Commentary on the Holy Bible

them: for the Lord th.y God is '" a mighty God and terrible.

22 " And the Loud thy God will " put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou niayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.

23 But the Loud thy God shall deliver them " unto tJiee, and sliall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed.

24 And " he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name ' fron> under heaven; ' there shall no m.-in be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed

23 ^ The graven images of their gods ' shall ye btail with.fire; thon " slialt not desire tlic silver or gold thai is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be " snared therein: for it is ' an abomination to the Lord thy God.

26 K'either shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it; /;.'// tliou r-ihalt Utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; ^ for it is a cursed thing.

that it would be impolitic so to do, lest the beasts of the field should multiply upon them.

Verse 2-5. T/iou shalt not desire the.liher or gold that is ort tht^m] Some of the ancient idols were plated over with gold; and God saw that the value of the metal, and the c.\- cellcnce of the workmanship, might be an inducement for the Israelites to prescire Iheni; and this might lead, remotely at lea-st, to idolatry. As the idols were accursed, nil those who had them, or any thin<j appertaining to them, were accursed also, ver. 26.

Jn exhortation to oledieiicej'rom a coimderation of God's past mercies, 1, 2. Man is not to lite by I/read onfy, but by every word of God, 3. How God provided for them in the wilderness, 4. The Lord chastened ihem, that they might be otjcdient, 5,6. A description of the land into ahich they tcere going, 7 — •). Cautions, lest they should forget God in their prosperity, 10 — 16. and lest they ihould attribute that prosperity to themselves, and not to

Cod, ]7> 18. The terrible judgments that shall full upon them, should they prove unfaithful, 19> 20.

rriiikges ciijoytd hij the CII A I'.

LL tlic commanJincnts which | I coiuinaiid tlirc tliis day •" shall yo i)!)S("rvi' lo du, that ye may hvo, and multiply, and;;<) in and possess the land which llie Loud swaio niito yonr flillnTS.

'2 And ihon shalt icnicnibcr all tlic way which the Loud thy God '' led thee these forty years in the wildernes:^, to luinibie tliee, and "^ U) prove thee, '' to know what nv/.v in thine heart, whellun- thou wouldest keep his comniandments, or no.

.3 And he lunnblcil thee, anil ' suflercd thee to hunger, and 'fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neillier did tiiy fathers know; that lu: niii'-ht make thee know that man dotii '= not li\e by breail only, but by every xiord that pro-

liraelilci in the 'Icutrt.

Verse 2. Thou sluilt remember all ilic vid}/] Tlic various dealings of God \viili you: tlic (l;in;;cis and difl'iculties lo wiiiili ye were exposed,.-iiid iVom wlii. li God delivered yon, toiretlii r with d)c various miracles which he wrought Ibr j'uu, and lua lonii-'-uirerin;; towards you.

Verse 3. He — siij'cred tlice to htinqer, and fed Mce] God never permits any tribulation to bcfal liis followers, which be does not defiu;!! to turn to their advantage. When he ptrmiti us lo Initiirer, it is that his mercy may be the more observable in providini; us with the necessaries of life. Privations, in the way of Providence, are the forerunners of mercy and goodness abundant.

Verse 4. Thy raiment waxed not old, &c.] The plain meaninfif of this much-tortured text appears to uie lobe tiiis: " God so amply jmivided for them all the necessaries of life, that they never were obliged lo wear tattered garments, nor were tluir feel injured for lack of shoes or sandaN." If they had carvers, engravers, silversmiths, and je«clkTS among them, as plainly appears from the account we have of the tabernacle and its utensils, is it to be wondered at, if they also h id liahit and saiulal-iiiafcers, &c. &c. as we are certain they had v;eaters, embroiderers, and sucli like. And the trallic which we may suppose they carried on with flie Moabitts, or with travelling hordes of Arabi.iiis, doubtless i!.u])plied them widi the muicrials. Tliiugh, as they had abundance of sheep and neat cattle, they must have had much of the materials within themselves. It is generally supposed, that God, by a miracle, preserved their clothe* from wearing out: but if this sense be admitted, it will require not one miracle, but a chain of the most successive and astonishing miracles ever wrought, to account for the thing: for, as there were not less than (300,000 males born in the wiklcrnes*, il would imply, that the clothes of the infant grew up with the increase of bis body to manhood, which ccedeth out of the mouth of the Lonn,V^' "/.^ doth man live.

I 4 '"Thy raiment waxed not oUl upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty

5 ' Thou shalt al^o consider in thine heart, that, as a mati cha.stenetli his.son, so the Loud tliy God chasteneth thee.

(i Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, ''to walk in his ways, and to fear him.

7 For the Loiti) thy God bringcth thee into a good land, ' a land of brooks of water, of fbiintains and depths that »nrin<r out of valleys and hills;

8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and

would require a mincle to be continually wTo'i;^iit onMirv thread, and on every particle of matter of which that threail was composed. And this is not all: it would itnpiv, thcl the clothes of the p.irent Iwcame miraculoii<ly lessened, to fit • the body of the child, with whose growth they were again to stretch and grow, &c. No such miraculous iiiterferencj was necc.s.«ary.

Verse 8. A land of wheat, kc] On the subject of tins verse I shall introduce the following remarks, which I find in Mr. Harnier's Observations on the Fertility of tlie Land of Judea, vol. iii. p. 24.3.

" Hasselq list tells us, that he ate olives at Joppa, (upon his first arrival in the Holy Laml) which were said to growon the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem; and that, independent of their oiliness, they were of the best kind he lud tasted in the Levant. As olives are frequently eaten in their repasts, the delieucy of iliis fruit in.ludea ought not to be forgotten: and the oil that is gotten from lhe»e trees, much less, becau.«e still more often made u.sc of. In the progress of his journey, he found several li:it. vales, abounding with olivetrees. He saw also olive-trees in Galilee; but none farther, be says, than the monnlam «here it is supposed our Lord preached his.sermon.

" The Ji^-trees in the neighboiirhooil of.Toppa, H.Tsselquist goes on to inform us, were as beautiful as any he had.seen in the Levant.

" The reason why pomcsrariaies are distinctly raentioncd, in this description of the productiops of the land of promise, may be iheir great usefiilnc~s in forming cooling drinks: for they are used among the Asiatics nearly in the same way that we use lemons, see vol. li. 1 I-t.

" Honey is used in large quantities in the.*e countries: and Elgypt was celebrated for the assiduity with which the iv.ople there managed the;r bees. Mailiet's account of it is very amuaitu;. ' There arc,' savs he» ' abuiidaocc of bees «i that

Obseifations on the honey of

9 A land wherein thou shalt eat' coimtr}', and a singular manner of feeding them, introduced bj' the Egyptians of ancient times, still continues there. 'I'o- Avards the end of October, when the Nile, upon its decrease, gives the peasants an opportunity of sowing the lands, sainfoin is one of the first things sown, and one of the most yrofitabk. As the Upper Kgypt is hotter than the Lower, and the inundation there goes sooner oft" the lands, the sainfoin appear* tliere first. Tlie knowledge they have of this, •auses them to send ihcir bee-hives froui all parts of Egypt, that the bees may enjoj', as soon as may be, the richness of the flowers, which grow in this part of the country sooner than in any other district of the kingdom. The hives, upon their arrival at the farther end of Egypt, are placed one upon another in the form of pyramids, in boats ])repaved for their reception, after having been numbered by the people, who place them in the boats. Tiie bees feed in the fields there for some days: afterwards, vhen it is believed they liave nearly collected the honey and wax, which were to be found for two or three leagues round, they cause the boats to ^o down the stream, two or three leagues lower, and leave tliem tliere, in like manner, such a proportion of time AS they think to be necessary for the gathering up the riches of that canton. At length, about the beginning of lebniary, after having gone the whole length of Egypt, they arrive at the sea, from whence they are conducted, each of them, to their usual place of abode. For they take care to set down exactly in a register, each district from whence the hives were carried in the beginning of the season, their number, and the names of the persons that sent them, as well as the number of the boats, where they are ranged according to the places they are brought from. What is astonishing in Ibis aflair is, that w ith the greatest fidelity of memory that can be imagined, each bee finds its own hue, and never makes any mistake. That which is still more amazing to me is, that the Egyptians of old should be so attentwe to all the advantages deducible from the situation of their cotjnlry; that after having observed that all things came to maturity sooner in Upper Egypt, and much later in Lower, which made a diilerence of above six \iieks, between the two extremities of their country, they thought of collecting the wax and tlic honey, so as to lose none of them, and hit upon this ingenious method of making the bees do it successively, according to the blossoming of the flowers, and the arrangement of Nature."

]f this solicitude were as ancient as tVie dwelling of Israel in I'.gypt, tliey must have been anxious to know, whether Jtomy, about which they took such care in Ivgypt, was plentiful in the land of promise; and they must have been pleased to have been assured it was. It continues to be produced there in large quantities: Hassdquist, in the progress ofliis journey from Acra to Nazareth, tells us that he Ibuud " great numbers of been, bred thereabouts, to the great

Egypt and Palestine. tliou

scarceness, thou urii^'^"' shalt not lack any thing in it; a An! Kxnd.hr. land '' whose' stones are iron, and -*»•— ^'''""-

advantage of the inhabitants.'' He adds, " they make their bee-hives, with little trouble, of clay, four feet long, and half a foot in diameter, as in Egypt. They lay ten, or twelve of them, one on another, on tiie bare ground, and build over every ten, a little roof" Mr. Maundrel observing also manybees in the Holy Land, takes notice that by their means, the most barren places of that country, in other respects become useful, perceiving in many places of the great salt-plain near.Jericho, a smell of honey and wax as strong as if he had been in an apiaiy.

By Hasselquist's account it appears, that the present inhabitants of Palestine are not strangers to the use of hives. They are constructed of very ditlerent materials fi-om ours, but just the same with the Egyptian hives. They seem to be an ancient contrivance; and indeed so simple an invention must be supposed to be as old as the days of Moses, \ihen arts, as appears from his writings, of a much more elevated nature, were known in Egypt. I cannot then well persuade myself to adopt that opinion of some of the learned, that those words of Moses, in Deut. xxxii. 13. He wade him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of thejlinty rock, are to be understood of his causing Israel to dwell in a country, where sometimes they might find honey-comb in holes of the rock. It is very possible that, in that hot country, these insects, when not taken due care of, may get into hollow places of the rocks, and form combs there, as they sometimes construct them in ours, in hollow trees, though' I do not remember to have met with any traveller that has made such an observation. Hut would this have been mentioned with so much triumph by Moses in this place.'' The quantities of honey produced after this manner could be but small, compared with what would be collected in hives properly managed; when found, it must olten cost a great deal of pains to get the lioney out of thesejtttle cavities in the hard stone; and much the greatest part must be absolutely lost to the inhabitants. The interpretation is the more strange, because when it is said in the next clause, " and oil out ol the flinty rock," it is evidently meant, that they should have oil jiroduced in abundance, by olive trees growing on flinty rocks; and consequently, the sucking honey out of the rock should only mean, their enjoying great quantities ol' honey, produced by bees that collected it I'rom flowers growing among the roeks: the rocky mountains of this country, it is well known, produce an abundance of aiomatic plants proper for the purpose.

Nor does Asaph, in the close of the eighty-first psalm, speak, I ap])i clieiid, of honey found in cavities of rocks; nor yet is he there describing it as collected from the odoriferous plants that gro\v in the rocky hills of those conntries, if the reading of our present Hebrew copies be right; but the prophet tells Israel, that had they been obedient, CJod would have fed them with the fat of wheal, and with thg rock (>f

Cautiom a^ainsl ing7-at'itudc out of whose liills thou maycst dig

10 'When ihoii IkisI cuti'ii anclii art full, then tlu)ii shah hk'.ss iho Loud thy 1 God, lor tiic gooil laud which he Iiafh given |

11 Ik'warc that ihoii forget not the Lonu thy j (iod, in not keeping his commandments, and his ' judgments, and his statutes, whicli 1 eonuuand I ihee this day: ij

]'2 ^ Lest ivlir.n tliou hast eaten and art fiill,'! cuid hast huilt goodly houses, and dwelt therein; i

i;3 And rclicn thy herds ami thy flocks multij)ly, and thy silver anil thy goUl is mulliphed, and all that thou hast is njultijilied;

14 'Then thine heart be lilteil up, and tiiou "forget the Loud thy Ciod, wliicii brought thee Ibrth out of the land of Egypt, from the liousc of bondage.

\'i AMio "led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, ' "wliorin iccrc fiery sei"pents, and scorpions, and drought, where lliere zlos no honey woulil lie Iiavo satisfied them: that k, witli the mo.-t delicious wlieat, and willi the riehest, most invigoi-atinj lioney, in larpje quantities, both for eatin'j, and making agreeable drink. It'; revivincf, strcnpflheninfj quality, appears in tiie story of Jonathan, Saul's son, 1 Sam. xi.\. 27; as the »isin;j the term rucic to signify strength, &.C. appears in a luulliiude of places. The rock of a «:i'o;v/, P.<al. Ixxxix. 43. for the t■l/^'<: of a siiord, in wliieli its energy lies, is, perhaps, asstranije an expression to western cars.

I shall have occasion to speak of the excellency of the ^jv3^c4- of Judea in a succeeding chapter; and I may be dispensed with as to the pursuing the further examination of the productions of this country, iijion iriving my Reader a remark of Dr. Sliaw's to this purpose, tiiat it is impo.«sihic for pulse, wheat, or grain of any kind, to he richer or better tasted, •than what is sold at Jemsalem. Only it may not be amiss to add, with respect to this country's being well watered, that the depth ^TV\ ithom, spoken of in tliis passage, seems to mean reservoirs of water, filled by the rains of winter, and of great use to make their lands fertile, as the second word rrnbl/Tl ledlotiah, seems to mean wells, or.some such sort of conveniences, supplied by spj-ings, and the fir.-t word, rrmru nttharotceah, rivers or running streams, whether carrying a larger or smaller body of water. What an important part of this pleasing description, especially in the ears of those that had wandered near forty years in a most dry ami parched wilderness! I will only add, without entering into |iarticulars, that the present face of the cvmiitjy answers tliis description."

water; 'who brought thee forth water f m.-'>vi. out of the rock of flint; au y.x„,i \i,.

10 Who fed thee in the wilderness »"- ^*'"- with '■ manna, which thy f.'ithers knew not, that he nu'ght humble thee, and that he jiiight prove thee, ' to do thee good at thy latter end;

17 "Aiitl tluni.say in thine heart. My jiower and the might of fyiine hand hath gotten me this wciilth.

18 iJtit thon shalt rcmend)cr the Lord thy God: ' for it ix he that giveth thee power to get wealth, '"that he may eslalilish hi.s covenant which he swarc unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

19 And it.shall be, if thou do at all forget the Loud thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worshij) them, " I testify against you this day that ye.shall siiiely perish.

'20 As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, ° so shall ye jierish; becau.se ye woidtl not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.

Verse 9. A land whose itnnes are iron] Not only meanin" that there were iron mines throughout the land; but that the loose stones were strongly impregnated with iron — orr< of this metal (the n.ost useful of all the products of the mineral kingdom) being every where in great plenty.

Uiii of whose hills thou mui/cst di-^ brass'] A,* there is n» such tiling in nature as a brass mine, tlie wiTd ncTU luchosheth, siKudd be translated co;;/H'r; of which, by the addition of the lapis ciilaininaris, brius is made. — See on ExodL XXV. 3.

Verse 15. Who led thee through that — terrible w'Jeriiass'l Sec the account of their journeying in the notes oa Exi.^ xvi. l,&c. Num. xxi. &:c.

I'iery serpents] Serpents, whose bite occasioned a mosi violent inflammation, accon-.panied with an nnquenchable thirst; and which terminated in death..S«?e on Num. xxi. 6.

Verse 16. Who fed thee — luit/i manm] See this iniracie described Exod. \vi. 13, &c.

Verse 18. God — -giveth thee pouer to get tiealth] ^V■ll© among the rich and wealthy believes this saying.' Who (nves wisdom, understanding, skill, bodily strength and health r Is it not God? And without tliese how can wealth be acquired } Who.se i> providence h Who gives fertility to tWp eartli? And who brings every proper pur|»se to a ri^^lu issue? Is it not God? yViid witlwut these also can wealth be acquired? No. Then the proposition in the text is to God, the wealthy man must account for the roanner in which he has txpcndid the riches which God hatli given huu.

Exhortations to gratitude

The people are informed that they shall shortly jiaM over Jordan, and tliat uoJ shall go over hefme them, to -expel the ancient inhabitants, 1 — 3. They are caul toned not to suppose that it is on account of their risihlcousness that God is to oive them that land, 4 — G. They are exhorted to remember their various provocations of the divine Maiestij, especially at Horeb, 7 — 14. and ho7C Moses interceded for them, and destroyed the golden calf, 15 — '21. JIow tliey mnrmured at Taberah, 22. and rebelled at Kadesh-bavnea, 23. and had been ^Krverse from the be-

An account of the intercession of Moses in their behalj', 25 — 29

E A R, O Israel: Thou art to 1] from before thee, ami that he may pass over Jordan this day, to perform

4o.—.sebat. g^ jj^ ^^ possess iiatioiis ° greater and mightier than thyself; cities great and ' fenced up to heaven;

2 A people great and tall, "the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and oftchom thou hast heard say. Who can stand before the children of Anak!

3 Understand therefore this day, that the Loud thy God is he which \goeth over before thee; as a ''consuming fire ^ he shall destroy - them, and he shall bring them down before thy fiice: " so slialt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath said

4 ' Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying. For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land: but ''for the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out fi'om before thee.

5 ' Not for thy righteousness, or for the up-.rightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wckedness of these.nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out

the word whicli tlie Loiju sware unto tliy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

6 Understand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thv righteousness; for thou art " a stiffnecked people.

7 i[ Remember, atid forget not, how thou provokedst the Lord thy Gotl to wrath in the wilderness: ° from tlie day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against tlie Lord.

8 Also '' in Horeb ye provoked the Lord to wrath, so that the Lord was angry with you to have destroyed you.

9 "^ AVhen I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even tlie tables of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then '' I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:

10 ' And the Lord delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was icritten accordinsjc to all the

Verse I. Tliou art to pass oi-er Jordan ills dan] nvn ''"- worn, tliis time: tliey liad come tliirli/-eight years hclbre this, nearly lo llie vir<ie of the promis-ed land, but were not permitted at that day or lime, to pas.^; over, because of their rebellions: \nxt this time, they shall certainly pass over. Tiiis was spoken about the eleventh month of the fortieth year of their Jounieyin(^; and it was on the first month of the following year they passed over: and diirinj; this interim Moses died.

Verse 5. For the wickedness of these nations'] So then it was not by any sovereign act of God that these people were jcaat out; but for tUtir v:ielicdness — ihey had transi^'ressed the law of their Creator — they had resisted his Spirit, and could no lonycr be tolerated. 'I'he Isracblts were lo possess their land, not because thci/ deserved il, but first, becau.se tlicy were less wicked tliiin the others: and secondly, because God thus chose to iKgin the great work of his salvation among men. Thus then the Camumiles ucre cut of, and the Israelites were grafted in — and the Israelites, because of their wickedness, were afterwards att ojT, and the Ocntiles grafted in — let the latter not be iiigh minded but fear; if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest lie spare not

A.M.VMi. •vvoids, which the Lord sp.ikc wilh:: l!> " I' or I was afraid of the aripjcr ^.y.'■_. voii ill the inoiiiit, out of the midst 'and hot displeasure, wherewith the ^ ol" tlie llrr, 'in the day ol the as-; l.,oi(i) was wroth it;;aiii-«t you to de-

! stroy you. ° iJut tlie J^oku hearkened unto ine tiid of forty; at tliat time also.

HMiibly. 1 1 And it came to pa days aiul Ibrly nights, iluti the Loiti) gave, me, 'JO And thi- Loan was very angry with Aaron the two tables of stone, even the tables of the!: to have destroyed him: ami I prayed tor Aaron covenant. also the.same time.

\'l And the Loun said uiifo me, '"Arise, get'' 21 And ''1 took your.sin, tlie calf wliich ye th(XMlowu quickly from hence; lor thy people, had made, and burnt it with fire, and.stamped which thou hast br()iip,Iit forth out of Egyj)t it, <'///r/ ground /7 vc'ry small, cir/z until it was a,S have corrupted llicnisclvcx; ihey are ^ ([uickly small as dust: audi cast the du^t thereof into turned aside out of the way which I command- 1; the brook that ilescended out of the mount, eil them; they have made them a molten, j 2'2 And at '' 'I'abciah, and at ' Massah, and image. ' P at ' Kibrothdiallaavali, ye provoked the Loitu

1.'3 Furthermore '' the Loun spake unto ine, i to wrath, saving, I have seen this peojjle, ami, behold, 2.5 Likewise 'when the Louu sent you from 'it is a.stiti-necked people: i. Kadesh-baniea, saying. Go up and ])o.ssess the

14 ^ Let me alone, that I may destroy them,,, land which I lia\e given you; then ye rebelled and ^blot out their naim" from under heaven: 'against the commandment of the Louu your " and I will make ol" thee a nation miglitier and God, and " ye believed him not, nor hearkened greater than they. to his voice.

XT) 'So I turned ami came down from the 24 * Ye have been rebellious against the Lord mount, and ''the mount burned witii tire: and j from the day that I knew you. the two tables of the covenant xvere in my two i 25 * Thus I fell down betijre the Lord, forty hands. i days and forty nights, as I fell down al the

16 And ' I looked, and, behold, ye had sin- Jir.sl; because the Loud had said he would dened against the Loud your God, and had made 'stroy you.

vou a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly 26 " I ])rayed therefore unto the Lord, and out of the way whicli the Louu had command- said, O I.ord Goo, ilestroy not thy people and cd you. thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed

17 And I took the two tables, and cast them, through thy greatness; which thou hast brought out of my two hands, and brake them betbre; forth out of Lgypt with a mighty hand.

' 18 And I '"fell down before the Loun, as at 'and Jacob; look not unto the stubbornness of the first, forty days and forty nights: I did this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to

neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ve sinned, in doing wick-

thcir sin 28 Lest " the land whence thou broughtest edly in the sight of the Loud, to provoke liim us out, say, ^'^ Because the Lord was not able to to anger. bring them into the land, which he promised

Ver.«e 12. Tliy people — //are cornz/j.'frf Ihemselvcs] Dfbnsed,' Verse 22. Al Kibix^h-haitaavah] See the note on Num. tWemselvfS by making and worshipping an Egyptian idol. xi. 18. See on K.xod. x.wti. Verse 27. Remember tliy ferran!.<: Abruhwn, Isaac, and Ja-

Vei-i!e2i. I took your sin, the calf which ye had made] See \ cob] As if lie had said: " These are Iheir descendants; and this fully explained, Exod, xxxii. 20.: the covenant wa^ made w.lli those patriarchs in belialf of

Tloro Moses was ordered to

them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness. 29 ^ Yet they are thy people, and thine inhe-

these." Gotl bestows many blessings on comparatively worlhless persons, eitiier for the sake of their pious ancestors, or on account of the religious people with whom they are connected: therefore union with the Church of God is a get tzco Other tables of stone.

ritance, which thou broughtest out by thy '' mighty power and by thy stretched out arm.

I blessing of no common magnitude. The Reader will find the grand subject of this chapter explained at large in ihc notes on ICxod. xxxi. and xx.xii. to which he is particularly desired to reler.

Moses is commanded to make a second set of tables, 1, G. He made an ark, prepared the iKo tables, God xcrites on them the ten commandments, and Moses lays them up in the ark, 3 — 5. The Israelites joarneif from Beeroth, ^0 Mosera, uhere Jarnn dies, 6. and from thence to Gudgodah a«fZ Jotbath, 7. yit that time God separated the tribe of Levi for the service of the sanctuary, 8, 9. Hozo long Moses stayed the second time in the mount, 10, 11. What God requires of the Israelites, 12 — 1j. Their heart must be circumcised, Ifi. God's character and conduct, 17, 18. Thei/ are commanded to love the stranger, 1<). to fear, lore, and serve God, '20. because he had done such great things for them and their fathers, 21, 22.

T that time the Lord said unto me, ^ Hew thee two tables

of stone like unto the first, and come into the mount, and " make thee

up unto me an ark of wood.

2 And I will write on the tables, the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakedst, and " thou shalt put them in the ark.

3 And I made an ark of " shittim wood, and ' hewed two tables of stone, like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand.

4 And ^ he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten -^commandments "which the Lord spake unto you in the mount, out of the midst of tlie fire, ' in the day of the assembly: and the Lord gave them unto me.

5 And I turned myself, and " came down from tlie mount, and 'put the tables in the ark

Verse 3. Shittim wood] Sec the note on Exod. xxv. 5. and succeeding vtn*s; andon the parallel places in the margin,

which I had made; "" and there they be, as the Lord commanded me.

6 ^ And the children of Israel took their journey, from Beeroth " of the children of Jaakan, to ° Moserah: ^ there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office, in his stead.

7 "" From thence they journeyed unto Giidgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbath, a land of rivers of waters.

8 ^ At that time ' the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, ' to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 'to stand before the Lord, to minister unto him, and " to bless in his name, unto this day.

9 " Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance, according as the Lord thy God promised him.

Verse 6. And (he children of Israel took their jaurncy, &c.l On this and the three following verses, see Kcnnieoti't, Remarks at the end of this chapter.

Cfftlic duties and privileges (!IFAI'. X. required (if llie hraclitci.

10 % Arxl VI stayed in tlif nioiint, || 1.5 "Only the- Loiiu had a (k'li;2;lit '^ ' according to tiic " lir.st tinu>, Ibity |' in thy (kthcrs to love tlicm, and he days and (brty niglits; and ' the Loiiu ', cho.se tiieir.seed after tlieni, even you Iitarkened unto meat that time also, and the ' ai)()ve all jx-ople, as /'/ /.v thi.s day. LoKU would not destroy thee. jl IG Circumcise therctbre "the Ibrcskin of vour

17 I'or the L(JitiJ your God is ' Ood of f;od.s,

and a terrible, which ' regardeth not persons,

IS " lie doth execute the judgment of the

///// journey before the people, that they may go in and po.ssess the land, which 1 sware unto their fiitheis to give unto them.

12 ^[ And now, Israel, ' what doth the Lord thy (lod require of thee, but "to fear the Louo

fiiy (iod, " to walk in all his ways, and ' to love,, fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger,

him, and to serve the Loud thy God with all in giving him fi:)od and raiment.

thy heart and with all thy soul, i| \\) "Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye l.'J To keep the connnandments of the Lord, were strangers in the land of Egypt, and his statutes, which I command thee this J 20 >^ 'i'hou shait fear the Lord thy God; him day ''for thy good."* I.shalt thou serve, and to him.shalt thou ' cleave,

14 Iie!u)ld, 'the heaven, and the hea\en of >" and swear by his name, heavens is the Lord's thy God, "the eartli also, '} 21 "'' He is thy ])raise, and he is thy God, " that

hath done for thee these great and terrible

Verse IL'. Now, Israel, •.ihat dotli the Lord — rcqiiirt: of thee'] An answer is iniDiediaUly given. God requires,

1. 'I'liat yc fear liim a.s Jehovah your God; he who made prcser\es, and govenij j'ou.

2. That i/e walk in all his ivajys; that having received his prccepU, all of which are good and excellent, ye ohty the whiilc: wa!l;ing in God's ways, not your o«n, nor in the ways of the people of the land.

'J. That yc lore him, iiave confidence in hiin as your father and friend, have recourse to him in all your necessities, and love him in return for his love.

4. That thou serre him; give him that worshi)) which he requires; performing it with all thy heart, the wliole of thy aflftctiuns; and with all thy soul, thy will, underslamling, and judgment. In a word, j)utling forth thy whole.sircnglli and enciijy of hody and soul in the sacred work.

Verse 1 t. Behold, the heaven, and the heaven of heavensi All these words in the original, are in the plural number: t3'"2"i'n 'O'lyi CD'Diyn "jn hen hushshatiiayim, ushemei/ hashshamiij/im; behold the he-rcens and the hfuven.i of heaicns; hut vhat do they mean? To say that the first means the atmosphere, the second the planetary system, and the tliinl the rep;ion of the blessed, is saying but very little, in the way of explanation. The words were probably intended to point out the immensity of God's creation, in which we may readily conceive one system of heavenly bodies, and others beyond them, and others still in endless pro^jression, through tiic whole vortLX of space! Every star in the va.sl abyss of nature being a sun, with its peculiar and numerous a.ttendant worlds. Tliu> there may be systems of systems, in endlts* gradation, up to the throne of God!

Verse 16. Circumci.ic — the foreskin of your heart"] A plain proof from God himself, that this precept pointctl out spiritual ihinijs; and that it was not the cutting axi-ay a part nf the Jiesh, that was the object of the divine conmiandment, but the /)«r//iV«//f)H of the soul; without which all forms and ceremonies are of nn avail. Loving' God with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength, the heart being circumcised to enable them to do it; was, from the beginning, the end, design, and fulfilment of the whole Law.

Verse n. God of gods, and Lord of lords] That is, he is the source whence all being and j)ciwir proceed: every agent is finite but himself; and he can counteract, suspend, or destroy all the actions of all creatures, when.soevtr he pleases. If he di.lirmine to save, none can destroy; if he purpose to destroy, none can save. How absolutely necessary to have such a God for our friend!

A great God — nii:;h/i/] "Oir, SxH ha-el ha-gibbor, the mighty I' God; this is the very title that is given to our ble—.«ed Lord I and Saviour, I>ai. ix. li.

: Verse L'l. lie is tliy praise] It is an eternal honour to

['■ anj' soul to be in the friendship of God. \V liy arc people

'ashamed of being thought religrous.' Because they know

I nothing of religion. He who knows his Maker may glory

|I in his God — for without him, what has any soul but disgrace, pain, shame, and pcnlition! How strange is it that those who fear God should Ik; ashamed to own it; while sinnns boldly proclaim their relationship to Satan!

tilings which thine eyes have seen.

2'2 Thy fathers went down into

Egypt "^ with threescore and ten per- on the preceding Chapter.

sons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee " as the sUirs heaven for multitude.

\'erse 22. With threescore and ten persons] Antl now, from so small a heginninor they were multiplied to more than 600,000 souls; and tills indeed in the space of 40 years; for the 603,000 which came out of Eyypt, were at this time all dead, but Mo<es,.loshua, and Caleb. How easily can God increase and multiply, and how easily diminish and bring low! In all ihinjjs, because of bis unlimited power, he ctni do whatsoever he will. And he xt:itl do whatsoever is right.

On a very important subject in this chapter, Dr. Keimicott lias the following judicious observations.

" The book of D^iiteronoini/ contains the several speeches inado to the Israelites by Moses, ju—t before ills death; recapilulating- the chief circumstances of their history, from their deliverance out of Egypt, to their arrival on the banks of Jordan. What in this book be has recorded, as spoken, ■will be best understood by comparing it with what he has recorded, as done, in the jirevious history; and this, which is very useful as to the other parts of this b<jok, is absolutely neces.sarj", as to the part of the tenth chapter here to be cons.idered.

" The previous circumstances of the history necessary to be here attended to, are these: In iJro^. chap. xx. God speaks the ten commandments. In chap. xxiv. Mcses, on mount.Sinai, receives the tXi'O tables; and is there 40 days and nighls. In chaps, xxv.,xxvi. xxvii. God appoints the service of the labernacle. In xwiii. separates Aaron and his sons, for the 'j<riest»' OiTice; by a statute for ever, to him and his seed after him. In xxxii. Moses incensed at the golden calf, breaks the tables; yet he))rays lor the people; and God orders him to kad them towards Canaan, hi xxxiv. ]Moscs carries up fjjo i other tables, and slays again 40 days and nights. In Xim. i chap. iii. the tribe of Levi selected, viii. consecrated, x and xi. jl the Israelites march from Sinai, on the tiventieth day of the; second month lathe second year. In xiii. spies sent In xiv. the I ir.en are sentei:ced to die in the wilderness during the 40 years. *j In xviii. the Levltes'aie to tiave no lot nor large district, in jj Canaan; but to be the Loid's inheritmcc. In xx. Aaron dies on mount Hor. Lastly, in the complete catalogue of the whole march (chap, xxxiil.) we are told, that they went from Moserolk:j to Bene-juakun; thence to Hi)r-/iag/d'^/iil; to Juiballiah; to: Ehronnli; to Ezion-gcber; to C7h, (uhicli is Kadesli) and thence to mount I]or; where Aaron died, in ihcforticili and last year., In Deut. ix. Mose.s tclis the Israelites (ver. 1) that they liad ' been rebels, from Egypt even to Jordan; particularly at Horeb — (vcr. 8 — 29.) whilst he was with God, and received the tables at the end of 40 days and nights — and that, after breaking the tables, he fasted and interceded for his brethren, during a second ptrioil of 40 days and ni;;hts — and this ninth c!;apter ends with the prayer «iiich he then njadc. Chapter the tenth begins thus: At that time the Lord said unlo me, hew thee l-j,o tables of stone, like unto the first, and come up, &.C. And frohi ver. 1, to the end of ver. o. he describes the second copy of tlie ten commandments; as written also by God, and deposited by himself in the ark.

" After this we have now 4 verses (6, 7, 8 and 9.) which not only have no kilid of connection with the verses before and after them; but also, as they stand in the present Hebrew Text, directly contradict that very text: and the /lio first of these verses have not, in our Hebrew Text, the least connection with the two last of them. Our Hebrew Text (ver. 6.) says, that Israel journeyed from Bene-jaakan to Moserah. Whereas that very text, in the complete catalogue, (Num. xxxiil. 31.) says, they journeyed from Moseroth to Bene-jiiukun. Again: Aaron is here said to have died at Mosera; whereas he died on mount I lor, the seventh station afterwards: see Num. xxxiil. 38. And again, they are here said to go from Beiie-jiiakan to Mosera; thence to Gudgodali; and thence to Jolbaih; whereas the complete catalogue says, 3Ioseroih to Bene-jaakcin; thence to Hor-h'tgidi^ad; and thence to Joibuthah. But, if the marches could possibly be true, as they now stand in these two verses; yet what connection can there be between JOTBATH, and the SEPAUATIO.V OF THE TItlDE OE LE\'l! 'Tis very happy lh.it these several difficulties m the Hebrew Te.xt, are removed by the SAMARI- TAN Pentateucli. P'or that Text tells us here rightly, that the march was from 3Ioseroth \o Bene-juukan; to IJagidgad, to Jotbathiih, to Ebronah, to Ezion-gsbir, to Zin, (wlileii Is Kadcsh) and thence to mount Hor, where Aaron died. Again: as the regular deduction of these stations ends with mount Hor, and Aaron's death; we have then, what we had not before, a regular connection with the two next verses: and the connection is this. 1 hat when Aaron, tlie son of Amram, the son cf Kohuth, the son of LEVI, died: niithcr the tribe of Levi, nor the priesthood, was deserted. But God still supported the latter, by maintaining the former: and this, not by allotting that tribe any one large part of Canaan, but separate cities among the other tribes; and by allowing tiiein to live upon those oTerings, which were made by the other tribes to God himself. 7 hese 4 verses therefore, ((>, 1, S, and 9) in the.tame Text, stand thus: (ver. 6.) WllEN the children of Israel journeyed from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene-jaakan; from thence they journeyed and tncamped at Hugidgad; from thence they journeyed and encamped In Juibathah, a land of rivers of water: (7) from thence tliey journeyed and encamped In Ebronah; iu Ezion-grbcr; in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh; and then at mount Hor: And AaRON DIED THEIJK, and there he was buried; and Bleazar his son, ministered as priest in his s'eud. {&) At that time, die Lord HAD separated the tribe oj' Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand btforc the Lord, tm the preccdhig Chapler.

to milliliter nnlo him, nnil to lilcut in his name unio thin day. (9) Ulicx^fme Uri hath tin part, nor inheritance, with his brethren; the I.urd is his inheritance, acconliiig its the Lnrd thy Cod proinisid him. IJiil however foiisislciil llic«e.^<"'»- Vrisnh iirr now with llicnisflvc*, it will lie.-till ilcniaiiiU '1, wlial iniimxliim li.ivc tlicy witli <hv fifth verse ii-J'ore llieiii; and uitli lliu tcnlli verse after tlieiii? I eoiiCess, I caniiol dincovcr tlieir U;;i>t |iiriuiiricy law: because Aation's ijkaTII, ami LlAl's ^jtl'Ali All" »N, seem totally forciffii lo tlie.speech of IVJiwes ill litis pl.ice. And this speccli uithout these four verses, is a n-gularly connected aihimnitinn i'roni Moses, to this ^)l>l■|)<l^t— tliat his hntliren were for ever to consider »lieinii:lves as iii(J<i)ted lo him, nnder CJnd, Cor Ihe renewal «>(' the tivo lahlcM;;ind also to his intereestiion, fiir rescuing tlicm fi-om de.-.iriieiion. 'I'he words are these: (x. 4.) The Lord wrote ui^nin the ten comiimndiiienis, and c^ure them unto vie. (5.) And I came doKin from the mount, and put the ■ tables in the urk, ichich I HAD made — (10) Thus I staid in the mount according lo the first lime, 40 days and 40 ni'^h's: und the Lord hearkened imlo me at that time also; the Lord would not destroy ihee. (11) And the Lord said unto me, itrix, take thy journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the laud, Sec.

" 15nt then, if these /oi<r verses were not, at first, a ]iart of this thi|'f<r, but are evidently interpolated; there arises aiiutll'er enquiry, Whether, they are an insertion entirely spurious; or a genuim pure of the Sncrcd Text, though remuied hither out of.some other chapter. As ihey contain nothinu; siny;ular or pocoliar; are of i:o particular iinpurtance, and ends the firi-t chapler uilti tlirir bcinj; defeated by the Amoriten, their xietptiijf before the Lt/id, and abidintf many duyi in Kaoksii. uliieh i* KaDKSII-haii.vka, near Canaan.

" (."hap. 'ind bi'fi^init thus: — Then vee turned, and took our journey into the ivildenuMi by the way of the Tird tea, u\ the Lord spake unIo me: and W!•; COMI'A.SSIID MOINT.Shllt MANY DAYS. Now, the many days, or long Iiiik;, which they spi nt III compassiiv^ mount Seir, that in, (;oiii;f rounil on the south u;cst coasts of Ldom, in order to proceed north cm from Fdom, thron);h Moab to Arnon, aiu»t include tevcral of their stations; be-ides that eininent one al mount llor, where Aaron died. And as part of tluir road, during; this long compa-s, lay throiipjli Ezion-i^ebcr, (which wa« on (he eusiein tongue of the lied sea, and the south hoiiuilary of Kiloin;) thence to Zin, (winch is Kai>i:.sii, that is,.Mi'.IIIIlAll Kal^i^sii) and thence to mount JJor, as they marched lo tiie northeast: so it is probable, that ihc five station* precedin<{ that of Hion-qcber, were on the exlrcmily of mount Scir, lo the south v.est. And if their first station at entering the south west borders of Edoin, and l>t;^inninjf lo comjmss mount Seir, was DIoseroth, this);ives the reason wanted, vUiy Moses hcffins this passage at Mosero'.h, and nids it with Aaron's death at mount llor. Aiul this will discover a proper connexion between tlic four dislocated verses, and the context here. — ^Ucut. i. 46..So ye abode in Kudesh (Barnea) many days. ii. I. TheniiC turned, and took our journey into the uilderncss by the tiay of the Red sea; as the Lord tpake unto me: and \VK COMPA^SKD MOUNT SeIR MANY DAYS.

J-'or the children of Israel journeyed from Moscroth, and arisen from fi-.md or design: but perfecily coinciding in sense with ether pa;.-ngrs, they may safely be considered as another instance of a large transposition [8C words] in the pre.-tnt 'I'cxi, arising from accident and want of care. And ihe only reuiannig qiiLstioii Iheiefore is. Whether iic can diicover, thoogli not to demonstration, yet with any considerable jlegrec oi probahi!ity,lhe. original place of thesf: /oHr verses: that so they may be at fist restored to that neighbourhood and I connection, from which tiiey have been, for so many ages, 6ij)arat.d.

" It was natural for Mo-cs in the course of these several spcech-s lo his brethren, in Deuteronomy, to enibrate the fir.^t oi>porUuiily of im))ressirig on their memories, a matter of sutli particular importance, as the continuu'.ion of the priesthood among the Levitcs, nfter Aaron's ikath. And the relate to no subj;cl of disputation, they are not liktly to have "pitched in Bcncjaakin: from thence ih'^y journeyed und pitched in JJitgidgad: from thence they journeyed and pitclied in Jothathah, a land of rirers of leutcr: from thence they journeyed and pitched in Ebronah: from thence they journeyed and pitched in Ezion-geber: from thence they journeyed and pitclied in the ii ilderaess of Zin, which is Kadcsh: from thence they journeyed und pitched in mount llor, and Aaron died there, aiid there he uas buried; und Eleazer his son ministered as priest in his stead. At that time the Lord hud separated the tribe of Levi; to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, lo stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and lo bless in his name unto this day. Wherefore, Levi hath no part nor iniieriiinicc irilh his brethren; the Lord is his inhcrilancc, according as the Lord thy God promised him.

" And this paragra|)h being thus finished, at the end of the first verse, the second verse begins a new paragra)>!i, thus:

first jirojKr place seems to be in the second chapter, after th.e ' And the Lord spake unto me, saying, Ve hare cvnpassed this first verse. At chap. i. 19. he speaks ol their march from, mountain lout; enou::h; turn you northward — tlirough the east Jlorcb lo Kad<.sh-barnea, whence they.'iiit the spies into i side of.Seir (or F.doin) towards Moab on the nor.h. — Sec Canaan. He then sets forth their niurmurings, and God's ■ verses 4, 5, 6, 1, 3." — Kennicott'i Remarks, p. 74. sentence, that they should die in the wilderness; and he |i These Remarks should not be hastily rejected.

CHAPTER XI. The pcaple are exhorted to obedience from a consideration of God's goodness to their fathers in Egifpt, 1 — 4. atid Trhut /tJ did in the icildeiness, 5. an I thi' ju<l»'nent on Dathan aiid Abiniin, 0. and from the mercies of God in general, 7—9. -4 eomparativ-c descripiivn if i^gifpt and Cancan, 10 — 12. Promises to obedience, 13 — 1j. Dissitasivcsfrom idjlutri/, \(\, 17. The ztords of God to be laid tip in their htftirts, made a sign of on their hands, forchiads, gates, iSo. l8. tauglit to t/teir children, made the sitbjat of frequent conversation, to the end that their da i/s 7)1(1!/ he middplied, 19 — "21. If obedient, God ihall give iliem possession f)f the zahole land, and not one of their enemies shall be able to zciUntand them, 22 — 25. Life and death, a blessin!jf and a curse, ate set before them, 26 — '28. The blessings to be pat on mount Gerizzira, and the curses o)i mount Ebal, 29, 30. The promise that they should pass over Jordan, and observe these statutes in thi promised land, 31, 32.

'THEREFORE thou shalt Move i 7 But ' your eyes have seen all the ^^ff™- great acts of the Lord which lie An.Exod.isr. did. w.-sd,at.

2 ^ And know ye this day: for I speak not - with your chiku'en which have not known, and ■which have not seen " the chastisement of the Lord your God, '' his greatness, ' his rniglity hand, and his stretched out arm.

3 ^ And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egyj)t imto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land;

4 And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; ^ how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord hatli destroved them unto this dav;

5 And what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place;

•6 And " what he did unto Dathan and Abi-^ ram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their housholds, and their tents, and all the ' substance that ■" was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel:

8 Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may "be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it;

9 And " that ye may j)rolong your days in the land, " which the Loud swarc unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, ''a land that floweth with milk and honey.

10 ^ For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, fi'om whence ye came out, '^ where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst // with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:

1 1 ' But tlie land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:

12 A land which the Lord thy God ' careth for; 'the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.

13'^ And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearkcH " diligently unto my commandments

Verse 1. Thoit slialt love the Lord] Because without this there could be no obedience to tlie divine testinnonies, and no happiness in the soul: for the lieiut that is. destitute' of the love of God, is empty of all good, and consequentlj' miserable. — See the note on chap. x. I'J.

Verse S. Therefore ■•shall ye keep all the cominandmcnls\ Because God can execute such terrible judgments; and because he has given sucii proofs of his jjower and ju>tice; and because, in similar provocations, lie may be expected to act in a similar way, thereibre keep liis charge, that he may keep you unto everlasting life.

Ver^e 10. Wateredst it voith thi/foot] Rain scarcely ever falls in Egypt; and God supplies the lack of it by the inundations of the Nile. In order to water tlie grounds V'htre tbc inundations do not extend, water is- collected in ponds, and directed in streamlets to different parts of the field where irrigation is necessary. It is no unusual thing in the Ka,-t, to see a man, with a small mattock, making a little trencli for the water to run by, and as he opens the passage, the water following, he uses his foot to raise up tlie mould against the side of ihis little channel, to prevent the water from being shed unnecessarily, before it reaches the place of its destination. Thus he may be said to water t!.e ground with his foot. — See several nseful observations on this subject ill Mr. Harmer, vol. i. p. 23 — 26. and vol. iii. p. 411. But afler all, I ho expression, water it ivith thy foot, may mean no more than doing it by labour: for as in the land of Egypt there is scarcely any rain, the watering of gardens, &c. must have been all artificial. But in Jndea it was diflerent, as there they had their))roper seasons of rain. The compound word 7313 bcrc:^il, with, nndcr, or hi/ the foot, is ' used to signify any tiling under ttie power, autliority, &c. of I a person: and this very intuning it has in the si.\lh vcfsC,

The necessity of obedience. C'HAf. XI,

,\.M.'i:<iX vliicli I roininuiul you this (hiv, "to

J 4 That ""I will give 7/y« tlic rain ofyonr hitul in his due st';i:ijn, 'the first rain and tlic latter rain, tiiat thou niayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

1.5 ''And 1 will ".scud grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou niayest ' eat and be iiill.

IG Take heed to yourselves, "that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn asid;j, and ''serve other gods, and. worship them;

17 And then ' llie Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and he ^'sliut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that tlie land yiekl not lier n-uit; and lest ' ye perish quickly troin oil' the good land which tiic i.ouu givetli ynu.

18 ^ Therefore ""shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and "bind tliein Ibr a sign upon your iiand, that they may be as frontlets between your. eyes.

19 "And ye shall teach tlieni your children, speaking of" them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou riscst up.

20 ''And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:

'2\ That ""your days may be multiplied, and liless;inp;r, a?:d curses.

land which tlie Loko sware unto your Ai. k...<i i.r. i lathers to give tliem, 'as the days of J*^' -'"'

heaven upon the earth. '22 % For if 'ye shall diligently keep all these

comniandnients which 1 command you, to do ' them, to love the Lokd your God, to walk in s, and 'to cleave unto him jt 2.'j Then will the Lord "drive out all the^e I nations from before you, and ye shall "possess! greater nations and iniirhticr than vouroclves.

24- " Every place, whereon the soles of your [i feet shall tread, shall be your's: ' fiom the I wilderness and Lebanon, fiom the river, the

I river Kuj>hr.itcs, even unto the uttermobt sea j; shall your coast be.

) 25 '' There shall no man be able to stand before ji you: /or the Loud your God shall "lay the fear

II of you and the dread of you, upon all the land! that yc shall tread upon, ""as he hath said unto

26 ^ "Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;

27 ''■'A blessing, if ye obey the commandments |iOf the Lord your God, which I command you

28 And a "curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this

all the substance that was in their possession, is, literally, all the substance lliat was under their feet, OH'SriS l>eregtla/tieiu, th.it is, in their /)0»iTr, possession, or what they hud acquired b}' tlieir labour.

Verse 1-1-. The rain— in his due season, the lirst rain and the latter rain] By ihcjirst or former rain we are lo understand tliat wliich fell in Judea about November, when ihcy sowed their seed; and till? served to moisten and prepare the jjrounil for the Tcgetation of the seed. Tlie latter rain fell about April, when the corn was well grown up, and served lo fill ihe ears, and render them plump und perfect, liain rarely tell in Judea •It any other seasons than these. If the /onmr rain were withbild, or not sent in due season, there could be no vegetation: if the latter rain were \i ithheld, or not sent in its due season, there could lie no full corn in the ear, and consequently no har\'est. Of wli«t consequence then was it that they should Inve their rain m due season ' God, by promising this, provided they were obedient, and threatening to withhold it, should they be disobeiHent, shews, that it is not a general protidence that directs these things — but that the ^^ry rain of heaven falls by particular direction, and the showers are regulated by an. especial Providence.

Verse IS. Their/ore shall ye lay up these my laordi] See chap. vi. 4 — 8. and see on Exod. xiii. 9.

Verse 2+. From the river'\ Euphrates, which was on tlie East, to t/ic lUterniust sea, the Jilcditerranean, which lay u:esiii-ard of the promised land. This promise, notwithstanding the many provocations of the Israelites, was fulfilled in the time of Solomon, for " he rcig'ned over all the kings frorii the river (Euphrates) even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt." —!~ee 2 Cbron. ix. 26. — See the note on Num. xxxiv. \'J.

Vei-se 26. Behold, I set btjore you — a blessing and a curse] If God had not put it in tlie povjrr of this people either to obey or disobey; if tliey had not had a firewill, over which they had complete authority, to use it eitlier in the way ot li-illing or uilUng, could God, with any propriety, have given such precepts is these, sanctioned with such promises and

The bkssin": on viourJ Qerizim.

day, to go ar'ter other gods, which ye have hot known. 29 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shait put " the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the ciu'se upon mount Ebal. i

30 Are they not on the other side Jordan, by ': the v.ay v.here th.e sun goetn down, in the land ■ tlireatening-s.' If lliey «ere not free agenls, iliey could net be vuniblied for disobedience, nor could they, in any sense of the word, have been rcxvnrdable for obedience. A STONE is liot revjardtihle, because in obedience to the laws of gravitalion, it alwtii/s tends to 'he cen'er: nor is it punlsliable, because in being removed from that centtr, in its tending or falling towards it again, it lakes away the life of a man.

That God has given man a free, selfdelervdning WILL, which cannot hejorced by any power but that which is omnipotent, and which God \\\mi'e\( never -ccillfoice, is declared in the most formal uianncr through the whole of the Sacred Writings. No argument can ailect this, wlnle the Bible is ebnsidered as a divnie revelation: no sop/iistrj/ can explain away its evidence, as long as the accountableness of man for his condiict is admitted; and as long as the eternal bounds of moral good and nil, remain; and the essential distinctions between vice and virtue exist. If ye xvill obey (for God is ever ready to assist) ye shall live: if ye ivilt disobey, and refuse that help, ye shall die. So hath JehoTuk spoken, and man cannot reverse it.

Verse 29. Thou shall put the blessing tipmi mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.] The etymology of these names may be supposed to cast some light on this institution. □'?13 gerizim, from T'O garaz, to cut — cut off — cut down — hence D'tlJ gerizzim, the cut(ers do-xn, fellers, and reapers or ( hanest-men — this mountain being supposed to have its name ' from its '^reatfertiliti/, or the abundance of the crops it yielded, viiich is a iiossible case. SsT tbal or eybal, the root is not fliund in Hebrew; but in Arabic J** dbala, signifies rough, nigged, curled, kc. and J^' ahalo, from the same root, signifies white stones; and a mountain in which such stones are found, Jf^—'' alahalo, the mount of ichile stones. — See (tii^gius and (iolius. And as it is supposed that the mountain had this name because of its barrenness, on this metajihurical of the Canaanitcs, whicli dwell in the charnpaigti over ap-ain.st Gilgal, " beside the plains of Morcli?

31 "For ye shall pass over Jordan to g'O in to possess the land which the Loud yovir God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein.

32 And ye shall observe " to do all the statutes and judgments, which I set belbre you this

interpi-etation, the sen-^^e of the pav«age would appear to be the following: — God will so superiniend the land, and have it continually under the eye of his watchful providence, that no change can happen in it, but according to ins divine counsel; so that \tsfertiiiiijAvi\\ ever be the consequence, of tiie faithful obedience of lis inhabitants; and a proof of tin; Messing of God upon it. On the contrary, its barrenness shall be a proof that the people have departed from their God; and that his curse has, in consequence, fallen upon the laml. — See the manner of placing these bles.sings and curses, cha]>. xxvii. 12, &c. That Gerizim is very fruitful; and that Ebal is very barren, is the united testimony of all who have travelled in those parts: see Ludolf, Relaiul, Hab. Benjamin and Mr. Maundrell. Sychem lies in the valUy between these two mountains.

That the land of.ludea was nalnrallj verv fertile can scarcely be supposed by any who considers the accounts giveu of it by travellers: with the exception of a few districts, the whole land is dry, stony and barren, and particularly all the southern parts of Judea, and all the environs of.Feiusalem; most of which is represented as absolutely inca[)able of cultivation. How then could it ever support its vast number of inhabitants } By the especial providence of God. While Goil kept that people under his continual protection, their land was a paradise — lliey lent to all nations and borrowed from none: what has it been since.' a dtnii solitude — because that especial ble.'i.^iiig no longer descends upon it. No land, says Calmet, was more fertile while under the benediction of God; none more barren when under his curse. Its present stale is a proof of the declaration of Moses, chap, xxviii. 2.3. The heaven over their head \s brass; the earth under their feet, iron. The land itself, in ils present.state, is an ample proof of the authenticity of the Peiilaleuch. Should i'acts of Ihi— kind be lost sight of, by any who reads the Sacred \\ rilings }

All monuments of idolatry in the promised land to be destroyed, 1 —;3. And God's service to be dvlj/ performed, 4 — 7. The difference Oetneen the performance of that service in (he uilderness, and in the promised land, 8 — 1 J. The pepple are to Le happy in all their religious obfervunces, 12. The ofj'crings must te brought to Hie place

A repetition of suiulrtj CHAP. XI I. Inics and ordinances.

zr/iic/i (iiid tij poiiils, and no h/ovl is to lie ealcn, l.J — 1'>. T/ie tnhc of corn, rcinr, oil, S^c. to br entni in the place thai (lod shall choose, 17, 18. Tliv Livite nm-it not hcfortahcn, IQ. All clean beasts mai/ be eaten, bvt the blood must lie pom cU out before the Lord, mid be eaten on no pretence n/iatcvcr, '10 — 2>. Of ion \ burnt offerings, Ssc. 'Zi'), 'J7. Tiiese precepts are In lie carefulli/ obeyed, '28. Cnutiona at^aiwt the abominations nj the lieathen, '2<J —.'J I. Nothing; to be added to, or diminished from, the nord of God,.'> J.

8 Yf shall not do after all Ihc thinf^a that \vc do Iktc this day, " liViiry man to do in the laiul, wiiich the Lord whatsoever?.s- ri^jjlit in his own eyes. Cod of thy fathers fjivcth thee to ])Ossess it, ''all 9 For ye are not as yet come to the rest and the days tliut ye live upon the earth. to the inheritance, which the Loiin your God

2 'Ye shall utterly destroy all the places givelli you.

wherein the nations wliich ye shall '' ])ossess i' 10 But 7c7/('rt ''ye f;o over Jordan, and dwell in served their j^ods, '"upon the higli mouiilains, i, the land wliich tlie Loko y(nu' God giveth you and upon the hills, and inider every green tree: i to inherit, and 'iihcn he giveth you rest I'rom all

3 And 'ye shall "^ overthrow their altars, and ': your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in

An. l.xciil.Kr <M.—ScIkiI.

ri"^IIESK 'rt/r the statutes and judgjI inents, which ye shall oh'^crxe break their })illars, and burn their groves with

fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images [ 1 1 Then there shall be "" a place which the of their gods, and destroy the names of them i Loud your God shall choose, to cause his name out of that i)lace. 'i to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all tliat I

y ^[ '' Ye shall not do.;o unto the Loud your | command you; yoiu- burnt otfcrings, and your God. '; sacrifices, your tilhc.-^ and the heave oflcring of

'5 But unto the))lace which the Lord your j your hand, and all ' your choice vows which ye

God shall ' choose, out of aH your tribes to put

his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou slialt come

12 And 'ye shall rejoice before the Lokd your God, ye and your sons, anil your daughters.

6 And *" thither ye shall bring your burnt offer- and your men-servants, and your maid-servants.

ings, and your sacrifices, and your ' tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, andyoui" freewill ofKrings, and the Hrstlings of vour herds and of your Hocks.

7 And ■" there ye shall eat before the Loud your God, and " ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand uiUo, ye and your housiiolds, wherein the Loud thy God hatii blessed

NOTK ON CIl.AP. Xlt. Verse 3. Yc shall overlhrox^- their altars ] ^\'llere unholy sacrifices have been oflcred. Ye shall break tlieir pillars — probably nieaniii'j statiRs and nprescntalions of tbeir god.* cut out of stone. — IV shall burn their grutcs — sucli as tlio.<e about tlie temple of A^htamth, the Canaanitish Wntis, whose iiu|)urc rites, were jiractised in dillirent ji.irts of the enclosures or groves round her tenii>lts. — IV shall lu-u donn the grai-en ima;j;cs — probalily implying all images caned out of nood. — And thutl dtstroy the names of them — w Inch w ere no doubt at first graven on tlie stotie^^, aud cai'vcd on the trees; and then ap- aiul the Levite that /.y within vour gates: forasi much as 'he hath no part norinheritancewith you. I 13" Take heed to thyself that thou of^er not I thy burnt offerings in every ])lace that thou ', seest:

j 14 "But in the place which the Lord shall ' choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt

ofier thy burnt olfeiings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.

plied to tlie surroHnding districli!. In various instance?, tlie names of whole mountains, valHe.s, and districts, were borrowed from the gods worshipped there.

il idolatry, and brmg about a pcr.'ect uniformity in the divine worship, which at that time was essentially necessary; becaiLse

I every rite and ceroiifmy had a detcruiinate meaning, and

'pointed out the good things which were to come; therefore

I one place must be established, where those rites and cerctro- nies should be carefully and punctually observed. Had it not been so, every man would have formed his worshp ac-

Positive injunctions against

thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul liisteth after, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God v\hich he hath given thee: ^ the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, "^as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.

16 '' Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon tlie earth as water.

17 5[ Thou may est not eat within thy gates thy tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, noi" thy freewill oflferings, or heave oflering of thine hand:

18 'But thou must eat them before the Loud thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Le\ite that is within thy gates; and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.

19 ^ '^ Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite ^ as long as thou livcst upon thy earth.

20 ^ \Vlien the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border, " as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, (because thy soid

•cording to his ou-n niiTid, airJ the whole beauty and importanre of the grni>d reprcse7itiub:e system, would have been destroyed; and the Mes.siali and the glories of his kinc'doni ■could not have bicn seen through the medium of the Jtwis.h ritual. For unifunnity in every part of the divine worship, the same necessity does not now exist:; because that which was lypificd ii come, and tlie shadows have all fled away.

Yet, when it can be obtained, how tltsirablc is it, that all ■sincere Christians should witli one mouth, as well as with one iicurt, glorify their common Lord and Saviour!

With the proviso that ibc blood be poured out on the ground.

1. The blood sliould not be taten. 2. It should be poureil out by way of s; crifice. I think this is the meaning;

and not, that they shoi Id pour out the blood with as little ceremony and re: pect as they poured water upon the ground;

-which is the unaning accordmg to Calniet and others.

The roibiick, and — the hun.'\ It is very likely that by >yi

■4scbi, the antelope is meant; and by V'X aytil, the hart or deer. This is the opinion of Dr. Shaw: and from the re- longeth to eat flesii;) thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thysotd lusteth after.

21 If the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to put his name there; be too far from thee, then thou slialt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the Lord hath given thee, as I have coiumanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.

22 ' Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat o/"them alike.

23 " Only ' be sure that thou eat not the blood: "' for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not cat the life with the flesh.

24 Thou shalt not cat it thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water.

25 Thou shalt not eat it; "that it may go well with thee, and with thy cliildren after thee, ° when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord.

26 ^ Only thy '' holy things which thou hast, and ' thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the Loud shall choose:

27 And ' thou shalt ofl^er thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the Lord thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poiu'ed out upon the altar of the Lord thy God, and thou shalt eat tJie flesh.

port of Iravellers, we learn th^t both these animals are found in thatdesartlo the present day. See Harmer, vol. iv. p. 25, &.c. Of the propriety of ealiug clean animals, there could be no question; but the blood must be poured out: j'et there were cases in which they might kill and eat in all their gates, (cities and dwellings.) such as the roebuck and the hart, or all clean ivHd beasts, fijr these being taken in hunting, and frequently shot by arrows, their blood could not he poured out at the altar. Therefore the cominatxl api)ears to take in, only such tame beasts as were used for food.

Ver.se ly. l-'orsakc not tlic Levite^ These had^no inheritance, and were to live by the sanctuary — if therefore the oflerings v\ere withheld by which the Levitcs were supported, they of course must perisii. Those who have devoted themselves to the service of God in ministering to the salvation of the soula of men, should certainly be furmshed at least with all the necessaries of life. Tiiose who withhold tins from them, sin a:;ainst their own mercies; and that ordinance of God by which a ministry is estabhshed for the.'"dvatlon of souls.

Of false prophets, idle dreamers.

and pretenders to miraculous porcert.

A M.W.W. 28 Observe and lit'ur all these words

'":T'!:'"''_ go well Willi Ihce, and with tlij eliiltlren after tlice for ever, when thou doest that ichich is good and right in tlie sight of tlic T,oi!i) tiiy (iod.

'29 % When "the Lord thy (ind sliall cut ofl' tlie nations liom hoflire thee, wititlier tlioiigoest to possess them, and thou '' siieceedcit them, and dwellest in tiieir land:

,'50 'Jake Iiecd to thyself *' that tlioii l)e not snared ' by following them, after that they be offtred as an atonement, consequently tlie blood should not be eaten; see llie notfs on Levit..wii. I 1. where ihe subject of the vitality of the blood is laigcly considered.

Verse 'i 1. Tlicir sons uud tluir daiighleis they liavc burnt in tlh' fiir] vMnidst all the nations in the world, a;^recd in ofTeriii" liiuiiu) viciiiiis to their gods, on (xlraordinary occasions; by wiiicli it is evident, that none ol' tliosc nations had any rijiht notion of the divine nature. How nucessary then was the book of Kevelation, to leach men what th.il religion is, with destroyed from before thee; and that j**,' tlioii enfiiiire not after their ' V- Au.i ing, How did these nations - ir

I gods? even so will 1 do likewise.

I.'il ' Thoti shalt not do so onto the Louo thy (iod: for every ' abomination to the Loud which he hatcth, have they done unto their gods; for ''even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in tlie fire to their gods.

32 \Vliat thing soever I command you, observe to do it: ' thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish fiom it.

which God can l)e well pleased! Tlie Hindooi to this Jay, oiler human victim.s to their goddess Cali, and at the temple lA' Juggernaut; and yet, notwithstanding this, there arc found certain persons, who, wiiile thiy profe.-s Chri.stiaiiity, are absohilely unwilling; to send the Hindoos the gospel of Chri.-l, bccau.-c they think it wouM not be politically wiic! liul the wisdom (if this world has ever been foolishness with God; and in s]>ite of all this infidel jjolicy, the word of tlie Lord shall have free course, and be glorified.

Ol' false prophets n)id ihrir Ij/iiig sigiia, 1 — 0. Of tliosc who endeavour to entice and seduce people to idolatry, 7, ». 'I'/icpiiiiisliineiitofsuc/i, <) — 11. Of citiet perverted from the pure Xiorsliip of God, 12 — 14. Hou- that cittf ii to be treated, 15. All the spoU of it to be destroyed, Ui. Promiies to them rcho obey these directions, 17,18. F there arise among you a prophet,; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the

J^ or a " dreamer of dreams, '' and giveth thee a sign or a wonder.

words of that propliet, or that dreamer An. e»oh. i«. of dreams: for the Lord vour God

2 And 'the sign or the wonder come to pass, "^ provcth you, to know whether ye love the whereof he spake unto thee, saying. Let us goj, Loud your God with all your heart, and with after other gods, which thou hast not known, all your soul.

NOTES ON CHAP. XHI. Verse 1. If there arise anion^ you a proj>hct] A nv pretendin];; to have a divine influence, so as to be able pcrftclly to direct others in the way of salvation — or a dreamer of dreams, one who iirelcnds that some deity has spoken to biin in the night season — and giieth thee a sign, niN oth, what appears to be a miraculous pmof of his mission, or a ivonder, n£10, tnopheth, seme type or representation of wli.it he wishes to bring jou over to — as some have pretended thut llicy had rc-

4 Ye shall ' walk after the Lord your God,

celved a consecrated iwinrjf from heaven — hence the origin of the Palladium, Suma'!. i>liields, and many of the deities among 1 the Hindoos — but here the word seems to mean some ]>ortentous sign — such as an eclipse, which he who knew when it would take place, might predxt to the j)eople who knew nothing of the matter, and tlitrre'iy accredit his pretensions.

Verse 3. 'J'i:e Ixird your Col proreth you"] God permits such impostors to ari.se to try the faith of his followers, and to put ilK-ir religious experience to the test; for be who cxjieri- 5 D 3

How idolatrous persons and

5 And '' tiiat prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath ' spoken to turn you away from the Lord your

Cities are to be treated.

shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.

12 ^ " If thou shall hear say in one of thy cities, which the Lord thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying,

God, which brougiit you out of the land of j gone out from among you,, and have ^ with 3'jgypt, and redeemed you out of the house of ' drawn the inhabitants of their city, saying-, ' LcL bondage, to thrust tlice out of the way whicli the Lord thy God connnanded tliee to walk in. " So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

6 ^ "If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or *^ the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, ^ which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying. Let us go and sen-e other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;

7 Namehf, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of tlie earth even unto the other end of the earth;

8 Thou shalt '' not consent imto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither slialt thou spare, neitlier shalt tiiou conceal him:

9 But ' thou shalt surely kill him; '' thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

10 And thou shalt stone him with stones, tliat he die: because he liath sought to thrust theeaway from the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of tlie land of Egypt, from the house of ' bondage.

11 And "all Israel shall hear, and fear, and

IIS go and serve otlier gods, whicii ye have not known;

} 14 Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, ' and ask diligently; and, behold, if it /;tMruth, j and tlie thing certain, that such abomination is! wrought among you;

I 15 Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants j of that city with the edge of the sword, ' destroying it utterly, and all tliat is therein, and the cattle thereof, with tlie edge of the sword.

16 And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt "■burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the Lord thy God: and it shall be " a heap for ever; it shall not be built

mentally knows God, cannot be drawn away after idols. He who has no experl mental knowledge of God may believe any thing. Exjiericiice of the truths contained in the word of God, can alone preserve any man from Dci.sm, or a false religion. They wiio have not this, are a prey to the pretended prophet, and to the dreamer of dreams.

Verse 6. // tlii/ brother — or thy son] The teacher of idolatry was to be put to death; and so strict was this order, that a man must neither spare nor conceal his hrother, son, daughter, v.ife, nor friend — Ixxause this was the highest oflence that

17 And ''there shall cleave " cursed thing to thine hand: that the Lord may '• turn from the fierceness of Ins anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, " as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;

18 When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, ''*' to keep all liis commandments which I command thee this day, to do that -ivMch is right in the eyes of the Lord thy

could be committed against God, and the most destructive to society; hence the severest laws were enacted against it.

Verse 13. Children of Belial] Vb3, from Va fo^/, not, Snd yff^ ydal, profit, avSjEf Tra^avo/icoi. lawless men (Sept.) persons good for nothing to themselves or others, and capable of notliing but mischief.

Verse 15. Thoti shalt surely smite the inhabitants] If one city were permitted to practise idolatry, the evil would soon spread; therefore the contagion must be destroyed in its birth.

A descrlpdon nfseceral clean boasts tluU mhlU Le eaten.

As (iod (lid nut jiciiiiit lliitii l(. Lik— llic R|)f>:K f,f these iiki- I liavi; no profit by tite K'lbr'.iMofi of »Uf:!i jil,if;>n. I.itron'* rilios, tlicv fniiUI lie uml'-r nu ti iii[)l iiiim to make war | iipiin tlu-ili. It ciiiilil iiiily I"' <loiic tlircMi;;li n merely rcli;;i(Mi)( iriiitivf, in obcilieiice to tlic CDiiimanrl <.r(><iii, us they toiil(i cxtt-iiil thy ItiTitory, nor lake any JpoiN."

T/w Israclilct arc)wl tn tirJopI tutpcntiiinn.i eiislovts in mouniing,), G. The (llffercnt hinds of clean and unrlcan animnb, 3 — '20. ^ol/iins; to he en ten that dielh nf ilse/f, 'll: Concerning ql/'t rings, ic/iiih, from distance, cannot lie carried to the altar of Ciod, and jihichrnaij he tnrned into money, I'l—ld. The Levite is mt to he forsakyji, 'J7. The third i/ear's tithe for the f,eiite, stranger, Tcidmc, S;c. 28, G9>

YE are ' the children of the Loud your God: '' yc shall not cut younsclves, nor make any baltliiL'Ss between, your eyes for the dead.

2 " For thou (irt a holy ]ieo])U' unto the Lord thy (ioil, and tiie Loud hath ciioscn thee to be H peculiar people imto himself, abovo all the nations that are upon the earth.

Vcr<e 1. IV are the ehUdren of the Lord] Tlir very liiijliu.<^\. cliaractcr thut can be conftrreil on any civated beings. Ye stiatl not cut j/ourselx\s — i. e. tlioir hair, for it was a custom anionjj idolatrous nations, to con.sccrate flieir hair to their deities: thoujjh they sometimes also made incisions in their;?«/(.

Verse 4. Tfiese are the beast.'! which yc.shati call On Levit. xi. I Imve entered into a considerable <letail relative to the clean and unclean animals tlitre mentioned. For the general snbjict, the Reader is relVned to the notes on that chapter: but as there arc particulars mentioned here, which Moses does not introduce in Leviticus, it will be necessary to consider them in this place.

Tlie ox] f\]ff Skur: BOB, fifth order Pccora, of the genus MAMMil.l.A, species 41. This term includes all clean animals of the beeve kind; not only the oa- properly so called, but also, the bidl, the cot:', liei/er, and ctdf.

The sheep] TTlf Sth: OVIS, filth onler I'ccora, of the genus MAMM.'\LIA, species 40. Including the rawi, the -aether, the eice, and the Inmti.

The goal] ip^ Az: CAPBA, fifth order Pccora, of the gen>js MAM.MAHA, species 3i). Including the he-!roat, slie-goat, and kid. The words in the text, [ZiOU^i T\'y scji kesabim, signifies tlie lamb or yoimg of sheep: and ZZ^IV HU' seh azzim, the young or kid of goats; but this is a Hebrew idiom, which signifies every creature of the g«nus, as unJX }3 ben Enosh, and SIN p ben Adam, son of man, signify any liuman being. See Psal. cxliv. 3. Job xxv. 6.

Tlie flesh of these animals is universally allowed to be the most wholesome and nutritive. They live on the very best vegetables; and having several Jtoniachs, their food is well

S % " Tlioii shalt not eat any abominable thinp.

4 " These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, tlie shee]), and the goat,

.5 The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallowdeer, and the wild goat, and tlie 'pygarg*, and the wild ox, and the chamois.

concocted, and the chyle formed from it the most pure, because the h( st elaborated, a-^ it is well refined before it enters into the blood. On ruminating, or chewing tlie cud. see the note on Levit. xi. 3.

Verse 5. The roebuck] »DS Tfcbi, generally supposed to be the antelope, belonging to the fiO.b order Ptcora, genus- MA.MMALIA; and species 3S. It ha* round twisted.<^piral horns, hairy tufls on the knees, brou^es on tender shoots, live* ill hilly co-.intrics, is fond of climbing rocks, and U remarkable for its beautiful black eyes. The flesh is good and well flavoured.

The fallow deer] 1T3n' Yuchmur, from "^Z^ chantar, to bf troubled, di.iturbed, disordered: this is Mipposed lo mean, not the fallow deer, but the biibatus, or buffalo, which is represented b}' Dr. Shaw and other travellers -and naturalists, as a sullen, jnatcioknt, and spiteful animal; capricious, ferocious, and every way brutal. According to the Linna?nn classification, the buflaio belongs to the genus)Manim:ilia, fifth order Pecora, species Bos. According to 1 Kings iv. 2'{. this wa% one of the animals which was daily served up at the table of Solomon. Though the flesh of the buffalo 1'^ not considered as very delicious, yet, in the countries where it abounds, it is eaten as frequently by all classes of peri-jns a.s the oz is in England. The yachmur is not mentioned in the parallel place, Levit. xi.

The -^ild poat] ipx Akko. It is not easy to tell what creature is intended by the akko. Dr. Shaw suppiosed it to be a kind of very timorous goat, known in the Last by the name fistttall aud sencee; and bears a reteioblaiice both to the goat

6 And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two

claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.

7 Nevertheless these ye sliall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; ihcrejorc tliey are unclean unto

8 And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, vet cheweth not the cud, it h unclean unto you: ve shall not eat of their flesh, ' nor touch their dead carcase.

9 % ^ These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all tliat have fins and scales shall

10 And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.

11 % Of all clean birds ye shall eat.

12 "But these are ihcij of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,

atid the stag, wlience the propriety of the name given it by tiie Septuaginl and Vulgate, tragclaplmx, Uie goat-slag; probably the rtipixnpra, or roch-qoal. lite word is found no where else in the H threw Bible.

The 7)j/?«'£r] Itt"T Diihm. As this word is no where else tised, we cannot tell what animal is meant by it. The word vymr-', TTt/yafyo;, literally s-iirnifies icliile-bultocks, and is applicd^'to a kind of e^/^/f, with a xvhite tail: but here it evidently means a nuadruj^ede. It vas ])robably some kind of "oal, common and well known in Judt-a.

The v.-ild ox] wn Theo. This is supposed to be the oryx of the Greeks, which is a species of large slag. It may be the same with the beklcer el ii'ash, described by Dr. Shaw as "a species of the dur kind, Tihosc horns are exactly in the fashion of our stag, but whose size is only between the red and fatlinj deer." In Isai. li. 20. a creature of the name of i{in thoa is mentioned, which we translate vjitd hull; it may be the same creature intended above, with the interchange of the two last letters.

The chamois ] nW Zayiicr. This was probably a species of goal or dcci-, but of what kind wc know not — that it cannot mean the chamois h evident from this circumstance, "that the chamois inhabits only the regions of snow and ice, and cannot bear the heal." Buffon. The Septuagint and Vulgate translate it tiie camelopard, but this creature is only found in the Torrid zone; and probably was never seen in Judea — fonscquently could never be prescribed as a clean animal, to be used as ordinary food. I niuil once more bs permitted to wiclean beasts and fowls.

13 And the glede, and the kite, fic'trn and the vidture after his kind. An. ivxod. is'r.

15 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

10 The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,

17 And the pelican, and the gicr eagle, and the cormorant,

18 And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat,

19 And "every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: ' they shall not be eaten.

20 B7it of all clean fowls ye may eat.

21 ^1" ' Ye shall not eat o/'any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: ^ for thou o?-/ a holy people unto the Lord thy God. " Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

22 ^ ' Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

say, that to ascertain the natural history of the Bible is a hopeless case. Of a few of its animals and vegetables we are comparatively certain: but of the great majority we know almost nothing. Guessing and conjecture are endless, and they have, on these subjects, been already sufficiently employed. ^\'hat learning, deep, solid, extea^ive learning and judgment could do, has already been done by the incomparable Bnchiirt in his Mierozoicon. The learned reader mav consult this work, and while he gains much general information, will have to regret, that he can apply so little of it to the main and grand question. As I have consulted every authority within my reach, on the subject of the clean and unclean animals, mentioned in the Law, and have detailed all the information 1 could collect, in my notes on Levit. xi. I must refer my readers to what I have there laid down.

Veise 13. The V dune after his kind] The word r\ii-[ daah, is improperly trans'ated rultitre, Levit. xi. 14. but means a kite or glcde. The word r\n diit/ah, in this verse, is not only different from that in Leviticus, but means also a different animal — properly enough translated lutlurc. See the note on Levit. xi. 14.

Verse 21. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's tnilk.] Mr. Calmet thinks, that this precept refers to the paschal lamb only, which was not to be oH'ertd to God, till it was weaned from its mother: — but see the note on Exod. xxiii. 19.

Verse 22. Thou shalt truly tithe] Meaning the second tithe which ihein^i'lvcs were tv. eat, ver. 2'i. for there was a fr»t

2;{ *l '.And thou shalt oat l)(.-f<)n- tlu- | J^or.i) tliy (jocI, ill tlie place wliicli hi;, shall choose to place his name there, I the tithe of liiy corn, of thy wine, and of thine ■oil, and tiie ^ lirslliii^fs of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou niayest learn to fear the Lokd thy (lod always.

'JJ- ^[ And if the way he too long lor thee, so that thou art not ahle to carry it; or ' if the place he too tiu" from thee, which the Louo thy C;od shall choose to set his name tlKiC, when the Loiti) thy (iod hath hiessed thee:

2.5 Then slialt thou turn il into money, and bind u]) the money in thine hand, and shalt go tinto the j)lace which the Loiin thy Uod shall choose:

2(5 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy sold lustelh after, for oxen, or ibr

tiike that was f;ivcn (o the IjCiiics; out of wlncli Ibey paid a tenth part to llie priests, Niiml). xviii. 2-1- — 2S. Nell. x. 37, 3S. Tlicn of that which iriiiaint'd, llie owners separated a second tithe wliich they ate hitbre llie Lord, the Jirst and sc- -cond year: and in the third year, it was given to the Leviles and to the prior. Dent. xiv. 2S, 21). hi \.\k fourth and fifth years, it was eaten as^ain by the owners, and in tiie sixth year «as c^iven to ihc ])oor. The seventh year was a sablialh to the land; and then all things were common: l'',.\od. xxiii. 10, 11. where, ecc the notes. And see Ainsworth on this verse.

shec)), or for wine, or for stron;.: drink, '^,,V' j^ or lor whatsoever thy soid "^ de.sirctli: Ai. T i 'and thou shalt eat there before the ""' Loud thy (iod, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine hou.shold,

27 And ' the Lcvitc that is within thy gates; thou shalt not fbr.sake him; ibr "■ he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.

28 f " At the entl of three years, thou shalt bring forth ail the lithe of thine increase the.same year, and shalt lay it uj) within thy gates:

29 ' And the Levite, (because *■ he hath no part nor inheritance with thee) and the stranger, and the lutherless, and the widow, which arc within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be.satisHed; that ' the Loud thy (Jod may bless thee in all the work of thine hand whicli thou docst.

drink of tiie Hebrews was,.see in the note on Lcvit. x. ''. This one verse siitVieiently shews, that the Mosaic law made ample provision for the comfort and happiness of the people. Thou shitil rejoice, thou, and thine.

Verse 29. And the Levite (because he hath no part nor inheritwnct] And hence much of his support dejitnded on the mere freewill oll'crings of the people. God chose to make his ministers thus dependant on the people, that they might be iiidiued (among other motives) to labour for their spiritual profilin^T; thai the people thus blessed undc*- their ministry, might feel it their duty and pnvdege to support and rcnilcr them comfortable.

The sabbatical i/ear of reh'use, 1. 77a' manner in k Inch this release shall take place, 2 — J. Of lendiN^ to the poor, and the disposition in which it should be done, G — 1 1. Of the Hebrew servant uhu has served six years, and nho shall be dismissed zccll fiinnshed, 12 — 15. The ceremoni/ of boring the ear, uhen the servant wishes tocontinue tcilh his moiter, l6 — 1«. Of the Jirstlings of the flock and herd, 19,20. Solhing shall be offered that ■has am/ blemish, 2 1. The saeriyice tu be eaten both bi/ the clean and unclean, except the blood, a.-hich is never to be eaten, but poured out upon the ground, 22, 23.

\T the end of ' ere/v/ seven years ji release: Every ''creditor that knd thou shalt make a release. j eth ou<^/it onto his nei<;hbour

2 Anil this is the maimer of the

^ Heb. master of the lending of hi$ hund.

release.] For an explanation of many things in this chapter, sec the notes ou £:(«d. x\i. and xxhi, aiid Levit. xu.

Latis relative to the poor,

his neighbour, or of his brother because it is called the Lord's lease.

3 ^ Of a foreigner thou maycst exact?7 again: but that \vhich is ihine with thy brother, thine hand shall release:

to seifants, and to bond-men.

among you; " for the Loud shall greatly bless thee, in the land which the Loud thy God giveth thee, J'or an inheritance to possess it:

5 Only ■* if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.

•G For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he ■promised thee: and " thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and ^ thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.

7 1[ If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates in thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, ^ thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut

•thine hand from thy poor brother:

8 '' But thou shalt open thine hand vide Kuto him, and.shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.

9 Beware that there be not a ' thought in thy

" wicked heart, saying. The seventh year, the

year ofrelea.se, is at hand; and thine '«ye be

-evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest

surely give liim, and ve because that '' for this thinf

Ver.se 8. Thou shah open thine hand u-idc] Thy benevolence siiall l)e in proportion to hi.-; dislre.s.>;ind poveny, ami tliy abiiitj'. Thou shalt have no other riiie to regulale tliy charity by.

Verse 9. Bcuarc that there be not u thoiij^ht in thy iiieked fieart] hv^^ l^aV lebabca bctidi, thy bclial heart, that is, thy gooil-fur-iiothmg, or unprofitable heart; see on chap. xiv. 13.

And thine eye be evill An evil eye signifies a covetous disposiition. See the same Conn of expression, used by our Lord, in tiie same sense, Malt. vi. 2.1. If thine eye be evil — -i. e. if thou be a covetous person. E-.iteye is by our Lord opposed to simple eye, i.e. a person of a liberal, benevolent mind. Covetousness darkens the.^oul: liberality and benevolence enlighten it.

And he cry unto the Lord against thce'\ What a consolation to the poor and the oppressed, that they have a sure friend in God, who will hear their cry and redress their grievances.

heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that ''for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all 4:hat thou puttest thine hand unto.

1 1 For " the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying. Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

12 % And ■■ if thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew wonuin, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.

13 And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty:

14 Thou shalt fiu'uish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the Loud thy God hath ' blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.

15 And ' thou.shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee: therefore 1 command thee this thing to day.

16 And it shall be, " if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee:

17 Then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be

Verse 1 1. For the poor shall never cease out of the land'\ To this passage our Lord appears to allude, Mark xiv. 1. For i/e have the poor with you uhe'iys. God leaves these in mercy among men, to exercise the feelings of compassion, tenderness, mercy, &c. And without occasions allbnlt-d to e.xercise these, man would soon becotiie a Stoic or a brute.

Ver.se 13. Thou shalt not let him go aiiay empty] Because, during llie time he served thep, he made no property for him.self, having been always honest towards thee — and no\» when he leaves thee, lie has nothing to begin the world with.

Verse l^. Thou shall fiirniih him — out of thy /lock] Thou shall give him some cutlle tu breed with. Out of thy Jioor — some com for seed and for bread. And out of thy tvinepress — an adequate provision of wine, for present necessity.

The pcrfiction required in the sacrijiccs (ifflrcd lo God.

IS It shall not. seoin hard unto thoc, whet) thou scnilcst iiim away fice I'roiii ihec; lor lie hath been worth * a double hired servant lo tlice, in scrviujr thee six years: and (he Loito thy God shall ble.ss thee in all that thou doe.st.

1!) ^ " All the firstliuir niule.s that come of thy herd and of tiiy flock thou shall sanctify unto tlie Loiii> thy God: thou shalt do no work with the hrstlingof thy bulJock, nor with the tirstling of thy sheep.

21 " And if there be inuj blenii>h therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemiili, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the Loiiu thy

22 Thou shalt eat it within thy ^ates: ' the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart.

23 ' Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou slialt pour it upon the ground us water.

Verse 20. Thoti shalt eat it — in the place which the Lord shall choose} Thus God in his mercy made llieir duly and interest go hand in hand. And in every ea.se God act* tliBs with his creatures: well, therefore, might Satan ask.

Doth Job serve God for nought? No! nor does God design that any man (should.

Verse 21. If there be any hlemiili].Si'c the notes on Lev. xxii. 20. God will have both a ptrlecl priest, and a ptrtLct olllnng.

T/ie month of Abib lo be ohscned,,1. The feast of the pass-over and of unleavened bread, 2 — 8. The feast of weeks, 9 — 1'2. 77/t' feast of tiibernacles, 13 — 15. Alltlie males to appear before the Lord thrice in the year, none to come c/jiptif, each lo give according to his abilit;/, iG, 17. Judges and officers to be made in all their ci/ics, 18. Strict Jitslice shall be executed, 19, 20. A'o grove to be planted near the altar of God, nor ima're to be set up, 21,22.

b:(-.hm: /^BSERVE the ' month of Abib, f seven days shalt thou eat unleavened An.Exod.hr. V / and kccp tlic pass-ovcr uuto tlic ' bfcad therewith, even the bread of An.Exod.Ur

-_l;J'!"i. Loud thy God: for Sn the month of Abib, the Lord thy God brought thee ibrth out of Egyi^t '" by night.

2 Thou shalt iherelbre sacrifice the pass-over unto the Lord thy God, of the flock and " the herd, in the 'place which the Lord shall choose to place his name there.

3 f Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it;

NOTES ON CH.4P. XVI. Verse 1. Keep the pass-over] A feast so called, because the anpel that destroyed the first-born of the I'^jryptians, seein:,' the blood of the appointed sacrifice sprinkled on the lintels and door-posU of the Israelites' bouses, passed over THEM,

affliction; for thou camest forth out *' ~^'"'- of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou maycst remember the day, when thou camest forth out of the laud of Et>vpt, all the davs of thy life. " ^ -'

4 ^And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; " neither shall there anjj thing oi' the flesh, which thou sa—

and did not destroy any of their first-born. See the notes on Exod- xii. 2, &c.

Verse 3. Bread of ajiiciioii] Because being baked w ithout leavai, it was imsavoiiry, and put them in mind of their afflictive bondage in tgypt.

crificedst the first day at even, remain all night unto the morning. 5 Thou mayest not * sacrifice the pass-over within any of thy gates, which the

Lord thy God giveth thee'

6 But at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the pass-over at ^ even, at the going down of the sim, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.

7 And thou shalt ' roast and eat it " in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: and thou shalt tui-n in the morning, and go unto thy tents.

8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and ^ on the seventh day shall he a ^ solemn assembly to tlie Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.

9 •[ ^ Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from sicch time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.

10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God, with " a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, ' according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee:

11 And "thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, •and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and

the Levite that is within thy

Verse 1 1. Thou shall rejoicti] The offerings of the Israelites were to be eaten with festivity, communicated to their friends with liberality, and bestowtd on the poor with great generosity, that they might partake with them in these sacred repasts, Kith jo,/ bifure the Lord. To answer these views, it was necessary to eat the flesh while it was fresli, as in that climate, putrefaction soon took place: therdbre they were commanded to let nothing remain until the morning, ver. 4. This consideration is sufficient to account for the command here, witliout having recourse to tho^c moral and evangelical reasons, that arc assigned by the learned and devout Mr. Ainsv.ortli for the command. How beneficent, and chearful is the design of this institution! Uarmcr, vol. i. p. 396.