Commentary on the Holy Bible

The people complain, the Lord w displeased, and many of them are consumed by fire, I. Moses tntereede* for them, and the fire is quenched, 2. The place is called Taberah, 3. The mixed multitude long for flesh, and murmur, 4-6. The manna described, 7-0. The people tceep in their tents, and the Lord w displeased, 10. Muses deplores his lot in being obliged to hear and bear with all their murmurutgs, 1 1-1?.

He is commanded to bring seventy of the elders to God that he may endue them teith the same spirit, and cause them to divide the burden with him, 16, 17. He is also commanded to inform the people that they shall have flesh for a whole month, 18-20. Moses expresses his doubt of the possibility of this, 21, 22. The Lord confirms his promise, 23. The seventy men are brought to the tabernacle, 24; and the spirit of prophecy rests upon them, 2b. Eldad and Medad stay in the camp and prophesy, 2^,21. Joshua beseeches Moses to forbid them, 28. Moses refuses, 29, 30. A wind from the Lord brings quails to the camp, 31, 32. While feeding on the flesh, a plague from the Lord falls upon them, and many of them die, 33. The place is called Kibroth-hattaavah, or the graves ofiust, 34. They journey to Hazeroth, 35

5 " We remember the fish, A. M. 2514. which we did eat in Egypt freely; An.EMd.isV. the cucumbers, and the melons, ^'

^" Lord: and the Lord heard it;

*" and his anger was kindled; and the " fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

2 And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses Sprayed unto the Lord, the fire p was quenched.

3 And he called the name of the place ^ Taberali: because the fire of the Lord burnt among them.

4 And the ' mixed multitude that was among them ^ fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also ' wept again, and said, " Who shall give us jflesh to eat?

Verse 1. And when the people complained] What the cause of this complaining was, we know not. The conjecture of St. Jerome is probable; they complained because of the length of the loay. But surely no people had ever less cause for murmuring; they had God among them, and miracles of goodness were continually wrought in their behalf

It displeased the Lord] For his extraordinary kindness was lost on such an ungrateful and rebellious people. And his anger was kindled — Divine justice was necessarily incensed against such ine.xcusable conduct.

.4«(/ the fire of the Lord burnt among them] Either a supernatural fire was sent for this occasion, or the lightning was commissioned against them, or God smote them with one of those hot suffocating winds which are very common in those countries.

And consumed — in the uttermost parts of the camp.] It pervaded the whole camp, from the centre to the circumference, carrying death with it to all the murmurers; for we are not to suppose that it was confined to the uttermost parts of the camp, unless we could imagine that there were none culpable any where else. If this were the same with the case mentioned ver. 4, then, as it is possible that the mixed multitude occupied tlie outermost parts of the camp, consequently the burning might have been confined to them.

A'erse 2. The fire was quenched.] Was sunh, or ewallowed up, as in the margin. The plague, of

6 But now ° our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before oui eyes.

7 And P the manna was as coriander seed, and the 1 colour thereof as the colour of ■■ bdellium.

8 And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and ^ the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.

9 And ' when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.

10 Tiien Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the

Verse 4. The mixed multitude] =]D30Nn hasaphsuph, the collected or gathered people. Such as came out of Egypt with the Israelites; and are mentioned Exod. xii. 38. This mongrel people, who had comparatively little of the knowledge of God, feeling the difficulties and fatigues of the journey, were the first to complain; and then w^e find the children of Israel joined them in their complainings, and made a common cause with these demi-infidels.

Verse 5. We remember, <}fc.] The choice aliments which those murmurers complained of having lost by their leaving Egypt, were the following: fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. A European may smile at such delicacies; but delicacies they were in that country. Their ^iA is excellent; their cucumbers and ivater melons highly salubrious and refreshing; and their onions, garlic, &c., exquisitely flavoured, differing as much from vegetables of the same species in these northern climes as a bad turnip does from a good apple. In short, this enumeration takes in almost all the commonly attainable delicacies in those countries.

Verse 7. The manna was as coriander seed] Probably this short description is added to show the iniquity of the people in murmuring, while they had so adequate a provision. But the baseness of their minds appears in every part of their conduct.

A. M. 25U. door of liis tent; and " the anger An. £xod. isr. of tlic LoRD was kindled greatly; ^ Moses also was displeased

11" And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy%ight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?

1 2 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, " Carry them in thy bosom, as a " nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou ^ swarest unto their fathers?

13 ^ Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

14 "I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

15 And if thou deal thus with me, '' kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not " see my vrretchedness.

16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me '' seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and ^ officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.

not agreed; and I shall not trouble the reader with conjectures. See the note on Gen. ii. 12. Concerning the manna, see the notes on E.\od. xvi.

Verses 11-15. The complaint and remonstrance of Moses in these verses serve at once to show the deeply distressed state of his mind, and the degradation of the minds of the people. We have already seen that the slavery they had so long endured had served to debase their minds, and to render them incapable of every high and dignified sentiment, and of every generous act.

Verse 17.7 will take nf the spirit lohich is upon thee] From this place Origcn and Theodoret take occasion to compare Mpses to a lamp, at which seventy others were lighted, without losing any of its brightness. To convince Moses that God had sufficiently qualified him for the work which he had given him to do, he lells him that of the gifts and graces which he has g-iven him he will qualify seventy persons to bear the charge with him. This was probably intended as a g^racious reproof. Query. Did not Moses lose a measure of his gifts in this business? And is it not right liut he whom God has called to and qualified for

1 7 And I will ' come down and A. M. 2JI4. talk with thee there: and « I will An! Exod. br. take of the spirit which is upon ^'

thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

18 And say thou unto the people, *" Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept ' in the ears of the Lord, saying. Who shall give us flesh to eat? '^ for it tvas well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.

1 9 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;

20 ' But even a "■ whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, " Why came we forth out of Egypt?

2 1 And Moses said, ° The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.

22 p Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?

some particular office, should lose those gifts which he either undervalues or refuses to employ for God in the way appointed? Is there not much reason to believe that many cases have occurred where the spiritual endowments of particular persons have been taken away and given to others who made a better use of them 1 Hence the propriety of that exliortation. Rev. iii. 1 1: Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

The gracious God never called a man to perform a work without furnishing him with adequate strength; and to refuse to do it on the pretence of inability is little short of rebellion against God.

This institution of the seventy persons to help Moses the rabbins consider as the origin of their grand council called the San/tedrin. But we find that a council of seventy men, elders of Israel, had existed among the people a year before this time. See Exod. -X.xiv. 9; see the advice given by Jethro to Moses, Exod. xviii. 17, &c., and the notes there.

Verse 22. Shall the flocks and the herds be slatn] There is certainly a considerable measure of weakness and unie/ie/* manifested in the complaints and questions

An. Exod. isr. Moses, 1 la the Lords hand • waxed short? thou shall see now

whether ""my ^'zd shall come to pass unto thee or not.

24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and ' gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.

25 And the Lord ' came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, " when the spirit rested upon them, " they prophesied, and did not cease.

of Moses on this occasion; but his conduct appears at the same time so very simple, honest, and affectionate, that we cannot but admire it, while we wonder that he had not stronger confidence in that God wliose miracles he had so often witnessed in Egypt.

Verse 23. Is the Lord^s hand toaxed short?] Hast thou forgotten the miracles which I have already performed! or thinkest thou that my power is decreased 1 The power that is unlimited can never be diminished.

Verse 25. When the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied^ By prophesying here we are to understand their performing those civil and sacred functions for which they were qualified; exhorting the people to quiet and peaceable submission, to trust and confidence in the goodness and providence of God, would make no small part of the duties of their new office. The ideal meaning of the word XDJ naba is to pray, entreat, &c. The prophet is called N'22 nahi, because he prays, supplicates, in reference to God; exhorts, entreats, in reference to man. See on Gen. xx. 7.

Verse 37. Eldad and Medad do prophesy] These, it seems, made two of the seventy elders; they were written, though they went not out to the tabernacle; they were enrolled as of the elders, but went not to meet God at the tabernacle, probably at that time prevented by some legal hinderance, but they continued in the camp using their new function in exhorting the

Verse 28. My lord Moses, forbid them.] Joshua was afraid that the authority and influence of his master Moses might be lessened by the part Eldad and Medad were taking in the government of the people, which might ultimately excite sedition or insurrection among them.

Verse 29. Enviest thou for my sake 1] Art thou jealous of their influence only on my accounts I am not alarmed; on the contrary, I would to God that all his people were endued with the same influence, and actuated by the same motives.

Persons may be under the especial direction of grace and providence while apparently performing a a

26 But there remained two of A.M. 2514 the men in the camp, the name An'^Ewd!«. of the one was Eldad, and the ^•

name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them: and they were of them that were written, but ^ went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.

27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.

28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, "^ forbid them.

29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? y would God that all the Lord's

work out of regular order. And if the act be good and the effects good, we have no right to question the motive nor to forbid the work. What are order and regularity in the sight of man may be disorder and confusion in the sight of God, and vice versa. John wished to prevent a man from casting out demons in the name of Jesus, because he did not follow Christ in company with the disciples. Our Lord's conduct in that case should regulate ours in all similar ones; see Luke ix. 49, 50.

A late eminent divine and poet has made a good use of this transaction to illustrate that species of Divine call to the ministry, so instrumental in the salvation of myriads, which some have decried, because it appeared to them irregular, and not authorized by the hierarchy of the nation. I shall give this piece, not for the amusement but the instruction of the reader: —

Verse 27. Eldad and Medad do prophesy, 4'C.] Eldad, they said, and Med-U) there,

Presume to prophesy! Verse 28. My lord Moses, forbid them.] How often have I blindly done

To idol I'NiTv!" Verse 29. Enviest thou for my saie?] Moses, the minister of God,

A. M. 2514. people were prophets, and that An. Exo<l. isr. tlic LoRD would put liis Spirit '• upon them!

30 And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the ciders of Israel.

3 1 And there went forth a * wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, " as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp; and as it were two cubits high upon the face of tlic earth.

32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they

Would God that all the Lord's people were prnphets] Shall toe the Spirit's course restrain.

Short Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy Scriptures, by Charles Wesley, M. A., and Presbyter of the Church nf England. Bristol, 1762. 2 vols. l2mo. These sentiments are the more particularly remarkable as they come from one who was sufBcienlly bigoted to what was called ecclesiastical orders and regularity.

Verse 31. A loind from the Lord] An extraor- Jinary one, not the effect of a natural cause. And brought quails, a bird which in great companies visits Egypt about the lime of the year, March or April, at which the circumstance marked here took place. Mr. HasselquisI, the friend and pupil of the famous Linna;us, saw many of them about this time of the year, when he was in Egypt. See his Travels, p. 209.

Two cubits high upon the face of the earth.] We may consi<ler the quails ^% flying within two cubits of the ground; so that the Israelites could easily lake as many of them as ihcy wished, while flying within the reach of their hands or their clubs. The common notion is, that the qaails were brought round about the gathered the quails: he that sath- A. M. 2514. ered least gatiicred ten *" homers; An.E'xtx). I»V and they spread them all abroad ^

33 And while the "" flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague.

34 And he called the name of that place ■' Kibroth-hattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.

35 ° And the people journeyed from Kibroth haltaavah unto Ilazeroth; and ' abode at Hazeroth.

camp, and fell there in such multitudes as to lie two feet thick upon the ground; but the Hebrew will not bear this version. The Vulgate has expressed the sense, Volabantque in acre duobus cubitis atlitudine super terrain. " And they flew in the air, two cubits high above the ground."

Averse 3'3. The people stood up, (Sfc] While these immense flocks were flying at this short distance from the ground, fatigued with the strong wind and the distance they had come, they were easily taken by the people; and as various flocks continued to succeed each other for two days and a night, enough for a month's provision might be collected in that time. If the quails had fallen about the tents, there was no need to have stood up two days and a night in gathering them; but if they were on the wing, as the text seems to suppose, it was necessary for them to use despatch, and avail themselves of the passing of these birds whilst it continued. See Harmer, and see the note on Exod. xvi. 13.

And they spread them all abroad] Maillet observes that birds of all kinds come to Egypt for refuge from the cold of a northern winter; and that the people catch them, pluck, and bury them in the burning sand for a few minutes, and thus prepare iheni for use. This is probably what is meant by spreading them all abroad round the camp.

Some authors think that the word U"rl'i> salvim, rendered quails in our translation, should be rendered locusts. There is no need of this conjecture; all difficulties are easily resolved without it. The reader is particularly referred to the note on Exod. xvi. 13.

Verse 33. The wrath of the Lord was kindled] In what way, and with what eflTects, we cannot precisely determine. Some heavy judgment fell upon these murmurcrs and complaincrs, but of what kind the sacred writer says nothing.

Verse 34. Kibroth-hattaavah] The graves of lust; and thus their scandalous crime was perpetuated by the name of the place.

wbom the sacred text calls /itftfiuoipoi, complainers of their lot. They could never be satisfied; even God himself could not please them, because they were ever preferring their own wisdom to his. God will save us in his own way, or not at all; because that way, being the plan of infinite wisdom, it is impossible that we can be saved in any other. How often have we professed to pray, " Thy will be done!" And how seldom, very seldom, have our hearts and lips corresponded! How careful should we be in all our prayers to ask nothing but what is perfectly consistent with the will of God! Many times our prayers and desires are such that, were they answered, our ruin would be inevitable. " Thv wdl be done!'' is the greatest of all prayers; and he who would pray safely and successfully, must at least have the spirit of these words in alJ his petitions. The Israelites asked flesh when they should not have asked for it; God yields to their murmuring, and the death of multitudes of these murmurers was the consequence! We hear of such punishments, and yet walk in the same way, presuming on God's mercy, while we continue to provoke his justice. Let us settle it in our minds as an indisputable truth, that God is better acquainted with our wants than we are ourselves; that he knows infinitely better what we need; and that he is ever more ready to hear than we are to pray, and is wont to give more than we can desire or deserve.

2. In no case has God at any time M-ithheld from his meanest followers any of the spiritual or temporal mercies they needed. Were he to call us to travel tlirough a wilderness, he would send us bread from heaven, or cause the wilderness to smile and blossom as the rose. How strange is it that we will neither believe that God has worked, or will work, unless we see him working!

Miriam and Aaron raise a sedition against Moses, because of the Ethiopian woman he had married, 1, and through jealousy of his increasing power and authority, 2. The character of Moses, 3. Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, are suddenly called to the tabernacle, 4. The Lord appears in the pillar of the cloud, and converses loith them, 5. Declares his purpose to communicate his unll to Moses only, 6—8. His anger is kindled against Miriam, and she is smitten with the leprosy, 9, 10. Aaron deplores his transgression, and entreats for Miriam, 11, 12. Moses intercedes for her, 13. The Lord requires that she be shut out of the camp for seven days, 14. The people rest till she is restored, 15, and afterwards /eatie Hazeroth, and pitch in the wilderness o/" Paran, 16.

above all the men wliich were upon the face of the earth.)

4 ^ And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.

5 '' And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the

had married: for '' he had " married an Ethiopian woman.

2 Andtheysaid, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? ^ hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord ^ heard it.

Verse 1. Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses^ Ft appears that jealousy of the power and influence of Moses was the real cause of their complaint, though his having married an Ethiopian woman — n'a'Dn HvyNn haishshah haccushilh — th.\t wo.man, the Cushite, probably meaning Zipporah, who was an Arab born in the land of Midian — was the ostensible cause.

A''erse 2. Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses.?] It is certain that both Aaron and Miriam nad received a portion of the prophetic spirit, (see Exod. iv. 15, and xv. 20, and therefore they thought they might have a share in the government; for though here was no kind of gain attached to this government, and no honour but such as came from God, yet the ove of power is natural to the luuiian mind; and in many instances men will sacrifice even honour, pleasure, and profit to the lust of power.

Verse 3. Now the ma7i Moses was very meek] How could Moses, who certainly was as humble and modest as he was meek, write this encomium upon himself? I think the word is not rightly understood; iy anav, which we translate meek, comes from njj' anah, to act upon, to hjimble, depress, affici, and is translated so in many places in the Old Testament; and in this sense it should be understood here: " Now this man Moses was depressed or afflicted more than any man noixn haadamah, of that land.'^ And why was he so? Because of the great burden he had to bear in the care and government of this people, and because of their ingratitude and rebellion both against God and himself: of this depression and affliction, see the fullest proof in the preceding chapter. The very power they envied was oppressive to its possessor, and was more than either of tlicir shoulders could sustain.

words; If there be a prophet among you, / the Lord will make myself known unto him ' in a vision, and will speak unto him '' in a dream.

7 ' My servant Moses is not so, " who is faithful in all " mine house.

8 With him will I speak ° mouth to mouth, even p apparently, and not in dark speeches; and 1 the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then "■ were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed.

1 0 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, ' behold, Miriam became ' leprous,

den interference of God in this business sliows at once the importance of the case and his displeasure.

A'erse G. If there be a prophet] We see here the different ways in which God usually made himself known to the prophets, viz., by visitms — emblematic appearances, and by dreams, in which the future was announced by dark speeches, m'n^ hechidoth, by enigmas or figurative representations, ver. 8. But to Moses God had communicated himself in a different way — he spoke to him /ace to face, apparently, showing him his glory: not in dark or enigmatical speeches; this could not be admitted in the case in which Muses was engaged, for he was to receive laws by Divine inspiration, the precepts and expressions of which must all be ad caplum vulgi, within the reach of the meanest capacity. As Moses, therefore, was chosen of God to be the lawgiver, so was he chosen to see these laws duly enforced for the benefit of tlie people among whom he presided.

Verse 7. Moses — is faithful] ^OXJ necman, 3. prefect or superintendent. So Samuel is termed, I Sam. ii. 35; iii. 20; David is so called, 1 Sam. xviii. 27, Neeman, and son-in-law of the king. Job, xii. 20, speaks of the Neemanim as a name of dignity. It seems also to have been a title of respect given to ambassadors, Prov. xiii. 17; xxv. 13. Calmet well observes that the word fidelity is often used for an employ, office, or dignity, and refers to 1 Chron. ix. 22, 26, 31; 2 Chron. xxxi. 12, 15; xxxiv. 12, &c. Moses was a faithful, well-tried servant in the house of God, and therefore he uses him as a familiar, and puts confidence in him.

A'erse 10. Miriam became leprous] It is likely Miriam was chief in this mutiny; and it is probable that it was on this ground she is mentioned /fr.«(, (see ver. 1,) and punished here, while Aaron is spared. Had he been smitten with the leprosy, his sacred character must have greatlv suffered, and perhaps the

1 1 And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, " lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.

12 Let her not be 'as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb.

1 4 And the Lord said unto Moses, "* If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be ' shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.

priesthood itself have fallen into contempt. How many priests and preachers who deserved to be exposed to reproach and infamy, have been spared for the sake of the holy character they bore, that the ministry might not be blamed! But the just God will visit their transgressions in some other way, if Ihey do not deeply deplore them and find mercy through Christ.?s'othing tends to discredit the work of God so much as the transgressions and miscarriages of those who minister in holy things.

Verse H. If her father had but spit in her face] This appears to have been done only in cases of great provocation on the part of the child, and strong irritation on the side of the parent. Spitting in the face WdiS a sign of the deepest contempt. See Job xxx. 10; Isa. 1. 6; IMark xiv. 65. In a case where a parent was obliged by the disobedient conduct of his child to treat him in this way, it appears he was banished from the father's presence for seven days. If then this was an allowed and judged case in matters of high provocation on the part of a child, should not the punishment be equally severe where the creature has rebelled against the Creator? Therefore.Miriam was shut out of the camp for seven days, and thus debarred from coming into the presence of God her father, who is represented as dwelling among the people. To a soul who knows the value and inexpressible blessedness of communion with God, how intolerable must seven days of spiritual darkness be! But how indescribably wretched nmst their case be who are cast out into outer darkness, where the light of GoJ no more shines, and where his approbation can no more be felt for ever! Reader, God save thee from so great a curse!

Several of the fathers suppose there is a great mystery bidden in the quarrel of Miriam and.A.aron with Moses and Zippor;ih. Origen (and after him several others) speaks of it in the following; manner: —

" 1. Zipporah, a Cushite espoused by Moses, evidently points out the choice which Jesus Christ has made of the Gentiles for his spouse and Church. 3. The jealousy of Aaroo and Miriam against Moses and Zipporah signifies the hatred and envy of the Jews against Christ and the apostles, when they saw that the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven had been opened to the Gentiles, of which they had rendered themselves unworthy. 3. The leprosy with which Miriam was smitten shows the gross ignorance of the Jews, and the ruinous, disordered state of their religion, in which there is neither a head, a temple, nor a sacrifice. 4. Of none but Jesus Christ can it be said that he was the most meek and patient of men; that he saio God face to face; that he had everything clearly revealed without enigmatical representations; and that he tvas faithful in all the house of God." This, and much more, Origen states in the sixth and seventh homilies on tlie book of Numbers, and yet all this he considers as little in comparison of the vast mysteries that lie hidden in these accounts; for the shortness of the time, and the magnitude oC the mysteries, only permit him " to pluck a few flowers from those vast fields — not as many as the exuberance of those fields afford, but only such as by their odour he was led to select from the rest." Licebat tamen ex ingentibus campis paucos fosculos legere, et non quantum ager cxubcret, scd quantum odoratui sufficiat, carpere.

Verse 16. The wilderness of Paran.'] This could not be the same Paran with that mentioned Deut. i. 1, for that was on the borders of the promised land, see the note on Deut. i. 1,2; they were long near the borders of Canaan, and might have speedily entered into it, had it not been for their provocations and iniquities. They spent thirty-eight years in a journey which might have been accomplished in a few weeks! How many through their unfaithfulness have been many years in gaining that for which, in the ordinary procedure of Divine grace, 3. few days had been sufficient! How much ground may a man lose in the Divine life by one act of unfaithfulness or transgression! Israel wandered in the wilderness because Israel despised the pleasant land, and did not give credence to the word of the Lord. They would have a golden calf, and they had nothing but tribulation and wo in return

Twelve men, one out of every tribe, are sent to examine the nature and state of the land of Canaan, 1-3. Their names, 4— 16. Moses gives them particular directions, 17-20. They proceed on their journey, 21, 23. Come to Eshcol, and cut down a branch ivith a cluster of grapes, which they bear between two of them upon a staff, 23, 24. After forty days they return to Paran, from searching the land, and show to Moses and the people the fruit they had brought with them, 25, 26. Their report — they acknowledge that the land is good, but that the inhabitants are such as the Israelites cannot hope to conquer, 27—29. Caleb endeavours to do away the bad impression made, by the report of his fellows, upon the minds of the people, 30. But the others persist in their former statement, 31; and greatly amplify the difficulties of conquest, 32, 33.

2 =" Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.

Verse 2. Send thou men, that they may search] It appears from Deut. i. 19—24 that this was done- in consequence of the request of the people, after the following address of Moses: " And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness — and we came unto Kadesh-Barnea; and I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of

3 And Moses by the commandment of the Lord sent them ■^ from the wilderness of Paran: all those men ive}-e heads of the children of

4 And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.

the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us. Behold the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discour;iged. And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said; We will send men before us, and

word again, by what way we must go up, and into 65"

7 Of the tribe of Issacliar, Igal the son of oseph.

8 Of tlie tribe of Ephraim, *= Oshea the son jf Nun.

9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.

1 1 Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Maiiasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.

14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.

15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

16 These are the names of the men which

Moses sent to spy out the land. a.m. 2514. And Moses called ' Oshea the son An. Ejod. uV. of Nun, Jehoshua. "' what cities we shall come. And the saying pleased me well, and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe," &c., &c. Nearly the whole of these verses is added here by the Samaritan.

Every one a ruler'] Not any of the princes of the people, (see chap, i.,) for these names are different from those; hut these now sent were men of consideration and importance in their respective tribes.

Verse 13. Sclhur, the son of Michael.] It would have been strange had the numerous searches after the explanation of the mystical number 666, Rev..\iii. 18; xvii. 5, met with nothing to tlicir purpose in the name of this son of Michael. linO Sethiir, from inD salhar, to hide or conceal, signifies hidden or mysterious, and includes in it the numerical letters of the No. 666: D 60, + n 400, + 1 6, + 1 200, = 666. But of what utility can such expositions be to any subject of history or theology %

Verse 16. And Moses called Oshea — Jehoshua.] Oshea, Heb. i'l^in, should be written Hoshea: tlie word signifies saved, or a saviour, or salvation; but ^'U'lrT, he shall save, or the salvation of God; a letter, savs Calmet, of the incommunicable name of God, being added to his former name. This was not the first lime in which he had the name Joshua; see Exod. xvii. 9, and the note there. Some suppose he had this change of name in consequence of his victory over /Vmalefc; see Exod. xvii. 13, 14.

A'erse 18. See the land, what it is] What sort of a COUNTRY it is; how situated; its natural advantages or disadvantages.

17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this wai/ s southward, and go up into *■ the mountain:

1 8 And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwclleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;

19 And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds;

20 And what the land is, whether it be ' fat or lean, whether there be wood therein or not. And '' be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. (Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.)

2 1 So they went up, and searched the land ' from the wilderness of Zin imlo " Rehob, as men come to Hamath.

22 And they ascended by the south, and

And the people — whether they be strong or iveai] Healthy, robust, hardy men; or little, weak, and pusillanimous.

Verse 20. The land — whether it be fat or lean] Whether the soil be rich or poor; which might be known by its being well loooded, and by the fruits it produced; and therefore they were desired to examine it as to the trees, &c., and to bring some o( tiie fruits with them.

Verse 2 1. From the wilderness of Zin] The place called tX Tsin, here, is different from that called ]'D Sin or Seen, Exod. xvi. 1; the latter was nigh to Egypt, but the former was near Kadcsh Barnea, not far from the borders of the promised land.

" The spies having left Kadesh Harnca, which was in the desert of Paran, see ver. 26, they proceeded to the desert of Tsin, all along the land of Canaan, nearly following the course of the river Jordan, till they came to Rehob, a city situated near Mount Libanus, at the northern extremity of the Holy Land, towards the road that leads to Hamath. Thence they returned through the midst of the same land by the borders of the Sidonians and Philistines, and passing by Mount Hebron, rendered famous by the residence of Abraham fi)rmerly, and by the gigantic descendants of Anak at that time, they passed through the valley of the brook of Eshcol, where they cut down the bunch of gr;ipes mentioned ver. 23, and returned to the Israel itish camp after an absence of forty days," ver. 25. See Calmet on this place.

P Hebron was built seven years before i Zoan in Egypt.)

23 ^ And they came unto the ^ brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.

24 The place was called the ' brook " Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.

25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.

26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, '' unto the wilderness of Paran, to ™ Kadesh; and brought back word imto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.

m Egypt.] The Zoan of the Scriptures is allowed to be the Tunis of the heathen historians, which was the capital of Lower Egypt. Some think it was to humble the pride of the Egyptians, who boasted the highest antiquity, that this note concerning the higher antiguity of Hebron was introduced by Moses. Some have supposed that it is more likely to have been originally a marginal note, which in process of time crept into the text; but all the versions and all the MSS. that have as yet been collated, acknowledge it.

Verse 23. They bare it between two upon a staff] It would be very easy to produce a great number of witnesses to prove that grapes in the promised land, and indeed in various other hot countries, grow to a prodigious size. By Cahnet, Scheuchzer, and Harmer, this subject has been exhausted, and to these I may refer the reader. Pliny mentions bunches of grapes in Africa each of which was larger than an infant. — Sadzvil saw at Rhodes bunches of grapes three quarters of an ell in length, each grape as large as a plum. Sandini saw grapes of this size at Mount Libanus; and Paul Lucas mentions some bunches which he saw at Damascus that weighed above forty-five pounds. From the most authentic accounts the Egyptian grape is very small, and tliis being the only one with whicli the Israelites were acquainted, the great size of the grapes of Hebron would appear still more extraordinary. I myself once cut down a bunch of grapes nearly twenty pounds in weight. Those who live in cold climates can scarcely have any conception to what perfection both grapes and other fruits grow in climates that are warm, and where the soil is suitable to them.

27 And they told him, and said, A. M. 2514. We came unto the land whither An.Exod. Is'r. thou sentest us, and surely it ^- floweth with '^ milk and honey; ^ and this is the fruit of it.

28 Nevertheless ^ the people he strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great; and moreover we saw ^ the children of Anak there.

29 ""The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.

30 And "^ Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said. Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

31'' But the men that went up with hiin said. We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

From what is mentioned ver. 20, Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes, it is very probable that the spies received their orders about the beginning of August, and returned about the middle of September, as in those countries grapes, pomegranates, and figs, are ripe about this time; see Harmer, vol. i., p. 108-110. At Sheeraz, in Persia, I find from a MS. journal, that the small white grape, askcric, came into season August 6; and pomegranates September 6; and the large red grape, sahibi, September 10.

The spies' carrying the bunch of grapes on a staff between two men was probably not rendered necessary by the size of the bunch or cluster; hut to preserve it from being bruised, that the Israelites might have a fair specimen of the fruit. As Joshua and Caleb were the only persons who gave a favourable account of the land, it is most likely that they were the persons who had gathered these fruits, and who brought them to the Israelitish camp. And it is likely they were gathered as short a time as possible before their return, that they might not be injured by the length of the time they had been separated from their respective frees.

Verse 27. We came unto the land, 4'C.] It is astonishing that men so dastardly as these should have had courage enough to risk their persons in searching the land. But probably though destitute of valour they had a sufficiency of cunning, and this carried them through. The report they brought \vas exceedingly discouraging, and naturally tended to produce the effect mentioned in the next chapter. The conduct of Joshua and Caleb was alone magnanimous, and worthy of the cause in which they were embarked.

32 And they " brought up an evil report of the land whicli they had searched unto the cliildren of Israel, saying, The land through which we liave gone to search it is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof: and '' all the people

Verse 33. There ive saw the giants] wh^inephilim. It is evident that they had seen a robust, sturdy, warlike race of men, and of great stature; for the asserted fact is not denied by Joshua or Caleb.

Talcs of gigantic men are frequent in all countries, but they are generally of such as have lived in times very remote from those in which such tales are told. That there have been giants at different times, in various parts of the earth, there can be no doubt; but that there ever was a nation of men twelve and fourteen feet high, we cannot, should not believe. Goliath appears to have been at least nine feet high: this was very extraordinary. I knew three young men in my own neighbourhood, two of them brothers, each of whom was upwards of seven feet, the third was eight feet six inches, and these men were very well proportioned. Others I have seen of extraordinary stature, but they were generally disproportioned, especially in their limbs. These instances serve to prove the possibility of eases of this nature. The Anakim might appear to the Israelites as a very tall, robust nation; and in comparison of the latter it is very probable that they were so, as it is very likely that the growth of the Israelites had been greatly cramped with their long and severe servitude in Egypt. And this may in some measure account for their alarm. On this subject the reader is desired to turn back to the note on Gen. vi. 4.

that we saw in it are ^ men of a great stature.

33 And there we saw the giants, '' the sons of Anak, which come of the giants and we were in our own sight as • grasshoppers, and so we were '' in their sight.

wilderness through which the Israelites passed, of the difficulties and trials to be met with in the present world. The promise of the kingdom of God is given to every believer; but how many are discouraged by the difficulties in the way! A slothful heart sees daiv gcrs, lions, and giants, every where; and therefore refuses to proceed in the heavenly path. Many of the spies contribute to this by the bad reports they bring of the heavenly country. Certain preachers allow " that the land is good, that it (lows with milk and honey," and go so far as to show some of its fruits; but they discourage the people by stating the impossibility of overcoming their enemies. " Sin," say they, " cannot be destroyed in this life — it will always dwell in you — the Anakim cannot be conquered — we are but as grasshoppers against the Anakim," &c., &c. Here and there a Joshua and a Caleb, trusting alone in the power of God, armed with faith in the infinite efficacy of that blood which cleanses from all unrighteousness, boldly stand forth and say: " Their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us; let us go up at once and possess the land, for we are well able to overcome." We can do all things through Christ strengthening us: he will purify us unto himself, and give us that rest from sin here which his death has procured and his word has promised. Reader, canst thou not take God at his word 1 He has never yet failed thee. Surely then thou hast no reason to doubt. Thou hast never yet tried him to the uttermost. Thou knowest not how fir and how fully he can save. Do not be dispirited: the sons of Anak shall fall before thee, if thou meet them in the name of the Lord of hosts.

The whole congregation weep at the account brought hy the spies, 1. They murmur, 2, 3; and propose to make themselves a captain, and go back to Egypt, 4. Moses and Aaron arc greatly affected, 5. Joshua and Caleb endeavour to appease and encourage the people, 6-9. The congregation are about to stone them, 10. The glory of the Lord appears, and he is about to smite the rebels with the pestilence, 11, 12. Moses makes a long and pathetic intercession in their behalf, 13-19. The Lord hears and forbears to punish, 20; but purposes that not one of that generation shall enter into the promised land save Joshua and Caleb, 21-24. Moses is commanded to turn and get into the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, 25. The Jjord repeats his purpose that none of that generation shall enter into the promised land — that their carcasses shall fall in the leilderness, and that their children alone, with Joshua and Caleb, shall possess the land of the Canaanitcs, <.\c., 26-32. As many days as they have searched the land shall they wander years in the desert, until they shall he utterly consumed, 33-35. All the spies save Joshua and Caleb die by a plague, 36-38. Moses declares God's purpose to the people, at which they arc greatly affected, 39. They acknowledge their sin, and purpose to go up at once and possess the land, 40. Moses cautions them against resisting the purpose of God, 41-43. They, notwithstanding, presume to go, but Moses and the ark abide in the camp, 44. The Amalekites and Canaanites come down from the mountains, and defeat them, 45.

2 ^ And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or = would God we had died in this wilderness!

3 And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt 1

4 And they said one to another, ^ Let us make a captain, and " let us return into Egypt.

5 Then ^ Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

6 f And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, luliich were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:

7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, '^ The land, which

we passed through to search it, a. iM. 2514. is an exceeding good land. ah! Exodisr.

8 If the Lord ' delight in us, ^- then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; ''a land which floweth with milk and honey.

9 Only 1 rebel not ye against the Lord, " neither fear ye the people of the land: for "^ they are bread for us; their ° defence is departed from them, p and the Lord is with us fear them not.

10' But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And ' the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.

1 1 And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people ^ provoke me? and how long will it be ere they ' believe me, for all the signs which I have showed among them.

1 2 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and "will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.

Verse 1. Cried; and — wept that 7iig/U.] In almost every case this people gave deplorable evidence of the degraded state of their minds. With scarcely any mental firmness, and with almost no religion, they could bear no reverses, and were ever at their wit's end. They were headstrong, presumptuous, pusillanimous, indecisive, and fickle. And because they were such, therefore the power and wisdom of God appeared the more conspicuously in the whole of their history.

Verse 4. Let tis make a captain] Here was a formal renunciation of the authority of Moses, and flat rebellion against God. And it seems from Neh. ix. 17 that they had actually appointed another leader, imder whose direction they were about to return to Egypt. How astonishing is this! Their lives were made bitter, because of the rigour With which they were made to serve in the land of Egypt; and yet they are willing, yea eager, to get back into the same circumstances again! Great evils, when once some time past, affect the mind less than present ills, though much inferior. They had partly forgot their Egyp- ^ian bondage, and now smart under a little discouragement, having totally lost sight of their high calling, and of the power and goodness of God.

Verse 9. Their defence] dSs tsillam, their shadotv, 3. metaphor highly expressive of proiec/ion and support

The Arabs and Persians have the same word to express the same thing, dih i>ji\4M tl^^ ^Jo i\u Uj nemayeed zuHi doulet /namdood bad. " May the shadow of thy prosperity be extended!" yi vSajUj iL> SiA'^*-^ (jdiLsi wCi. (Sjli" y> iUi^^nemaJ/eed zulli doulet her nmjareki khaijr khwahen mamdood bad. " May the shadow of thy prosperity be spread over the heads of thy well-wishers!" They have also the following elegant distich: —

Sayahat kem mubad a: seri ma Bast Allah zullikem abeda. " May thy protection never be removed from my head! May God extend thy shadow eternally!"

Here the Arabic At zull answers exactly to the Hebrew '7X tsel, both signifying that which ovcr.ijfreads or overshadows. See the note on ver. 14.

Verse 10. The glory of the Lord appeared] This timely appearance of the Divine glory prevented these faithful servants of God from being stoned to death by this base and treacherous multitude. " Every man is immortal till his work is done," while in simplicity of heart he is following his God.

iniquity of the fathers upon the A. M. 25U. children unto the third and fourth a^' Exid-lir.

this people in thy might from among them;)

14 And they will tell /no the inhabitants of this land; '"for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that ^ thy cloud slandclh over them, and that thou goest before them, by day-time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.

1 5 Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard tiie fame of thee will speak, saying,

1 6 Because the Lord was not ^ able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the vfilderness.

17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,

1 8 The Lord is ^ longsufTering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and oy no means clearing the guilty, * visiting the

Verse 14. ThaX thi/ cloud slandeth over them] This cloud, tlie symbol of the Divine glory, and proof of the Divine presence, appears to have assumed three different forms for three important purposes.

1. It appeared by day in the form of a pillar of a sufficient height to be seen by all the camp, and thus went before them to point out their way in the desert. Exod. xl. 38.

2. It appeared by night as a pillar of fire to give Ihera light while travelling by night, which they probably somelimes did; (see chap. ix. 21;) or to illuminate their tents in their encampments; Exod. xiii.

3. It stood at certain times above the whole congregation, overshadowing them from the scorching rays of the sun; and probably at other times condensed the vapours, and precipitated rain or dew for the refreshment of the people. He spread a cloud for their covering; and fire to give light in the night; Psa. ct. 39. It was probably from this circumstance that the shadow of the Lord was used to signify the Divine protection, not only by the Jews, but also by olher Asiatic nations. See the note on vcr. 9, and see particularly the note on Exod. xiii. 21.

Verse 19. Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people] Fromver. 13 tover. 19 inclusive we have

19 ''Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people "^ according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and "^ as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egy^t even " until now.

20 And the Lord said, I have pardoned ' according to thy word:

2 1 But as truly as I live, e all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

22 ** Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, have tempted me now ' these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

23 '' Surely ' they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoke me see it:

24 But my servant ™ Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and " hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

the words of Moses's intercession; they need no explanation, they are full of simplicity and energy; his arguments with God (for he did reason and argue with his Maker) are pointed, cogent, and respectful; and while they show a heart full of humanity, they evidence the deepest concern for the glory of God. The argu menlutn ad hominem is here used in the most unex ceptionable manner, and with the fullest effect.

Verse 20. 7 have pardoned] That is, They shall not be cut off as they deserve, because thou hast inter ceded for their lives.

Verse 2 1..4// the earth shall be filled, J^.] ^INH S kol haarcts, all this land, i. e., the land of Canaan; which was only fulfilled to the letter when the preaching of Christ and liis apostles was heard through all the cities and villages of Judea. It does not appear that the whole of the terraqueous globe is meant by this expression in any of the places where it occurs connected with this promise of the diffusion of the Divine light. See Psa. I.xxii. 19; Isa. xl. 5; Ilab. ii. 14.

A''erse 24. But my servant Caleb, df-c] Caleb had another spirit — not only a bold, generous, courageous, noble, and heroic spirit; but the Spirit and influence of the God of heaven thus raised him above human inquietudes and earthly fears, therefore he followed God fully; 'inx xbo'l vaimalle acharai, literally, he filled after me: God showed him the way he was to take, and the line of conduct he was to pursue, and he filled dwelt in the valley.) To-moii row turn you, ° and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.

27 " How long shall I hear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? 1 1 have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

28 Say unto them, ^ As truly as I live, sailh the Lord, * as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

29 Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and * all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,

30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I " sware to make you dwell therein, ' save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

31™ But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which =' ye have despised.

tip this line, and in all things followed the will of his Maker. He therefore shall see the promised land, and his seed shall possess it. A dastardly spirit in the things of God is a heavy curse. How many are retarded in their course, and fall short of the hlessings of the Gospel, through magnifying the number and strength of their adversaries, their own weakness and the difficulties of the way, with which we may connect their distrust of the power, faithfulness, and goodness of God! And how many are prevented from receiving the higher degrees of salvation by foolishly attributing insurmountable power, either to their inward corruptions or outward enemies! Only such men as Joshua and Caleb, who take God at his word, and who know that against his wisdom no cunning can stand, and against his might no strength can prevail, are likely to /oWo to God fully, and receive the heights, lengths, breadths, and depths of the salvation of God. Verse 34. After the number of the days\ The spies were forty days in searching the land, and the people who rebelled on their evil report are condemned to wander /»r/y years in the wilderness! Now let them make them a captain and go back to Egypt if they can. God had so hedged them about with his power and providence that they could neither go back to Egypt nor get forward to the promised land! God Las provided innumerable spiritual blessings for man-

32 But as for you, i your carcasses, they shall fall in this wilderness. -•

33 And your children shall ^ wander ^in the wilderness '' forty years, and ^ bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness.

34 "i After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even " forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, ' and ye shall know s my breach of promise.

35 ^^ I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all ' this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

36 "^ And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,

37 Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, ^ died by the plague before the Lord.

38 " But Joshua the sou of Nun, and Caleb

kind, but in the pursuit of earthly good they lose them, and often lose the others also! If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the fruit of the land, but not otherwise; unless for your farther punishment God give you your portion in this Ife, and ye get none in the life to come. From so great a curse may God save thee, thou money-loving, honour-hunting, pleasure-taking, thoughtless, godless man!

And ye shall know my breach of promise.^ This is certainly a most harsh expression; and most learned men agree that the words "HNUn FIN eth tenuathi should be translated my vengeance, which is the rendering of the Septuagint, Vulgate, Coptic, and Anglo-Saxon; and which is followed by almost all our ancient English translations. The meaning however appears to be this: As God had promised to bring tliem into the good land, provided they kept his statutes, ordinances, &c., and they had now broken their eng.igements, he was no longer held by his covenant; and therefore, by excluding them from the promised land, he showed them at once his annulling of the covenant \\ liieh tliey had broken, and his vengeance because they had broken it.

Verse 37. Those men that did bring up the evil report— died] Thus ten of tlie twelve that searched out the land were struck dead, by (he justice of God, on the spot! Caleb, of the tribe of Judah, and Joshua, of the tribe of Ephraini, alone escaped, because they had

Directions concerning different NUMBERS.

the son of Jcpliunneh, which -were of ihc men that went to search "' tlic land, lived still.

39 And Moses told these saj'ings unto nil the children of Israel: "and the people mourned greatly.

40 And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, ° we he here, and will go up unto the place which the Lord hath promised: for we have sinned.

41. And Moses said. Wherefore now do ye transgress p the commandment of the Lord? but it shall not prosper.

42 " Go iiot up, for the Lord is not among

followed God fully. Let preachers of God's word take heed liow ihey straiten the way of salvation, or render, by unjust description, that way perplexed and difficult which God has made plain and easy.

Verse 40. We — will go up unto the place, <^c.] They found themselves on the very borders of the land, and they heard God say they should not enter it, but should be consumed by a forty years' wandering in the wilderness; notwithstanding, they are determined to render vain this purpose of God, probably supposing that the temporary sorrow they felt for their late rebellion would be accepted as a sufficient atonement for their crimes! Tliey accordingly went up, and were cut down by their enemies; and why? God went not offerings and sacrifices. smitten you; that ye be not before your enemies.

43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanitcs are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: ' because ye are turned away from the Lord, therefore the Lord will not be with you.

44 ' But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.

45 'Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanitcs which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto " Hormah.

with them. How vain is the counsel of man against the wisdom of God! Nature, poor, fallen human nature, is ever running into extremes. This miserable people, a short time ago, thought that though they had Omnipotence with them they could not conquer.ind possess the land! Now they imagine that though God himself go not with them, yet they shall be sufficient to drive out the inhabitants, and take possession of their country! Man is ever supposing he can either do all things or do nothing; he is therefore sometimes presumptuous, and at other times in despair. Who but an apostle, or one under the influence of the same Spirit, can say, / can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me?

Dtrecttons concerning the different offerings they should bring unto the Lord when they should come to the land of Canaan, 1—3. Directions relative to the meat-offering, 4; to the drink-oflering, 5. Of the burntoffering, vow-offering, peace-offering, drink-offering, (^c, 6—12. All horn in the country must perform these rites, 13, and the strangers also, 14—16. They shall offer unto the Lord a heave-offering of the first-fruits of the land, 1 7—2 1. Concerning omissions through ignorance, and the sacrifices to be offered on such occasions, 22-29. He who sins presumptuously shall be cut off, 30, 31. History of the person who gathered sticks on the Sabbath, 32. He is brought to Moses and Aaron, 33. They put him in confinement till the mind of the Lord should he known on the case, 34. The Lord commands him to be stoned, 35. He is stoned to death, 36. The Israelites are commanded to make fringes to the borders of their garments, 37, 38. The end for which these fringes were to be made, that they might remember the commandments of the Lord, that they might be holy, 39-41.

" 2 ° Speak unto the children of

Israel, and say unto them. When j-e be come

NOTES ON CHAP. XV. Verse 2. When ye be come into the land] Some learned men arc of opinion that several offerings prescribed by the law were not intended to be made in the wilderness, but in the promised land; the former not

into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you,

3 And '' will make an offering by fire unto the Lord, a burnt-offering, or a

affording those conveniences which were necessary to the complete observance of the Divine worship in this and several other respects.

Verse 3. And will make anoffering] For the different kinds of offerings, sacrifices, &c., see Ler. i. 2, and tii.

sacrifice ° in •* performing a vow, or in a freewill-offering, or ^ in your

^ sweet savour unto the Lord, of the herd, or of the flock:

4 Then ^ shall he that ofTereth his offering unto the Lord bring '' tenth deal of flour mingled part of a hin of oil.

5 '' And the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink-offering shalt thou prepare with the burnt-offering or sacrifice, for one lamb.

6 ' Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare /or a meat-offering, two tenth deals of flour mingled with the third part of a hin of oil.

7 And for a drink-offering thou shalt offer the third part of a hin of wine, for a sweet savour unto the Lord.

8 And when thou preparest a bullock /or a burnt-offering, ox for a sacrifice in performing a vow, or " peace-offerings unto the Lord:

9 Then shall he bring " with a bullock a meat-offering of three tenth deals of flour mingled with half a hin of oil.

10 And thou shalt bring for a drink-offering half a hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, ° of a sweet savour unto the Lord.

IIP Thus shall it be done for one bullock, or for one ram, or for a lamb, or a kid.

12 According to the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one according to their number.

1 3 All that are bom of the country shall do

Verse 5. The fourth p3.rt of a hin] The quantity of meal and flour was augmented in proportion to the size of the sacrifice with which it was offered. With a LAMB or a kid were offered one tenth deal of flour, (the tenth part of an ephah, see on Exod. xxix. 40,) the fourth part of a hin of oil, and the fourth part of a hin of lotne. With a ram, two tenth deals of flour, a third part of a hin of oil, and a third part of a hin of wine. With a bullock, three tenth deals of flour, half a hin of oil, and half a hin of wine. See ver. 4-H.

Verse 14. If a stranger sojourn] See the notes on Lev. xix. 33; xxii. 9. When the case of the Jewish people is fairly considered, and their situation with respect to the surrounding idolatrous nations, we shall see the absolute necessity of having but one form of teorship in the land. That alone was genuine which was prescribed by the Almighty, and no others could be tolerated, because they were idolatrous. All stran-

these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.

14 And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever he among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord; as ye do, so he shall do.

IS' One ordinance shall he hotJi for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojounieth luith you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord.

16 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.

1 8 "■ Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you,

19 Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of ^ the bread of the land, ye shall offer up a heaveoffering unto the Lord.

20 * Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for a heaVe-offering: as ye da " the heave-offering of the threshing-floor, so shall ye heave it.

21 Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the Lord a heave-offering in your generations.

22 And '' if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the Lord hath spoken unto Moses,

gers — all that came to sojourn in the land, were required to conform to it; and it was right that those who did conform to it should have equal rights and privileges with the Hebrews themselves, which we find was the case. But under the Christian dispensation, as no particular form of worship is prescribed, the types and ceremonies of the Mosaic institution being aU fulfilled, unlimited toleration should be allowed; and while the sacred writings are made the basis of the worship offered to God, every man should be allowed to worship according to his own cobscience, for in this respect every one is

" Lord of himself, accountable to none But to his conscience and his God alone." Verse 20. Ye shall offer— the first of your dough] Concerning the offerings oC first-fruits, see the notes

A. M. 2514. 23 Even all that the Lord hath An. Exod. Isr. commanded you by the hand of ^' Moses, from the day tliat the

24 Tlien it shall be, " if avght be committed by ignorance, ' without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt-offering, for a sweet savour unto the Lord, >' with his meat-offering, and liis drink-offering, according to the ^ manner, and " one kid of the goats for a sin-offering.

25 '• And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is

^ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord, and their sin-offering before the Lord, for their ignorance:

26 And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance.

27 And " if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she-goat of the first year for a sin-offering.

28 ^ And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinnelli by ignorance before the Lord, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven liim.

Verse ii. If aught be committed by ignorance] See the notes on Lev. iv. 2, and v. 17. The case here probably refers to the whole congregation; the cases above, to the sin of an individual.

Verse 25. Tlie priest shall make an atonement] Even sins committed through ignorance required an atonement; and God in his mercy has provided one for them.

Verse 30. But the soul that doeth aught presumptuously] Bold daring acts of transgression against the fullest evidence, and in despite of the Divine authority, admitted of no atonement; the person was to be cut off — to be e.itcluded from God's people, and from all their privileges and blessings.

Probably the presumption mentioned here implied an utter contempt of the word and authority of God, springing from an idolatrous or atheistical mind. In Buch a case all repentance was precluded, because of the denial of the word and being of God. It is pro- 6««

29 » Ye shall have one law A. M 25U. for ium that ^ sinneth through ig- An.Exod. l»r norance, loth for liim that is born ^

among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.

30 sBut the soul that doeth aught *• presumptuously, whether he be bom in the land, or a stranger, the same reproachctli the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

3 1 Because he hath ' despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; '' his iniquity shall be upon him.

32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, ' they found a man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day.

33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.

34 And they put him " in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.

35 And the Lord said unto Moses, " The man shall be surely put to death: all the con gregation shall ° stone him with stones without the camp.

36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses.

38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid p them that they make them fringes in the bor

bably a case similar to that mentioned Heb. vi. 4—8; X. 26-31; on which passages see the notes.

Verse 32. They found a man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath] This was in all likelihood a case of that kind supposed above: the man despised the word of the Lord, and therefore broke his commandment; see ver. 31. On this ground he was punished with the utmost rigour of the law.

Verse 38. Bid them — make them fringes] We learn from ver. 39 that \.\its6 fringes were emblematical of the various commands of God. That there was any analogy between a fringe and a precept, it would be bold to assert; but when a thing is appointed to represent another, no matter how different, that first object becomes the regular representative or sign of the other. There is no analogy between the term bread and tho farinaceous nutritive substance thereby signified; but

A. M. 2514. ders of their garments throughout

An. Esod. isr. their generations, and that they

"• put upon the fringe of the borders a ribbon of blue:

39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye « seek not after your own heart and

because this term is used to express and represent that thing, every person thus understands it; and when the word bread is seen or heard, a perfect knowledge, not of the letters which compose that word, but of the thing signified by it, is conveyed to the mind. So the fringes, being appointed by God to represent and your own eyes, after which ye

and do all my commandments, and be " holy unto your God.

A\ \ am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God I am the Lord your God.

bring to mind the commandments of God, ver. 39, the mention or sight of them conveyed the intelligence intended. All the Jews wore these, and so probably did our Lord; see Matt. ix. 20, where the word upaa- ■ReSov is rather to be understood of the fringe than of the hetn of his garment.

The rebellion of Korah and his company against Moses, 1—3. He directs them how to try, in the course oj the next day, whom God had called to the priesthood, 4-1 1. Dathan and Abiram use the most seditious speeches, 12—14. Moses is wroth, 15; and orders Korah and his company to be ready on the morrow with their censers and incense, IG— 18. Korah gathers his company together, 19. The glory of the Lord appears, and he threatens to consume them, 20,21. Moses and Aaron intercede for them, 22. The people are commanded to leave the tents of the rebels, 23—26. They obey, and Korah and his company come out and stand before the door of their tents, 27. Moses in a solemn address puts the contention to issue, 28—30. As soon as he had done speaking, the earth clave and swallowed them, and all that appertained to them, 31—34; and the 250 men who offered incense are consumed by fire, 35. The Lord commands Eleazar to preserve the censers, because they were hallowed, 36—38. Eleazar makes of them a covering for the altar, 39, 40. The next day the people murmur anew, the glory of the Lord appears, and Moses and Aaron go to the tabernacle, 41-43. They are commanded to separate themselves from the congregation, 44, 45. Moses, perceiving that God had sent a plague among them, directs Aaron to hasten and make an atonement, 46. Aaron does so, and the plague is stayed, 47, 48. The number of those who died by the plague, 14,700 men, 49, 50.

tain of the children of Israel, two A. M. cir. 2533. hundred and fifty princes of the An. Exod. Isr.' assembly, '' famous in the congre- '^"' ^ ' gation, men of renown:

3 And " they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said

SON OF Reuben; and they rose up, &c. This makes a very regular and consistent sense, and spares all the learned labour of Father Houbigant, who translates np' yikkach, by rebellionem fecerunt, they rebelled, which scarcely any rule of criticism can ever justify. Instead of piNI ^i2 beney Reuben, sons of Reuben, some MSS. have p ben, son, in the singular; this reading, supported by the Septuagint and the Samaritan text, I have followed in the above translation. But as Etiab and Peleth were both Reubenites, the common reading, sons, may be safely followed.

Verse 3. Ye take too much upon you] The original is simply DD^ 3"> rab lachem, too much for you. The spirit of this saying appears to me to be the fol-

of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took 7nen: 2 And they rose up before Moses, with cer-

NOTES ON CHAP. XVI. Verse 1. Noiv Korah — took men] Had not these been the most brutish of men, could they have possibly so soon forgotten the signal displeasure of God manifested against them so lately for their rebellion. The word men is not in the original; and the verb np'l vaiyikkach, and he took, is not in the plural but the singular, hence it cannot be applied to the act of all these chiefs. In every part of the Scripture where this rebellion is referred to it is attributed to Korah, (see chap. xxvi. 3, and Jude, ver. U,) therefore the verb here belongs to him, and the whole verso should be translated thus: — Now Korah, son of Yitsar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, he took even Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, son of Peleth,

12 And Moses sent to call

""• '^"' gregation are holy, every one of them, ' and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?

4 And when Moses heard it, « he fell upon his face:

5 And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying. Even to-morrow the Lord will show who a7-e his, and ivho is ^ holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath ' chosen will he cause to ^ come near unto him.

6 This do: Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;

7 And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the Lord to-morrow: and it shall be that thc man whom the Lord doth choose, he shall be holy: j/e take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.

8 And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:

9 Seemeth it but ' a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath "" separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?

10 And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren thc sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?

1 1 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord: " and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?

you arrogate to yourselves the most important ones, as if your superior holiness entitled you alone to them; whereas all the congregation are holi/, and have an equal right with you to be employed in the most holy services." Moses retorts this saying ver 7: Yc tahe too much upon you, 037 31 rab lachem; Ye have too anuch already, ye sons of Levi; i. e., by your present spirit and disposition you prove yourselves to be wholly unworthy of any spiritual employment.

Verse 5. The Lord will show who are his] It is supposed that.St. Paul refers to this place, 2 Tim. ii. 19: Thc foundation of God — the whole sacrifici.il system, referring to Christ Jesus, the foundation of thc Miration of men; standelh sure, notwithstanding the

Dathan and Abiram, the sons of An. Exod.\sc Eliab: which said. We will not "'■ ^- come up:

13 " Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou p make thyself altogether a prince over us?

14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into 1 a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou ■■ put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.

15 And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord, = Respect not thou their offer ing: ' I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

1 6 And Moses said unto Korah, " Be thou and all thy company " before the Lord, thou, and thej', and Aaron, to-morrow:

17 And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the Lord every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer.

18 And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation w'ith Moses and Aaron.

19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and * the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation.

20 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

rebellions, intrusions, and false doctrines of men; having this seal — this stamp of its Divine authenticity. The Lord hxoweth them that arc his; cy\'u Kvpio( roff ovrac ai'Tov, a literal translation of iS la's ilN mn" i'Tl veyoda Ychorah eth asher lo; and both signifying. The Lord approvcth of his own; or, will own that which is of his own appointment. And let every one that namelh the name of Christ depart from iniquity, alluding to the exhortation of Moses, ver. 26: Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men.

Verse 15. Respect not thou their offering] There was no danger of this: they wished to set up a priesthood and a sacrificial system of their own; and God never has blessed, and never can bless, any schema

22 And they ^ fell upon their faces, and said, 0 God, '^ the God of the spirits of all flesh, sliall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

24 Speak unto the congregation, saying. Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

25 And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.

26 And he spake unto the congregation, saying, ^ Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.

27 So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in tlie door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.

28 And Moses said, " Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works; for / have not done them ^ of mine own mind.

29 If these men die " the common death of

of salvation which is not of his own appointment. Man is ever supposing that he can mend his Maker's work, or that he can make one of his own that will do in its place.

Verse 22. O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh] It?:! ^dS nnnn TiSn Sn El Elohey hamchoth lechol basar. This address sufficiently proves that these holy men believed that man is a being compounded of flesh and spirit, and that these principles are perfectly distinct. Either the materiality of the human soul is a human fable, or, if it be a true doctrine, these men did not pray under the influence of the Divine Spirit. In chap, xxvii. 1 6 there is a similar form of expression: Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh. And in Job xii. 10: In whose hand is the soul {'^31 nephesh) of all living; and the spirit (nn ruach) of all flesh of man. Are not these decisive proofs that the Old Testament teaches that there is an immortal spirit in man 1 " But does not mi ruach signify wind or breath.?" Sometimes it does, but certainly not here; for how absurd would it be to say, 0 God, the God of the breaths of all flesh! 1 all men, or if they be ^ visited A. M. cir. 2533. after the visitation of all men; An.ExJd.lsr.' then the Lord hath not sent me. ""'• ^°-

30 But if the Lord s make ^ a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they ' go down quick into the pit; then 1 ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord.

I end of speaking all these words, that the

33 They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation

34 And all Israel that we7-e round about them fled at the cry ot them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.

3 5 And there ™ came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed " the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

37 Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the

Verse 30. If the Lord make a new thing] nN"13 DNI niri' XT3' veim heriah yibra Yehovah, and if Jehovah should create a creation, i. e., do such a thing as was never done before.

And they go down quick into the pit] nSNtS' sheolah, a proof, among many others, that j\XtO sheol, signifies here a chasm or pit of the earth, and not the place called hell; for it would be absurd to suppose that their houses had gone to hell; and it would be wicked to imagine that their little innocent children had gone thither, though God was pleased to destroy their lives with those of their iniquitous fathers.

Ver.se 33. They, and all that appertained to them] Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and all that appertained to their respective families, went down into the pit caused by this supernatural earthquake; while the firo from the Lord consumed the 250 men that bare censers. Thus there were two distinct punishments, the pit and theflrc, for the two divisio/is of these rebels.

Verse 37. The censers — are hallowed] W\p kadeshu, are consecrated, i. e., to the service of God, though in this instance improperly employed.

A plague ts sent, by which

38 The censers of these p sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the Lord, therefore they ■are hallowed: i and they sliall be a sign unto the children of Israel.

39 And Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers, wherewith tliey that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of tlic altar:

40 To be a. memorial unto the children of Israel, ■■ that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the Lord; thai he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the Lord said to him by the hand of Moses.

4 1 But on the morrow ' all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord.

42 And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, ' the cloud

Verse 41. On the morrow all the congregation — murmured'^ It is very likely that the people persuaded themselves that Moses and Aaron had used some cunning in this business, and that the earthquake xmUftre were artificial; else, had they discerned the hand of God in this punishment, could they have dared the anger of the Lord in the very face of justice!

Verse 40. The plague is begun.] God now punished them by a secret blast, so as to put the matter beyond all dispute; his hand, and his alone, was seen, not only in the plague, but in the manner in which the mortality was arrested. It was necessary that this should be done in this way, that the whole congregation might see that those men who had perished were not the people nf the Lord; and that GOD, not Moses and Aaron, had destroyed them.

Verse 48. He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague, <5c.] What the plague was we know not, but it seems to have begun at one part of the camp, and to have proceeded regularly onward; and Aaron went to the quarter where it was then prevailing, and stood with his atonement where it was now making its ravages, and the plague was stayed; but not before 14,700 had fallen victims to it, ver. 49.

If Aaron the high priest, with his censer and incense, could disarm the wrath of an insulted, angry

NUMBERS. a great many are destroyed, covered it, and " the glory of the A. M. eir. 2533.

43 And Moses and Aaron came ""• ^ before the tabernacle of the congregation.

45" Get you up from among this congre

gation, that I may consume them as in a mo ment. And "^ they fell upon their faces.

46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: ' for there is wrath gone out from the Lord; the plague is begiui.

47 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.

48 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.

49 Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.

50 And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.

Deity, so that a guilty people, who deserved nothing but destruction, should be spared; how much more effectual may we expect the great atonement to be which was made by the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom Aaron was only the type! The sacrifices of living animals pointed out the death of Christ on the cross; the incense, his intercession. Through his death salvation is purchased for the world; by his intercession the oiTending children of men are spared. Hence St. Paul, Rom. v. 1 0, says: If, while we were enemies, ive were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved THROUGH HIS LIFE, i. c., by the prevalence of hia continual intercession. 2 Cor. v. 18, 19: "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."

By the awful transactions recorded in this chapter, we may see how jealous God is of the sole right of appointing the way and means of salvation. Had any priesthood, and any kind of service, no matter how solemn and sincere, been equally available in the sight of Divine justice and mercy, God would not have resented in so awful a manner the attempts of Korah and

The princes of the people lay up CHAP. XVII. their rods before the testinony.

his company in their new service. The way of God's own appointment, the agony and death ol' Christ, is the only way in which souls can be saved. His is the priesthood, and his is the only available sacrifice. All other modes and schemes of salvation are the inven. tions of men or devils, and will in the end prove ruinous to all those who trust in them. Reader, forget not the Lord who bought thee.

The twelve chiefs of the tribes are commanded to taie their rods, and to write the name of each tribe upon the rod that belonged to its representative; but the iiame o/" Aaron is to be toritten on the rod of the tribe of Levi, 1—3. The rods are to be laid up before the Lord, ivho promises that the >naji's rod ivhom he shall choose for priest shall blossom, 4, 5. The rods are produced and laid t/p before the tabernacle, 6, 7. Aaron''s rod alone buds, blossoms, and bears fruit, 8, 9. It is laid up before the testimony as a token of the manner in which God had disposed of the priesthood, 10, 11. The people are grealhj terrified, and are apprehensive of being destroyed, 12, 13.

Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod.

3 And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall he for the head of the house of their fathers.

4 And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, ' where I will meet with you.

5 And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, ^ whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, '^ whereby they murmur against you.

Verse 2. And take of every one of them a rod] DDD maiteh, the staff or sceptre, which the prince or chief of each tribe bore, and which was the sign of office or royally among almost all the people of the earth.

Verse 5. The marts rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom] It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people, and for ever to settle the dispute, in what tribe the priesthood shoidd be fixed. God therefore took the method described in the text, and it had the desired effect; the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed.

Verse 8. The rod of Aaron — icas budded, c^-c] That is, on the same rod or staff were foun<l buds, blossoms, and ripe fruit. This fact was so unriuestionably miraculoiis, as to decide the business for ever; and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood, represented by that of Aaron, the beginning, middle, and end of every good work must be found. The buds of good desires, the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions, and the ripe fruit of faith, love,

6 And Moses spake unto the A. M. cir. 2533.

children 01 Israel, and every one An. Exod. Isr. of their princes gave him "• a rod "^' ~°' apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.

7 And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in ^ the tabernacle of witness.

8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.

10 And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring

and obedience, all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus. It has been thought by some that Aaron's staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis, or common almond tree. In a favourable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height, is one of the most noble, flourishing trees in nature: its flowers are of a delicate red, and it puts them forth early in March, having begun to bud in January. It has its name '\nv shaked from shakad, to awake, because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees. And it is very likely that the staves of office, borne by the chiefs of all the tribes, were made of this tree, merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed, in the course of the Divine providence, to their keeping.

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature, that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people, or the envious chiefs, of the Divine appointment of Aaron, and of the especial interference of God in this case. To see a piece of wood

An. Exod. isr. timony, to be kept s lor a token ""• ^°- against the >> rebels; * and tliou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.

1 1 And Moses did so: as llie Lord commanded him, so did he.

13'' Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?

long cut off from tlie parent stock, without bark or moisture remaining, laid up in a dry place for a single night, witli others in the same circumstances, — to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vejictativc life, budding, blossoming, and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time, must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God, as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple. It is worthy uf remark that a sceptre, or.s^q^ of office, resuming its vegetative life, was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients; and as they were accustomed to swear Inj their sceptres, this circumstance was added to establish and confirin the oath. A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer, Iliad, lib. i., ver. 233, &c., where Achilles, in his rage against Agamemnon, thus speaks: —

AXV eK Toi epe(j, Kai ettl fieyav dpKov ofiov/iar Nat fia To6e GKTjTrrpov, to fisv ov-kote ^v7^\a nai o^ovq ^voEi, entiSrj Trpura TojirjV tv opeaai?if/lo(Jm', Ov6' avadTi?.7jG€i' -Trepi yap (la k,^a^/cof eXt^e

Bui hearken; I shall swear a solemn oath:

By this same sceptre which shall never bud.

Nor boughs bring forth, as once; which, having left

Its parent on the mountain top, what time

The woodman's axe lopp'd oK lis foliage green.

And stripped its bark, shall never grow again.

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way, to confirm his covenant with ^neas: —

Ut ScEPTRUM hoc (dexlra sceptrum nam forte gerebat) Nunquam //-onrfe levi fundet virgulta neque umbras. Cum serael in silvis imo de stirpe recisum.

Matre caret, posuitque comas et brachia ferro; Otim arbos, nimc artificis;nanus asre decoro Inclusit, patribusque dedit gestare Latinis. Talibus inter se firmabant feedcra dictis.

Even as this royal sceptre (for he bore A sceptre in his hand) shall never more Shoot out in branches, or renew the birth; An orphan now, cut from the mother earth By the keen axe, dislionour'd of its hair. And cased in brass, for Latian kings to bear. And thus in public view the peace was tied With solemn vows, and sworn on either side.

When the circumstance of the rod or sceptre being used anciently in this way, and the absolute impossibility of its revivescence so strongly appealed to, is considered, it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion, for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle.

Averse 12. Behold, we die, ive perish, we all perish.] lyu gavaenu signifies not so much to die simply, as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing, which, producing suffocation, ends at last in death. See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people. At first, every person might come near to God, for all, they thought, were sufficiently holy, and every way qualified to minister in holy things. Now, no one, in their apprehension, can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed, ver. 13. In both cases they were wrong; some there were who might approach, others there were who might not. God had put the difference. His decision should have been final with them; but sinners are ever running into extremes.

The priests are to bear the iniquity of the sanctuary, 1. The Leviles to minister to the priests, and have charge of the tabernacle, 2—1. The priests alone to have the charge of the sanctuary, <!j;c., no stranger to come nigh on pain of death, 5-7. The portion allowed for their maintenance, 8. They shall have every meat-offering; and they shall eat them in the holy place, 9, 10. The wave-offerings, 11. The firstfruits of the oil, wine, and wheat, and whatever is first ripe, and every devoted thing, 12-14; also, alt the first-born of men and bcaits, 15-18; and heave-offerings, 19. The priests shall have no inheritance, 20. The Leviles shall have no inheritance, but shall have the tenth of the produce in Israel, 21—24, of which they are to give a te;.th to the priests, taken from the best parts, 35-30.

'^""' ^°' father's house with thee, shall ** bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and lliy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

2 And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be "^joined unto thee, and •' minister unto thee: but " thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.

3 And they shall keep thy charge, and ^ the charge of all the tabernacle: s only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, ^ that neither the}^ nor ye also, die.

4 And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: ' and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.

5 And ye shall keep '' the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: ' that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.

6 And I, behold, I have ■" taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: " to you they are given as a gift for the Lord, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

7 Therefore " thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and p within the veil; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that comcth nigh shall be put to death.

8 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Behold, "! I also have given thee the charge of mine

Verse 1. T/iuu and thy sons — shall hear the iniquity of the sanctuary, c^c] That is, They must be answerable for its leg.al polhitions, and must make the neces.sary atonements and expiations. By this they must feel that though they had got a high and important office confirmed to them by a miraculous interference, yet it was a place of the highest responsibility; and that they must not be high-minded, but fear.

Verse 2. Thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi — may be joined unto thee] There is a fine paronomasia, cr play upon words, in the original. 'I*? Levi comes

reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever.