred a third time Partly that he might demonstrate his faithfulness to his word in multiplying them vastly notwithstanding all their
former numbring I. 33. which makes Moses's Prophecy a little after this the more remarkable XXXIII Deut. 17. where he makes the Ephramites Ten to One in comparison with the Manassites Verse 38 Ver. 38. The Sons of Benjamin after their Families This Tribe also was under the Standard of Ephraim and therefore mentioned here together with him and Manasseh When they went into Egypt the Sons of Benjamin were no less than Ten XLVI Gen. 21. Half of which either had no Children or they were all Extinct before this time for here are only Five named Of Belah the Family of the Belaites c. The two first Bela and Ashbel are there named as they are here but the next Ahiram is there called Ehi and in 1 Chron. VIII 1. Ahara such an Alteration doth Time make in Names Ver. 39. Of Shupham c. He is called Muppim in XLVI Gen. 21. and Hupham is there called Huppim Ver. 40. The Sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman Verse 39 Though five of his Sons were dead without Issue Verse 40 yet two of his Grand-sons descended from his eldest Son made distinct Families in Israel And the Son of one of them was called after the name of his Uncle the youngest Son of Benjamin XLVI Gen. 21. whose name was Ard and in I Chron. VIII 3. by a small transposition of Letters is called Adar Ver. 41. There were numbred of them forty five thousand Verse 41 and six hundred This Tribe was grown to be Ten thousand more than they were at the last numbring I. 37. Ver. 42. These are the Sons of Dan. Thus he speaks Verse 42 though he had but one See v. 8. Of Shuham Called Hushim by a transposition of Letters XLVI Gen. 23. Just as the same Tree is called Almugim 1 Kings X. 8. and Algumim 2 Chron. II. 8. And the same City in which Joshua was buried called Timnath-Serach XXIV Josh 30. and Timnath-Cheres II Judg. 9. And to come still nearer the same Man is called Rechum XII Nehem. 3. and Cherim v. 15. of the same Chapter These are the Families of Dan after their Families That is from these Shuhamites came all the rest of the Families of this Tribe which are not here mentioned but into which this Family was sub-divided when it grew very great as it appears from the next words Ver. 43. All the Families of the Shuhamites This Verse 43 shows there were more than one of them who had names from some of the Children of Shuham Were threescore and four thousand and four hundred A vast number to spring from one Man when Benjamin who had ten Sons wanted almost twenty thousand of this number which is Seventeen hundred more than were in this Tribe at the last numbring I. 39. Verse 44 Ver. 44. Of the Children of Asher after their Families c. They all retain the same names which they had when they went into Egypt XLVI Gen. 17. Only he that is here called Jeshui is there called Ishui and another Son there mentioned is here omitted his Family I suppose being quite extinct Verse 45 Ver. 45. Of the Sons of Beriah c. Instead of him whose Family was quite lost the youngest Son of Asher Beriah had two Families sprung from him Verse 46 Ver. 46. And the name of the Daughter of Asher was Sarah Or Serah as she is called XLVI Gen. 17. He doth not say that a Family sprang from her which Corn. Bertramus cap. 6. de Republ. Jud. seems to think probable instead of some that were lost but she was a Woman it is likely as eminent in this Tribe as any of her Brethren for some Vertue or other Insomuch that the Cabbalists in the ancient Book Zohar parting the heavenly Region where the Souls of holy Women are into four Palaces make four great Women to be a kind of Presidents of them viz. Pharaoh's Daughter who educated Moses and this Serah the Daughter of Asher with Jochabed the Mother of Moses and Deborah the famous Prophetess See Selden Lib. II. de Jure Nat. Gent. cap. 4. Ver. 47. Were fifty and three thousand and four hundred This Tribe also fructified exceedingly wanting but an Hundred of Twelve thousand more than they were at the last numbring I. 41. Verse 47 Ver. 48 49. Of the Sons of Naphtali after their Families Verse 48 49. c. There are four of them whose Names were not all changed since they went into Egypt See XLVI Gen. 24. Ver. 50. Were forty five thousand and four hundred Verse 50 They wanted Eight thousand of their number I Numb 43. These two Tribes Asher and Naphtali are mentioned together with Dan because they were encamped under his Standard II Numb 25 26 c. Ver. 51. These were the numbred of the Children of Verse 51 Israel six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and fifty That is the whole Number amounted to this Sum which was but Eighteen hundred and twenty less than they were when they were last numbred Thirty eight year ago I. 46. So great was the Goodness of God and such his Faithfulness to his Word that when he destroyed all the former Generation who were above Twenty years old he multiplyed their Posterity so fast in that space of time as to make them equal in a manner to those that went before them Ver. 52. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying Verse 52 After the People were thus numbred and every Family and the Persons it contained exactly known then the LORD ordered as follows Ver. 53. Vnto these i. e. These Families before-named Verse 53 The Land shall be divided i. e. The Land of Canaan into which they were going For an Inheritance Not to be alienated from those Families According to the number of Names Of the Persons in the several Families from Twenty years old and upward v. 2. So that Minors who had not attained the Age of Twenty years when this account was taken the Jews say were not to have any share in the Land though they were come to that Age at the time of the distribution of it among them But those Minors had Possessions as Heirs of their Fathers according to the Families Verse 54 Ver. 54. To many thou shalt give the more Inheritance and to few thou shalt give the less Inheritance That is order Joshua to assign them a share in the Land proportionable to the number of Persons in every Tribe Some of which were far greater than others and therefore to have more Land proportionble to the largeness of their Families But this was not measured merely by the number of Acres as we speak but by the goodness of the Soil for a little Ground in a rich Country would maintain more Persons than twice as much in a barren So Josephus Lib. V. Antiq. cap. 1. where after he had said that Joshua made a Distribution of the Land 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the bigness of each Tribe he adds that in doing this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
LORD by Vrim and Thummim but only before the most holy Place See XXVII 21. And therefore it seems to me far more likely that he means the Ark which was wont to be carried in following times into the Field when they went to fight with their Enemies 1 Sam. IV. 4 5. XIV 18. 2 Sam. XI 1. Yea Joshua himself not long after this time ordered the Ark to be carried with Priests blowing the Trumpets before it when he surrounded Jericho VI Josh 4 6 7 c. And therefore the holy Instruments being here joyned with the Trumpets to blow in his hand it makes it the more probable that the Ark may be here meant There being also something in this very Book to countenance this Opinion See XIV 44. but especially XXXII 20 22. But it must be confessed that it is never thus expressed in any other place of Holy Scripture but always called the Ark of God or of the Covenant or the Testimony or the like And therefore perhaps they give the truest sence of these words who take the following words to be an Explication of them That is the Trumpets were the holy Instruments which he carried in his hand And the Trumpets to blow in his hand Which he delivered to the Priests who followed him to sound an Alarm when they went to fight according to the direction X. 8 9. and as the practice was in future Ages 2 Chron. XIII 12. Ver. 7. And they warred against the Midianites Verse 7 It is not certain whether the Midianites came out of their Country to give them battle or they first broke into their Country and then fought their Army As the LORD commanded Moses One would think this meant no more but that they obeyed the Commandment of God before-mentioned v. 2. But the Jews think he hath respect to another particular Commandment which they say was given by Moses when they went out to this War That they should not when they besieged any City begirt it quite round but only on three sides leaving one naked that the besieged might flee away if they pleased by which means effusion of Human Blood was prevented So Guil. Schickart observes out of Siphri in his Mischpat Hammelech cap. 5. Theor. 18. and Mr. Selden since him Lib. VI. de Jure Nat. Gent. cap. 15. where he shows they understand this of all Wars but those against the seven Nations in Canaan and Amalek towards whom this kindness was not shown as appears by the Siege of Jericho But the Laws about managing Wars which are mentioned in the Book of Deuteronomy do not seem to have been yet given though the Jews fancy this Law was now given about Midian and observed ever after And slew all the Males Who were in this fight and did not save themselves by flight Verse 8 Ver. 8. And they slew the Kings of Midian Little Kings called Princes XIII Josh 21. where they are said to be Dukes of Sihon i. e. great Men tributary to Sihon while he continued King of the Amorites But after the Israelites had conquered him they took perhaps the Title of Kings Besides the rest of them that were slain They made not only a great slaughter of the People but killed their chief Commanders who led them on Namely Evi and Rekem and Zur c. They are particularly named that all their Neighbours might be satisfied of the truth of this History And he that is called Zur is thought to have been the Father of Cozbi whom Phineas slew Balaam also the Son of Beor they slew with the sword He had seen such good success of his wicked Counsel which he gave either as he went home or returning again to them See XXIV ult that presuming the Israelites were forsaken of their God he adventured to go along with the Midianites unto this Battle hoping he might curse the Israelites now that iniquity i. e. Idolatry was found among them which he could not do while they were free from it Thus he perished by his own wicked devices and was so far from having his wish that he might die the death of the righteous that is live long that as the Jews say he was slain in the Thirty fourth year of his Age. The Doctors in the Gemara of the Sanhedrim cap. 11. sect 11. ask what did he here To which R. Johanan makes answer he went to receive his Reward for the Death of the Twenty four thousand Israelites which he had procured XXV 9. And thus saith another it hapned unto him according to the Proverb The Camel went to desire horns and they cut off his ears Ver. 9. And the Children of Israel took all the Women Verse 9 of Midian captive and their little ones After they were Masters of the Field as we speak by the overthrow of their Armies they fell upon their Cities and according to the ancient custom in the most bloody Wars they killed only the Men but no Women nor Children XXXIV Gen. 25. 1 Kings XI 16. And so the Law of God afterward required they should do when they took any City that did not belong to the Canaanites XX Deut. 13 14. who were utterly to be destroyed v. 16 17. where he saith Thou shalt save nothing alive that breatheth And they took the spoil of all their Cattle and all their Flocks and all their Goods As belonging to them by the right of Conquest in a just War Verse 10 Ver. 10. And they burnt all their Cities wherein they dwelt and their goodly Castles with fire Made the Country desolate that they who fled might have no encouragement to return again nor be able without great hazzard to settle themselves there where they had not a Fortress left to defend them This was but a necessary care notwithstanding which they had peopled the Country again so well in the space of about Two hundred years that they were able to oppress the Israelites as we read VI Judg. 1. Verse 11 Ver. 11. And they took all the spoil and all the prey both of Men and of Beasts They had possessed themselves of them before v. 9. but now they carried them away Verse 12 Ver. 12. And they brought the Captives and the Prey and the Spoil Here are three different words to express their Booty which they brought to the Camp of Israel The first of which signifies the Women and Children that were taken The second the Cattle and the Flocks though sometimes it includes in it Men and Women and the third their Money and Goods Vnto Moses and Eleazar the Priest and unto the Congregation of the Children of Israel Unto the LXX Elders and Princes of the Tribes who were assembled with them See XXIX 1. as it seems to be expounded in the next verse Vnto the Camp at the plains of Moab c. From whence they marched against Midian and had been encamped there a great while XXII 1. XXVI 3 63. Ver. 13. And Moses and Eleazar the Priest and all Verse 13 the
fenced in that they might lye safely and be defended from Wild-beasts And so this word gedera plainly imports See Bochartus in his Hierozoic P. I. Lib. I. cap. 45. And Cities for our little ones Which stood in need only of repairing and fortifying v. 17. for they already dwelt in those Cities of the Amorites XXI 25. Verse 17 Ver. 17. But we our selves will go ready armed before the Children of Israel until we have brought them unto their place That is a considerable number of them as many as should be thought necessary III Deut. 18. in all Forty thousand IV Josh 12. And our little ones shall dwell in the fenced Cities Where it was necessary to leave some Men to guard them from their bad Neighbours and to take care of their Cattle Because of the People of the Land That is the Moabites who were the ancient Owners of this Country XXI 26. and the Edomites who had showed no good will to the Israelites as they passed through the Wilderness Ver. 18. We will not return unto our Houses until Verse 18 the Children of Israel have inherited every Man his Inheritance Be settled in the possession of the Land of Canaan as we desire to be in this Country Ver. 19. For we will not inherit with them on yonder Verse 19 side Jordan or forward We will not desire any share in the Country beyond Jordan though it lye near to us nor in that Country which lyes still further Westward Because our Inheritance is faln on this side Jordan eastward We look upon this as our Inheritance with which we shall be fully satisfied here in the Land of Gilead Which lay Eastward of Jordan and of the Land of Canaan Ver. 20. And Moses said unto them if ye will do Verse 20 this thing Be as good as your word If ye will go armed before the LORD to war To go before the LORD was to go before the Ark which was the Symbol of God's Presence over which his Glory resided And it is to be observed that these two Tribes Reuben and Gad together with Simeon alway lay encamped before the Sanctuary as appears from the second Chapter of this Book v. 10 14 15 16 17. And accordingly when the Camp removed they marched immediately before it as is particularly noted X. 18 19 20 21. So that here he requires them only to hold their usual place when they went to the War against the Canaanites And accordingly it is expresly said they did together with half the Tribe of Manasseh who were joyned with them pass over before the LORD unto battle IV Josh 12 13. Verse 21 Ver. 21. And will go all of you As many as shall be required and can be spared v. 17. Armed over Jordan before the LORD until he hath driven out his Enemies from before him Not only bring us into Canaan but continue with us till we have expelled the Inhabitants of that Country Which he incourages them to undertake by representing the Canaanites as the Enemies of the LORD who would therefore fight for them Verse 22 Ver. 22. And the Land be subdued before the LORD By this Expression and that in the foregoing words it appears that the Ark was carried along with them to the War every where till it was ended as it was when it begun at the taking of Jericho VI Josh 6 7 c. Then afterward ye shall return and be guiltless before the LORD and before Israel and this Land shall be your possession Not only be free from all blame in this desire but have what you desire Before the LORD By his order and appointment Verse 23 Ver. 23. But if you will not do so If this be not your intention or if you go back from your word Behold Observe what I say Ye have sinned against the LORD and be sure your sin will find you out Your Guilt is exceeding great and shall be most certainly punished as it deserves Verse 24 Ver. 24. Build ye Cities for your little ones and Folds for your Sheep c. As for the rest of their Proposals about their Children and Cattle he consented to them without any Exception Ver. 25. And the Children of Gad and the Children of Reuben spake unto Moses saying The word for Verse 25 spake in the Hebrew being jomer in the Singular Number instead of jomru in the Plural their Doctors take it for an Indication that some one principal Person spake in the name of all the rest But there is no need of this for the Singular Number in this Language is often used for the Plural and they never spake all of them together but some one in the name of their Brethren And it had been better if they had observed that this signifies one and all as we now speak were of the same mind Thy Servants will do as my LORD commandeth And as they themselves had proposed v. 17. Ver. 26. Our little Ones our Wives our Flocks and Verse 26 all our Cattle shall be there in the Cities of Gilead Here they promise to leave all that was dear to them in this Country and go to serve their Brethren Ver. 27. But thy servants will pass over every man Verse 27 armed for war c. We our selves will go and fight for our Brethren It hath been often said v. 17 21. that this doth not signifie all the Men of War among them should go but as many as could be spared and as were thought sufficient For it is manifest the far greater half of them were left in this Country to defend their Wives and Children and look after their Flocks and Herds as will appear by computing all the Men of War that were found in the Tribes of Gad and of Reuben which were above Fourscore and four thousand XXVI 7 18. to which if we add half of the Tribe of Manasseth who were in all above Fifty two thousand there were much above an Hundred thousand Men able to bear Arms and not above Forty thousand of them marched into Canaan as was before observed Verse 28 Ver. 28. So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the Priest and Joshua the Son of Nun and the chief Fathers of the Tribes of Israel He left this in charge with the principal Persons who had the government of Affairs under him particularly with Joshua who was not unmindful of it but remembred these Tribes what Moses had said when he was about to attempt the Conquest of Canaan I Josh 13 14 c. Verse 29 Ver. 29. And Moses said unto them if the Children of Gad and the Children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan c. He repeats to these great Men who were to see it executed what he had said to the Gadites and Reubenites themselves v. 21 22. Then ye shall give them the Land of Gilead for a possession They had not a right to it till they had performed the Condition upon which it was granted viz. till their Brethren were in possession of
their Inheritance in the Land of Canaan Verse 30 Ver. 30. But if they will not pass over before you armed Perform their Promise v. 17. They shall have possession among you in the Land of Canaan Take what falls to their share there and this Country be disposed of as God shall order Verse 31 Ver. 31. And the Children of Gad and the Children of Reuben said as the LORD hath said unto thy Servants so will we do They confirm what they had promised to Moses v. 25. and here take all that he had said as spoken by the order of God who bestowed this Land upon them on the Condition often mentioned Ver. 32. We will pass over armed before the LORD into the Land of Canaan This they offered at first of themselves v. 17. and solemnly promised when Moses accepted their Proposal v. 27. and again here Verse 32 ratifie and confirm it before Eleazar and Joshua and all the Princes v. 28. That the possession of our Inheritance Which we have desired to have for our Inheritance On this side Jordan They were now in the Land of Gilead and so might properly call it on this side Jordan but when they were in the Land of Canaan it was said to be on that side Jordan May be ours Settled upon us and our Posterity Ver. 33. And Moses gave unto them Not an absolute Verse 33 Grant but a conditional if they did as they engaged v. 29 30 31 c. Even to the Children of Gad and the Children of Reuben and half the Tribe of Manasseh the Son of Joseph This half Tribe is not mentioned before because they did not put in any Claim till they saw how those of Gad and Reuben would succeed in their Petition Which being granted it is likely that thereupon they represented also what store of Cattle they had and that the Country would be more than enough for those who had desired it This being found to be true Moses thought fit to give them a Portion in it rather than any other because the Children of Machir the Son of Manasseh had by their Valour subdued part of this Country v. 39. XVII Josh 1. The Kingdom of Sihon King of the Amorites and the Kingdom of Og King of Bashan XXI 24 29. Which were the first Countries that the Israelites possessed and were the first that were carried Captive out of their Land 2 Kings XV. 29. The Land with the Cities thereof in the Coasts even the Cities of the Country round about The Land with the Cities within such a Compass or Limits and all the Towns within that Circuit Verse 34 Ver. 34. And the Children of Gad built Dibon and Ataroth Repaired and fortified these Towns which are mentioned before v. 3. For they were not destroyed but only their Inhabitants 2 Deut. 34 35. and if they had there was not time now to rebuild them Thus Jeroboam is said to have built Schechem 1 Kings XII 25. which was a City before but gone to decay And Azariah to have built Elah 2 Kings XIV 22. which he restored to Judah as a City formerly belonging to them And Aroer A City of the Amorites upon the brink of the River Arnon as Moses tells us II Deut. 36. III. 11. IV. 48. It formerly belonged to the Moabites but was taken from them by Sihon Verse 35 Ver. 35. And Atroth and Shophan and Jaazer and Jogbehak We do not read of any of these Towns elsewhere but only of Jaazer which seems to be that called Jazer v. 3. Verse 36 Ver. 36. And Beth-Nimrah Called v. 3. Nimrah for shortness sake as it may be further observed Jemini is put for Benjemini II Esther 5. Sheba for Beer-sheba XIX Josh 2. where we find these two mentioned but they do not signifie two several Cities but are two Names for one and the same City as if he had said Beersheba which is also called Sheba This is clear to a demonstration for otherwise there would be more than thirteen Cities in the Tribe of Simeon contrary to v. 6. of that Chapter And Beth-haran A place some say between Dibon and Jordan Fenced Cities and Folds for Sheep All these Cities the Children of Gad fortified and built Folds for Sheep in the Pastures near to them Ver. 37. And the Children of Reuben built Repaired Verse 37 and fortified as I said v. 34. Heshbon and Elealah Mentioned above v. 3. And Kirjathaim A place where a Giant-like People formerly dwelt called Emims XIV Gen. 5. who were expelled by the Moabites as they were by the Amorites Ver. 38. And Nebo This City is mentioned in Verse 38 XLVIII Jerem. 1. when it was faln again into the possession of the Moabites as was also Kirjathaim It seems to have been near Dibon being mentioned together with it XV Isa 2. At least there were in these places two famous Temples for the destruction of which the Prophet represents the People making Lamentation So the LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nebo is destroyed where your Altar is And Hesychius saith of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Dibon that it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a place where a Temple of the Moabites was built And St. Hierom suspects that there was an Oracle at this place the word Nebo importing Prophecy or Divination as he speaks And Baal-Meon Another place where it is likely Baal was worshipped which made them change the names of these places as it here follows Their names being changed For Nebo as well as Baal was the name of a God as we learn from XLVI Isaiah 1. and seems to have been an Assyrian Deity there being footsteps of it in the names of several great Men there such as Nebuchadnezzar Nebuzaradan and many others And it is not unlikely that they therefore changed the names of these Cities into some other because they would abolish all Remainders of Idolatry in this Country according to the Precept XXIII Exod. 13. that they should not take the name of their Gods into their Mouth But notwithstanding this they still retained their ancient Names as appears from XIII Josh 17. XXV Ezek. 9. so hard it is to alter any thing for the better And Sibmah See v. 3. And gave other Names unto the Cities which they builded If this refer to all the Cities here mentioned it is manifest they either retained or recovered their former Names For we read of them all in future times particularly in the XVth and XVIIth of Isaiah And Kirjathaim is mentioned in the place I now quoted out of Ezekiel Verse 39 Ver. 39. And the Children of Machir the Son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it Here Gilead is used in a strict sence not so largely as before v. 1 26 29. where it is taken for all the Country on that side Jordan where Gilead was but here for a part of it about Mount Gilead This is plain from the next verse and Gilead the Son of Machir one would think was the Person that took it
words are to be understood I observed XXXII 33. Moses gave unto them the Kingdom of Sihon c. Verse 15 Ver. 15. The two Tribes and an half have received their Inheritance on this side Jordan c. By the Gift of God as they themselves understood it XXXII 31. The bounds of which the Hierusalem Targum here undertakes to set down and makes them extend Eastward as far as the great River Euphrates having respect I suppose to XV Genesis 18. and XXIII Exod. 30. Where he sets down the utmost Bounds of the Countries he intended to bestow upon them in future times See there but here only describes the Limits of that Land which they were to enjoy in present possession and was all that God granted to Abraham when he brought him out of Chaldaea and made his first Promise unto him XII Gen. 1 7. XIII 14 15 17. XV. 7. Verse 16 Ver. 16. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying Having told them what they should divide it was proper to appoint some Persons to take care to see the Division made Verse 17 Ver. 17. These are the names of the Men which shall divide the Land Though the Land was to be divided by Lot yet it was fit there should be some Persons to oversee the Business and take care there should be no Fraud in the drawing of them And when they were drawn to prevent all quarrels by determining what Portion those who had too much should give to those who had too little XXVI 54 55. Eleazar the Priest and Joshua the Son of Nun. These were the principal Persons concerned in this great Affair who were so conscientious therein that they did it in the presence of God at the Door of the Tabernacle XVIII Josh 6 8 10. XIX 51. Ver. 18. And ye shall take one Prince of every Tribe Verse 18 to divide the Land by Inheritance They are called in the place last named The Heads of the Fathers of the Tribes of the Children of Israel Ver. 19. The names of the Men are these of the Tribe Verse 19 of Judah Caleb the Son of Jephunneh I have nothing to observe upon this and the following verses to the end of the Chapter but that the Tribes are not mentioned in such order as they were at their first numbring I. 5 6 c. or at their second XXVI 5 c. yet great exactness and a particular direction of God may be noted in their placing here for they are set down according to their situation which they had afterwards in the Land of Canaan as if Moses foresaw who should be next Neighbours one to another For Judah having his Inheritance given him first XV Josh Simeon who is here next mentioned was so near him in the Land of Canaan that he had a Portion given him out of the Lot of Judah which proved too large for that Tribe XIX Josh 9. I Judg. 3 17. Then Benjamin who here follows in the third place was so near to Judah that they never separated when the ten Tribes were rent from them Dan was not far from Judah and the Children of Joseph also were their Neighbours And the rest of the Tribes Zebulun Issachar Asher Naphtali are set down here just in the order wherein their Lots fell to them in Canaan XIX Josh 10 17 24 32. An Evidence that Moses was guided by a Divine Spirit in all his Writings CHAP. XXXV Chapter XXXV Verse 1 Ver. 1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses in the Plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho saying See XXII 1. Hitherto nothing hath been said of the Levites but that they should have no Lot in the Land of Canaan But now God provides that they should have Habitations assigned them to dwell in though they had no Fields nor Olive-yards c. as the rest of their Brethren had They might indeed have been able to purchase Houses for themselves out of the Tithes and other things which God had long ago bestowed upon them for their Portion but it was not fit that God's Ministers should be left without any certain dwelling And besides God would have them live comfortably and not only have Houses but a little Ground about them for their more commodious Subsistence Verse 2 Ver. 2. Command the Children of Israel that they give unto the Levites of the Inheritance of their possession Out of their share that shall fall to them in the Land of Canaan and on this side Jordan Cities to dwell in That they might not be in danger to wander up and down to seek an Habitation And ye shall give also to the Levites Suburbs for the Cities round about them Some Ground lying round about their Cities the reason of which is given in the next verse Ver. 3. And the Cities they shall have to dwell in Verse 3 That they may build Houses for themselves to dwell in Which did not make it unlawful for them to hire or purchase Houses in any other City particularly at Jerusalem or the place where the Tabernacle was settled for we find in Scripture many proofs of their dwelling in other Cities beside these which are here assigned to them And in like manner other People with their permission might dwell with them in these Cities without any breach of this Law And the Suburbs shall be for their Cattle To afford Pasture for their Oxen and Sheep And for their Goods The Hebrew word signifies not only all kind of Houshold-stuff but whatsoever was necessary for them and their Cattle without doors And for their Beasts Horses Asses Mules and all sorts of living Creatures as the Hebrew word signifies But it was not lawful for them to build Houses in these Fields nor plant Vineyards nor sow Corn but they were given them only to make their Dwellings more sweet and that they might have the convenience of Cattle about them for Provisions and all other uses Ver. 4. And the Suburbs and Cities which ye shall give Verse 4 unto the Levites To be their Possession by as good and full a right as their Brethren of the other Tribes had in their Lands which fell to them for their Inheritance by Lot See XXV Lev. 31 32 33. where they themselves are disabled to alienate either the Houses or Fields of their Cities But if they sold a House it was to revert at the Jubilee and the Fields they could not so much as sell till that time Shall reach from the Walls of the City and outward a thousand Cubits round about This space was for their Out-houses as Stables Places for Hay and Straw and such like things and perhaps for Gardens of Herbs and Flowers The Gemara upon the Ninth Chapter of Sota sect 9. saith That under the second Temple the Levites had no Suburbs which were not restored to them after the Captivity of Babylon But there being great care taken that the People shall pay all the Tithe of their ground unto the Levites X Nehem. 37. it is unreasonable to think
to death But here the Hebrew Doctors as Mr. Selden observes distinguish the killing of a Man into three kinds The first was when though it was from pure Ignorance and Error yet there was some Negligence in it which a prudent Man might have avoided The second when a Man kills another ignorantly and cannot be blamed for any negligence because such a thing seldom happens An Example of the first they make to be when a Man coming down a Ladder falls upon another and kills him An Example of the second when going up a Ladder a Man happens to do the same The former is more frequent and therefore they say hath some kind of blame in it the other seldomer and therefore hath none A third kind when any Man kills another out of ignorance and error also but it approaches nearer to voluntary Murder As when a Man intending to kill one Man happens to kill another with a Stone or otherwise In none of these cases they say the Court of Judgment could put any Man to Death And the Cities of Refuge were not provided for the second or third sort but only for the first and that when the Man died presently and did not lye and languish of the Wound for if he did it might be supposed he died by his own negligence or other ways as well as by the Wound In which case there was no need that the Man who wounded him should flee to the City of Refuge nor could the Avenger of Blood meddle with him No more than he could with a Father when he gave his Son or a Master when he gave his Scholar Correction and hapned to kill him The same was the case of him whose Office it was to Arrest Men by Publick Authority and bring them before the Judges if he struck a Man that refused to go along with him and killed him See Selden Lib. IV. de Jure Nat. Gent. juxta Disciplin Hebr. cap. 2. Ver. 25. And the Congregation shall deliver the slayer Verse 25 out of the hands of the avenger of blood If the Court found the Man was killed casually as the Person accused pretended XX Josh 4. then they charged the Avenger of Blood not to prosecute any further Both here and in the foregoing verse and in the next words to these by Congregation is meant the Judges of the City as I observed v. 12. who were to determine in the presence and in the behalf of the People whether the Manslayer was capable of the Priviledge of the City of Refuge or not as we read XX Josh 4 6. Now these things as a very Learned Person of our own argues which were done by the Elders or Judges being said to be done by the Congregation or Assembly of the People in whose behalf they were done it is no wrong to the Holy Scriptures when we say that which they report to have been done by the Church was acted by the chief Power of the Apostles and Elders with the consent of the People For it is manifest in the New Testament that in the Apostles time all the Publick Acts of the Church were passed at the Publick Assemblies of the same As Ordinations I Acts 23. V. 36. Excommunications XVIII Matth. 18 19 20. 1 Corinth V. 4. 2 Cor. II. 10. Councils XV Acts 4 22. other Acts 2 Corinth VII 19. And herewith agrees the Primitive Custom of the Church for divers Ages whereby they gave Satisfaction to the People of the Integrity of their Proceedings and by the same means obliged Superiours to that Integrity by making the Proceedings so manifest and so to preserve the Unity of the Church And from this Interest of the People in such Acts it is at this day that the People of the Church of England are demanded what they have to say against Ordinations and Marriages to be made See Mr. Thorndike in his Rights of the Church in a Christian State Chap. 3. p. 159 c. And the Congregation shall restore him to the City of his Refuge whether he was fled They were to send him back again from the place where he was tried to the City where he had taken Refuge there to remain till the time prescribed in the next words This was more merciful than the punishment inflicted by the Attick Laws which plainly show they were borrowed in great part from Moses for he who slew a Man involuntarily was forced to fly his Country So the Scoliast upon the last of Homer's Iliads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. It was the manner in ancient times for a Man that had killed another involuntarily to flee his Country and betaking himself to some neighbouring place to sit with his Face covered begging to be expiated But this was only for a certain time as Demosthenes tells us in his Oration in Aristocratem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The Law requires him that is condemned of killing a Man involuntarily for some limited time to go away and keep at an appointed distance till he can make his peace with the Kindred of him that was slain after which he may return again c. And he shall abide in it Not stir out of the Limits of the City that is beyond the Suburbs and the two thousand Cubits which incompassed them v. 4 5. within which Bounds he was to keep Vnto the death of the High-Priest which was anointed with oyl This looks like a Punishment to the Man-slayer whereby others were taught to be very watchful over themselves lest by negligence they chanced to kill any body and so be forced to leave their own home But Maimonides takes it for a prudent Charity to the Man-slayer and to the Relations of him that was slain For by this means the Man-slayer was kept out of the sight of the Avenger of Blood who might have been tempted some time or other to fall upon him if he had come in his way but by long absence his Anger might be mitigated at least by the Death of the High-Priest the most excellent of all other Persons and most dear to every one in the Nation Which made the Publick Grief so great when he died that Men forgot their private Resentments For nothing could fall out more grievous to all People saith he then the Death of the High-Priest which swallowed up all other Grief More Nevoch P. III. c. 40. And in the mean time the Jews say that the Citizens of the place were bound to teach him some Trade whereby he might provide himself with Necessaries And he had this comfort also during his absence from his own Family that the Mother of the High-Priest sent him many Gifts that he might remain there more contentedly and not pray for the Death of the High-Priest So they tell us in the place fore mentioned Maccoth cap. 2. sect 6. Where they also observe that if a Man killed the High-Priest or the High-Priest himself hapned to kill a Man involuntarily they were to stay in the City of Refuge