Commentary on the Holy Bible

lemn feasts, to make a ^ sweet savour imto the Lord, of the herd, or of the flock:

4 Then ^ shall he that otlereth his offering unto the Lord bring '' a meat offering of a.

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

Verse 3. And will make an offering] For the different kiud* of offering, sacrifices, &c. see Levit i. 2. and via.

''• 5 " And the fourth part of a

of wine for a drink oiVering, shalt thou prepare with the burnt offering or sacritice, for one lamb,

6 " Or for a rain, thou shalt prepare for a meat offering, two tenth deals of flour mingled with the tliird part of a hin of oiL

7 And for a drink ottering, thou shalt offer the third part of a hin of wine, for a sweet savour

8 And when thou preparest a bullock for a

sweet savour unto the Lord; as ye do, so shall he do.

15 " One ordinance shall be both for ''

you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth -tvith i/ov, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord.

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

burnt offering, or _yor a sacrifice in performing j| say unto them, Wlien ye come into the land'

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

20 ' Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of

9 Then shall he bring '^ with a bullock, a meat oifering 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: your dougli ^or a heave offering: as i/e do '"the lire, ' of a sweet savour unto the Loud. I heave offering of the threshing-floor, so shall ye

11 ^ Thus shall it be done for one bullock, or heave it.

for one ram, or for a lamb, or a kid. {j 21 Of the first of your dough ye shall give

12 According to the number that ye shall pre- ' imto the Lord a heave offering in your genepare, so shall ye do to every one according to rations.

their number. " '} 22 ^ And "if ye have erred, and not observed

13 All that are born of the country shall do ' all these commandments, which the Lord hath these things after this manner, in offering an ot- " spoken unto Moses,

feriiig made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the I 23 Even all that the Lord hath commanded Lord. ' you by the hand of Moses, from the day that

14 ^ And if a stranger sojourn with you, or: the Lord commanded Moses, and henceforward whosoever be among you in your generations, < among your generations;

and will offer an oifering made by fire, of a j 24 Then it shall be, " if ought be committed

Verse 5. Tlie fourth part of a liiii] Tiie quantity of meal arxl flour was au^iiicuteil, in proportion lo tlie size of the sa- | crifice with which it was oflereil. With a LAMB, or a KID, I Here offcrwK one tenth ikal of flour, (the tenth part of an pphah, see on Kxod. xxix. 40.) the fourth part of a hin o( oil;; aiul the fourth part of a hin of v:inc. With a RAM, txi-n tenth deals of flour, a 'third part of a hin of oil, and a third part of a hin of ti'iwf. ^^'ltll a Iu;i.L()fK, thra- tenth deal.<: of flour, half a hm of oil, and italf a hin of lane. See verses 4- — 1 1.

\'er.<e 14 If a stranger xojourn] fiee the notes on Levit. xix. 33. xxii. 9. ^^'llen the ca.<e of the Jewisli people is ■fairly considered, and llicir sitnation with respect to the suriToundinsj idolatrous nations; we shall see the absolute neccs- ' sity of ha^in.: but one /on« of xiorshi]> in the lan<l. That aloue was gt-nuine winch was prescribed by the AlniitjlUy,

and no others could be tolerated, because they were idolatrous. AH strangers, all that came to sojourn in the land, were required lo conform to it; and it was right that iho.se who did conform to it, should have equal rights and privilepjes with the llebrew^s themselves; which we find was the case. But under the Christian dispensation, as no particular./br;« of worship IS prescribed, the types and ceremonies of the Mosaic institution, V)einu; all fulfilled, unlimited toleration should be allowed: and while the sacred writin<js are made the basis of the worship oiVered to God, every man should be allowed to worship according; to his own conscience; for in this respect, every oiie is

" Lord of himself, accountable to none But to his conscience, and his CJod alone."

Verse 20. ^V shall offer — the first of your dons^h] Concerning the oftcrings offiist-fruiis, sec the notes on Esod. xxii. 23,

" without the know-!. that all the congregation sliall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour unto the Lokd, " with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the

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 offeiing before the Lord, for their ignorance:

2G And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger tliat sojourneth among them; seeing all the people "H'cre in ignorance.

27 IT And 'if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the fii'st year for a sin offering.

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

29 " Ye shall have one law for him that ' sinneth through ignorance, both Jbr him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.

Verse 24. If ought be committed hy ignorance].See the notes on Levit. chap. iv. 2. and chap. v. 21. the case here probably refers to the whole congregation: the cases above, to the sin of an individual.

Verse 2,5. The priest shall make an atonanent] E\en sins committed through ignorance, required an atonement: and God, in liis mercy, has provided one for tiiem.

Verse 30. But the soul that doclh aught presmiiptuoiisly] 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 ofl", to be excluded 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, s|)ringin'T from an idolatrous or atheistical mind. In such a case, all repentance was precluded, because of the denial of the Mord and being of God. It is probably a case similar to that, men-

in the land, or a stranger, the same ':

reproachetli tiie Lord; and that soul shall be cut off' from among his people.

31 Because he hatii "despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; "his iniquity s/iall be upon liini.

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 imto all the congregation.

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

35 And the Loud said unto Moses, "^ The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation.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 '' them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments tlu-oughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribbon of blue:

Verse 32. They found a man gathering sticks on the sabbath] This was in all likelihood, a case, of that kind supposed above— the man despised the word of the Lord, and theretore broke his commandment; sec ver. 31. On this ground^ he was punished with the utmost rigou." of the law.

Verse 38. Bid them make them fritiges] We learn fromi ver. 39. that these fringes were emblematical of the various commands of God. That there was any analogy bet^veen 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 the farinaceous nutritive substance thereby signified; but because tiiis term is used to express and represent that tiling,

39 And it shall be unto you for a

ments of the Lord, and do them; and that j ye * seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use '' to go a whoring:

every person thus understands it; and when the word bread is seen or heard, a perfect knowledge, not of the letters which conipose that word, but of the thing signified by it, is conveyed to the mind. So, the fringes, being appointed by Gi'd to represent and bring- to mind, the cotmnandmeitts ol:'' oi' liis garir.ent.

40 That ye may remember, and a.m.^su.

41 I am tlie Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am the Lord your God.

God, ver. 39. tiie mention or sight of them conveyed the intelligence intended. All the Jews wore tlie.'ie, and so probably did our Lord, see Malt. ix. 20. where the word Kuar- TTti^ov is rather to be understood of the fringe, than of the hem-

The rcheUion of Korah and his company/ against Moses, 1 —;). lie directs them Aorc to try, in the course of the next duij, zvhom God had called to the priesthood, 4 — 11. Dathan and Abiram use the most seditious speeches, 12 — 14. Moses is taroth, 15, and orders Korah and his compani/ to he ready on the morroze rcith their censers and incense, 16 — IS. 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 arc commanded to leave the tents of the rebels, 23 — 26. They obeij, 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. yls soon as he had done speakincr, the earth clave and swallowed them, and all that appertained to them, 31 — 34. And the 250 men zcho offered in~ cense, are consumed hi/ fire, 35. The Lord commands Eleazar to preserve the censers, because theij zcere hallozced, 36 — 38. Eleazar makes of them a covering for the altar, 39,40. The next day, the people murmur anezi), 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 theni^ directs Aaron to hasten and make an atonement, 40. Aaron does so, and the plague is stayed, 47, 48. The number of those zvho died by the plague 14,700 men, 49, 50.

2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, '' famous in the congregation, men of renown:

NOW " Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:

Verse 1. Notu Korali, &c. took men] Had not these been the nicst brutish of men, could they have possibly so soon forgotten the signal displeasure of God, manilissted against them 80 b.tcly, for their rebellion. The word men is not in the orif;ii)sl, and the verb Mpil la-yikkaclt, and lie took, is not in the jjlural, but the singular; hence cannot be applied to the.ict of all th: se chiefs. In every part of the Scripture where this rtbt 1 1 ion is referred to, it is attributed to Korah, tec chap. xxvi. 3. and Jude ver. 1 1. therel'ore the verb here iirlongs to him; and the whole verse should be trarwlatedthus: Now Korah, son of Yitsar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, HE TOOK, even Dathan and Abiram, tlie sons of Eliab, and Oni son of Peleth, SON OF ReUBRN, and they rose vp, &C. Thismakes a very regular antl consistent sense, and spares all thC' learned labour of Father Houbigant, who translates m' yikkach, by rebellionem feceriini, they rebelled; which scarcely any rule of criticism can ever justify. Instead of piNl 'Jlhene!/ Reuben, SONS of ReuJ/cn, some MSS. have p licn, SON, la liie singular; this reading, supported by the Septuagint'

3 And 'they gathered themselves' together against Moses and against

lake too much upon you, seeing " all the congregation are holy, every one of them, "and tlie 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 lace:

5 And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying. Even to morrow the Lord will shew who arc his, and a;7/o is ' holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even hi7n 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 iire therein, and put incense in them before the Lord to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the Lord doth choose, he shall be holy: 7/e tale too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.

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

i) 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 tlie tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto tliem?

10 And he hath brought thee near to him, and

and the Samarilan text, I have followed in the above translation. But as Eliab and PeletJi were both Raibeniles, the common reatling, SONS, may be safely followed.

Vcr.^o 3. Ye lake too much upon ymi] The original is sim- T>!\- CZ37 31 yuh htcaii, too much for you. The spirit of this • in<j appears to me to be the following: "Holy offices ■ •■ not equally distributed: you arrogate to yourselves the most important ones, as if your superior holiness entitled }'oii alone to them; whereas all the congregation are Ao(y, and have an equal rijrlit with you to be employed in the most holy services." Moses r( torts this sayin;j, ver. 1. Ye late too much upmi you, DsS 31 rab laccw; Ye have too much already, ye sons of Levi; i. e. by your present spirit and disposition, you prove yourselves to be wholly unworthy of any ■;; ritual employment.

all thy brethren the sons of Levi iVacir.v^.* with thee: and seek ye the priest- Aii.ux..i.isr.

1 1 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gatliercd together against the Lord: ' aiul what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him r

12 %, And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, Wc 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 tiie wilderness, except thou " make thyself altogether a prince over us?

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

15 And jNIoses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord, "^ Respect not thou their ofiering: ' I liave not taken one ass from tliem, neither have I hurt one of them.

16 ^ And Moses said unto Korah, ' Be thou and all thy company ' before the Lord, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow:

17 Ami 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.

1 8 And they took every man his censer, and

that St. Paul refirs (o this place, 2 Tim, ii,! 9. Tlte foundation of God, the whole sacrificial system, referring to Cliri.st Jesus, the foundation of the salvation of men: standeih sure — notwithstanding the rebellions, intrusion.*, and false doctrines of men. Hazing this sea! — this stamp of its divine amhf nticity. The Lord hiouicth them that are his, syvji Kufioi Tcui ovTjt; auTO'j, a literal translation of "b "^B'.** ilN nifl' PTI ve ynda Yehovah ct asher lo. And both signifying, The Lord approveth of his own — or, will own that which is of his own appointment. And let erery one that nameih the name of Christ depart from iniquity — alluding fo the e.vhortation of JNIoses, ver. 2C. Depart, I pray you, from the toils of these wicked men.

Verse 1.5. Jiespect vot thou their offerirtgl There was no danger of this — they wished to set up a priesthood and a sacriftcial system of lUeir own. And God never has blessed, 4 K 2

put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.

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

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

21 "^ Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may " consume them in a moment.

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

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

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 aU their sins.

27 So they gat up from the tabernacle of Ko-

and never can bless, any scheme of salvation which is not of his own appointment. Man is ever supposing tliat lie can mend his Maker's work; or that lie can make one of his own, that will do in its place.

Verse 22. 0 God, the God of the spirits of all flesh]: -\'if2 SaV nnnn 'nVx Sx El Eloliey ha-ruchoth leccl basar. This address suiTiciently 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 materiaiity 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. 16. there is a similar form of expression, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all Jlesh. And in Job xii. 10. In whose hand is the soul (U'SJ nephesti) of all living: and the spirit (Hi") ruach) of all Jlesh of man. Are not these decisive proofs tiiat the Old Testament teaches that there is an immortal spirit in man? But does not Hn

out, and stood in the door of their _

tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their

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 all men, or if they be ''visited after the visitation of all men; then the Lord hath not sent me,

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

31 ^ " And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:

32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and ^ all the men that appertained unto Korali, and all their goods.

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

ruach signify ivivd or breath? Sometimes it does, but certainly not here; for how absurd would it be lo say, O God, the God of the breaths of all flesh.

Verse 30. If the Lord make a new thin::;] niH' X"13' nSs'na ONI Veit/i beriah yibra Yehovah. And if Jehovah should create a creation, i. e. do such a thing as was never done before.

/hid they £;o deivn quick into the pit] nVxtt' shcolah, a proof among many others, that VnU' shcol signifies a chasm, or pit of the eartli, and not the place called hell: for it would be absurd to suppoise 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.

Verse 33. They, and all that appertained to them] Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and all that appertained to tlieir respective families, went down into the pit caused by tins supernatural earthquake; while the fire from the Lord consumciJ

34 And all Israel that ttwe round!] about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth SAvallow us up also.

35 And there * came out a fire from tiie Loud, and consumed '' the two hundred and fifty men tliat offered incense.

37 Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder: for 'they arc hallowed.

38 The censers of these ''sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad platesyor a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the Loud, therefore they are hallowed: ' and they shall be a sign unto the children of

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

40 To he 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; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the Lord said to him by the hand of Moses.

41 ^ But on the morrow ^ all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured auainst

the 250 men that bare censers. Thus there were two distinct punishments, the pii and_the/rf, for the nvo divisions of these rebels.

~ 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 and ftre were artificial; else, had they discerned the hand of God in tl.is punishment, could thi:y have dared the anycr of the Lord in the very face of justice }

Verse 46. The plague is begun.] God now punished them by a secret blast, so as to ])ut the matter beyond all dispute — his hand, and his alone was seen not only in the plague, but in the manner in which the morlalily was arrefled. It was necessary that this should be done in this way, that the whole

42 And it came to pass, when the b "c'i^iiTi' congregation was gathered against An.Exod.isr. Moses and against Aaron, that they '""' ^"' looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, '' the cloud covered it, and ' the glory of the Lord appeared.

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

45 "Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. 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 j the plague is begun.

47 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation j 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 hving; 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.

congregation might see that those men who had perished, were not the people of the Lord; and that GOD, not Biases and Aaron, had destroyed them.

Verse 48. He stood betiveen the living and the dead, and the plague, &c.] 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 tous 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 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 ti/pe? The sacrifices of living ani- iTials pointed out the death of Christ on t!ie cro?s; the incense his intercession. Tiiroiigh his death, salvation is purchased for the world; by his inteicessioii the olli^nding children of men are spared. Hence St. Paul, Rom. v. 10. says, //' uhUe zi'e were enemies, ive Kcre reconciled to God hy the death of his Son, much mors being reconciled, we shall be saved 'i UKOLGH HIS l.II-E; i. e. by the prevalence of his continual intercession, 2 Cor. v. IS, 19. " And all things ere of God,, who h.ath reconciled us to himself liy Jesus Christ, and halh given to us the rniiiistiy of reroncdiation; to wit, that God was in Christ, rjL'Ccnciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto fhem; and hath coaimitted unto i]3 ihe word of reconciliation."

By the a-.vful transactions recorded in this chapter, we may see how jealous God is of the sole right of appointing the zuay and means of salvation. Had any priesthood, and any kind oT 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 his company in their nesv service. The way of God's own appoinlment, the agony and death of 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 inventions of men or devils, and will in the end prove ruinous to all those who trust ia them. Reader, forget not the Lord who bought thee!

T/ie kick'e chiefs cfihe tribes tire commanded to take their rods, and to u-rite the name of each tribe upon the rod thathefongedto its representative; but the name o/"^laron is to be tcrittcn on the rod of the tribe of Levi, 1 — 3. The rods are to be laid up before the Lord, who promises, that the man's rod zdiom he shall choose for priest, shall blossom, 4,3. The rods are produced, and laid up before the tabernacle, 6,7. Aaron s rod alone buds, blossoms, and bears fruit, 8, Q. It is laid up before -the tMimoni/, as a token of the manner in zchich God had disposed of ihe priesthood, 10, 11. The people are greatly terrified, and are apprehensive of being destroi/ed, 12, 13.

and take of every one of them a rod accord- 1 ing to the house of theh fathers, of all their i princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name I upon his rod. I

3 And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the ' rod of Levi: for one rod shall be 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. i

5 And it shall come to pass, that the man's j rotl, '' whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and

Verse 2. And take every one of them a rod'\ T\1S0 jnaileh, tlie siiiJT or sceptre, which the prince or cA/t/of eai-h tribe bore, and which was the sijrn of nj/ice or royalty among almost all the people of the earth.

Verse 6. The man's rod nhom I shall choose shall llossotn] It was necessary that something further should be done to <;uicrt the minds of the people, and for ever to settle the dis-

6 % And Moses spake unto the cliildren of Israel, and ev^ery one of their princes gave him " a rod apiece, for each prince one, acconhng to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron xcas 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.

pute, in what tribe the priesthood should 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- — ivus budded, &.C.] That is, on the same rod or stafi" were found buds, blossoms, and ripe fruit. This fact was so unquestionably miraculous, as to decide ■the business for ever; and probably this was intended to shevi', that in the priesthood, represented by that of Aaron, the beginning,

1 1 And Moses did so: as the Lord

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 * Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept '' for a token against the " rebels; '' and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings! from me, that they die not.

middle, and end of every good work must be found. The bulls of good desires, the blossoms of holy resolution and projnising professions, and the ripe fruit of faith,!o\e, and obedience, all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus. It lias been tboiipht by.some that Aaron's staff, and peiiiaps the staves of all the tribes, were made out of the eti>ii/s;dulus comjuunis, or common almond tree. In a fa\ourable soil and clJmate it grows to twenty feet in height, is one of tlie most noble flourishing trees in nature; its flowers are of a delicate rod, and it puts them forth early in March, having begun to bud in January. It has its name IpU? slieUd fiom shakad, to aiualce, because it buds and flowers sooner, than most other trees. And it is very likeiy that the staves of oflice, borne by the chiefs of all the tribes, were made of this liee. merely to iify, that loatchfulness and assiduous care, which the chiefs.-u,.ald take of the persons committed, in the course of the divine providence, to their keeping.

Kvery thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature, that no doubt could remain on the minds of the peo-)ilc, or the envious chiefs, of die divine appointment of Aaron, and of the especial interference of God in this case. To see a piece of wood, long cut o/ffrom the parent stock, without bark?:• 'i:oisture remaining, laid up in a dry place, for a single night, \ oilters in the same circumstances, to see such a piece of Wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life, budding, blossoming, and bringing forth ripe fruit, at llie same time, must be suoh a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God, as to silence every doubt, and satisfy every scruple. It is worthy of remark, that a iceptre, or staff of office, resuming its vegetative life, was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients; and as they were accustomed to SKCar by their sceptres, this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath. A remarkable instance of this.we have in HOMKR, Ilias. i. 1.233, &c. where Achilles, in his rage against Agamemnon, thus speaks:.

12 And the children of Israel spake __1L';'.":

unto Moses, saying, Behold we die, we perish, we ail perish.

13 'Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die: shaU we

Its parent on the mountain top, what time The woodman's ax lopp'd off its foliage green. And stripp'd its bark, shall Tiever groiv again.

Virgil represents king Latinus swearing in the same way», to confirm bis covenant with JEneas.

Ut ScF.PTRUM hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat):

Nuniquain//0«rfe levi fundet virgulta neque umbras.

Cum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisum

Matre caret, posuitque comas If brachia ferro;

Olim arbos, nunc arlificis manus are decoro

Talibus inter se firmabant fcedera diet is.

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 tiie keen axe, dishonour'd of its hair. And cas'd in bra-s*, for Latian kings to bear. And ihui^ in pubHc view the peace was ly'd 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 il^ revivescenee so strongly appealed to, arc considered, it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion; for the change that pa.ssed on it, must be acknowledgLd' as an immediate and incontestible miracle.

Verse 12. Behold we die, we perish, we all perish!] 1S,'l^- gavuenu, signifies not so murh, to die simply, as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing, which jjroducing suffocation. ends at last in death. See the folly and extravagance of this, sinful people. At first, every person might come near to G.hI, for all, they thought, were.suiTicienlly holy, and every vyay qualified to minister in holy things.

Now, no one, in their apprehension, can come near to the tabernacle, without being consumed, vtr. 13. In both cases they were wrong: some there were who might approach— others tliere were who might not: — God had put the dillVrence. Mis decision should have been final with the"' ^'■ sinners are ever running into exlremca.

The priests are to bear the iniquity of the sanctuary, 1. The Levites to minister to tlie priests, and have charge of the tabernacle, Q — 4. The priests alone to have charge of the sanctuary, Sic. no stranger to come nigh on pain oj death, 5 — 7- Theportion allowed for their maintenance, 8. Tlicy shall have every meat offering; and they shall eat them in the holy place, 9, 10. The zvave offerings, 11. Thefrst-fruits of the oil, wine and wheat, and ts.'hatever is first ripe, and every de-Mted thing, 12—14.,- also, all the first-born of men and beasts, 15 — 18.,- and heave offerings, 19. The priests shall have no inheritance, 20. The Levites shall have no inheritance, but shall have the tenth of the produce in Israel, 21 — 24. of which they are to give a tenth to the priests, taken from the best parts, 25—30.

AN D the Lord said unto Aaron, " Tliou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall ''bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy 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 tliy sons with thee shall mimster before the tabernacle of witness.

3 And they shall keep thy charge, and ^ the charge of all the tabernacle: ^ only they shall j not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, " that neither they, 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

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 ''within the vail; and ye shaU serve: I have given your priest's office unto

'' you as a service of gift: and the stranger that Cometh nigh shall be put to death.

8 ^ And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Behold,! ** I also have given thee the charge of mine; heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the

children of Israel; unto thee have I given them 'by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever.

9 This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved fi-om the fire: every oblation of their's, every ^ meat offering of their's, and every ' sin offering of their's, and every "trespass offering of their's, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons.

10 "In the most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto

1 1 And this is thine; '' the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto

Verse 1. Thou and ihy sons shall hear the iniqnily of the sanciuaiy, &c.] That i.s tliey must be answerable for its legal pollutions, and must make the neccsary atonements and expiations. By this they must feel, that lliough they had got a high and important office confirmed to them, by a miraculous intcrlerencc, yet it was a place of tlie higliest responsibitiij/; and that they must not be highminded, but fear.

unto thee] Tliere is a fine paranomasia or play upon words in the original. Levi »iV, coines from the root ni7 larah, to join to, couple, associate: hence, IMoses says, the Ltvites, IP' yillavu, shall be joined or associated with the priests; they shall conjointly pf rform the whole of the sacred office, but the priests shall be principal, the Levites only their associates or assistants. For an explanation of many parts of this chapter, see the notes on several of the passages referred to in the margin.

12 'All the "best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, "the firstfniit.s of them which they shall olfer unto the Louu, them have I given thee.

13 And whatsoever is first ripe in the land, ' which they shall bring unto the Loku, shall be thine; * every one that is clean in thine house shall cat o/ it.

14 "Every thing devoted in Israel sliall be thine.

l.T Every thing that openeth 'the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the Lord,: //ether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless "the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.

16 And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, ' according to

Verse 15. The firsthorn of ui/iii — and the firstUvg of unclean ira.?/*] Thus vain man is ranked with the beasts that perish j and with tlietvwwi kinds of thein too, those deemed unclean. '

Ver.se 16. Thou shalt redeem — for the moneii of five shekels] Redemption of the firstborn is one of tlie rites which is slill))ractised among; the Jens. According to I.eo of.Modciia, it is performed in the following manner; A\"hen the child is thirty dajs old, the father sends lor one of the descendants of Aaron; several persons bein(j assembled on the occasion, the father brin<js a cup containing several pieces of oold and silver coin. The priest then takes the child into his arms, '■■ and addressing him.self to the modicr, says — Prif.ST. Is this thy son? — ]\IOTriFR. Yes. — PitlKST. Hast thou nercr had another child, male or female, a niiscarriut^e or nniimely birth? — Mother. No. — Priest. This being the case, this child, as firstborn, belongs to me. Then turning to the father be says: — Prif.ST. Jf it be thy desire to hate this child, thou tniisC redeem it. — F.vrHEl!. 1 present thee with tiiis gold and silver for this purpose. — PRn-:ST. Thou dost ivish, therefore, tn redeem the child? — FATHER. I do wish so to do. The priest then, turning himself to the assembly, says: — PUTEST. Very ivell; this child, a» frstbom, is mine, as it is ivritten in Bemidbur, (Num. xviii. 16.) Thou shalt redeem the firstborn of a month old. for five shekels, but I shall content myself leith this in ezeha?ige. He then takes two gold crowns, or thereabouts, and returns the child to his parents.

live sneliels, alter the shekel or the An.ExuH.isr sanctuary, "which is twenty gerahs. ""'' '■^'''

n "But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of, a goat, thou shalt not redeem; thoy are holy: " tliou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shait burn their fatjur an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the Lord.

18 And the flesh of them.shall be thine, a.s the "wave breast, and as the right shoulder are thine.

19 '' All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: ' it is a covenant of salt tor ever before the Lord, unto thee and to thy seed witli thee.

20 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt tliou have any part among them: ' I am thy part and thine inheritance, among the children of Israel.

everlasting covenant. As salt was added to different kinds <:4" viands, not only to give them a relish, but to presene them from putrefaction and decay, it became the emblem of incorruptibiliti/ and permam-nce. Hence, a covenant o? salt signified an everlasliHg covenant. We have already seen that, among the Asiatics, eating together was deemed a bond of perpetual friendship; and as salt was a common article in all their repasts, it may be in reference to this circumstance, that a perpetual covenant is termed a covenant of salt; because the parties ate together of the sacrifice oflered on the occasion, and the whole transaction was considered as a leafrue of endless friendship. — See the note on Lev. ii. 13. • Verso 20. / am thy part and thine inheritance'] The principal part of what was olTored to God, was the portion of the priests; therefore they had no inheritance of land in Israel; indcpendantiy of that, they had a very ample provision for their support. The Rabbins say, ta-enty-four gifts were given to the priests; and they are all expressed in tlie law. Eight of those gifts the priests ate no where but in the sanctuary: these eight arc the following;

4. The remainder of the OMEU or SHEAF, Levit. xxiii.

' 1 have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their

service which they serve, even "the service of

22 "Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, '' lest they bear sin, " and die.

23 ^ But the Levltes shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall he a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel, tliey have no iur heritance.

24 ^ But the tithes of tlie children of Israel, which they offer as a heave offering unto the

5. The remnants of the MEAT-OFPERINGS of the Israelites, Lev. vi.!6.

8. The LOG of OIL offered by the leper, Levit. xiv.

1. The breast and shoulder of the PEACE-OEFERINGS, Lev. vii. 31, 34.

FiVt gifts were not due unto tlietn hy the Law, but in the land of Israel only, viz.

5. Tbe FIELD of POSSESSION, Num. xxxv. These two were cwnmon.

2. The redemption of the FIRSTBORN SON, Num. xviii. 15.

3. The LAMB for the firstling of an ass, Exod. iv. 20. Num. xviii.

4. The re.stilution of that taken by violence fiom a stranger, Niun. v. 8.

Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, "Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes, which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up a heave offering of it for the Lord, even ' a tenth ^;ar^ of the tithe.

27 "And this your heave-offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it xcere the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress.

1. The skins of the lurnt-offering, and all the skins of the other most holy tilings. Lev. vii. 8. In all 24. — See Ainswortk,

The gifts which the fenjales of the priests' families had a part in, were these:

Verse 2 1. Behold I have ^iven the Levites all the tentlt] 1. Tlie Levites liad the tenth of all the productions of the land.

3. They had 2,000 cubits of ground round each city. Total of tlie land they possessed, 53,000 acres.

4. They had the first-fruits and certain parts of all the animals killed in the land.

Canaan contained about 11,264,000 acres; therefore the portion possessed by the Levites was rather less than as one to two hundred and tivelve; for 1 1,264,000, divided by 53,000, quotes only 21'2-^;^. — See Lowman, Dodd, &.c. But though this was a very small proportion lor a u-liole tribe that had consented to annihilate its political existence, that it might wait upon the service of God, and labour for the people's souls; yet, let it be considered, that what they possessed was the best of the land: and while it was a slender remuneration for their services, yet their portion was such as rendered them independant, and kept them comlbrtable; so that they could wait on the Lord's work without distraction. This is a propelpattern for the maintenance of the ministers of God: let them liave a sujicicnci/ for themselves and families, that there may be no distracting cares: and let them not be encumbered with riches or worldly possessions, that they may not be prevented from taking care ofsoids.

28 Thus vo also shall oftbr a heave-

All. Kxod. isr, oiTenng unto tlie Loud ot all your "'■ -"- tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the Lord's heave-otferiiig to Aaron the priest.

'29 Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heavc-otiering of the Lord, of all the * best thereof, even tlic hallowed part thereof out of it.

30 Tlierefore thou shalt say unto them. When ye have hea\eil the best thereof Ironi it, '' then

Verse 28. Thus ye also shall offer a heave-offering] As tlic Levites bad the tiihe of tbe wliole land, rliey themselves wore oblii;ed to give the tithe of thi.« tithe to the prie.«ls, so that this considerably lessened their revenue. And this it shall be counted unto the Levites ^i^'^'i^-fty^; as the increase of the threshingfloor, An.Exod.ur. and as the increase of the uinepress. — ll'lU —

31 And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is "your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.

32 And ye shall "bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved froai it the best of it: neither shall ye ' pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.

tithe or tenth, they were obliged to select from the best part of the substance they had received, ver. 29, &c. A portion of all must be given to God, as an evidence of his goodness, and their dependance ou him. —:5et the end of chap. xx.

CHAPTER XIX. T/ic ordinance of tlic red tuifer, 1, 2. She s/icdl be slain by Eleazar zdthout (fie camp, and her blood sprinkled he fore the tabernacle, 3, 4. Her uhole body and appurtenance ikall be reduced to ashes, and ziltile burning^ cedar zcood, scarlet ami hj/ssop, shall be ihrotcn into thejire, 5, 6. The priest, and he that burns her, to bathe themselves and be reputed unclean till the evening, 7,8. Her cnhes to be laid up for a tcater of purification, 9. How, and in what cases it is to be applied, 10 — \3. The law concerning him ziho dies in a tent, or zcho is killed in the open field, 14 — lO. How the persons, tent, and vessels are to be purified bi/ the application of these ashes, 1" — 19. The unclean person uho does not apply them, to be cut off from the congregation, '20. This is to be a perpetual statute, '21, 22.

AN D the Loud spake unto Moses | bring thee a red heifer without spot, and unto Aaron, saying, 1 wherein is no blemish, ''and upon

2 This is the ordinance of the law,, which never came yoke: Lord hath commanded, saying,!| 3 And ye shall give her

Verse 2. Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring! thee, &c.] The ordinance of the red heifer, v/as a sacrifice > of general applictilion. All the people were to have an ' interest in it, and tlierefore the people at large are to provide i the sacrilicc. This Jewish rite certainly had a reference to i ♦iiings done under the gospel, as the author of the Epistle; to the Hebrews has remaiked: " For,- if," says he, " the blood of bulls and of goats" alluding, probably, to the sinofferings and the scape goal, " and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifving of the iit£h; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God." Heb. ix. 13, 14. As the principal stress of the allusion here, is to the ordinance of the red heifer, we maj certainly conclude that it was designed to typify the sacrifice of our blessed Lord.

1. A heifer was appointed for a sacrifice, probably, in opposition to the I^gyptian superstition which held these sacred; and actually worshipped their great goddess Lis, under this form; and this appears the atore likelv, because

of her blood with his finger, and * sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times:

5 And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; "her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, \vith her dung, shall he burn;

6 And the priest shall take '' cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.

7 "Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even.

8 And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in Avater, and bathe his flesh in

2. It was to be a red heifer, because red hulls were sacrificed to appease the evil daemon, Typhon, worshipped among the Egyptians.- — See Spencer.

3. The heifer was to be iviihotct spot, havinaj no mixture of any other colour. Plutarcli remarks, De hide ^ de Osiride, that if there was a single hair in the animal, either white or black, it marred the sacrifice. — See Calmet, and see the note on chap viii. 7.

4. IVithout blemish — Having no kind of imperfection in her body, the other, probably, ap[)lying to the hair or colour.

5. On which neier came yoke — Because anj' animal which had been used for any conmion purpose, was deemed improper to be offered in sacrifice to God. Tlie heathens, who appear to have borrowed much fi-om the Hebrews, were very scrupulous in this particular. Neither the Greeks nor llomans, nor indeed ihc Egyptians, would offer an animal in sacrifice that had been employed for agricultural purposes. Of this we have the most positive evidences from Homer, Porpkyit/, Virgil, and Macrobius.

Just such a sacrifice as that prescribed here, does Diomede vow to ofier to Pallas. — Iliad x. ver. 291.

So now be present, O celestial maid; Ko still continue to the race thine aid; A yeiirU/n^ heifer falls beneath ihe stroke Untamed, uncorMioui <f the galling yoke.

9 And a man that is clean shall ■""'• '"• gather up Hhe ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel ' for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin.

10 And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: audit shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever.

11 ^ ^ He that toucheth the dead body of any " man shall be unclean seven days.

12 'He sliall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day,

With ample forehead and with spreading horns, ^\ hose tapering tops refulgent gold adorns.

In the very same words Nestor, Odyss. iii. ver. 382, promises a similar sacrifice to Pallas.

The Romans had the same religion with the Greeks, and consequently the same kind of sacrifices; so Virgil Georg. iv. ver. 550.

Suntuor criniios prcestanti corporc tauros, Ducit, et intacta totidem cervice juvencas.

For slaughter, four the fairest of his bulls; Four heifers from his female stock he took, AW fair, and a\\ unknoivi/ig of the yoke. Dryden.

It is very likely that the Gentiles learnt their first sacrificial' rites from the Patriarchs: and on this account we need not wonder to find so many coincidences in the sacrificial system of the Patriarchs and Je«s, and all the neighbouring nations.

Verse 9. For a water of separation'] i. e. The ashes were to be kept, in order to be mixed with water, ver. 17. and sprinkled on those who had contracted any legal defilement.

Verse II. He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall he unclean seven days.] How low does this lay man! he who touched a dead beast was only unclean for one day, Levit. xi. 24, 27, 39. but he who touches a dead man is unclean for jewjj days. This was certainly designed to mark the peculiar impurity of man, and to shew his sinfulness — seven times worse than the vilest animal! O thou son of the morning, how art thuu fallen!

Verse 12. He shall purify himself with it] 13 NtaMn» yilhchiita ho, literally, he shall sin himself with it. This

clean. 13 Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and puriiieth not liimself, 'defilcth tlie tabernacle of the Lord; and that soul shall be cut oft' from Israel: because " the water of separation v/as not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; "his uncleanness is yet upon him.

14 This is the law, when a man dieth in a tent: all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days.

15 And every "open vessel, which hath no covering boiuid upon it, is unclean.

16 And "whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open Helds, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

17 And for an unclean ^ersow they shall take of the 'ashes'^ of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and " running water shall be put thereto in a vessel:

18 And a clean person shall take 'hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle?7upon the tent.

Hebrew form of speech is common enough among' us in other matters. Thus to ficece, and to skin, do not signify to add a fieece or a ddn, but to take one away. Therefoie, to sin himself, in the Hebrew idiom, is not to add sin, but to take it away — to ■purify. The verb NtaH i-hata signifies to miss the mark, — to sin, — to purify from sin — and to make a sin-ojf'ering. — See the note on Gen. xiii. 13.

The Hebrews generally sacrificed males, no matter of what colour: but here a heifer, and a heifer of a red colour, is ordered. The reason of these circumbfancts is not very well known.

" The Rabi)ins, with all their boldness," says Calmet, " who stick at nothing when it is necessary to explain what they do not understand, declare, that the cause of this law is entirely unknown; and that Solomon, with all his wisdom, could not t"nd it out."

Several /a/AfM, as well modern as ancient, profess to understand the whole clearly. " 1. The red heifer, %vith them, signifies the fesk of our Lord, formed out of an earthly substance — 2. being without spot, &c. the infinite holiness of Christ. 3. The xxoi the animal, the w/rwi'/y of our flesh

the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave:

19 And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the imclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: " and on the seventh day he shall purify himself and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.

20 But the man that shall be unclean, and.shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath ' defiled the sanctuary of the Lord: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled u])on him; he w unclean.

21 And it shall be a perpetual statute unto tlicm, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation.shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the \vater of separation shall be unclean until even.

22 And "whatsoever the unclean ^;«-5on toucheth shall be unclean; and " the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even.

with which he clothed himself. 4. The red colour hi* passion — 5. being unyoked — his being rigiiteous in all his conduct; and never under the yoke of sin. 6. ^/cniar sacrificing the heifer instead of Aaron, ver. 3. signifies the change of the priesthood, from the family of Aaron, in order that a new and more perfect priesthood might take place. 1. The red heifer being taken uithout the camp, ver. 3. to be slain, points out the criicijixion of our Lord without the city. S. The complete consuming of the luifcr by fire — tlie complete op'ering of she \vhole body and soul of Christ as a sacrifice to God for the sin of mun; for as the heifer was v.-iihout blemish, ihe whole miglit be otlered to God; and as Christ was!>nmacidate, his whole body and soul was made a sacrifice for sin. 9. As the fire of this sacrifice ascended up to God; so it points out the resurrection and ascension of our blessed Lord. 10. And as the ashes of this victim communicated a legal purity to those who were defiled; so true repentance signified by llio.«e ashes is necessary for the expiation of the offences committtd after baptism." A great part of this ii true in iistlf — but how little evidence is there that all these things were intended in th(; ordinance of the red heifer' — See on chap. viii. 7,

2'he Israeli I cs come to Zin, atid ^liriam dies, 1. They murmur for rcaiit of rcci'ter, 2 — 5. ]\[oses and Aaron make siipplicalion at the tabernacle, and the glorif of the Lord appears, 6. lie commands Moses to take his rod, gather the congregation together, and biing ziater out of the rock, 7, 8. Closes takes the rod, gathers the Israelites together, chides zcnth them, and smites the rock trcice, and the zcaters flow out plenteously, 9, 11. The Lord is offended- tcith Moses and Aaron because they did not sanctify him in the sight of the children of Israel, 12. The place is called Meribah, 13. Moses sends a friendli/ message to the king of Edojn, begging liberty to pass through his territories, 14 — 17. The Edomites refuse, 18. The Israelites expostulate, \Q. The Edomites still refuse, and prepare to attack them, GO, 21. The Israelites go to mount Ilor, 22. Aaron is commanded to prepare for his death, 2J, 24. Aaron is stripped on mount Hor, and his vestments put on Eleazer his son^ Aaron dies, 25 — 23. The people mourn for him thirty days, 29.

1^ H E N ^ came tlie cliiklreii of Israel, eveti the whole congregation, into the desart of Zin, in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and ^ Miriam died there, and was buried there.

2 ^ " And there was no water for the congregation: "^ and they gathered themselves together against JNIoses and against Aaron.

ti And the people "" chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Woidd God that we had died ^ Avhen our brethren died before the Lokd!

4 And ^ why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?

3 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of

Verse 1. Ttien came the citildven of Israel, &c.] This was tlie first month of the fortieth year after their departure from Egypt. See chap, xxxiii. 158. compared with ver. 28. of this chapter, and Deut. i. 3. The ti'an.sactions of thirtyseven years Moses passes by, because lie wriles not as a historian, but as a legislator; and gives us particularly an account of the laws, ordinances, and other occurrences of the first and last years of their peregrinatioas. The year now spoken of was the last of their journeyings; for from the going out of the spies, chap. xiii. unto this time, was about tlurty-ciglil years, Ueut. i. 22, 23. u. 14.

Desart of Ziri] Calmet contends, tliat this is not the same desart mentioned Kxod. xvi. 1. where Israel had their eighth encampment. That in Kxodus, being called in the original J'D »"', ihi.s, here |'X<szn; but this is no positive proof, as letters of the same organ, are frequently interchanged in all languages, and particularly in Hebrew.

And Miriam died tliere^ Miriam was ccrt;iirily older than!Moscs, W'lien he was an infant, e.xpoacd on the river Nile,

6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, antl "they fell upon their faces: and ' the glory of the Lord appeared unto them.

8 ^ Take the rod, and gather thou tlie assenibly "togetlier, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and ' thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

9 And Moses took the rod ° from before the Lord, as he commanded him.

she was entrusted by her parents to watch the conduct of Pharaoh's daugiitcr, and to manage a most delicate bu...iness, that required much address and prudence. See I'.xod. ii. It is supposed, that she was at the time of her death, one liundred and thirty years of age, having been at least ten years old at her bnitlier's birth. The Catholic writers represent her as a type of the Virgin Mary, as having preserved a perpetual virginity, as being legislatri.x over the Israel itish women, as Mo.?es was over the men; and as having a large portion of the spirit of prophecy. Euscbius says, that litr tomb was to be seen at Kudeth, near the city Petra, in his time. She appears to have died about four months before her brother Aaron, chap, xxxiii. 38. and eleven before her brother Moses; so that these three, the most eminent of human beings, died in the space of one year!

Ycr^e 2. And there was no ivatcrfor the con<;re^ation'} The same occurrence took place to the children of Israel at Kadesh, as did formerly to their t'alhers at Rephidim,.see Exnd. xvii. 1. and as the 'uthcrs nuirnuired, so also did the chil-' dren.'

10 And Moses and Aaron gather- |j 17 ""Let us pass, I pray thee, through i$ci4M' cd the congregation together before thy country: \vc will not pass through An.Kxod.isr.

' Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water 1} neither will we drink of the water of the wells: out of this rock?!| we will go by the king's hi<iJi way, we will not

1 1 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with!| turn to the right hand nor to the hit, until we his rod he smote the rock twice:.uid " the w^-i- | have passed thy borders.

ter came out abundantly, and the congregation | 18 And Edoni said unto him. Thou shalt not drank, and their beasts also. I pass by me, lest I come out against thee with

Aaron, Because "ye believed me not, to " sane- 1 19 And the children of Israel said unto him, tify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, v We will go by the high way: and if I and my therefore ye shall not bring this congregation cattle drink of thy water, '' then I will pay for

1:J ' This is the water of ' Meribah; because tlie children of Israel strove with the Lokd, and he was sanctified in them.

14 ^ ^ And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, " Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travel that hath ' befallen us:

15 "How our fathers went down into Egypt, 'and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; "and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers:

16 And "when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and "sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egj-pt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border

it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet.

20 And he said, 'Thou.shalt net go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand.

21 Thus Edom 'refused to give Israel pas.sage through his border: wherefore Israel ' turned away from him.

22 ^ And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed fiom " Kadesh, ^ and came unto mount Hor.

23 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying,

24 Aaron shall be ^ gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I

Verse 12. Because ye beUeved me not] What was the offence for which Moses was cxcluikd from the promised land.^ It appears to have consisted in some or all of the Ibllowing particulars: 1. God had cummauJcd liim ver. 8. to take the rod ill his hand, and go and SPIC.AK TO THE ROCK, and it shoidd givi; forth xoater. It seems Moses did not think spcaking would be sunicient, tliercfore he smote the rock, without any command so to do. 2. Me did this tii:ice, which, certainly in this case, indicated a great perturbation of spirit, and want of aLtcntion to the presence of God. 3. lie permitted his spirit to be carried away by a sense of the people's disobedience, and thus bfing proxoked, he was led to speak uiiadlisedli/ uith Un lips, Psal. cvi. ii. Hear noiv, ye ItKBELS, ver. 10. 4. He did not acknowledge GOD in the miracle wliich was about to be wrought, but look the honour to himself and Aaron. Must WE ittch YOU water out of this ROCK.? Tims it plainly appears, that they did not properly believe in Godj and diil not honour him in the sight of the peo^ile; for in their presence, they seem to express a doubt, whether the thing could be possibly done. As Aaron a|)pcars to have been consenting in the above particulars, therelbre he is also excluded from the promised land.

Verse 1 4. Sent messengers — to the king of Edoni] Archbishop Usher supposes that the king now reigning in Edoai, was Iludur, mentioned Gen. xxxvi.."59.

Thus saith thy brother Israel] The Edomites were the descendants of Edoni or Esau, the brother of Jacob or Israel, from whom the Israelites were descended.

Verse 17. We ii:ill go by the king's htgU ii-ay] This is the first time this phrase occurs; it appears to have been a jiublic road made by the king's auihorily, at the expense of the.State.

\''crse 2 I. Thus Edom refused to giic Israel passage through his border] Though every king has a right to refu.oe passage through liis territories to any strangers; yet in a case like this, and in a /j'wic also, in which t',')ii;,'rrtfion4 were frequent, and universally allowed, it was both cruelty and oppressioii.

have given unto the children of Israel, because * ye rebelled against

Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor:

26 And strip Aaron of his garments, and put fhem upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered tmio his people., and shall die there.

27 And Moses did as the Lord commanded:

in Eflom lo refuse a passage to a comparatively unarmed, and jnoftensive multitude; who were all, their own near kinsmen. It appears however, that it was only ilie Edoinites of Kadesh, that were thus unfriendly and cruel; for, from Deut. ii. 29. we learn, that the Edomites who dwelt in mount Sciv, treated them in a hospitable manner. This cruelty in the [Cdomitcs of Kadesh is strongly reprehendeil, and threatened by the prophet Obadiah, ver. lu, &c.

\ erse 26. Strip Aaron of his gannents] This was, in effect, depriving him of his oflice: and putting- the clothes on his son Eleazar, implied a transfer of that office to him. A transfer of office, from this circumstance of pulling the clothes of the late possessor on the person intended to succeed him, was called investing, or investment, (clothing); as removing a per.son from an oilice was termed, divesting, or unclothing. Among the Catholics, and in the Churcli of England, this same method is used in degrading ecclesiastics. Hence, such a degradation is termed by the common people, stripping a man of his gown.

Verse 28. And Aaron died there"] Hence, as Dr. Lightfoot has justly observed, we have ah. " indisputable proof that the earthly Canaan was not the utmost felicity at which Ciod's promises to the Israelites amitd j since the best men among them, were excluded from it."

The remark of some of the Fathers here, is wortl)y of attention. " Neither Moses the representative of the Law, nor Miriam the representative of the prophets, nor Aaron the representative of the priesthood and its sacrificial rites could bring the Israelites into the possession of the promised land. This was reserved for Jahna, who was in name and conduct the lively type of our L.ord and.Saviour.Jesus Christ." He alone can bring those who believe in his name, into that rest ■\vhich remains for the people of God.

There are some observations made by Dr. Lightfoof, on this, and some of the preceding chapters, which should be more generally known.

and they went up into mount Hor, in the sight of all the congregation.

28 " And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and ' Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.

29 And when all the congregation saw that Aaron Mas dead, they mourned for Aaron ^ thirty days, even all the house of Israel.

" The place where the people murmured upon the return of the spies was Kadesh Baniea, Num. xiii. 26. xxxii. 8. Dtiit. i. 1 9. This place was called Riihainah before j Num. xxxlii. 18. compared with Num. xii. 16. and xiii. 26. and was so called, probably from the Juniper trees that grew there; but now named Kadesh, because the Lord was there sanctified upon the people, as chap. xx. 1.3. and Barnea, or the luanderi):g son, because here w-as the decree made of their long ivandering in the wilderness. They continued a good space at Kadesh before they removed; for so said Moses, Ye abode in Kadesh many days; or as the Hebrew, According to the days that ye had made abode, namely at Sinai, ver. 6. And so they spent one whole year there, for so they had done at Srnai. vVnd whereas God commands them, at their murmuring, to turn back to the Red.sea, Deut. i. 40. his meaning was, that at their next march, whensoever it was, they should not go forward unto Canaan, but back again towards the Red sea, whence they came, (but see on Deut. i. L) And they did so, for they wandered by many stations and marches from Kadesh Barnea, till they came to Kadesh Barnea again,.leven or eight and thirty j'ears after they had first left it. These inarches, mentioned in Num. xxxiii. were these. From Kadesh, or Rithni.ah, to Rimmon I'arcz, to Lilmah, to Rissah, to Kelalliuk, to mount Shapher, to Ilaradah, to Makhelotli, to Tahuth, to Tarah, to Miciiah, to Ilashmonah, to Maseroth, to Horhagidgad, to Jctbathah, to Ebronah, to Ezion Gaber, to Kadesh again, in the fortieth year. And though it was only eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir, to Kadesh, Barnea, Deut. i. 2. they made it above thrice eleven years' journey I" Had they trusted in God, and obeyed him, their enemies long ere this would have been discomfited, and themselves quietly established in possession of the promi.sed inheritance. But they grieved the spirit of God and did not believe his promise; and it would have been inconsistent with the whole oeconomy of grace, to have introduced unbelievers into that rest which was a type of the kingdom

Arad, a king of the. Cunaanites, attacks Israel, and makes some prisofiers, 1. T/tei/ devote him and his people to destruction, 2. which thcj/ aj'temaids aaomjilished, 3, T/uy journey from lloi, and are greallij discouraged, Ai,

They murmur against God and Moses, and loathe the. ninnna, 5. The Lord sends fieri/ sei-penti among them, 6. They repent, ami leg Moses to intercede for tlicm, 7- The Lord directs him to make a brazen serpent, and sd it on a pole, that the people might took on it and be healed, 8. Moses does so, and the people icho beheld the brazen serpent lived, [). Tficif journei/ to Oboth, Ijc-abaiim, Zared, and Anion, 10 — l.J. j4 quotation from the book of the wars of tlie Lord, 14, 15. From Avnon tfiey come to Beer, 16. Their song of triumph, 17 — -0. Moses sends messengers to the yl mo rites Jo r permission to pass through their land, 21, Q'2. Sihon their king nfuses, attacks Israel, is defeated, and all his cities destroyed, 23 — Qd. 'Tlie puttie proverbs made on the occasion, 27 — 30. Israel possesses the land of the Jmorites, 31, 32. They are attacked by Og king of Baslian, 33. They difeat him, destroy his troops and family, and possess his laud, 34, 35.

ND xchen "king Arad the Canaanitc, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came •* by the way of the spies; tlieii he fought against Israel, and took soyne of them prisoners.

2 ' And Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then '^ I will utterly destroy their cities.

3 And the Lono hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites: and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place ^ liormah.

Verse 1. The ivuy of the spies'] D'inN utharim. Some lliink thai this sifjnifies the way that the spies took, when they went to search the land. But this is impossible, as Dr. Kennicolt justly remarks, because Israel had now marched from Mcribak-Kadcsh to mount llor, beyond Etion-Oclter; and were turning round Edom to the south-east; and tliercfore the word is to be understood here, as the name of a place.

Verse 3. The Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel] Tlie whole of thi» verse appears to me to liave been added after the days of Joshui. U is certain the Canaanites were not ■ utterly destroyed at the lime here spoken of, for this did not take place till after the death of Moses. If instead of utterly destroyed lliciii, CHiTI laiyacharcm, wc translate tliey devoted them to utter destruction, it will make a good sense, and not repuijnant to the Hebrew; though some think it more probable that the verse was added alierwards by Joshua or J'.zra, in testimony of the fulfihnent of God's promise; for Arad, who is mentioned a- bi-mg; destroyed here, is mentioned among those destroyed by Josliua long ailer; sec.losh. xii. 14 but this is quite consistent with their being devoted to destruction, as this might be fulfilled any lime after. See the note Lev. xxvii.

4 ^ And ' they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Ketl sea, to ^ compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much " discouraged ' because of the way.

5 And the people ''.spake against God, and against Moses, ' Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water, and ■"our soul loatheth this light bread.

G And "the Lord sent "fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people j and much people of Israel died.

ha-seraphim. I have observed before on Gen. iii. that it is diflicult to assign a name to the creature termed in Hebrew nachash; it has different significations; but its meaning here, and in Gen. iii. is most ditficult to be ascertained. Seriipkim is one of the orders of angelic beings, Isai. vi. 2, 6. but a« it comes from the root t<^^ sarnph, which signifies to burn, it has been translated fiery in the Text. It is likely, that St. Paul alludes to the Seraphim, Heb. i. 7. fVlto maketh his angels spirits; and his ministers a FLAME o/" FIRE. The animals mentioned here by.Moses, may have been called fieiy because of ilie heat, violcnl inflammation, and thirst occasioned by their bite; and consequently, if serpents, they were of the pricster or dipsas specie.s, whose bite, especially that of the former, occasioned a violent inflammation through the whole body, and a fiery appearance of the countenance. The poet Lucan has well expressed this ten-ible effect of tlie bite of the pra^ster, and also of the dipsas, in the ninth book of his Pharsalia, which, for the sake of those who may not have the work at hand, I.shall here insert.

Of the mortal tflects of the bite of the dipsas in the dtsarts of Lybia, he gives the following description.

Signifcrtimjuvenem Tyrrheni sanguinis Aulum Torta caput retro dipsas calcata momordit. Vix dolor, aut sensus dentisfuit: ipsaque lati Frons caret iniidia: nee (pddquam plaga minatur' Eece iubit virus taciturn, carpitque medullas

the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned,

Lord, and against thee: " pray unto the Lord, tliat he take away the serpents fi-om us. And Moses prayed for the people.

8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery sei-pent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, tliat every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall Hve.

9 And ''Moses made a serpent of

Ignis edax, calidaqvie incendit viscera tali, EbiWt luunorein circum vilaliafusum Pestis, ct in sicco linguam tovrere palato Ca'pit: (lefessos iret qui sudor in arlus Nonfuit, atque oculos lacrimarum vena refugii,

Auki.s, a noble youth of Tyrrhene blood, Who bore the standard, on a dipsas trode; Backward the wratlitul serpent bent her head. And fell with rage, the unheeded wrong repaid. Scarce did some little mark of hurt remain. And scarce he found some little sense of pain. Nor coul<! he yet the danger doubt, nor fear Tliat death with all its ten-ors threatened there. When lo! unseen, the secret venom spreads. And every nobler part at once hivades; Sivife jlamcs consume the mnrroiv and the brain. And the scorched entrails rage with burning puiii; Upon liis heart the thirsty poisons prey And drain the sacred juice of life away. No kindly floods of moisture bathe his tongue, I3ut cleaving to the parched roof it hung; No trickling drops distil, no dewy sweat. To ease his weary limbs, and cool the raging heat.

The effects of the bite of the prccsier are not less terrible.

l^'asidiuni. Marsi cultorem torridus agri Fercusiit proDster: itti rubor igneus ora Succendit, tonditque culem, pereunte figura, Miscens cuncta tumor totojam corpore major: Humanumque egressa modum super omnia viembra Efflatur sanies, lute tollente veneno.

A fate of different kind Nasldius found, A burning praster gave the deadly wound: And straight, a sudden fame began to spread. And paint his visage vvilh a. gloicing red. Wiith swift expansion, swells the bloated skin, "^ Nought but an undistinguished ma.'s is.seen; >■ While the fair human form lies lost within. } The puffy poison sprcuds, and heaves around. Till all tiie mttn is in the monster drown'd.

brass, and put it upon a pole, and

it came to pass, that if a serpent had

bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of

10 ^ And the children of Israel set forward, and ^ pitched in Oboth.

11 And they journeyed from Oboth, and •^ pitched at ^ Ije-abarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising.

Bochart supposes that the hydrus or chersydrus is meant; a serpent that lives in marshy places, the bite of which pr»» duces the most terrible innaramations, burning heat, fetid vomitings, and a putrid solution of the whole bod)-. See his works, vol. iii. col. 421. It is more likely to have been a serpent of the prxster or dipsas kind; as the wilderntse through which the Israelites passed, did neither afford rivers nor marshes, though Bochart endeavours to prove that there minht have been marshes in that part; but his arguments have very little weight. Nor is there need of a water serpent as long as the praster and dipsas which abound in the desarts of Lybia, might have abounded in the desarts of Arabia also. But ver}' probably the serpents themselves were immediately sent by God, for the chastisement of this rebellious people. The cure was certainly preternatural; this no person doubts; and why might not the agent be so, that inflicted the disease.?

Verse 9. And Moses made a serpent of brass] IWfM BfTli' nechash nechoshet. Hence we find that the word brass or copper comes from the same root with nachash, which here signifies a serpent, probably on account of the colour, as most serpents, especially those of the bright spotted kind have a very glistening appearance, and those who have brown j or yellow spots, appear something like burnished brass; but the true meaning of the root cannot be easily ascertained.

On the subject of the cure of the serpent-bitten Israelites, by looking at the brazen serpent, there is a good comment in the book of Wisdom, chap. xvi. ver. 4 — 12. in which are these remarkable words: — " They were admonished, having a sign of salvation, (i. c. the brazen serpent) to put them in remembrance of the commandments of thy law. For he that turned himself towards it, was not saved by the THING that he saw, but by TUl.Z, that arl the saviour of all," ver. 6, 7. To the circumstance of looking at the brazen serpent in order to be healed, our Lord refers,.John iii. 14, 15. As Moses lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so tnust the Son of man be lifted up, that ivhosoever believeth in^ him, should not perish, but have eternal life. 'I'he brazen serpent \vas certainly no type of Jesus Cjirist— but from o\ir

])itched on the other side of Aruon, which is in [i 17 ^ Then Israel sang this song, "Spring up, the wilderness that cometli out of the coasts of { O well; 'sing ye unto it.

the Amorites: for '' Arnon is the border of Moab, j 18 The princes digged the well, the nobles ef between' Moab and the Amorites. 'the people digged it, by the direction of "the

14 Wherelbre it is said in the book of the j lawgiver, with their staves. And from tlie

Avars of the Loud, "^ What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,

15 And at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dweUing of Ar, " and ' Hcth the border of JNloab.

16 And from thence they xvent '^tp Beer: that

19 And from IMattanah to Nahaliel: and from Nahaliel to Bamotli:

20 And from Bamoth in the valley, th.at is in the ' country of Moab, to the top of "* Pisgah, Avliich looketh "toward "Jeshimon.

I.ord'.s word*, we may leam, 1. That tis the serpent was direcled the setting up of (irc/iciy,.see 2 Sam. i. 1 3. and lilted up oil the pole or nisitrii; so Jcstii Cliri>t was lifted up || warrants Joshua to command the sun, and expect its obedi on the croi^. 2. Tint as the Israelites were to look at tlie brazen serpent; so sinners must look to Christ for salvation. | iJ. That as G«d provided no other remedy than this looki'ig, j fur the wounded I.'jraelites, so he has provided no other way of salvation than/u///i in the blood of his son. 4. That as ■ ■ who looked at ihe brazen serpent, was cured and did live; | ' hf tiiat believcth on the Lord Jesus Christ.shall not perish, i but have cterruil life. 5. That as neither the serpent, nor i looking at it, but the invisible power of God healed the I people; so neither the cross of Christ, nor his merely being j crucified, but ihe pardon he has bought by his blood, com- I munieated by tlie povjerful energy of his Spirit, savi.s the souls '. ef men. M:jy not all these tilings be plainly seen in the circKmstances of this transaetion, without making the serpent a type of Jesus Christ, (the most exceptionable that could possibly be chosen) and runninj^- the parallel, as.some have done, through ten or a dozen of |)articuiars? Verse 12. They — pitched in the valley qfZared.] Tdbm nachel red. This should be tran.«lated ihe brook Zared, as it is

What he did in the Red Sea, and in the brooks of Arnnn\

mentioned ver. 12. the whole might then be read. They ' >oul. ii. 1:5, 14. This stream has its origin in the mountains li encamped at the brook Zared, and they caine to Suphah, and ■.istward of Moab, and runs from Ka.st to AVcst, and dis- ji thence ^o^/icfcroo/t ^nio«. Take the passage as we may, it is tharges itself into the Dead Sta. I evidently defeclire. As I judge the whole clause to have been

Verse 13. Arnonl Another river which takes its t\sg 'm^\& common proverb in those days, and Vaheb to be a proper the mountains of Moab; and after having separated the j name, I therefore propose the following translation, which 1 ancient territories of the Moabites and Annnonites, it falls into the Dead Sea, near tlie mouth of Jordan.

Vcriie 14. The book of the tears ef ihe Lord] There are.iidle.';s conjectures about this book, both among ancients and moderns. Dr. I.iglitfoot's opinion is the most simple, and to me bears the greatest appearance of being the true one. " This book seems to have been some book of remembrances and directions, written by Moses for Joshua's private instruction for the managemeut of the wars after him. — See Exod. xvii. 14 — 16. It may be that this was the same book which is called the book of Jasher, i. e. the hook of the upright, or believe to be tlie best: I'rom I'aheb unto Suph, and unto the streams of Anion. If we allow it to have been a proverbial expression, used to point out extensive distance, then it was similar to that well known phrase. From Dan even unto Bcersheba.

Verse n. Spring up, 0 luell, &c.] This is one of the most ancient war song-s in the world — but is not easily understood, which is commonly the case with all very ancient compositions, especially \.ht poetic. — See the Remarks K.xod. xv. 1, &:c. •

Verse 18. The princes digqed the well —;i;(//i their staves,'] This is not easily understood. Who can suppose that the princes dug this well with their staves f and is there any other a directory for Joshua from Moses, what to do and what to i| idea conveyed by our transUiion? The word nan chapharu, expect in his wars: and in this bo.. k it seems as if Mcsts ij which is translated, they digt^ed, sbould be rendereil, /%

21 % And * Israel sent messengers unto Sihou king of the Amorites,

22 '' Let me pass through thy hmd: T\-e will not turn into the fields, or into the vinevards: we

25 And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the ' villages thereof, will not drink o/" the waters of the well: te^wejj 26 For Heshbon xcas the city of Si h on the will go along by the king's high way, luitil we king of the Amorites, who liad fought against be pa^jt thy borders. j; the ibrnier king of f*loab, and taken uU his land

23 " And Sihon w^ould not suffer Israel to pass out of his hand, even unto Arnon.

through his border: but Silion gathered all liis 27 WJicrefore they that speak in proverbs say, people together, and went out against Israel Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be into the wilderness: ''and he came to Jahaz, i binlt and prepared: and fouicht against Israel. H 28 For there is ^ a fire gone out of Heshbon,

24 And "^ Israel smote him with the edge of a flame Horn the city of Siiion: it hath conthe sword, and possessed his land from Arnon ] sumed '' Ar of Moab, a7Jc?tlie lords of the higk.

CrOy'iyca ii? miiltanotam, which we rentier iMith their staves, siiould be translated, on their borders or confines, from the root ns ihain, to lie along. Witli these corrections the whole eong may be read thus:

I^his is the whole of the quotation from what is called the ■book of the wars of the Lord. — Bi\t see Dr. Kennicott's rcmirLs at the end of the chapter.