every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food the tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of knowledge of good and evil 10. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden and from thence it was parted and became into four heads 11. The name of the first is Pison that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah where there is gold 12. And the gold of that land is good there is bdellium and the onyx-stone 13. And the name of the second river is Gihon the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia 14. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria And the fourth river is Euphrates 15. And the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it 16. And the LORD God commanded the man saying Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die 18. And the LORD God said It is not good that the man should be alone I will make him an help-meet for him 19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the air and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them and whatsoever Adam called every living creature that was the name thereof 20. And Adam gave names to all cattel and to the fowl of the air and to every beast of the field but for Adam there was not found an help-meet for him 21. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in stead thereof 22. And the rib which the LORD God had taken from man made he a woman and brought her unto the man 23. And Adam said This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh she shall be called Woman because she was taken out of man 24. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh 25. And they were both naked the man and his wife and were not ashamed 1. ALL the Host of them That is all that with which they were replenished and adorned The Sun Moon and Stars are called the Host of Heaven Deut. 4.19.17.3 Isa 34.4 And the Angels are so likewise 1 King 22.19 Luk. 2.13 Compare Psal 103.21 2. Ended Or had ended And so it follows He rested That is he ceased from works of Creation 3. Blessed the seventh day and sanctified it That is he set it a-part to an holy and separate use that he might therein be worshipped and acknowledged as the great Creator of the World 4. These are the generations c. i. e. This is the account of the generation or original c. In the day That is in the time So day is used in the Scripture-way of speaking Thus On the day that I smote every first-born in the land of Egypt Numb 8.17 In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die v. 17. Compare Luk. 19.42 2 Cor. 6.2 5. And every plant of the field before c. That is as God made the Earth and the Heavens v. 4. so he also made every plant of the field and every herb For these plants and these herbs were not as yet in the Earth when that was first made but were as well as the other creatures made by God And that God did create the plants and herbs and that they were not at first the natural productions or growth of the Earth nor yet the effect of man's husbandry appears from this That they were made by God's Command chap. 1.11 on the third day 1. Before God had sent any rain upon the Earth And 2. before Man was made to till the ground chap. 2.15 6 7. But there went up a mist c. That is after this 1. the ground was watered v. 6. And 2. Man was formed of the dust of the ground v. 7. Breathed c. i. e. God the Father of Spirits bestowed life upon this lump of clay The Spirit of God hath made me says Elihu and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life 8. Planted Or had planted before he made Man whom he put in the Garden which he had planted as it is probable on the third day chap. 1.11 9. The tree of life That Tree the fruit whereof being eaten by Man would preserve him from death and diseases Life in the Scripture-phrase implies prosperity and freedom from Evils 1 Sam. 25.6 1 King 1.25 Exod. 20.12 Compared with Deut. 5.16 Eph. 6.3 1 Thess 3.8 And the tree of knowledge c. So called from the Event Man by Eating the fruit of this Tree made a sad experiment of the difference between his happy state of innocence and his miserable condition which ensued upon his fall Gen. 3.7 10. And a river c. Moses gives us an account of a certain place that did really exist and we are assured of this because he gives account of its Situation v. 8. its Store with which it was replenished v. 9. the River which watered it and the Name of its several Heads v. 10 11. and the Countries which these Heads did compass or border upon v. 11 12. A particular description of this place from the account which Moses gives may not be expected in these short Notes The inquisitive Reader will find this Argument handled at large in Sir W. Raleigh's History of the World Book I. ch 3. who placeth it in that Country where Babylon afterwards was 17. Thou shalt surely die i. e. Thou shalt be liable to death and misery Compare 1 King 2.37 Exod. 10.17 1 Sam. 25.37 2. Cor. 11.23 18. Not good That is not convenient or fit whether we consider the individual or the propagation of the kind Gen. 1.28 Eccl. 4.9 Prov. 18.22 Meet for him Of his own Kind fit for his Conversation and ready to help and assist him 19. Formed i. e. had formed chap. 1. 24 25. Every foul of the air See the Note on chap. 1.20 Brought them viz. both Sexes says Josephus 20. Gave Names In which he shewed his Dominion and Power Ps 147.4 5. and his Wisdom also in giving Names agreeable v. 19. Not found viz. In that great variety of Creatures which were brought to him and to whom he gave Names 21. One of his ribs Hereupon Adam said This is now bone of my bones v. 23. 23. Now That is for this once Hebr. for she should be otherwise produced afterward 24. Therefore shall c. i. e. Considering this first Original of the Woman there is no relation whatsoever either so ancient or so near as that of Man and Wife They were before Father and Mother Brother or Sister
and were one Flesh at first They shall be one flesh i. e. They two shall be one see Matt. 19.5 as they were at the first Creation And here is a good Argument against Polygamy and Divorces 25. Were not ashamed viz. Because they were innocent and had done nothing as yet to be ashamed of CHAP. III. The ARGUMENT The Woman is beguiled by the Serpent and eats the forbidden fruit the Man also did eat it They are thereupon charged by God and together with the Serpent subjected to misery The Messias is promised The first cloathing of Mankind and their casting out of Paradise 1. NOW the Serpent was more subtil then any beast of the field which the LORD God had made and he said unto the woman Yea hath God said Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden 2. And the woman said unto the Serpent We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden 3. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God hath said Ye shall not eat of it neither shall ye touch it lest ye die 4. And the Serpent said unto the woman Ye shall not surely die 5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods knowing good and evil 6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise she took of the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also unto her husband with her and he did eat 7. And the eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves aprons 8. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden 9. And the LORD God called unto Adam and said unto him Where art thou 10. And he said I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid my self 11. And he said Who told thee that thou wast naked hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat 12. And the man said The woman whom thou gavest to be with me she gave me of the tree and I did eat 13. And the LORD God said unto the woman What is this that thou hast done And the woman said The Serpent beguiled me and I did eat 14. And the LORD God said unto the Serpent Because thou hast done this thou art cursed above all cattel and above every beast of the field upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life 15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel 16. Vnto the woman he said I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee 17. And unto Adam he said Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying Thou shalt not eat of it cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life 18. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee and thou shalt eat the herb of the field 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground for out of it wast thou taken for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return 20. And Adam called his wife's name Eve because she was the mother of all living 21. Vnto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins and cloathed them 22. And the LORD God said Behold the man is become as one of us to know good and evil And now lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat and live for ever 23. Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken 24. So he drove out the man and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life 1. THE Serpent was more subtil That is the Serpent was naturally a more subtil creature than the other beasts Gen. 49.17 Matt. 10.16 And therefore a fitter instrument for the Devil who made use of him see the Note on v. 15. and also a more perfect resemblance of his Craft and Wiliness 2 Cor. 2.11.11.14 Rev. 12.9 Yea hath God said c. The Devil in these words seems to question the kindness of God in that he did not permit unto Man the eating of every Tree in the Garden 2 3. And the Woman c. The Woman assures him of the great indulgence of God who permitted unto Man the free use of all the Trees of the Garden and had onely forbidden them to eat of the fruit of that Tree in the midst of the Garden called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil chap. 2. v. 17. and to touch it under pain of death Touch it The bare touching it was not expresly forbid nor is there any just cause to think That the importance of the word Touch here It may rather import the same with Eat which goes before or the free use which was allowed of the fruit of the other Trees v. 2. The Hebrew word is not restrained to bare touching Gen. 26.11 Jer. 12.14 4. Ye shall not surely die As before he called in question God's kindness to Man so he does here deny his Veracity or Truth and deserve the character which our Saviour gives him of a Liar Joh. 8.44 5. Your eyes shall be opened c. As the Devil tempted her before with the hope of indemnity so he doeth here with a promise of a greater degree of knowledge and an advancement to the Divine likeness For by opening the Eyes is meant the obtaining a greater degree of knowledge And 't is but a Metaphorical expression taken from the body and applied to the mind See Isai 42.7 As Gods c. Or as Angels who are God's Ministers and greatly excell in knowledge and this sence is confirmed by what follows knowing good and evil which expression comprehends all knowledge as all things knowable are in some sence good or evil Thus the Woman of Tekoah says unto David As an Angel of God so is my Lord the King to discern good and bad 2 Sam. 14.17 i. e. To discern all things For thus she expresseth her self v. 20. My Lord is wise according to the wisdom of an Angel of God to know all things that are in the
the Note on Chap. 4.19 29. The secret c. q. d. This severity of God towards his chosen People may be well supposed very amazing and surprizing especially considering his early and many and repeated Mercies to them and their Fathers from time to time his gracious Nature and Promises and his forbearance of others whose Sins were as great and who were not in Covenant with him But we are not too curiously to inquire into the Secrets of God's Providence Rom. 11.33 But on the other hand steadily to apply our selves to obey God's revealed Will as that which more peculiarly belongs to us and is the best preventive of such Calamities as are mentioned v. 23 27 28. CHAP. XXX The ARGUMENT God promiseth Mercy to the truly Penitent The Law of God was plainly laid before them Life and Death are set before them They are vehemently exhorted to be obedient and to be happy 1. AND it shall come to pass when all these things are come upon thee the blessing and the curse which I have set before thee and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee 2. And shalt return unto the LORD thy God and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day thou and thy children with all thine heart and with all thy soul 3. That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity and have compassion upon thee and will return and gather thee from all the nations whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee 4. If any of thine be driven out unto the utmost parts of heaven from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee and from thence will he fetch thee 5. And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed and thou shalt possess it and he will do thee good and multiply thee above thy fathers 6. And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul that thou mayest live 7. And the LOOD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies and on them that hate thee which persecuted thee 8. And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD and do all his commandments which I command thee this day 9. And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of thy cattel and in the fruit of thy land for good for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good as he rejoiced over thy fathers 10. If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God to â—eep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul 11. For this commandment which I command thee this day it is not hidden from thee neither is it for off 12. It is not in heaven that thou shouldest say Who shall go up for us to heaven and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it 13. Neither is it beyond the sea that thou shouldest say Who shall go over the sea for us and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it 14. But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest do it 15. See I have set before thee this day life and good and death and evil 16. In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments that thou mayest live and multiply and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it 17. But if thine heart turn away so that thou wilt not hear but shalt be drawn away and worship other gods and serve them 18. I denounce unto you this day and ye shall surely perish and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it 19. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you that I have set before you life and death blessing and cursing therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live 20. That thou mayest love the LORD thy God and that thou mayest obey his voice and that thou mayest cleave unto him for he is thy life and the length of thy days that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob to give them 1. AND thou shalt call them to mind i. e. Thou shalt consider or come thy self which is the first Step towards Repentance See Luke 15.17 1 King 8.47 If thou he think thy self That is the importance of the Hebrew and so it is rendred 1 Kings 8.47 2. And shalt return Here is a farther Description of true Repentance expressed by returning and by obeying God universally and heartily 3. Turn thy Captivity That is bring back thy Captives as appears from the following words and Captivity is sometimes used for Captives Psal 14.7 4. Vtmost parts of heaven That is the utmost parts of the Earth under the Heaven Behold I will gather them out of all Countries Jer. 32.37 What is expressed by from one end of the heaven to the other Matt. 24.31 is in a parallell place said from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven Mark 13.27 Heaven some times signifies the Air in which we breath Gen. 1.8 6. Circumcise thine heart This is to be understood of that Spiritual Circumcision whereby the filthy Inclination of the Mind to evil is removed and pared away The Chaldee expresseth it by removing the folly of the heart and the Greek by cleansing it Coloss 2.11 Rom. 2.29 9. For good Plenty and Prosperity is to the hurt of evil Men and is onely good to them who are good and is therefore as such promised to them whose heart is circumcised 11. This Commandment viz. Of loving God v. 6. and sincere Obedience to his Revelation v. 8. which are also Evangelical Precepts Rom. 10.6 Not hidden i. e. It is not hard to be understood as those are which are said to be hidden and abstruse Far off Or out of thy reach that thou shouldest need pretend that thou canst not come at it 12. Not in heaven That is it is not looked up as a Secret there but revealed from thence 13. Beyond the Sea i. e. It is not at such a distance as will expose Men to great hazard to come at 14. In thy mouth and in thy heart i. e. It is very near thee indeed as that which thou ownest with thy Mouth and doest with thy Mind assent unto 19. I call heaven and earth c. See the Note on Chap. 4.26 20. He is thy life He is the Author
the first day of the month that Moses spake unto the children of Israel according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them 4. After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites which dwelt in Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei 5. On this side Jordan in the land of Moab began Moses to declare this law saying 6. The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb saying Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount 7. Turn you and take your journey and go to the mount of the Amorites and unto all the places nigh thereunto in the plain in the hills and in the vale and in the south and by the sea-side to the land of the Canaanites and unto Lebanon unto the great river the river Euphrates 8. Behold I have set the land before you go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob to give unto them and to their seed after them 9. And I spake unto you at that time saying I am not able to bear you my self alone 10. The LORD your God hath multiplied you and behold you are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude 11. The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many mo as ye are and bless you as he hath promised you 12. How can I my self alone bear your cumbrance and your burden and your strife 13. Take ye wise men and understanding and known among your tribes and I will make them rulers over you 14. And ye answered me and said The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do 15. So I took the chief of your tribes wise men and known and made them heads over you captains over thousands and captains over hundreds and captains over fifties and captains over tens and officers among your tribes 16. And I charged your judges at that time saying Hear the causes between your brethren and judge righteously between every man and his brother and the stranger that is with him 17. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment but you shall hear the small as well as the great you shall not be afraid of the face of man for the judgment is God's and the cause that is too hard for you bring it unto me and I will hear it 18. And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do 19. And when we departed from Horeb we went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites as the LORD our God commanded us and we came to Kadesh-barnea 20. And I said unto you Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites which the LORD our God doth give unto us 21. Behold the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee go up and possess it as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee fear not neither be discouraged 22. And ye came near unto me every one of you and said We will send men before us and they shall search us out the land and bring us word again by what way we must go up and into what cities we shall come 23. And the saying pleased me well and I took twelve men of you one of a tribe 24. And they turned and went up into the mountain and came unto the valley of Eshcol and searched it out 25. And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down unto us and brought us word again and said It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us 26. Notwithstanding ye would not go up but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God 27. And ye murmured in your tents and said Because the LORD hated us he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us 28. Whither shall we go up our brethren have discouraged our heart saying The people is greater and taller then we the cities are great and walled up to heaven and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there 29. Then I said unto you Dread not neither be afraid of them 30. The LORD your God which goeth before you he shall fight for you according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes 31. And in the wilderness where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee as a man doth bear his son in all the way that ye went until ye came into this place 32. Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God 33. Who went in the way before you to search you out a place to pitch your tents in in fire by night to shew you by what way ye should go and in a cloud by day 34. And the LORD heard the voice of your words and was wroth and sware saying 35. Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land which I sware to give unto your fathers 36. Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh he shall see it and to him will I give the land that he hath troden upon and to his children because he hath wholly followed the LORD 37. Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes saying Thou also shalt not go in thither 38. But Joshua the son of Nun which standeth before thee he shall go in thither Encourage him for he shall cause Israel to inherit it 39. Moreover your little ones which ye said should be a prey and your children which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil they shall go in thither and unto them will I give it and they shall possess it 40. But as for you turn ye and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red-sea 41. Then ye answered and said unto me We have sinned against the LORD we will go up and fight according to all that the LORD our God commanded us And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war ye were ready to go up into the hill 42. And the LORD said unto me Say unto them Go not up neither fight for I am not among you left ye be smitten before your enemies 43. So I spake unto you and you would not hear but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD and went presumptuously up into the hill 44. And the Amorites which dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do and destroyed you in Seir even unto Hormah 45. And ye returned and wept before the LORD but the LORD would not hearken to your voice nor give ear unto you 46. So ye abode in Kadesh many days according unto the days that ye abode there 1. WHich Moses spake i. e. Which Moses had formerly spoken and which are here repeated and set down for the benefit of the surviving Israelites The Red-sea Or Zuph It