NOTES ON CHAPTEft XXXI Veras 2. / have ealied fcy name Bexaleel] That is, I have portieulorly q>pointM this person to be uie chief sniierintendent of llie whole work. Hia name is sigmfieani, beUal-el, in or under the Aadaw qf God, meaning, under dteespeml protection of the Most High, ile was the son of f^f, the son of Hvr,<be son of ^/«6 or t^h*^*.
3 Aiid I have * filled him with the Spirit of God, in wiedom, and in nnderetanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.
4 To deviee cunning works, to work.in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
3 And in cutting of stones, to set tkem, and in carving of timber, to work in all maimer of workmanship.
6 And I, behold, I have given with him ' Anoliab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are ^wise hearted I Imve put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee:
7 "The tabernacle of the congregation, and ' the ark of the testimoOT, and 'the mercy seat that t« thereupon, and all the ' furniture of the tabernacle,
8 And < the table and his furniture, and ^ the pure candlestick with all bis iurniture, and the altar of incense;
9 And I the altar of burnt-offering with all his furniture, and ^ the laver and his foot,
10 And 1 the clothes of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the iM-iest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's oSice;
Jnvitdom] nun tliocmah, from esn diaeam, to be uue, skiiful, or prudaU, denoting the compau of mind and strenigtli of oapocity, necessary to forrn n wUe man: hence our word wisdom, the power of judging what is to we or best to be done. From the Saxon r^an, to Uadi, to adoite, and beman, to jud^e; hence plrebom, the doom or Judgment of die well Uiughi^ mte, or pradait man.
Kiuneltdge] riy\ ddat, denoting particular aetfoaintmet with a person or thing, prdetica], txptrimetUal knowledge.
Verse 4. Cunning work^ navns, nuchtuAoiof, worlcs of invention or gemvx, in the gold and silversmith Uoe.
Verse 6. In cutting qf tlonea, &c.] Every thing that concerned the lapidary s, jeKMer\ and carper's art.
Verse 6. In the hearts <if ail that are wisehearted I have jnti witdom] So every man that had a natural gaiuM, as we term ik had an inereoae of wisdom by im< mediate iospiratkm from Qod, so that be knew how to azecute the different works which divine wisdom designed for the tabernacle and its furniture. Dark as were the heathens, yet they acknowledged that all talent% and the seeds of all arts came from Crad. Hence Senaoa, Intiia nobU omnium artium semiiui, magi»terqu« cx eccuUo Dent prodttcit ingenia.
In the aame way Homer aitribvteB such curious arta to liBnerva the godaesB of teiadom, and Vvlean the god of ImdicrnfU.
And all this the wisest of men long befim them declaradt when qwakine of the wisdom of God he says, /, maOotiL, dwU vaUh Prudence, and find out knowledge ttf n^tiy inventiona, Prov. viu. 12. See the note on diap. xxviii. 3. to which the reader is particuWly deidj«d to refer. There ia something remarkable in the name of this second fluperinteodent, sntttw, Aholiab, Ae tabernade of 0u/^t«rt or Ihe father ie my t<aernaeU I aaanMnmnj ■nular in ia meaning to that of Bexaleel, see the note on
Vane & The purs coniflMtfat:] Called ao, either beof the pur* mU of wbion it was made, or the cease for the holv place: according to alt that I have commanded thee, shall cbey do. IS \ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, * Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a si^ between me and you throughout your generationa; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.
14 t> Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it ia holy imto you: every one that defileth. it shall surely be put to death: for < whosoever doth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
15 Six days may work be done; but in the ■ seventh ia the sabbath of rest, < holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surelv be put to death.
16 Wherefore the cnildren of Israel shall keep the sabl»th, to observe the s^ibath, throughout their geoeratiixis, firr a perpetiju covenant.
17 It tff "a sign between me and the ehildrfea of Israel for ever: for • in six days the Loud made heaven and earth, and on the seventh tkty he rested, and was refreshed.
IS If And he rave unto Moses, when he had made an end pT communing with him upoo briMnen and ej4endour of its worlcmatul^ or of the light which it imparled in the tabernacle, as u» pwreat, fineat oil waa alwaya bwnt in iL Versed. attar ^ tenil-(^«rln^] Seeoad^ dinaiTwork of their ministry; the holy g€aJiuMU, ibmt which were peculiar to the high priesL
Verse tl. The anointing oU\ See on elimt. xxz.
Verse 13. My eabbaihe ye Aall keip] See the notes on Gen. ii. 3. Exod. xx. B.
Verae 14. Every one thai defileth it] By any kind of idolatrous or profuie worship.
ShaU nirdy be mil to death] The magistrates shall examine into the business, and if the accused be found guil^, he shall be stoned to death.
^iall be cut off\ Because that person who eould so far contemn the sabnuh, which waa a sign to ihem of the reet which remained for the people of God, vn» of count on infidel, and should be cut off from all the privileges and expectations of an Israelite.
Verse 16. A perpetual eovenant.] Because it is a sign of this future rest apd blessedness, iherefm the religioua observance of it must be perpetually kept up. Tbe type must continue in force tilt the Bniit3rpe come.
Verse 17. Rested, and teat refret^ied] God, In condescension to bunura weakness, applies to mmself here:, what belongs to moo. If a man religiously rest on the saUxtth, both his body and soul shall be refreshed: he shall acquire new ligtd and life.
Verse 18. Mrhmhehadmadeanendt^ tamminiiagX When tbe forty days sod forty nights were ended.
T\ibtes if stone] That Uie record might be lasHng, because it waaa testimony that referred to./ufure genenr tions, and therefore the materials should be (fura&£.
Written vnth the finger <f Ood.] All the letters eat by God himaelf. Dr. Winder, in his History of Knawledee, thinks it probable that this waa the first writing in alpfiabeiieal characters ever exlubited to the world, diougfa there might have been marka or hieroglyphiee eut on wood, stone, &C. before this time, see chap. xvn. 14. Thu dtcM tables were written, not by the commamfmen^ bm by iba power of God himself lha following passages sDem to prove: " And the Lord said imio Moses, come up ta ma mto the mountain, and be (hou dure t and I will givadiin tables of atone which I havs wnrrrEiT, that thou mayeat teach them." Exod. xxiv. 12. "And he gave unto Hoses, upon Hount Sinai, two tables of testimiKiy, tables of atone, wbittki* with th* mraaa or God," chap, xxzi 18. And Blosea went down from die mount, aAd the two tables of laatimoi^ were in his hand I and tidiles wm written on both their sides. And ibe tables vsn m inuant Sinai, ' two tables of teetimony, tables of Btone, written with the finger of Qod.
t.nrl u Anr, fol il.i ill— ta iltwy iiiir. 9, ID. Mu** InumJn lur ihtm, IV-O. Anfikt Ixvd aiMlM W thtn, Mm dowa vKb ihf lih^ tahhr—*- ". '-^ hMiiaa ibe Dow Uhjt male m UwirMnl, ' » H, II. Mom eaminc la thi ump. uid veine ihcb iiiall ilimwiil. throvi dwn uid bnaka Ac two tablca, JagMH 10 fVAW, Hicn u upon nur. ul auaa IbMB
ih.b<dto-.i. A when the people saw that J\. Moses ' delayed to come down
Oat of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, aod «aid onto him, ' Up, inakd us gods, which ahail 'go befbre us; for as for tbis Moses, the man t£^t brought us Bp out of the land or Egypt, we wot not what (B become of him.
3 And Aaron said unto them. Break off ^e ■golden ear-ring*, wlueh<u*ein the ears of your
woiE or Gop, and the WEirma was the WRiriNa op OocL graven upon the tables," ch. xxxii. 15, 16. " Ttiese woraa (the ten coramandmenta,) the Lord Bpake in the nwuot, out of the midit of the fire, of the cloua, and of the thick rttyVufun, with a great voice: and he added no more, nr KK Wwvrt tbsv on two tablei of stone." Dcut. v. 22. It ia evident thwefbie that this vmtingwaa properly and hieralty the writing of God himself. He wrote now on tables of atone, what he bad originally written on the htarl of man; and in mercy he plaiced that before his eyes, irtiiefa bjr sin had been obUterated from his soul, and by this be shows us what, by die Spirit of Christ, mttst he lewrittea in the mind, 2 Cor. iiL 3. and this is according to the covenant, which God long before promised to make widi maakind, Jer. xzxi- 33. See owo what ia nid on tfiis subject, diap. xx. 1. aod see ehc^. xuiv. 1.
• NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXII. Terse I. When Ihe jttopU saic that Motes delayed^ Bow long this waa befm the expiration of the Jvrty i&ys, we cannot tell; but it^cert&inly must have been some con- MderaUe lime, as the oraamenia must be collected, and llie calf or ox, after havitig been faisndtd, must require a con- •ideraUe time to foshion it with the graving tool; and oertataly sot more than two or three persons could work on it at onee. This work, therefore, must have required several days.
Uteg gathertd themailvea tog^ier] VhiBf oeme in a tanmhuoua and seditioos tnaimer, insisting on having an ^iject of religious worship made for them, as they intended, tuMsr ita direction, to return to Eeypt, see Acti vii. 39,40.
As for OUa JtSota, Ou man that brought ve up] This set mi to be the language of great coatampt, and it we see the truth of the character given them by Aaron, vene 23. lh<y were lei on mUdi^f. It is likely they might Etave supposed Aat Moses bad perished in the fire, which they saw had inrnsted the lop of the "i"""*"", into whiob he wenL
Vsrae 2. Your ear-ring*} Both men and women wore these ornaments; and we mar suppose that these were a part of the spoils which they Motu^t out of Egypt. How straage, that the very things which were gran tad them by •D especial influenoe and providence of Qod, should be now abused to the basest idolatrous purpoees; but it is fireqpiently the ease, that the gifts of God become deoeeraled try bWDg onplc^ed in the service of sin. I will curse your UMsaon, sailh the Lord, llol. iL 2.
Terse 3- And ail Hu ftopU brake q# Am ptden asrring»\ The human being is natural^ /eiw ^ drees, dieum this has been ioipKqpa-lT attributed to the female sex alone, and those are most fond of it, who have the dudlowast capacities; but on this occasion, the bent of die petmlfl to idolatry was greater than evKi their love of dress, so UMt ihey readily stripped themselves «i tuat onyunents, m ocder to get a molten sod. Hht made soue ocmpeD- Miioo tor this afterward, see chap. xxxv. and dw note, OMUb xuviii. 9.
_ Terse 4. Fatkiontd it wUh a gravivg-iool} There has been much coatrovcrsy about the meaning of the word letn
3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which toere in their earb, and brought them unto Aaron.
4 And he received them at theh- hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy pods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron mad? * proclamation, and said, To-morrow ia a ^ast to the Lord.
6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the ■'people eat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
7 li And the Lord said unto Moses, * Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou brougntest out of the land of Egypt, ' have corrupted themeelves:
8 They have turned aside qtiickly out of the way which ' I commanded them; they have made tliem a molten calf, and have worBhin>ed
Aeret, in the text; some make it a mould, others a garvunt, clotk, or apron, some a purte or bag, and othws a graver. It ia likely that some mould waa made on this 00* casion; that the gold when fused, was cast into it, andthat afterward it was brought into tbnn and symmetry bj the action of the AUd and graver.
Thete be thy god*, O hratt] IV whole of dlis U a moat stranffe anil unaccountable transaction. Was it possible, iliet uie people could have so soon lost sight of^die wonderful manifestatiotts of Ood upon the mount 1 Was it possible, that Aaron could have imagined that he could make any god that could help them T And yet, it does not appear that he ever remonstrated widi the people I Ponuuy lie onlv intended to make ihem some aymboUeat rq>resen(tttion or the divine power and energy, that mifht be as evident to them as^e pillar of cloud and fire had been; and to which Ood might attach an always present energy and influence! or, in requiring them to sacrifice their oTTiomento, he might have supp<wed they would have desisted from urging their request; but all this is mere conjecture, with very little probabili^ to support iL It must, however, be granted, that Aaron does not appear to have even designed a worship that should superset die worship of the Most High; hence we find him maldi^ proclamation, "To-morroxe is a feast to ike Loan mm: and we find farther, that some of the proper riles of the true worship were observed on this occasion, for they brought bumt-i^piringa and peaee-offeringt, ver. 6, 7. hence it is evident he intended Uiat the true God should be th^ ahjea of their worship, though he permitted and even encuuraged them to offer this worship through an idolatrous medium, A4 mo/tot ec^f. It has been supposed diat this was an exact resemblance of the famous Egyptian god Apia, who was worshipped under the form of an oxj which worship the Israelites, no doubt, saw often practised in Egypt. Some, however, think that this worship of Apia was not then established i but we have already had sufficient proof that different animals were sacred among the Egyptians; nor have we any account of any wonhip in Egypt, earlier dian that ofiered to Apia, under the figww of an OX.
verse 6. The paopU aat down to eat and to drtiik} "nie bumt-ofierings were wholly consumed; the. peaceofferings, when, the blood had been poured out, became the fond of the priests, Ao. When, therefore, the stricdv religious port of^ these eeremoniea was finished, the peopU.aat down to eoi of the paaee^J'eringa, and this tliey did mtfely as the tdofoters,' eating and drinking lo excess. And it appean they went much fludier, for it is said, Ouy rose up to plajfi pf^t IstaaAtk, a word of ominous import, and ssema to imply here fomiGt^ and adulterous intercoarse; and in some eoontriea the vnb to pfay is eliH used precisely in diia sense. In dits sense the original is evidently used, Geo. xxxix. U.
Verse 7. Thy peapla—have corrupted diemselvasj Thtj had not only got into the spirit of idolatry, hot they had become abominable in theu- conduct, so that Gm dtsotms them Ut be hie: T«vpe»f«,Utey have brcriten die covenant, and are no longer endtlad lo my prpteetion aM love.
it, and hare sacrificed thereunto, and said, * These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land'of Egrpt
9 And the Lord said unto Moses, ^ Inave seen this people, and, behold it w a eiifi-necked people:
10 Now therefore "lat me alone, that i my wrath may wax hot against them, and that! may consume them: and " I will make of thee a ereat nation.
11 if "And Moses besought "the Loeo hia Gfod, and said. Loan, why doth thy wrath wax
hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand t
12 p Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say. For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, ana to consume them from the face of the earth t Turn from thy fierce wrath, and ^ repent of this evil against thy people.
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou ' ewarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, * I will multiply vour seed as the stars of heaven, and all this uod tiut I have spoken of, will I give unto your wed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
14 And the Lord > repented of the evil which he thouf ht to do unto his people.
15 T And " Moses turned, and went down froft the mount, and the two tables of the testi-
Terse 9. A sltj-nedted pcopU] Probkbly an slltuion to the atiff-neckea ox, the object or their worahip.
Verao 10. Nme Uiatfore la me dlont\ Moaea bad already b^un to plead with Ood in behalf of ihia rebellioui and ungralefbl people; and so powerful waa his ontercenioD, that even the Omnip<>tent representa hinuelf M iacapabliB of tlnng any thing in the way of judgment, unleia nia ereature desisted from praying for mercyl See AD instance of the prevalence of fervent inierceBsjon in the case of Abraham, Gen. zviii. 23 — 33. from the model of which, the intercession of Moses seems to have been formed.
Verse 14. And the Lord repented of the evil] This is spokoo merely after the manner of men, who naving fiinned a puipoae, permit diemselvea to be diverted from it by strong and forcible reasons, and so change their minds relative to their former intentioiu.
Terse 15. Tlu tabU» were vr 'Uten on both their tides] Ji we take this hterally, it was certainly a very unusual diinff I for in ancient times the two sides of the same substanoe were never written over. However, some rabbins ■uppoM that by the writing on btOh aide* is meant, the letters vere eui through t)w tables, so diat they might be read on both sides, though on one aide they wonld appear reversed. Supposing this to be correct, if the letters were tbe same with (hoae called Hebrew now in common use, the aataeth, d, which occurs twice, and the final mem, b, which occurs twenty-three times in the ten command' ments, both of these beinff dote letters could not be cut Ibrougfa on both sides, without fiilling out, unless, as some <t the Jews have imagined, they were held in bv miracle; but if this ancient character were the same with the Samaritan, this thorough cutting mi^t have been auite practict^le, as there is not one close letter in the wjwle Samaritan alphtdnt. On this transaction there are the three following orantoiu. 1. We may eonceiTe the tables of stone to have been thin sitAs, or a hind of sftile, and the writing on the backside to have been a amiinualion et that on the front, the first not being sufficient to contain the whole: 2. Or the writing on the backside was probably the precepts that accompanied the tan coramandmeott: the latter were writtea by the LonL the former by Hoses, see die note on chap, zxxiv. 1. and 27. a.Orthesame wordi were written cn both tides, ao iaU wbta held upjtwo parties might read at the same tinu.
Vaosa 16. TVu tables were the work ^ God] Because mdka law could proceed from none but himself; God alone is the fotmtaia and author of law, of what is H^d, just, holy, and gvodt see the meaning of the word u,w, Exod. zii. 49.
The writing was the vriOng (if God] For as he is the MHS author of fav and Justw, eo he alone am write tbsaoDtbehoariof man. 'Hiisis agreeoble to the spirit
mony icere in his hand: the tables "were written on both their sides j on the one side and on the other were they written.
16 And the ' tables were the work of God, and the writing vas the writing or God, graven upon the tables.
17 And when Joshua heard the noue of the people as they shouted, he said unto Mosea, There ia a noise of war m the camp.
18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for 'being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do i hear.
19 1f And it came to pass, as soon as he came ni^ imto the camp, that ' he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast ^e tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
20 ^ •> And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and etrawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink af it.
21 Tl And Moses said unto Aaron, ' What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought a* great a sin upon them?
22 And Aaron said. Let not the anger of my Lord wax hot: ■ thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
23 For they said onto me, ^ Make us sods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses,
of ibenew covenant, which God had'promiaed to moks with men m the latter / will make a Tiew covenant
33. Heb. viii. 10. 2 Cor. iii. 3. That the writing of then tables was the writing of God, see proved at the conclusion of the lost ctuq^.
Verse 17. JoAua—said — there is a noise war xniKs camp^ How natural was this thought to the mind of a military man! hearing a confused noise, he supposed thai (he Israelitish camp had been attacked by some of (he neishbouring tribes.
Verse la Ar^ he said] That is, Uoses, retnnted this answer to the observations of Joshua..
Verse 19. Be cast the iaUes out t^hU hands, and brake Asm] He might have done this ihroagh distreas and anguish of spirit, on beholding their abomingMo idolatry and dissolute conduct: or he probably did it emr blemoiically, intimating thereby that, as by this act of his, the tables were broken in pieces, on which the law of God was written; so they, by their present conduct, bad made a breadi in the covenant, and Broken the lawa of their Maker.
Terse 20. Be look the caU'—aad burnt— and ground it to powder, &c.] How truly contemptible must the object of their idolatry appear, when they were obliged to dnnk their god, reduced to powder, and strewed on the waierl "But/' «aya an objectfu;, "how could gold, the moat ductile of all metalt, and the most ponderous^ be stamped into dust, and strewed on waterU' In Deut. ix. 21. tfaia matter is fullv explained. / took, says Hoses, your n% the calf wiiim ye had made, and burnt it wUhfite, that is, melted it down, probably info ingots or gross platea, and stamped it, that ia, beat it into thin lanwuB, som^ thing like our gold-lea( and ground it very email, even wUUii was as tmali aa dust, viiii^ mig^ be very CSHljr done the action of the hands, ■wbea beat into ttm plates or leaves, as the original words ri3H eeoA, and fn dak, imply. And 1 coat Ae ^lat thereqf into the brook, and being thus lighter than the water, it wttild readily Jtoat, so that they coald easily se^ in this reduced and useless stattk the idol to which they had been lately ofoing divrae honours, and from whidi they were vainly expecting protection and dtfenc*. No mode of argtir Tnentation coiild have sorved so forcibly to deBionMnla the folly of their conduct, as this method punued by
Verae21. What did Ais people vnio thee?] Itaeemo, if Aaron had bem Jlrm, this evil might have been prevented.
Verse 22. TVunt knowest the people] He ezcuaes himself by tite wicked and seditious spirit of the people, intimating that be was ebHged to accede to dieir desirea.
Ethe Bua that bronght m w wt of the land Ejffpt. we wot not what is beeotae of m.
24 And I said unto them. Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave il me: then I cast ib into the fire, and there < came out this calf.
25 T And when Moses saw that the people were " naked; (for Aaron * had made them naked unto iheir shame, among ^ their enemies:)
26 Then Mosea stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord^s sidp? /e< Atm come onto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the UD Ood of IsraeL Put every man his sword his aide, and go ia and out from gate to gate
Terae24. IcaM itinto the Jlre,andlker6eame outtki» ea^f.] What a ailly and ridicnloaa nibteriug« I He Menu to uuinuata that he only threw the ineule iato the fir^^ and that the calf came unexpectedly out, by mere accident I n>e Targum of Jopatban beo Uzaiel makee a sinular ezotue for nim: " And I said unto them, whoeoever hath gold, let him break it off and give it to me: and 1 e*et it ntto the fire, and Saian mtertainto it, and it came out in die form of this calf I"
Tern 26. Mote* taxo that tkt people were naked] Hksy were stripped, eaya the IVtrKtim, of the holy crown tftat was upon uieirheatU^oa which the great and precious name, 'H'^XfTf Jihovab, was engraved. But it ia more Ukely that die word y^b pWd, implies that they were reduced to the moat h^plat and wetdud slate, being abandoned Iqr God io the midet of their enemies. This ia exactly similar to that expression, 2 Chron. zxriii. 19. tt« Xiord frreii^ Jw£a bnf, beoauM Aktu king <if Jbratl I Jbr ke made Jiidah nAMEDf v^an, kippri^ and Iransgrtattd tort agaitut t/u Lord. Their nakedneu, ibmfore, thoo^ in the^nf sense, it may imply that ■mral of them were deqioiled of their omamenta, yet it may also axpresa their defanerieaa and abandoned atate,, is eoosequenoe of their ain. — Thai they could not, iiteraUtf, haveoaWndenoiled of their omamente, appears evid«t from thdr o«rings, diqi. zxxv. 21, Ac
Tarae 26. Who is m fte Ijor^e (Jehovah's) aide?] lliat is, who among you is free from this tnuugreaaioal And ait the »om Lni, It seems they had no part in this idolatrous business.
Terse 27. From gate to gaU^ Here was probably an eooloaed or intrenched camp, in vhidi the chief rulers and heads of die were; and that this camp had too gttia* or owtU t and the Levitea were commanded to pass from ooe to the other, slaying as many of the transgreasors as theycould find.
Terse 28. T%ert fill — about three thoueand men] nuss were, no doubt, the chief transgressors, having Woksn the covenant, by havinj^ other gods beeidee JAosoJL ttiev lost the divine proteeaon, and then the iustioe of Ood laid bold on and slew them. Hoses, doubijeaa, had positive orders from God ferthia act of jusoos, aee ver. 27. nr diough ihrou^ his intercession the pec^were qtared, ae as not to be exterminated as a natioiv yet the prinoipal transgressors, dwse who were set on mischief, ver. 22. were put to death.
Terse 29. ^br Mom had eaid, Conaeerate yoitrttht$] FiU your haTide to the Lord. See the reason ot this torn otwatKiAt in the note on chap. zxix. 19.
Terse 31. MoBt* returtud unto the £ion£\ Befim he went dowa from the mountain, Ood had aoouainted him with the MOeral detection of the people, whereupon be immediately, without knowing the extent of their crime, b^an to make intercession for them, and Ood having givMi Urn a gaieral assurance, that they dtoold Dot be cut ofi^ hsstenea him to go down and bring them off tnm their idalntry. Having descended, tie finds malten much worse itta ha expected, and ordered diree tbouaand of the prinsipal deliDqneota to be slain; but knowing that an evil so sxtsnsive most be highly pf^vcriung in die eight of ilie just snd holy GhxL lie faoM it highly expedient diat an fltSMSRunf be made for the sin; fbr although he had the pronisaef God, Iha^ as a nafum, they abould not be exwrwrinsHsd, yet he Mdreasoato believe, that divine jua> ties mnst continue to conMod with dkea, and prevent ihsm fton avw eUBrfng the iMBdNd land I ttu bs was ^pro-
28 And the ehil£-en of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people thai day about three thousand men.
29 ^ For ' Moses had said, * Consecrate your> selves to-day to the Loan, even every man apon his son, and upon his brother; that he may oe* stow upon you a blessing this dnv.
30 ^ Ana it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, > Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Loan;
31 And Moses 'returned unto the Lord, and said. Oh this people have sinned a great slDf and Imve p made them gods of gold.
hensive that thia would be the case, we may see plainly from the following veree.
Verse 32, Forgive their «tn — if not, bM me out qf thy book] It is probable that one part of Mosea'a von during the forty dava of hia reaidence on the mount with Ood, was hia regulating the mtuier-roll of aU the tribes and families of larBel, in reference to the parts they were reepectively to act in the different transactions in the wilderness, promised land, &c. and this beinf done under the immediate direction of God, ia termed Ootfe book, vAiA he had loritten; such muster-rolls, or rasters, ealled also genealogies, the Jews have had from the remotest period of their niaiory; and it is probable that God had told him, that those who should break the covenant that he had then made with them, should be blotted out qf that lief, and never enter into the promised land. All thia Uoees appears IO have particularly in view, and without entering into any delai^ immediUely comes to the point whicK be knew was fixed, when this or mtufer-rott was made, namely, that those who should break the covenant should be biotted out, and never have anv iolieritonce in the promised land; therefore he says, Ihie people have einnid a great ein, and hate made them gmia qf goldi thus diey bad broken the covenant, see the Bret and second comm&ndmenu: and by this, had Cuffbited iheir right td Canaan. Yet now, be adda^ if Aoa wfU; forgive tteir nn, that they may yet attain the promisea b)neritanc& and, if not, bht me, I pray thee, out qf Oiy book wAuA Ihou hael terUlen. If thou wilt blot out their names from thia register, and never suffer them to enter Canaan, blot me out also, for I cannot bear the thought of enjoying that blessedness, while my people and their posterity shall be for ever excluded. And God, in kindness to Moees, spared him the mortification ofgoine into Canaan, without taking the people with him. They had forfeited their Kves, and were sentenced to die in the wilderness; and Moses's prover was answered in mercy to him, while the people suffered under the bond of justice. But the promise of God did not fail: fbr although those who sinned were blotted out of tb« book, yet tmir posteri^ enjciysd the inhenianee.
This seems to be the simple and pure It^ in vdiich this place should be viewed: and in this sense St. Pan] is to be understood, Rom. ix. 3. where he m^s, For I could vrieh Siatmyaelf xeere accvwbkd from Chrief, far my brethren my kinemen according to ihejleeh; xehoare Isbaxutes, to johom pertainelh the adoption, and the oloxy, and the COVSHAMT8. M08C8 coulil oot Burvivc the destruction at hia people, by the neighbouring nations, nor their exclusion from the promised land; and St. Paul, seeing the Jews about lo oe cut off fay the Roman aword, for their rejection of the Gospel, waa willing to be deprived of every earthly blessing, and even to become a aacHfict for them, if thia might contribute to the p^ese^^'alion and salvation of the Jewirit state. Both those eminent men, engaged in the same work, inftueneed by a spirit of unparalleled patriotism, were willing to forfeit every bleasii^ of a secular kind, and even die for the welfare of the people. But certain^, ndther of diem could wish to go to eternal perdition, to save their countrymen from being cut off, the one W the sword of die PInluHnet, die other by (hat of die Roman*. Even the luppoeition is monstrous.
On this mode oT inleqiretalion, we may at once see what is implied ui the book ef l\fe, and being written in, or blotted out of such a book. In the public register^ all t dwt were born of a perticalar tribe, wen entered ia the 293' I
•ad if not. 'blot me, I pray thee, 'out of thy book which thou hast written.
33 if And the Lord said unto MoBea, • Whosoever luth sinned against me, him wili 1 blot out of my book.,,.,.
84 Therefore, now go, Irad the people unto the place of which I nave spoken unto thee: t behoLd, mine Angel shall go before thee: neverthelesa, "in the day when 1 visit, I will visit their sin upon them.
35 And the Lord plagued the people, because * they mode the call, which Aaron made. CHAPTER XXXIII.
of the lanil of Egypt, unto the land wfaxh 1 sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob saying, * Unto Uiy seed will I give itt
2 » And I will send an angel belore thee, * and I will drive out the Canaamte, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzitc, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:
3 » Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: ^ for I will not go up in the midst of thee, for thoa art a ■ stiff-necked people, lest ■* 1 consume thee in the way.
4 Tf And when the people heard these evil tidings, • they mourned j ' and no man did put on him his ornaments.
5 For the Lord had said unto Moees, Say unto the children of Israel, ' Ye are a sliftnecked people; I will come up *■ into the midst of thee m a moment, and consume thee; therefore, now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may ' know what to do unto thee.
6 And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.
7 1[ And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, alar off from the camp.
list of their retpective fiimiliea, under that unbe. This vaa the hook qf life: but when any of those died, his name might be eonsidered as bloUed out from this liat Our bmtUmal regitUrs, which record the birUu of all the inluioitanta of a particular t>ari«A or dittriet, and wliich are properly our booka of life; and our bilU qf mortality, -which are properly our booia tUaih, or the lists of those who are thus bloUed oul fvom our baptlttnal r»guler», or booia <if life, are very significant ana illustrative remains of the ancient reg^isters, or book* qf life and death, among the Jem, the OraJu, the Romatu^ and most ancient natioiu. It is worthy of reoiark, that, in China, the names of (bt persona vho have been tried on criminal processes, are written in tvo dUlinet books, which are called the book qf l^e, and the book qf death; those who have been aemtitted, or who have not been capitally convicted, are wnUen in theybrmer; those who have been found guilty, in the tatter. These two books are presented to (he emperor by his ministen, who, as sovereign, has a right to tran onv name from either: to place the livnig among the dtaa, that be may die t or the aead, that is, tM person eondemiKd lo death, among the living, that he may be preserved. Thus he blots out of the book qf life, or the iook (tf death, according to his sovereien pleasure, on the npreaentatioD of his ministers, or the intercoMion of frieod^ &e. An ancient, extremely rich picture, in my own ponenioi^ repreaentiiw this circumstaoc&painted in china, was thus interpretea to me by a native Chinese.
Versa 33. Whoeter hath tinned against me. Mm wUl I blot out} As if the Divine Being haasaid, " All my conduct is ree^ilated by infinite justice and righteousness: in DO case shall the innocent ever suffer for the guilty; that DO man may transgren through ignorance, I nave given you my law, and thus publish my covenant; the people tfiemselvea have aoknowledged iu justice and e^ty, and nave voluntarily ratified it He then, d»t sins against for sin is the transgression of (he law, (1 John iii. 4.) ana the law must be published and known, that it may be binding, him will I blot out of my book." And is it not remarkable, that to these conditions of the covenant Ood atrietly adhered, so that not one sout of these transgressors ever entered into the promised rest! Here was Justice: and yet, though tb^ deserved death, they were spared I Here was nurcy. TboM. as far as Justin would permit, merey extended: and, aa tar as m«rcy would permit, ^uslice proceeded. Behold, O reader, the GOonirEss and sbvskitv of GOD I Miacv saves all that msricE can spare i and jpBTtcs destroys all that bubcv shouid not save.
Verse 34. I^ead the,people unto the place] "Hie word ploce is not in the text, and is with great propriety omiued. For Moses never led this people into that place — they all died in the wilderness, except Joshua and Caleb—but Hoses led them totoard the place, and thus the particle ^ •L here, should be understood: unless we suppose, that Ood desixoed to lead them io the borders of we Inn, but ■tot to take them into it. I viU visit their sin] I will not deMroy them, but they shall not enter into the promised land. They shall wander in the wilderness till the present genetation become extiocL Verse 36. The Lord ptarued Ike people] Every time they tranagresaed afterward, Divine Justice seems to bavo remembered this transgression against them. The Jews have a metiupborieaj saying, apparently founded on this lextt "No amictian basever happeoed to IsraeL in whidt there was not some panicle of the dust of the golden calf."
1. Thz attentive reader has seen enough in this chapter to induce him to exclaim. How soon a clear sky may be overcaatl How soon may the bri^test prospects be obscured I Israel luul just ratified ita covenant with J^ovab, and bad received the roost encouraging and unequivocal jiledges of his protection and love. But ihey sinned, and provoked the Lord to depart from them, and to destroy the work of his hands. A little more faith, patience, and perseverance, and they should have been safely brou^t ulo the promised land. For want of a little more dependence upon Oodfliow often does an excellent beginning come to~ an unhappy conclusion. Many, who were joiit on the borders oi the promised land) and about to eroas Jordsi^ have, throtigh an act of un&ithfiilnesa, been turned back to wander many a dreary year in the wildemeas. Rcadcs', be on thy guard! Trust in Christ, and watch unto prayer.
2. Hany people have been greatly distressed on loaing their baptismal register, and have been reduced, in coaaequence, to great poHtieal inconvenienca But still they bad tlwir Uves, aixl should a living man complaint Mat a man may so sin, as to provoke Ood to cut him off; or, like a frmtless tree, be cut down, because he eoeumlMfB the ground. Or he mAiy have sinned a rin unto death, 1 John -v. 16. 17. that is, a sin whieh God will puni^ with temporal death, while he extends mengr to the souL
3. With respect to the bloUing out qf Ootfs book, on which there has been so much oontrovsray, is it not eviaent that a soul could not be MoUed otUtf a book, in wfaidi it bad never been wriUenf Andisitootfiinhereviden^fnMk ver. 32, 33. that although a nwd be written tit God's book, if he sins, ha may be blotted oiU? Let him that leodech, understand: and let hrm that standedi, take heed lest he fiOl I Reader, be not high-minded, but fear. See the not* on ver. 32 and 33.
Verse 1. Unto the latui] That is, toward it, or to dw borders of iL See chap, zxxii. 34.
Verse 2. 1 wiU send an angtl] In chap, xxiii. 20. God priHniaea to send an angel to conduct them into the good uu^ in whom the name of God should be; that is, in whom Ood Aould dwell. See the note there. Hare, he pmnises that an angsl should be their conductor t but «• there is nothing psruculsrly specified of him, it has been thought that an ordinary an^l is intended, and not that aagd of the oovanant promised before. And this aentimeot seems to be oonfirmed by the following verse.
Tene 3, I wiU not go vp in th* midst tkss] Coo- •equMMly die sngel here womised to be dieir gnide, wm wKlhuaagsl in whon Ahonh'a tmms wast and so the kftoA oaHed it the Tabemade of the oonere^- tioa. And it came to pass, that every odb which I sought the LoRDj weot mat unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which loat without the camp.
8 And it came to pass, when Moses weot out unto the tabernacle, thai all the people rose up, and stood every man "izt iua tent door, and looked afler Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle.
9 H And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and (Ae Lord ■ talked with Moses.
VetM 6. Afcw jmt off thy omanuatt from, ikee\ " "Vat -Septuagint, m dieir tnuuladon, suppoae, that the ehildren of larae) not only laid aside their ear-rin^ and neh lik^ omameDta, in a time of profeoaed deep humilia- U<n beftm God, but their vpptt, or more beautiAil g&rnsnta too. Moms uys nothing of diia Jaat eireumitance; but M it ia a modem praclioe, m it t4>pearB by dieir ver- ■ion, to have been aa ancieBt aa their lim^ am pMhably took ploee long before diat. The Septuagint givea ui thia aa the tnuuladon of the paaaoge; ' The people having beard thia and deelaiadon, rooorned with lamentatirau. And the Lord aaid unto the children of laiael, Now, therefare, imt off your robes of glory, and your omamatla, aixl I will show you the thinn I will do onio yoo. And the <4ukiren of lareel put off their omameniM and robea, hy the mount, br Horeb.'
" If it haa not been the eiiatom to put off their upper garments in times of deep raooming, in the days that the Septoagim tnnslation -waa made, they would not have inserted thia circumslanee, in the aeeount Moses gives of their mourning, and concerning which he was silenL ibey must have supposed too, that tnis praetice mi^t be in use in those elder times.
"tbax it is now practised in the east, appears from the seeomt Pitta nvea of die ceremonies of the Hohommedan pilgrimage to Mecca. ' A few days after this, we came to aplace called Rabbock, abouifour days' saU on this side of Mecca, where all the haggea or pilgrims (exeepdng those of the female aez) do enter into hirrawem, or uiram, i, e. they take off all their elotbes, covering Uiemaelves wid) two hirrawems, or large white eotion wrappers: one di^ put about their middle, which reaches down to their ankles; with die other they cover die upper part of their body, except the bead; and they wear no <»her diing on their bodies, but theae wreppera. only a pair of grimgameca. diat is, Ain-»oled shoes, like saodala, the oyer leather of which covers only the toes, the nutepa being all naked. In thia manner, like bumble penitenta, they go from tmck, untU they come to Mecca, to approa(£ the temple; Mnany times ensuring the scorching beat of the sun, unnl the very skin is burnt off dieir backs and arms, and dieir beads swollen to a very great degree.' Page tlB, 116. Pre- •eotlyaftenhe infbrma us, 'that the time of their wearing this mordfving habit, is about the space of seven days. Again, (p. l38T 'It was a sight indeed, able to pierce one's heart, to behold so many tbousondB in dieir garments of humility and mortiAoation, with their naked heads, and checks watered with teara; and to hear their grievous mgfaa and sofas, begging eamesUy (or the remission of their sans, promising oewnesa of li&^ naing a form of penitential expreaaions, and thus eonUnuing for the space of four or five hours.*
*"nie Septuagint suppose!, the lamelites made much the same appearance aa these Mohammedan pilgrimaovhen Israel stood in angaiah of soul at the foot of mount Horeb, though Moses laya noddng of putting off any o( their vestmenta.
" Some pasmea of die Jewish pnnbeie seem to eonflrm the notion their stripping themselves of some of their clothes, in times (rf deep humiliation, particularly Micah i. 8. TTur^ore 1 wtU toail and hoal: J will go airtpt and nattd: I wiU wiaJu a vailing like tkt aragona, and ffioumtng (u the owl:
** Saul's stripping himself mentioned 1 Sam. xiv. 24. is pethspB to be understood of his assuming the appearance <tf diose diat wm deeply engaged in devotional exercises, into which be waa aninlend<»dly biough t by tl» {vophetto mflmnees that came upon him, eiid in which he saw odiers eqpged." Abrswr** Ofrssrvol. VoL ir. p. m.
10 And all the penile saw the ehmdj i^nar stand at the tabmrnacle door; and aH the moSb rose up and 'worshiped, OTenr man tn mstent
11 And p the Loan spake unto Moses faee to face, as a man speaketfa onto his friend. And he turned a^in into the camp: but « his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, depurted not out of the tahemacLe.
12 1[ And Moaes said unto the Lokd, See, thou sayest unto me. Bring np this people: and
thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, ■ I Imow thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my si^^
Tbti ancient Jewish commentators were of opinion, diat die Israelites had the name of Jatomlk, nni iBeeribed oo Uiem in such a way aa to ensure them die divine protection} and that thia, inscribed probably on a plate <^ gold, waa considered their tdioicest ornament; and that when they gave their omamenu to make the golden calf, tktr was given by many;- in eooaequMwe of Mich tluy were eo«- aidered as nalud and d^autUu, All the remaining paru of dieir ornament^ whkh it ia likely were all emblematical of apiritoal minga^ God commands them hers to layoff; Car tney eoirid not with proTvietr bear the symbol* of the divine protection, who oaa forfeited that pn>- tecUon for their inuugresaion.
Utat /may know what to do unto thee.} Por it eeem^ that while they had these emblematio ornaments on theo^ they were still considered as under the divine proleetiolL These were a ahUld to them, which God commands diem to throw asideb "nwugh many had parted with their cboieeat oroaments, yet not all, only comparatively a few, of the wives, daughtera and aona of 6w,000 men, could have been tfaua stripped, to make one golden c^. Ihe ■major part still bad dieae omamenta; and (Aeyare now commanded to lay them aside.
Vtxm7. ShoettooktketabemaeU} irmnnH HluuMt the TENT, not prnn tm et AomuAcen, Iht tabernaeU, the dwelling-place of Jehovah, see chap. xxzv. II. for this waa not as yet erected, but probably the ttnt of Moaea^ which was before m the midst of the camp, and to which the congr^^tuion came for judgment; and where, no dooh^ God frequently met with his servant. This is now removed to a eonrndenUe distance from the camp, two tkottoand colntB, aecoiding to the TUmu^sls, as God refosea to dwell anylongcv amon/c this rebellious people. And aa this waa the place, to which all the people came for justice and judgment, hence it was probably called Qit tabernacle, more properly, the tent <if the congregation.
Terse 9. Tne cloudy ptUar detctnaedl This very eir> camstaooeimcludedtHepossibilityofdeception. llieeloud deacendiog at these times, and at none others, waa a full proof that it waa fflfracufotu, and a pledge of the divine preaence. It waa beyond the power oi human art to counterfeit such an appearance; and let it be observed that all the people saw uiis, ver. 10. How many indubitably and irrenragable proofa of its own authentici^ and ^vine origin, doaa the Peniateueb contain I
Verae U. 7^ Lard ipake unto Motet face to faee] That there was no personal appearance here, we may readily conceive; and diat the communications made by God to Moses, were not by vieion»f tceiaciee, dreamt, inward inspirations, or the mediatton ((f angeU, is sufficiently evident: we may dierefore consider tne passage as implying that ftmiUanty and cer\fidenee widi which the Divine Being treated hia aervant; and that be make widi him by articulate sounds, in his own language, Uioug^ no sftaw or nmiHtud* was then to be seen.
JoAua, the ton vf Nun, a young man] Here is a difficulty here: Joshua certainly was not a young man in the iitteroj sense of dieword; "but he was called so," Bys Mr. Ainswofthi "inremectof his acrvfo^ not of his years; for he waa now abovejlfly vean old, as may be gadierea xxiv. 29. But because mfnfafry and scrrfoa are usually by the younger sort, all serrants are called young men, Gen. xiv. 24." — See also Gen. xxxii. 7. uid zli. 12. Perhaps the word ifj noAr, here translated young man, means a ringle person, one unmarriedl.
Verse 12. JttioeetalduntolhaLord] We may suppose, that after Hoses had quitted the tabernacle, be went to die camp, and gave tfae people some general infbrmation relative to the ooRversUion he lately had with the Lord j after which, be relumed to the ubemacle or tent, and began to plasd with Gfo^ as ws find in thia and the following verses.
19 Now therefore, I pray Uiee, ' if I harft found ffraoe in thy sight, ' show me now th* way, that 1 mar know thee, that I mav find ^race in thy sight: and consider that this nation w
15 And he said onto him ^ If thy presence go not vnih me. carry us not up hence..
16 For wherein shall it be known here that 1 and thy peoi^e buave found grace in thy sight? *i*it not ia that tliou goest with ua? ' so ihall we be separated, I tmd tiU' people, from all the people tluit ore upon the face or the earth.
17 And the Lord said unto Moses, " I will do this thing also that thou hast spol^en: for " thou hast found grace in my s^ht, and I know thee by same.
Hum hatt not let me know, &c.] Aa God had said, A« would not.go up with this people) Hoaea viriiad to know whotn he would lend with bin, aa he hod only nt4 in geneml lerm, that lie would seiid an aueL y«ne 13. Skmt! nu now % wi^] Let me know the ottnnat in wfaidi then wouldeat have diis people led up md governed, beeaaee this nation ii tky peopU, aad ehould be governed and guided in Iky own way.
Verse 14. Jify pnaenee Jtali gp with tlieel u^'> pgnai ydtat, m^jacea ihait g$. i shall give thee moniftttatitmt of my grace and goodnen through the whole •f diy joaraey. lahall wy my ap^pearatuxa for the^ as dtf neoeadtiM dtall reqmre.
TtnB IS. thy pretence go nat] o-cfm yiB om im «fn pamycn /u^ctm, if thg Jaees do not go. If we hare not mantfeUutums of ihypeoulior providence aad grace, carry ua not up heooe. Without mmerrtaiUTal aeaistancs. •ad a moat particular provideooe, he knew that it would be ipipoaaftU eilher to gmem such a pemlc^ or utf^nrt them in the deaert: aaa therefore be widiea to be veil assured on diia bea^ that he may kwl diem up with oonfideoDB, and be aUe to giva them the moatazpliek aaopancea of aupport and proteedoo. But by what meaaa should theae manifeBtationa take placet Thia queation ■rrma to be anawered by the pr(^^t, laai. IxiiL 9. In ail their t^Uetim he was ^i^il, and the Angtl qf his preeeruse, vqb panaiv, hie facee, eaved them. So we nod, that die goodnesa and meroyof God were to be manifeated by the Angd the eotmant, the Lord Jeau% the Hea- Biah: and thia ia die interpretation which the Jewa themselvea give of this place. Can any peraon lead men to the typical Canaan, wao ia not hlmBelf influenced and directed nribeLordl And of what uae are all the meaoa grace, Knot Ofownod with the pretence and bUating of the God cf Israel I It ia on thia ground, that Jeaus Chnat hath aaid. Where two or three art gathered together in my tiame, I am in the nUdet oflhem, Matt, iviii. 20. WilhoutnAich, what would prewAinge, prayers, and even SACKAiuMTa, avail 1
Verae 16. iS^ shall we be separated] By having thia divine proteeiion, we ahall be aaved Irom idolaUy, and be preserved in diy truth, and in the true worshipping of thee r aad thus ahall we be aeporated firom all the people that are opoq the face of the earth, as all the nations of the world, tte Jews only excepted, were at thia time idoiater*.
Verae 17. i will do Uiis thing aUo} My preaenee shall go widi thee, and I will keep thee separate all the people of the earth. — Both theae promiaea have been remnnably fulfilled. God continued mineuloualy with ihem, till he brou^ them into the promiaed land; and freu the day in whi<dt he brnight them out of Egypt, to the preaent day, he has kept mtia a dielinet, tmmixed peoplel Who can account for this on any onsciple but that of a continual especial providence, ana a constant livtae int^ference 1 The Jews have ever been a people find Iff money; had they been mingled with the people *f the aardi, among whom they have oeen acattereo, thor aaoular intereila would have been greatly promotod by it; and they who have. aoarfjCcMf evety thing Demdea to their love qf money, on thia point have been incorruptible I They choee, in every part of their diapetsiona, rather to be a poor, deapiaed, persecuted peopl& and continue «paraf« yrom ail the peMs qf the earta, than to enjoy ease and affluence by becoming mixed widi the nations. For what great purposes must God be preaerving tliia people I for it does not appear that any moral principle tnnas them together—
19 And be aaid, *I will make all my eoodneM pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee, ' and wSl be ( grairioiia, to whom I will be eracloos, and I will show mercy on whom i wiD show mercy.-
20 And he said. Thou canat not see my facet for *■ there ahall do man see me, and live.
21 And the Loan said, Behold, there it a fUtum by me, and thou ahalt s^nd upon a rock:
22 And it shidl come to pass, white n^ glory passetb by, that I will pat thee < in a cleft cm* th6 rock, and will ^ cover thee with my hand while 1 pass bv;
£3 And I will take away mine band, and thoa Bh^t Bee my back parts: Init my face shall inot be seen.
they seem lost to thia; and yet, in oj^toaition to thair iaiecests, for which, in other respects, they would aacrinoaevaiy thine, they are still kept diatinct from all the petqde of this earth, aad for thi^ an enecia) providence can alone acoo«tt Verse 18. SSiow me glory] Moses probably dssind to see that which coosbBites uie peculiar eloiy or audience of the divine naturtv as it ataiida in reurence to man. By many this is thoaght to signify bia eternal mercy ia Bwdiog Christ Jesus into the world. Mossa peroeived that what Ood was now doing bad the most importaat and gracioua design^ wbtoh at present he eould not di»> tinct& discover t tho^ore he deairea God to ahow him hie glory. Ood gracioualy promiaea to induce tiim in this request as Ihr aa poseible, prodaimdng Ats name, and making all his goodness pass b^ore him, verse 19. But at the aame time be oasures him, that he dntld ttof tee his face — the fulness of his perfectiona, and the grandear of hia deaigns — and Ubc; as no human being could bear, ia the present siaU^ thia fiiU discovery. But be adds, «<w aAott see my bade parts, ^nnm rm et aAoravi probitAj meaning, that mearuuee icAwft ke shouU aeeume m <ifteriimet, when it diouM be said^ Ood is manifeet £n the JleA. "nia E^ipearance did take place; for we find Ood putting him into a cleft of the lot^, covenng him with his band, and passing by in such a way as toezoibita AtMum nmiliiude. John may have had this in view when be said, The Word vat made Jlesh, and dwdt AMttm us, full qf grace and truOi, and ws bbublo his oion. What thia gloiT wtM, and what was implied fay thia graca and truth we ahall see in the succeeding chapter.
Verae 19. / mil make all my goodness pass b^ore Aec} Hou ahalt not have a sight of my Juattce, lor thou couldat not bear the infinite aplendour of my puri^; but I shall ^ov myself to thee aa the Fountain of inexhauaiible emnpattionr-^hK aovereign Dispenser of my own mercy, ia my own way; being gracioua to whom I will be grsdou^ and ahowing mercy on whom I will abow mercy.
Verse 20. No man can see me, and Use] The aplendour would be inaufferable to man.- he only, whose mortalilT ia swallowed up of life, can see God at he is; see 1 Jonn iiL 2. From some diaguised relation of the drcumatancea mentioned here^ the fable of JupUer and Stmde was formed: she is reported to have entreated Jupitn to Aow her kit glory, who was at first very reluctant, koow> ing that it would be fataT to her j but, at lost, yielding to her importunitv, he discovered hia divine majesty, hoi she a consumea by hia presence. Hiia story, is toU by Ovid, in bis MelamMphoaes, book iii. fable iv. 5.
Verse 21. Behold, there is a place by me] There seenni (o be a reference here to a well-known place on the mounj^ where God was accustomed (o meet with Motes, lliis was a rock, and it appears there was a clel^ or cave in i^ in which Hoses was to stand, while the Divine Majestf was pleased to show him all tltat human nature was capable of bearing; but thia appears to have referred more to the counsels of his mercy uid goodness, relative to his fwpose of redeeming the human race, than to any visible pearance of die Divine Hajesty itself. — Sec the note oo ver. la
1. The conclusion of this chapter is \>ery obscure; we can scarcely pretend to say, in any [wecise maimer, what it means: — ana it ia very probable that the whole cooeented Hoaes atone. He waa m great perplexi^ and doubt— he was afraid that Ood was Mout to abandon this peopls;
ISwBllM MMfniac ita pM Vi ud ifei ani-ftiilu, al M«a ii ooa>- ItovrtHalSwni^HeinW^tte coront vUA Ood bud like unto the first: 'and I will write npoo these tables the words that were in the first taddes, irtuuh thon Ivakest. 2 And be ready in the monunff, and come up
•nd be vdl fcoev that if he did ei^ dwir dosinwtioa must be the eonnquence; He had got genend dimttiaM to deeunp, utd lead the people towiude the promiMd land; bat dua was accompanied vitfa a dtreat, diat Jehonh voold bm go vith them. The prospect that wai befim him vai exoMdingly gioomj and diaeoarariag: snd it was rendered the more wo, becauM God predieted their penevering sdff-neekedmi, and gave this, aa one rMson, irtqr he wo«U not go ap among them, fbr their provocatioaa iratdd be BO great, and so freqoent, thai -hie juslioe would be to promoted as to break tflrot^ ia a moment and cooaume them. Hoeee, well knowing that God must have some osM and important dengni in deliverinr dion, and teing- Si; dWB tma hi, earneetlr entreateahim to give hmi •mae diacore^of it, that bia own mind might be aoiafied. Ood msretfiiliy coBdeacendi to meet his wiihet in such a w^ BM. DO doubt, gave him ftd! eatiafootira: but, u this referred to Mvu^ atone, die HmnMtaneta are not related, as probablv they could be of no fiuther use to ni than the mere gradfying of a prineiple of curiosity.
2. On some occasions, to be kept in the dar^ ia as in- Btnietivs aa to be brought into the lij^t In many eases iboee words of the {ffophetarestriedyapplirable, VerUy, thou art a Ood xpno ridkst TuTSSLr, O Ood iff bratt, the Saviour I One point we see here very plainly, diat while the people continued obsdnate and rebellious, that preeeoee of Ood, by which his approbation waa aignified, could not be manifeated among them— and yet, without his wssenee, to guide, protect and provide for them, they oouid neither go up nor be saviBd. Hue presenee ia promised, and on the nilfilment of the promiae, the saJe^ of Israel depended TTie church of Ood ia often now in suoh a state, that die approbation of Glod cannot be manifeated in it; and yet, if hia presence were wholly wididrawn, truth w<Mld mil in the atreebi, equity go backward, the church must beeoBBe extinct How have the seeds of tig/U and Xf^beenprwemt^ during the tone, dark and coM period^ whan error was tnumphut^ and uie pore wonhip of God adulterated fay the impurities of idolatry, and the ditok daikaess of superatition 7 — By the p-esenoe of hia endleaa mercy, preaerviog hia own trudi in circumstanoea^ in which be ooukI not chow his tqjprofroMon. He wais with the chnrch in the wilderness siid preserved the living oraelea, tupt alive the heavenly sseda and is sowritowinK fiirlh AsstoiTef tbosedesign^vdudkbsfbrshseaBeasM from manfcinn. He cannot err*, beesuae he is (nflntlsly wU*: he can do nodiing that is vnktnd, because he deiightetfa in mercy. W& as yet^ aee only throwh a glaaa darkly i by aod i» we utall see bee to ttce. The Lord'a presence is with his people: and those ^bo trust in him have eonfideot net in his mercy.
NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXEV. Versel. HtvUue two table* qfttorUyHJcsttntoAaltrH] In chap, xxxii. 16. ve are toM that die two drat ItbUt wrt the wrkqf GW, and the itritinr was the wriHng Ooii— but here Hoaes is eommanded to provide tables of his own workmanahip; and God promises to write on them the words whi^ were on the first, ^^lat Ood wrote ttks first tables himself, see proved by difiimnt pssnges of " ' are, st ths end of the zxxli. (h^rter. Put here, in 7. it asems ss if JMbsM was oommanded to wrb tiUas ' tnd in ver. 28. it is aaid, ilad ho wrvU mboa At IsNts-^ in Deut x. 1.4.itkenicsal* liii^ thatOod wrote Om sacohd tables Bi «in aaAs>r«iL
A the morning unto motmt Sinai, and vt^mt thyself ttiere to me • in tiie top of the mount.
3 ■ And BO man ihall 'coma up with tlwe, neither Jet any man be tEwen throughout all tiw mount; neither let- the flodu nor Kerdi feed belore that mounti
4 If And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moaea rose up earljr in the morning, and went ap unto mount Sinai, as the Lord 'tioA commands him, and took in hia band the two tables of stone.
5 And the Lord descended in the clood, and stood with him there, and t proclaimed the name of the Lord.
6 And the Lotto passed by before him,- and
7 " Keeling mercy for thousands, * fbTgivlnff miquity and transgression and un, and ^thu the tm vortU, or ten commandmenta, were written on both tables by the band of God himself and ihat what Moses wrote, ver. 27. was a com of these, to be delivered to ^ people, while the tables themselves were laid im in the aik oelore the lestimmy, whither die people could not go to eonsuk them t and therefore a copy was necessary fi» An use of ihs cminsgationi this eo|^ bsmg taken undsr the direotioQ of God, was authentieated equally widi dw original; snd die original itself was laid up as a record, to whieb all ■iw-**rfmg copies might be continually refiured, in order to prevent eorruptioo. Hun supposition removes the apparent contradictioai and thua, both Ood andUosas may oe aaid to have writtm the coveoant and the ten com* mandmenta: die Cormer, the nvinal; the latter, the c^y. "nils auppositioo is tendered stillnore probable ^tbe 2701 vwse itsdt "And the Lord aaid untoHoaes, WriU thou theoo vordt (diot ia, aa I understand it, a copy of the words whi^ God had already written,) for AfTss thx tbkob ^o'yf Sipi, ACOORDiRO to ths modth of these tooriio, 1 Aoss mods a covenant vith IheA, and wiih Jtrad." Hers die original writing im represented, by an elegant proeopopoiia, or personification, aa apeoiinf, and giving out, Avm it» omt mouth, a copy of itaelt It mav be suppoeed that this mods of interpretation ia eontraoicted by the 28th verse, Ann rb torofs upon the tablu the vordt of Iho eovejumt: but, that the pronoun na, refer* to the Loan, and not lo Mosea, is sui&ciently proved by the paralu plao& Dent. x. 1—4. At that Hnu the Lord said unto me, ffeip IHtea luo tatteo itime Kke unto &ejtrtt—and I witt write on &» tablet the word* that v>eretn thejlrot tablea—and I hnoed tteo tablu iff «ton& at at JlrH—And UB wrote on tht tablet aceerding to me Jtrot m-i/fn^. — lUa determines the bueiness, uiaprovee that Ood wrote the aeeond aa well aa the first lablee, and that the pronoun in the 28ih verse of this cbaptar, refers to the Loan, and iMt to JMbeae. Br thia mode of interpretadon, all contrs> dietion is rsmoved. Houbiganl imagmes that the diffiiul^ may be removed bv supposing, that God wrote the ten eonunaodmenta, ana that Moees wrote the other pexta of the covenant from ver. U. to ver. 26. and thus it might be aaid, that both Ood and Moaca wrote on the aoms tshlss. Thia is not an improbable case, and is left 10 ths reader's ecmsideration.— See on ver. 27.
There still remains a controversy whether whsl ars called the ton coimaomf niento were at all written on the Jtret toMee, duae tables containing, according to some, onl* the terms of the covenant, without the ten words, which are suppowd to be added here for the first umc "IIm following is a general view of this subject. In cbi^ xz. the ten oommandmenta are given; and at the same time, various poiifiwif snd eetleouioticttl otaiuiee, which are detailed in the xxi< xxii. and xxiii. chapters. To reoeivs these, Hosas had drsim near unto me tkiek darlmtt^ lehoro Ood was, clMp. zx. 21. snd having received I hem, he came again with them to the people, according to their request, b^ore espresaed, ver. 19. Speak thou with us— but 1st not ths Lord spfi^ wUJi us, tost tw Ac, for the^ had been terrified by die muiner in which Ood hsd uttered the ten eommsadmspts, ase ver. 18. After diis. Mooes, widi Asroik Natab, snd Abihw, and die smn^ sUsok went ap to BIS lawnaiun % and on his return, be anaouooed jUdM laws nnioUMpM(iIe,ebsp. vis. LAcsadditr amdnd ohsdime. Still d>sr» is no word of As tMm
•riDligr Bo tnesna daariAt gviltifi vmtiag the inifpiitr of the fetfaen opoa the chydm, and «MHi ihe childiren's chlldrea, uolo the Uiira and ni the firarth generation.
iS f And Moaee mads haeto, fuid ^ powed his bead toward the earth, and worshipped.
b And he said, If now J har* found grace in <|i7«ight, O Low, 'let my Loan, I prajr thee, ^ amonff ns; for * it is a stiff-neoked people; ■ad pardon our iniquity and our sin, aad take «a for ' thine inheritance.
10 V And he eaid. Behold. ^I »ake a covemtmt: befiite all thy jMopIe I will ' do marvelfl, ■uch aa have not been done in all the earth, nor iftany nation: and all the people «raaDg -which ithou art, shall see che work of the Loan: for it ^ *m ternUs thing that I will do with thee.
4r ttme. inten he wrote all in a hoA, chap. xxiv. 4. Tqbich was called the book of the covenant, ver. 7. AAer ihi^ there woa a second goin^ up of Motes, Aaron, Nsdab, Abihu, anil the 8«vi^nty cldera, dtap. jcxiv. '9. when that jSorioustliBrovcrv ir! (.'■iiii, im-nrionM in verses 10 aad 11. mthesame ch'-kpi'er, i-v>V jn it. After lft«£r coming down, Wosep ii sgain coinnund«J to co tip; and Ood pnausea ip jive him tqbin of stonc:, ctonwinioga law and jirsuyfa, «er. 13.' tlus is t!ie Arat pWa th&e tsUee at stons are -pentMHied i And ihnt it Appmrn fliat the ten eammandjnenta, and epveral oihsr ptvi'-'pti^ were giren w, and ae- Mpted bv, the ri:opte, And ih*; ^orenant nerifioe e&red, m^. xiiv, ^ before the iabicn of ttone were either writtea or inciitbnc4." It is Tcry likely that the commandments, U.wa, Slc. mm fint nUiitshea by the liM, m the 'bearing of W ptpj^ti jmiji^ft afterward by lfani^ and ihe Itn wrds or wwmtajwwii^iifa. oontaining the sum aad substance of the whole, afterward written on the fint tahles of stone, to be kept for a record in the arir. Theae being broken, as it is related, ehap. zzzii. 19. Hoses is eommanded to hew out two taUea like to the first, aad bring diem up to die mountain, tfiat Ood mirtit write upon what he had written on the fimner, tbap. xxziv. 1. jixid that this was aoeordingly doiU) see (ha pieewlii^ part of this note.'
Terse 6. And &e Lord poated 6y, and prodaimtd, Tlu ^ord, &c.] It would be much bettsr to read this verse thus; "And the Loan passed by before htin, aad proelainoed, Jehovah" — that is, dtowed Moses, rally, what wasimpKedinihisatigustname. Moses had requested God to shoiB /dm his gmy, see the preceding chapter, 18th verse, and Ood promised to proclain, or lully declan die name, Jehovah, veTM 19. which jprodainatiaD or inteipreUtion, Moses should see hue Ood would "be graaouB to whom he wouU be meioua t" and ftow he would ""be merciful to those to whom he would show marev." Here ibqrefbre God fulfils that promiae by- [Httelaimmg Bus name. It has long been a miestion, whatisthemeanffig of the word mrt> Jbhovah, Vohooan, Ythu, VctosA, «r Yeee, Jeue, Jao, lao, Jkueh, and Jov«i for it has been,as variously pronounced, as it has been difiltrently iniarpreted. ' Srane have maintained that it is utterly inezplicqhle. "niese of course have offered no mode of interpretation. Others sar, that it implies the essence of the divine nature. Others, lint it expresses the doctrine of the Trinity <;onnected with the incamatiwi: the letter ^ Yod, abnding for the Father, n He, for the Son, and i Vait, (the eonnecbnr particle) for the Holy Spirit; and ther add,;diat the n As, beinc repeaitd in the word, signifies dm Aumon nature united to the divine in the incarnation. Theae speinilations are calculated to give very little satisfaction. How strann is it Aiat none of these learned men have Hiscoverod mat God himself interprets this name in verses i^and 7. of this chuMrl "And the Lord named ^&ejore him, and prvetaimed rw YaROTAii, At Loan God, merdfid andgraeioiu, long'ttffering, and abundant in foqdnus anatruA, keeping mercy fiir fftouMndttJbriving iniqaiiy, and transgre^eim, and gin, ana Ikat by no means clear the guUty." TVuee worde contain die proper inteipreiation of the venevaUe and glorioat pua* JeaoTAH.
^ it'will be aecenuy to eonaider diem in detail The.i^ifferent names in Aim and the fellowhtg veree, have been.mondered a* so many attributes of the Oivine Nature, fiwpmgntatqrs divide oiem into alfMn, thus: 1. JaaovAB rit*. 3. StBi, Asslrauror si^ffUyOM. 8.
this day: behold, ' J diiva out bafora thee th« Anoritc, ana die Canaanite. and the BUtito, and the Perizsite, and the Hinte, ani (mS-
12 > Take heed tp thmlT, kst then make a eovvnant with the mhabitaiits of the land wki' ther thou goeat, lest U be finr ^ a anare In th« midst of thee:
13 Bat ye shall ■ destroy their altars, Weak their images, and i cut down their grovea:
19 p Lest tboa make a eoremnt with the b' babitanis of the land, and tbey leo a whcM-itir after their gods, and do sacrifice two tfaev rods, and one 'eul thee, and thou ■catDrhissaciifiett;
16 And thou take of > their daughters untv
cant, the mcrcj/tii Being, wbe is fkill of lendetMas u4 compaasioB. 4. pin Ohaitow, die yrae»sm Oms.* wfaoee Bsittse is gsednsss itsMf— the loaiMg God. G. ym ofm aaao acavui, l»ng-m{ffering, the Beiw who, W cause of his seodaess aad teaoeiasBs, is not easUy irritate^ but sufiers wog, and is kiad. 6. Rab, the gnmt sr mi^Og One. 7. w Caaus, theteunti/u/ Bmgi He wlwiica«6«PBn(iBhisbMiefic<ooe. 8.raMEMBt^dw TVwtk, or <nt« One: He aloaa who can neither rfsesiss nor be deetiBei — whs ia the fTeuntain tff trytit, and fron whom aU -wiodmn aad Imowledge muM be decived. S: m inn XoTsaa Cassxn, Ihe preoerver of bimnt0iiia4e»: He whose beaafieaaee never ewde, keeping mercy for thottoande of generatiMs-^owiqg carapassion and tamj while the world anduras. 10. rman fwm pp mv> Noaa SUMvapeMweAatmah; Hswbo&sareawivbugtiitejiail fnnujfrsssisRaadsfnt propaily dieKaBBBiCBa, ibeTa^ doner, the Forgixer, the Being whose prerogative aloas it is to forgive sin, and save the soul, npr nps STabb io yinsuJiA, the righUmta Judge, who distimutea jutk* wlthaa impactial hand; with wbon no ianoem/, can ever be condemned. U. And pjr npft Pai Ae. ■ Hs who sfsite iniqui^ t he who poniahea sora sod Aram whose justice as sinner eaa esesps. ChM of nfr j&uAM mi vituGeUoc juMee.
These eleven attributes, as they have been teemed, sea all included in the name Jxhovah ■* and are, as ve have before seen, the proper interpretation of It: but the meaaing of sevwal of these woiils has bean variously understood.
Verse 7. That will by no »miu etear the guil^] tliia last clause is lather dimcuh: literally tranalalec^ it aigni- 6.ea,incUaHnghewiUnotdtar. But the Samaritan naoiag iV io, to Am, instead of the negative i6 Io, not, read«ps the clause thus, Vfiik whom ihe innocent snotf m wnoeent j i. e. an innocent or holy person shall never ba treated as if he were a transgressoiy by this just and holy God. 'nie.Arabic version has it, He jve^Ue, and i* not Jueti/tadi and the Septuagint ia nearly as Qur EngU^ text, Bfli to ■■•■fMt aad he dolh not purify the no person is innocent by or Mnuef/" beftn thsa. Thta gives a seunif theologic sense, stating a great tniifa, 7\a( no man can maJu an atonement for hie om tine, or purify hie own heart: and, that aU have sinned and tamo tkort nf the glory «^ God.
Terse 9. O Lord, let my Lord, I pray tbse go iiwmag' us] The original is not rwf JJumak, but ^rm Jdsaaf, in both these pliusea, and neois to refer psrticnlarly Is aa Angel of the Covenant, lbs Messiah.— See dw note cm Qm. XV. a
Verse 10. I ■will do marosb] IIub seems to refer to what Ood did in putting them m possession of the laodM Cansaa, eausing the walls of Jericho to &11 down — mahihg ^ sun and moon to stand still, Ac and thus Ood SM^a
VaraslS. Ye AaUdeiirou Suirimagia] See jaoiB of diia aad aU the ^t^amnag- waas, to lb» mated at Isifip, ia lbs Bolps ea cnv^ xxiii. -
At mm, iteir Atwghtwf *gt> a whorise aJwr tbev £«da, and maioe tt^ ma go a nrborii^ mftsr their gods.
17 ' Thou £halt make thee no molten godm.
18 f Tb« feast of " onlearened bread, sha<( thoa keep. Seven days thoo ahalt eat unleavened bnuto, as l oommaaded thee, in the tine or the month Abib: for in tike "numtbAbflttiioa eataert rat fh»n» Egypt,
19 ' AH that epenetbttka matrix itmhw; and ««OTy firstling among shy cattle, whetkar ox or ■beep, it iruUe.
90 But *the Srstlins of an ass thon shalt redMn wUh a 'laiab: and if thoa redeem Aim not, then ahalt thou break his neck. AO the firt»»n of tl^ soiH aou idudt redeem. And iMBe ihalt cqipear befwe me ^ en^ty.
21 IT ' Six days thou ahalt work, bnt on the wmsth day thon ahaJt reat; in earme time and in harvest thoa ehalt rest.
'S3 T *■ And tbon shalt observe the f^t ef weeks, of the firfit fmits of wheat harvest, and the {Wiat of iogatheriDff at the ■ rear's end.
% If Thrioe in the year shafl all vour menchildren appear before the hoan Qoa, the God oS Israel.
M For I win c cast out the nations beihre thee, wthi * enhui^ thy borders: < neUhor shall BOtf man desire thy land, when thou shatt go up to appear befinv fte Lobd thy Ctod, ihrfee in the year.
^Thoa shalt not offer the bkiod of my merin» with leavea; 'neither riiall Ihe saerifiee
VerM 21. JH earing time and in hanett Hum AaU rmf^—fTiam flomnuuMmeiu i> worthy of eapecial note: maaj break tbe eabbath on the pretence of abaolute neeeesity, MCOMM, if is barreet time die weather happena to be mia ia called bad and the s^jbadi-day be fatr and fine, Ibay judp it perlectly lawftil ta employ tliat dav in endMnwutaf 10 iKTs the fruita of the field, and Uiink that die goodneaa of tha dav beyond the preceding ia an indicatidtt irtm Proridenee uiat it ahould be thua emjjloyed. But ii not die comnumd above pointed directly against thiiT I harre kaovm dtia law ofwD broken on thia protence, sod htm nevar been able to diaeover a aingltt inataoce where the peraon wko acted fbua auceeeded one whit better tbu their more eontoieotiaiu oeighboura, who avail themaelves of BO aueh fiivoumble circumatancei, beinr determined to keep Qod'a law, even to tbe prejudice of their aecular inteceeta j bat no man ever yet ultimately auffered loaa by a conmemiauB atiachnient to his duty to Ood. He who ia w0Eag[and obediem, ahall eat die Q;ood of the land; and Gbd vUI ever diningnidl those in his prarideDM vuo re- ■pect kb eommaodmenta.
Vane 24. NmAer ekaU any man datw-c Qiy la7id\ What s maaifiMt proof was diia a ^e power and particular pAriienee of (3od! Bow easy would it have been for the surroandins nations 10 have taken poaaesaion of the whole UcaeGti^ nnd, with all their defenoed cities, when there were none left to protect dtem but women and ohildreni Vbs not this a |lanaing proof of tbe dtvioe origin of their reH^on, and s ftanw, whieh no deistUtl mind could poaSUr surmount 7 Tbriee every year did Ood work an espeoiu miracle for the protection of hia people: controlting even the vei? tfettrer of lhair enemies, that they might not so much as meditate evil a^ost them. They who have Ood iat their protector, have a sure refuge: ana bow mw is (he proverb, The poA qfdaty m the way qf *HMf- While Ibese peq>le went up to Jerusalem to keep we Cart* ordinances, be kept their hmilies in peaec^ and ihmr land in safety.
Verse 25. Ute ftlsod ^ my eacryUe] Ibst i% the Pasehal lamb.~3e« on chap. xxiiL 18.
Verse 26. 7^u ehait not eeelke a kid in hia motker't vtHk] See thia amply conaidered, chap, xxiii. 19.
Yens 27. WriUthm Vuee worde] Eithsr a tranMcripi of the wtiolelaw now delivered, or the words included from vy. It to 26. Ood certainly wrote tbe ten words on both ma ot Uttes. Moses either wrote a trameript of these Hdj^Awnpsaying pweeptsj for ths u«d of the people; si'M WMla dieiMoepis Iheinselvest in addition to t])e ten SBUMsdwaai^ wluob w«f« written by the Snger of Ood.
36 - The first of the first-fruitB of thy^ lan^ thou shalt brins into the house of the hona.^^ Ood. " Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
87 II And the Lobd said unto MaBe% WriM diou "thsse words: for ailor tenor of these words I have made a ooveoant with tikae aad with Israel
28 f And ha was there wfth Ae Lord forty days and forty n^hts; he did nei^er eat breath nor drink water. And 1 he wrote upon the tables, the words of the covenant, tbe ten ' eommenaments.
29 IT And it came to pass, when Mosea came down from mount Sinai ■ with the 'two ti^lra of testimony in MoseS* hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that >■ the skin of Us faee mamt while he talked wHh him.
30 And when Aaron and all the children crf^ Isr-ael saw Moses. behoM, the skin of DscV shone; and they were afraid to come nieh him.
31 And Moses Called unto them^ end AaNkn and all the rulers of the eoni^rftfation returoO^ unto him; and Moses talked with them.
32 And afterward all the children of Isr^ came nig-h: 'and he gave them in commutttdment, atl tliat the Lou* had spo^eK wiA.hiA.i* mount 9inai.
33 And HU Moaee had done speaUn^ them, he put * a veil on his face.
See on ver. 1. Allowing tbia mode of interpretatini, tbsr accompanying preoepu were, probably, what «rB» wnrt^ onthe oocistoe of the tables I7 Hoses; the tm ■mentw, what were written on the Jrmt by tbe finger sf ' Jehovah; for we must pay bot Utue attention to the snppoaitioD of the rabbin^ that tbe letters on each table were* cut through the stone, so as ta be l^ible on esA side. See diapier xxxii. IS.