18 How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that tcere fbeble behind thee, when thou watt faiot and weary; and he " feared not God.
19 Therefore il shall be, ' when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee /or an inheritance, to possess it, thcii thou sliiilt ' bfot out the remembrance of Amaiek from under heaven; thou ahalt not forget it.
Iiftn KrUte*.; fovtv m Ttmmn, I uxmW My U leero fnHfi^y! bat being wittat in liutninr forty, it tneana the nwtA»c vKidi rtckont forty, Dczt a/t«r it, that is dtirt;r''*'i>*- By ex{MMitioa ihey confound the veraes, and take swajr the <Uatii^ion. I thinlc nther ifais ctutom WW t&ken un br ntmn of the maimer of their beaiing, fbrespoken o( which was, wi^i a KOurss diat had three corda, w tbat every itroke vu eounteafbr three etripes, and then they could n« give even forty, but either tbirty- Dine or fort^-twv^ which was above the number Bet of Qixl. And bereof they write thus. When they judge, (or con- (femn) a tinner la n many (Hripet) at he can bear, they bidgt Rof but by ttrakee that arefti to he trebled/ [thai to give three atripes to one stroke, by reaaon of the three cord^l ff" Iheyhidgt that As con bear twmly, they do not toy he malt be beaten wUh OM and twenty t to the end Biat Aey may treble the ttrtpet, but they gite hint eighteen- Jaaimony in Sankednn, ducp. xvii. sect 2. Tmu he that was able to bear twenty etripes, bad bju otgftteen; the executioner sraote him but six times; for if be had smitten him the seventh, they were counted one •ad twen^ stripe^ which was above the number adjoc^red; so he aurt was adfudged to fbrtr, was smitten okineen time^ wbieh being counted one hr tfiree, moke thirty-nine. And so, R. Bedutiot, writing hereof says, TTu tlraketare trdjled; that is^ every one it diree; aaa three times thirteen are nine and thirty.
" Thy brother be vUe, or be cohlempli^'\ By ditf Ood ttaehea us to hate aira despise the sm, not the sinner, who ii^ by tbi* chastisement, to be amesded. As the power wbidi' die Lord tnih given is la edyieation, not to datmetioH, t Cor. ziii. 10."
Tene A. Thmi ihalt not maxzle the oj!, &c] In Judea, as well as in Egypt, Greece, and Italy, they made use of beeves to tread out the corn; and Dr. Shaw telle us, that die people of Barbary continue to tread out their com after the custom of the east. Instead of beeves, they frequently use of mules and hoMet, by winK by the neck, three or bar in like manner together, ana whipping Ibam aftermrd round about the Mdderi, as they call the treading jioore, (the Libyen areie Hor) where the sheaves lie open and expanded in the same manner as they are placed and pftpared with us for direshine. "niis, indeed, is a mueh qoieker way than ours, thou^ leiss cleanly, for as it is pArformed in the open air, (Hos. xiti. 3.) in>on any round, lSn\ plat of gronnd, daubed over with cow's dung, to prevent as much as possible, the earth, sand, or gravel from rising; a great qnantity of them notnmhstanding this p^eeaotion, must imavmdably be taken up with the grain, ■( the same time that the straw. Which is their chief and only fbdder, is hereby shattered 10 pieces; a circumstance very pertinently alluded to, 2 Kin^ xiii. 7. where the ti/ig ^ Syrln IS said to have made the Itraelitee tike Vu Mm, by hreahing. Travels, 'A. 138. While tha oxen were at wOrk, some muzzled their mouths to hinder them from eating the com, which M(Mm here forbids 1 instructing the people by this symbolical preceot to be kind to their servants and taboursrs, but especiBlly to those wb* miniflteted to them in holy things: So Sl Paul applies 1 Cor. ix. 9. 1 Tim. v. 19. Le Clerc considers the injunotion as wholly symbolical; and perhaps, in this view, it was nlendfld to confirm the laws enjoined io the fourteenth and fifteenth verses of tlie Ibrraer chapter. See Dodd and Siaie.
Veise 9. And loots hit thae) It is difficult to find the reason of llieae ceremonies of degradation. Peihapa ^ thoe was the emUem of power i and bv tlripping it ^ a deprivation of that power aad authority was reprasentM. flitting in the face was a mark of the ulmoat ignominy; but the Jews, who ore legitimate judges in this cas& say, that the spltfiiig was not ui At* face, but b^ore his mce, on the ground. And this is the way in whieh the Asiatics express their detestation oCaperson to tbejm* sent day; as Niebuhr, and other intelligent tiavelkrs assure Us. It has been remarked diaC the jmflx 3 beA^ Ht seldom applied to peney; but when it ti^ it signiiM as well bmre, as In die face, see Joefa.-xxi. 44. xtSL S> Esther iz. Z and Ezk. xlii. 12. which texts are sopposBd to be proofs in point. The act of spitting, vAtethtt in or befor* the foce, marked the strong contempt the woman f^Tt for the man who had slighted.her. And it appears^ that the man was ever afier disgraced in Israeli far tai much is certainly implied in the saying, ver. 10. And hie name thall be edited in leraei, 'iTi* hotM fUm tkoi haih hie thoe looted.
Terse 13. Divav vdghle] \zim pM eben ri-oAm; OT ttone and a ttone; because the weights were ancietitly made of stone. In our own country, this was once a common case; smooth, round, or oval stonea were generally chosen by the simple coimtry people' for selling dieirwajeaj especially such as were sold m pounde andhd^ poundlk And hence the term a tione weight, which still in vt%. though lead or iron be the matter that i> used in (he eounterpcnse, but the name itself shows »a that a ttone -of a certain weight was the material formerly usod as a waigfat. See the notes on Levit. xix. 3fi, 36.
Verse 14. Divert meaturet] Literally, an ephak, and an epkah: one A^ovVi to buy thy fiejghbonr's wtni^ another li^, 10 sell tliy own by. So ihefe were kno»m io ^1 ages, and among all nations. See the note on Eni, xvi. leTand Lev. 19^35.
Verse 16. Smote the hindmott tf thee') See the fMas on Rxod. xvii. 9. It is supposed, (hat this soinmMn hnd its final accomplishment in the death of Haman end his len Fons, Estb. iii, vii. ix. as from this time the meaurf and name of Amaiek was blotted out fihm uadeT heavaot for, through every period of their history, it might bs indy said, They feared not God. "< thy God giveth thee /or an inheritoace, and poBseseest it, and dwellcEt therein;
2 ■ That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit oi' the earth, wtiich thou shalt bring of thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and Bhalt put it in a basket, and shalt ^ so unto the place which the Lord thy God >hall choose,. to place his name there.
3 And thou shidt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, ana say unto him, I profess this day unto the Loud thy God, that I am come unto the country which tne Lobd sware onto our fathers, for to give us,
4 And the priest shall take the basket out of tliine hand, and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God.
5 And thou shalt speak, and say before the Lobd thy God, « A Syrian <" ready to perish was my father, and ■ he went down into Egypt, and sojourned ^ere with a ' few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:
6 And ' the Egyotians evif entreated us, and BffUcted UB, and uM upon us hard bondage:
7 And ^ when we cried unto the Lobd Ood of our ihthers, the Lobd heard our voice, and looked on our {uHiction, and our labour, and our oppression. ^,
8 And 1 the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt, with a mighty hand, and wiUi an outstretched arm, and * with great terriblenees, and with signs, and with wonders:
9 And he hath broueht us into this place, and hath given us this land, even i a land that floweth with milk and honey.
10 And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Loan thy God:
YMmt% T/iauBhaUtakaof the JiratqfaU the fruit, Ac) tti^ wiwiniend'.'J i-; keep them i a cantiouKl remembrance of the ktn'ln>'Sfl of ^ 'oi, in preserving them through *o laAny diliit:Ljlij>^°, lUi l literally fiilfilliDg the promieei he had iDoda t<j itn lu. God being the author of all their bLewagw, ili^ tirxL-tiuiti of the land were conaecrated to him u the iLiiiliifr uf uvery good and perfect gift.
VerK &. A St/tian. nody to peri^ wae my father] IbM pauage has be><Q wioualy uoderatood, both by the ■BBient vrraiaiiA^ and \rr Qiodero commentatora.. The Fuigat« icnden it jius,.Syriw pentquAatvrptUrm ni«um, " A Syrian persecuted my father."^ Tin Siptuagint thus, Xwft*r awifiMia • wmmp /i^v, "My father abajxioned Syria." The Thrgum thua, mm m mawV wpa rWoiw jz^ loben oronwiA ota leobadayat aba, "Laban the Syriao sndMvoured bo destroy my lather." Ihe Syriac, " My fcdwr 'waa led out of^ Syria' into ErTpt." The Arabic,
Surely, LaUmi the Syrian, had alrooat deatroyed my ftitbar."^ The Tdrgum of Jonalhaa bm UxzUl: "Our fufaer Jacob went ai flrat into Syria of Heaopoiaiaia, and L&b&n aouRht to daatroy him."
Father EhtAigant disaenta from all, and renders the M|ig^tal tbu^ Fanut urgtbat patrem meum qui in j^fj/ptum imaeiuXt, "Famine oppraaaed my father, who vsDt down into Egypt." - Thia interpretation Houbigant givss tha itxtj iff taking the ^ yod n-om the word "^-tt araoiijf, which ngnifiei an AramiU or Syrian, and joining it to ^:m^ yedbud, the future for the pafeci, which is eommon enough in Hebrew: and which may aignify amafmincd; anathen seeking for the meaning of S'W aram, in the Arabie f^f arama, which aignifies^amtiu, dearth, Ac he thua muea out hia version; and this veraion he defeoda at large in his DO lea. It ia pretty evident from the tazt, that 1^ a Syrian we ar« to understand Jacob, ao called, from hia long residence in Syria with his father-inlaw Labao. And hia being ready lo P*ri^ may aigniiy the baid uaace and sevare IwKMir he faaa in Labao'a asrviee,
11 And thoir d»It rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given imt« thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the L«- vite. arid the stranger that u among vou.
12 ^ When thou hast made an end of tithing all the ■ tithes of thine increase the third year, vihich is ' the year of tithing, and hast given U unto the Levite, the stranger, the latEeriess, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;
13 Then thou shalt say before the Ijobd tfay God, 1 have brought away the hallowed things out of mine hoiue, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according lo all thy conunandroents which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, p neither have I forgotten them:
14 ' I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away ought tberetrf'for wKg unclean use, nor given oug-M thereto for ths dead: but I have hearkenea to the voice erf" the Lobd my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.
15 * Look down from thy holy habitatiMi, from heaven, and bless ihy people Israel, and the land which uiou hast given us, as thou swarest imto our fathers, a land that noweth with milk and honey.
16 7 This dav the Lobd thy God bath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefbre keep and do them with all
17 Thou hast < avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to^eep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice:
18 And " the Lobd hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thint shouldest keep all his commandments:
19 And to make the6 * high above all nations which he bath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be * a fa<rfy people unto the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken.
by which, aa hia health waa mu^ impaired, ao his lift might have often been in imminent danger.
Verae 11. Thou ahaU rrioicc] God intends that kis foltowera ahall be htrntji mat they ahall eai their tecaA wiihgladneasandsinglRieasof heart,praisiBghim. Hwss who eat their meat gnidgingly, under the pretence o( dkair unuorAmoa, ftc. profane Qod'a boumieei and ahall hsTt no ihanlES for their voluntary humility.
Uuin, and the LevUe, and the wtrangtr] fhtj vers to talce care to ahare God's bounties among all tboae wbo were depenlent on them. The Lnitehu do InberilMWi^ letbim rejoice with thee. The etran^er has do boat, let him feel thee to be hia friend and bis uoher.
Verae 12. Hu third year, which ia the year qf titltittg\ 'Htia is suppoMd to mean the third year en the aeveotfa or sabbathyear, in which the tenlht were to bejgiven lo the poor. Seetuelav, chap. xiv. 28. but frmnthelettcr inboA these places, it wnuld appear, tliat the tithe waa fir die Lsvites, and that this thhe was dimwn only once in three yaart.
Verae 14. / hate not— given, oa^t lkeretf,fiar Ae That ia, I have not consecnted any of it to an tdot, whim was generally a dead man, whom superatitioo and ignorance haaduSed. Prom 1 Cor. z. 27,23. we learn that it waa costomary to ofTer that flesh (oidok, which waa afterwaidasDld publicly in the shambles; probably the blood poured oat ba> fore the idol in imitation of the sacrifices offered to tba Inia God. Perhaps the texthere allude* to a aimilar custom.
Verae 17. iTum hatt awmdud &e Lord] TV people avouch, publicly declare, that tbqr have taken JehoTth la be their God.
Verae 18. And Ae Lord kath avwAed] PuUidy declared, by the bleaaings he pottrs down upon them, that be has taken them to be liis peculiar people. Thua the covenant ia made and ratified netween Ood and his followers.
Verse 19. Make thee high above all natitma] It is written, Rigfateousnesa exaltein a natiotL but sin ia a reproach lo any pe<vle, Pnv. xiv. 34. While Israel regarded Gof a
3 And it shall be on the day * when ye shall pass over Jordan, unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, that <> thou shalt set thee Qp great etoaes, and plaster them with plaster:
3 And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mavest go in unto the land which the LoBD thy Ood ffiveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and hoo^: aa tho Lobd Ood of thy &thers hath promised thee.
4 Therefore H wbail be when ye be gone ov«r
Jwdan, thai ye ahall set up these stones, which command vou this ds^, * in mount Bbal, and thoa ahalt luaater them with plaster.
5 And there shalt thou build an altar unto the ZiOBD thy God, an altar of stones; ^ thou shalt not Hft up any iron tool upon them.
6 Thou shalt build the altar oT the Loan thy Ood of whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt- <^eringB thereon unto the LoRn thy Gi>d:
word Md Inpt hia t6»timoiUM^ tber were die ffreatett and moM raspecublc of all nMioiu: but vhen tney ft>raook Ood ftod ntfl Uv, Ibey became the moit contemptible. O Rritain I even mwe oigMy hvourad than ancient Inael, learn wiidom by what they have auffisred. It is not thy flaeta nor thine armiei^ howaoercr exodtent and weU appoiata^ that eaa uhiimilslyeaali, and aaaun Aj pernw* ■•noeaiBOnig the nationa. It is rie^MeouHWH oJMiL Baemne irreligioua, neglect Qod'a orduumeea, profhae hia aabbadvdeepise hia vord, persecute hie followere; and ibou art loU. But fear, love, and wrve hiai| and thy ^"■"m ahall be found liara, tbou ahak defeat their projeete, uid trample on their high placea.
Tiim form of ceahaaioa wBen bringiag the firat-fruita, mUied, TCf. 4—10. ia both afioetii^ ud edifyinc- Even when bn»^ into a ■tate of aiBuenee and reet they ware eoouaanded to reaMinber, and publidy acknowledge, their former degradation and wtetchedneaa, that they might be ever bumble and dependent; and (hey muat Imn^ their offiunng aa a public acknowledgment to Ood, that it waa by hia mercy their etUe waa changed, and hj hia boun^ Iheir eomfeite were continaed. If a maa riae &om pomr^ to aBiiaaee, and forget hia fonaar alatik ha ba> eonea proud, inaolentand <vprea«ive. If a ChriaUan ood- TOt (met bia former state, the rock whence he war hewn, aad the nole of the |Ht whence he waa digsed; he eoon become* careleaa, unthankful, and unhidy.^The caae of the tm Uptn that were cleansed, of whom oidy ana returned so give Ood thaoka, ia an awlul lessw. How many are «ontinuaUy living on the bouaw of Ood, who feel no gratitude for hwnereteal Reader, is thia thy atatel If so^ then axpeet the hut Ood to curse uiy bleaainga.
NOTES ON CHAPTER xxvn. Terae 2. T%ou AaU tat tkta up great etoner] How manv, la not specified; poeaibly f iMra; and poaaiblyoDly a Bomeient number to make a aurfecela^ enough to write the Ueaaines and the euraea on.
.Ptoeto* raesi vilk jrioatar) Periytpa ihe original rrttn twa ami vtaadia otam btmid, abould be tranalated Am thait etment tkem vith etment, because this was intended to be a dttrabU monument. In similar oaaea, it waa cueternary to act up a aingle atone, or • heapt rudely put togedter, where no cement or mortar appears to have been wed; and becauae this waa common, it was neoesHuy to give particular direetions, when the usual method was not to be followed. Some aiqipoae, that the writing woe to be ia reUew^ and diat the spaeea betwssn the letters were filled up thf mortar or cetnenL ^tUsisauiie apoaeibla case, as the eaatem inaeripti<HU are frsquentW done in this way. Tlere now ia before me a large elao of baaaltee, two feet lon^ by aizleeD inehee widei on whiab there ia MOBsaripDoniaPecsiaa. Arabi&aadTbnKWl: in the two Ameri OM tstlin an all nisst^ ihe surfiw of the atoaa eat there, and rejoice before the Lokd thy God. S And thou ahalt write upon tile atone* aUditt
9 IT And Moses, and the priests, the Levltes, spake unto all Israel, sayini?, Take heed, and hearken, O Israel: • this day thou art become the people of the Loro thy God.
10 Thou shalt therefore obey the voiee of -th6 LoBD thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day.
13 These shall stand ' upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin.
13 And > these shall stand upon mount Ebal ^ to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebu- Itm, Dan, and NaphtalL
14 ^ And ' the Levites shall speak and say imto all the men of Israel with a loud voice,
15 ^ Cursed be the man that maketh any grsr Ten or molten image, an abomination tmto the Loan, the work ofthe hands of the craftsman, and putteth tf in a secret place. ' And all the people shall answer and aay, Amen.
16 Cursed he he that setteth light by hia fotber or his mother. And all the people slmll say, Amen.
17 " Cursed &« he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say. Amen.
being dug out; but the Tamool is indented. A kind of roddidi paint hine been ameared over the lettera, to make them more amareol. Two Arabic marbles in the Univerai^ of Oxford have the inscriptiona in rstteeo, like thoae on the atab of baealtea in my poaaeaaion. In the opinion of mn»f even this ease m^ cast light upon the subject in
Verses. ^Aewsnfa^Oi* low] After ell that has been said by ingenious critiea concerning the law ordered to be written on theae atonea, aome supposing the vhola Hoaaie law to be intended; others only the decalogue t I am fully of opinion' that the rmn tinvh, law or ordinance in aiuetimi, aimply means the bUennga and ciireef mendonedin thieand in ifae following diapteri and indeed these oontaioed a very good epitome of the whole law, in all iu promises and ihrealentngs, in reference to the whole of ita grand moral deaiga. See at the end of this chapter.
Verae 4. Set up Ihet ttorm — in mount Ebal] So the present Hebrew text; but the Samaritan bee mount Gtrixint. Dr. Eennioott has lai^ty defended the reading of the Samaritan, in hia aecond aissenalion on the prtsmt atate sf Ae ife6reie text i and Dr. Parry has defended Ihe Hiteow ag^nst the Samaritan, in his Case tefwern OeriHm ondBM /airiy elated. So has J. B. VerwAuir, in hia Diaaert. Critiea. Many atill think Dr. Kennicott's argumente-unanswerable | ana have no doubt ihat die Jews have here corrupted the text through Iheir enmity to the Samaritona. On all handa it ia allowed that OerixiCn abounds with aprioga, gardens, end orcharda, and Ibat It is covered with a beautiful verdure^ While Bbci ie aa naked and as barren as a rock. On this very account, the former was hi|^T proper for the ceremony of bleering, and the latter for the ceremoiiy of earaing.
Verse 12. Tfu*e ahall aland upon moufU Oarixim to bleat Ae veople] Inatead of upon mouiU, Ac we may traiwlate oy, aa itte oarticlc 'yy 6i,ia amaetimes uaed: for we do not find that the tribes did stand on either mountt for in Joah. viii. 33. when tfaia direction was reduced to prastioe, we find the people did not stand on the mountain^ But oMr ogoiiwl dtsm on the plain. See the obssrvatioaa at the end of thia chapter.
Terse 15. Curaed be the man, &&] Other laws previoualy made, had prt^bited all these things, and penal aanctions were neeeaaarily underatood; but here God mora openly declaras, diat he who breaks them ia euraedt falls under the wiath and indignation of his Maker and judge. See the note on Bxod. xz. 4.
Verse 16. Settelh light ly hie father or kU msOsr.] See the nole on Exod. XX. 12.
Verse 17. ItemoaeA hie neighbmr'a landmarkA See bsfera on DeuL xiz. 14. and on Exod. xx. 17. Aadforall the ran of tbeas oaiaeSi see die noMs on Exod. xz. and lha ofeasrvations at diaatd of it
18 ■> Cursed be ha that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall Bay, Amen.,..,
19 p Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall eav, Amen.
20 ' Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife; because he uncovereth his father's sldrt And all the people shall say, Ameo.
21 » Cursed be he that Iieth with any manner 9f beast. And all the people shall say. Amen.
23 ' Cursed be he that Iieth with his sister, the daufhter of his father, or the daughter of hjs mother. And all the people shall say, Ameo.
23 " Cursed be he that lieth with his motherin-law. And all the people shall say, Amen.
2i ' CuFfled be he that smiteth his oei^hbour ■eeretly. And all the people shall say. Amen.
25 " Cursed be he that taketh reward to alav m innocent persoo. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Verte 18. The blind to wander out qf the toay.] A sin Bf^iiut the lixth commandment. See on Kxoa. xx. 13.
Vene26. T/iateor^flrmtthnottMUumrdtqf Ihutaie] "nis word ^3 eot, all, ie not found in uty printtd wm of the Hebrew text, but the Samaritan preserrea it, and ao ^«irHS8.in theeoDeetioDsof KennicM tcad D* Ro—i, bmAu aevenl cppiea at the ChaUu 7\ir^^inn. The Septuagint also, sna Sl PmU ia his qitotatioa of this plsm, Ool. iU. 10. St. Jerom says that the Jews suppressed the word, that it might not appear that they were bouni to fulfil ALL the precepts in the law of Hosea.
1. Dr.Kennicott,whoD<HitetidBtbatitwastheC«ea/ii)PM disc was written on the stones mentioned in this chapter, s^i^ "If we examme these twelve curses, (hey will npjMsr to contain a strong eaforeemeot of the fott eaiiMftaadls; and it is hi^ly prdlMble, that the annes were here prostoimftd, prineipally to secure obedience to the cotaataodments, as will oe made more clear by the followin;; table. H)e first, second, third, and fourth Commandments.
Verse 16. Cuned be the man that maketh any graren or molten image, an abomination to the Lord, &c The fifth Commandment
Tbt BXtb Commandment. Verse 25. Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an in* noceni person. Verse 24. Cursed be be that ami t«lh his neiRhbour seeretly. Verse 18. Cursed be be that maketh the blind lo wander oat of die way.
Hie seventh Commandment Versa 20. Cuned be be that lieth widi his fclbai's wife. Verse 21. Cursed be he that lieth with nay hooM. Verse 22. Cursed be he that lieth with his aistar. Verae 23. Cursed be he that lieth with his iiindier>ni-taw.
Titft eighth CommandmenL Varas 17. Cursed be he that removelh his oeighboiir's taadnBrk.
Verse 19. Cursed be be that perverteih the judgment ot As stranger, fiuherless, tai widow.
Many will think this arrangement fanciful; and the imahwyAir from beiiw natural.
3J In pronouncing uUse blessings Mid curses, the Talmud myt, six tribes vent up toward the top of mount Oerisim, ■u six toward the top of mount Ebal t and the priests and the Leritas, and the ark, stood beneath in the midst, "nie priests encompassed the ark, and the Levtles atood round about (be priests; and all Israel on this side and on that; see Jorii. viii. 33. Then they turned their, faces toward WMU Clerizim, and nronounced the blessing j BUn*d bt Ou man, Ac and those on each side answ«red, Ahbx. Ibaa Ibey turned their bees toward mount Bbal, and pronooneed the curse ■ Cursed be the man, &«. and those on e^ side answered, Amkn! till they had finished the blessitWB and the curses, and afterward they thought stones and built an altar. Some suppose that the Levites were divided into two grand bodies, part standing at, or on mount Oerizim, and part on mount Ebal, and that with eaeh divisien wen some of the prieats. The whole Dr. P«rry wpposes to have been "^^^^ *° ^ foUswing msmiar.
26 ' Cursed be he tluU conflmetb not o/l the words of this law to do tbem. And all the peft* pie shall say, Amen.
whiuFi iht ImilKil ■InllnRaTnl—U TIvewhb ■1*1 a-li-lumii. 1 1— It A inJU amUM of t voice of the Loso thy Giod, to observe mtd to do all his commandraoits which I eomraaod thee this day, that the Lord thy God *■ will set ibet on high above all nations of the earth:
3. It is wordty of remark, that Moses aaaignB to ths ohildrsn of Racuel and Leah, the two mothers of tbs famil]^ the office of bUenng the people, as being the most uMourablei and iheae be piseea on mount G*.
On the oonlrary, he assigns the office of etxrang the people to the sons of Zilpah and Bilhah| as being the leaM honourable office; but with these he joins Zeeuhui, tbs youngest of Leah's sons, and Reuben, ibe eldasL As there must be six tribes en each mmntain, it waa neceassuy that while six of the sons of Rachel and Leah, the lecibmaie wives, should be employed in blessing, two tribce disssaded from the same motnara, ahoiiM to iotned to As sdiar Jhur, who proceeded fromtbehandmsMs^ inofderiemsks up the number -eix. 1^ question is, whidi two et tbs more honourable tribes shimld be joialed to the.A«tr least honourable, in order to complete the number six 1 Zebulun is chosen, because being the sixth and yoongeet of aD Leah's sons, hcwasthe least honourable of dtoaewbo proceeded from the free woman: and Reuben is choeeo, wbOf though the eldeat of Jacob's sens, and entitled teihs birtfHri|;ht, had lost it by his transgresslan. And bene*, be* a his posterity, was de^fraded, and obliged to prooouBce the cune; Cursed ie ke thmt HHh leUA hie foAer'e teffs; see Cten. xKx. 3, 4. and xxxv. 22. and the notes on both places.
4. It is strange how long the disgraee eonaei]us<n em some flagrant thuisoction of a parent may cleave lo his poelerity I See this exemplified in the posterity of Rsriben. Hene^ with great prt^e^, we may pray, " Remamfcer not, Lord, o«ir(^ences, nor the offences of otir forebthcfst neither take thou vengeanee of our sins." Uiany. Per ths offences of oar fisrefaihers may be so rememfaerad against their posterity, that God, in (he cotirse of his pro videnee, may still keep up a controvervy in tfeular aiatfirs with the deseendants^ ^tbougb even pious,) of unholyanceatorat for as all men were eeminally inehMled in their parents, ther ooroe inu the world depraved with ibeir depravity, and in some sort liable lo dietr curves, ihou^ not so fkr as to afleet their eternal interests, wtdMiut the sddition of their own personal ofiencea, 'Hias Qod may be said to visit the sins of the Ihtbera upon the childrea mm unto the third and fourth genersltOBt as he m^hsve a controversy with the land tot the evil wfaidi has be«n done in it, and for which no proper atonement hsa beem made. Whv is It that at this moment &nin is aoftring the most afiTictive and cruel desolations 7 What has ne done to merit all this? Is she more wicked than all the European nationa berauee she suffers aueh things? — Her* is the myaiery; Natwne, as such, ean only be pimished ■■ thisworld. Look at the torrents of imioeeat blood shed by their ancestors in South America three hundred vcarsa^) and see now adore die awful hand of rettimitne jusdeet Deesn^, 1811. Ws often ses persoas triad Md a And an theM blauiq^ abaU eove ob tbee. and * overtake lhe«, if thou shalt hevkeo unto tfas voice of the Lobo thy God.
4 Bleseed 0AaU be ' the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit qf thv cattle, the increaae of thy kine, and the Hooks of thy sheep.
6 >■ Blessed tkait thoa be when thou conieBt in, and blesaed thalt thou be when thou goest out.
7 The Lord < shall cause thine enemies tlmt rise up afaiost thee to be snjitten before thy face: they ^hall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
afflieted, fw wbo«e diitreaaes we can jrive no legitimate nMoo. We find others, who thou^ Uiey rise early, lit up late, work hani, eat the bread of canfulDen, and have, a foU kaovladg* of tfmr bannsMk^yet never get on in lifel WhocanaecouDtforthiiT ShaJI wenyttiatBOine injustice in their ancestors has brought down the displeasure of Ood UDon the earthtr poeseasions that deseend in that line; so that the ffooda ul-gotten aha] 1 never be pernitted to muitiplji? I knew an honest man, dead many ynnnaee, who Ity great diligence, punctuah^, and integrity in his business, had Bci|uired considerable property. Snoe time before bis death, baving by will divided hU substance aroone bis sons and his diHi^ters, he expressed him-ielf thtis: "Children you need not fear the curse of God on this property; every penny of it was honestly earned." Many years have sioeeelapsad, and thablesaing of Ood has faeui in the badut and in the store of all bis ebiUren. Parents I leave nothing behind you that you cannot savbefon your Chxl with a clear eraacienee, "This has been honestly earned." If aU beouests of a eonlrtuy dtBeription, were to be deducted from la^ wills and tastameat^ the quantum of deeoending proper^, would be, in mutf euBa, small iodeed.
NOTES ON CHAPTER XXVIII. Terse 2. All Iheae bUatingt ahall eome on thet] Ood ■hall pour out bis blessings irom heaven upon dies — and nertaJn Ihdt, Upright men are repreesated «• going to the kiavdom of Ood, and Ood's Ueaekkge n/oU«wing and omtrtaSng them in their heavenly jouroey. There are ■everal things ia diia verse worthy oT the moet earaiiil observation.
1. If IMauahaUhMir/cm vntotht voice qf tluZiOrd thy Ood.] The waiee of Ood must be heard — without a Ihvf He Anw/a/tdii, how can ihe divine will bo known 7 And if not known, it eaonot be fulfilled.
2 When Gtod speaks, men aiiitt htarkm to the words of hia mouth.— He who does not htarkm will not obey.
3. He who htarkmt. to the words of God, must oei out for the kingdom of heaven. Hie curse must fall on him ^tbo ilanda in the way of sinners, and will overtake them who hiUr in the way of righteousness.
4. niose who run in the way of Ood's testimonies shall have an abundance of blessing. Bleraiiw* shall corns upon thtm, and blessings shall ovtrtake them— in every part id their march through liie, they AmX\ contimie to receive the fulfilment of the various j^nmniaes of Ood which relate to all cireumstanees, vicissitudes, trials, stages of lift, Ac Ac. each oBertaking them in tW tiau and pbta where vuMi needed.
Verse 3. In At eiiy] In all civil employments; in At JUId; in all agricultoral pursuits.
Terse 4. frvU tf thy 6ody] All thy children; increoM tf My kiau, Ae. every animal empltqrsd in dooiaetio and acriouttural purposes shall be under the eqwetalprolaetitm of divine Providence.
Terae S. 7^ fra«ts(] Hy olive-gadiering and viaiage, as the baakd was employed to collect-those fririta.
8tori\ n-wtwD mw^rdm, kneading-tronghs, or remainders.- all that is hud up for future use, as well as what is prepared for prumt eonsuroptim. Some think that by haokttf all tbeir property tm-oad may be meantt and by afore all that they have at home, L e. all that is in the JUUo, and all that ia in the Aouses. The firilowing note of Mr. Harmer is importanL
■*Covinamaior» seem to be at a great kMshow toezigaiaAataefcrfsadttiestor^BwnlfonedDsnt. xziii.B,lT. why MBsei^ whs in ibaanir ivrsM MenlioBs things ia
8 The LoBo dwtil * command the blesi upon thee in thy ' atorehousee, and in aU thou "> eettest thine hand unto; and he snMl biess thee in the land which the Loan thy God giveth thee.
9 " The Lord aliall establish thee a holy people unto himself, aa he hath svrarn nnto thee, if thou shait keep t)ie commandmeats of the 1«oiid thy God, and walk in hia ways.
W And all people of ii»e earth ahall see that thou art ° calfed by the name of the Loan; and they shall be f afraid of thee.
U And ' the Loro shaU make thee plenteoiw • in goode, in the fruit of thy » bodv. and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, m the land which the Lonn sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
geaerai, rfiould, in this ease, be so mimite as to mention baskets, seems strange: and thsy that interpret either ttxa first or ths seooad of these words of the repositories of their com, dc forget that thar bams or storehouses are spoken of presently after this in ver. S. Might I be pej^ mitted to give my opinion here, I should say that the bosket Min tana, in this place, means their travelling baskets; and the other word, n-wsrs ma^rO, (their store,) signifies (heir leather begs; in both which (bey were wont to carry (hings in travelling. The first of these worda occurs nowhere else in the Seripuires, but in the account that is ariven us of the conveyance in which they were to csury their first-fruits to Jerusalem. The other nowhere but in the description of the hurrying journey of Israel out of £gTpt, where it means the ucensil in which they then carriea their dougi^ which I have shown elsewhere in thM* papers^ means a piece of leather drawn ttwethcr by rion aad formine a kind of bag. Agreeabljr to this, HossslquMt infintnsus that the Eastern peMle use baskets in travellmgi fbr, speaking of that speeies of the palm-tree which produeee dates, and its great usefulness to the people of thoee countries, be tells us. that of the leaves of^ this tree they make baskets, or rather a kind of short hags, which are used in Turkey, on joumesra, and in their ooiuesi page 261, 362. Hampers and panniers are English terras, «- noting navelliog baskets; as tana seems to he an Hebrew word of the some geiwral import, though their forsos might very much difibr, as it is certain that of the tiavslliag baskel^ mentioned by Hasselquist, now doee.
"In like manner as they now carry m^l, figL and rusiiUk in a gaal^s skin in Bsrbory, for a viaticum, tney might do the sane anciently, and consequently mi^t eorrv merchandise after (he same manner, particular^ their honey, oil, and balm, mentioned Esek. xvii. 17. Imy were the proper vessels for euch things. 80 Sir J. Chardin, who was so long in tbe*£ast, and observed their customs with so much care, supposed in a manuscript note on Oen. iliii. II. that the balm and the honey sent oy Jacob into Er^pt for a present were carried in a goat or kid's skin, in which all sorts of things^ both dry ana liquid, are wont to be carried in the EasL
" Understood after this manner, the pass^ promises Israel success in their commerce, as the next verse (the fith) promisee Uiem personal safety in their going out, and in their return. In-thie view the passage appears with doe dietinctnessandant^lfi extent" Observations, vol. ii. p. 161,
Terse 6. Whtn thou eowuot in] From thy employment, thou sholt find that no evil has happened to the jamilf/ or dweUiitg ia thy obsenee.
Whm Mou goeat out] ITiy way shall be made pro»> peraua before thee, and thou sbalt have the divine blessing in all thy labour^.
Verse 7. TAs Lord thall eouot Aint metnitt, dbo.) This is a promise of security from foreign invasion, or total diseomfitnre of the invaders, should they enter the land. "n^y t/iall eomt agabimt tiut ont tsay — in the firmest and most united muioer. And Jlea aeten mtj/t — shall be at* tarly broken, ooafiEMitded, ana finally routed.
VereeS. Tlie Lord ihaU tomwiand At bUteing ttpoi^ Am] Every thing that thou host shall come 1^ divuie Kppointment— thou shall have nothing casually, l»t every thing, both apirituol and tempocWl, shall eeme by die immediate command of Ood.
Terse9. The Lord tiudl tilMi^^ Ate a hdj, ptapU unto kinuetf] Tim is lbs sum of aU hlesnig^ to bs mads hofy, ana be presei sad ia AoHwsss.
If Mou thaU moh dfce.} Hers is a soleHB eoaditiaii ^tt^ M nat Imp Ood's ^noaias, tslng ttam for
13 The LoBD shall open unto thee hie good treasure, the heaven " to give the rain unto thy Und in ms aeason, and ' to blesB all the work of thine hand: and " thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrov.
13 And the Lord shall make thee * the head and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Loan thy Ood, which I commuid thee this day, to observe and to do them:
14 ' And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
15 If But it shall come to pass, • if thon wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lobo thy Goa, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this d^; that all these curses shall come upon thee; and • over' take thee:
18 Cursed ahatl be the fruit of thy body, and the IVuit of thy land, the increase of thy idne, and the flocks of thy eheep.
19" Cursed ahaU thou be when thou comest in, end cursed ahalt thou be when thou goest out.
20 The Lord shall send upon thee 'cursing, * vexation, and * rebuke, in all that thou setteat
thim hand onto ' fi>r to do, uBtH thon be destroyed, and until than periih qaiekly; beeanae of the wickedness of thy doinga, wtiemf dna hast forsaken me.
21 The Lord shall make 'the peatilenoe cleave unto thee, until he have coneoined thee from off the land, whither thou goest to poasesB it.
22 ^ The Lord shall smite thee with a cot^ mimption, and with a l^ver, and with an in6aniination, and with an extreme burning, and with the 1^ sword, and with ^ blasting, and with mildew: and they ehall pursue thee until thou perish.
23 And itby heaven that t» over thy head shall be brass, and the earth thai it under thee akall be m>n.
24 The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it cone down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
25 ** The I^D dull cause thee to be smitten befbre thine enemies: thou shalt go oat <Hie way against them, and flee seven ways belmv them: and "ehaltbe 'removed into all the kkigdonucf
26 And vthy carcan shall be meat untoaU fowls of Uie air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
27 The Loan will smite thee with ' the botch of Egypt, and with * the emerods, and with tbe scab, aM with the itch, vrhercctf thou camt not be healed.
the reguktora of their lives, and Mcording lo th^ dinotion, walking in hU ways, under the influenee sad atili of hia^Tace, then the airtta, and not the AbMings muBl be ttieir portion. See ver. 15, Ac
Veree 12. The Lord ^Ui^pmvnta Ate HU ^oodtrao' mu-e] The cUntd*, ao that a ■ufficiency of fructi^ng ihoweri abould descend u all requinte timei^ and the TeceUr the principle in the earth riMwld unfold and exert itSH^ ao their crop* ibould be sbuodanL
Veree 14. TJtm *AaU not go aaida — to Ac right hand, orlo the Ufl] The way of otndience ii a atraight way — it UOtm ri^U forward— he who declines either to right or left vom this path, goes a*tray, and misses heaven.
Tv«e 20. Curnng] This riuiU be thy stale. Vexation —grl^, trvuble, ana angrti^ of heart Rtintke—coamml jodnMnt^ and marks of God's displessare.
'Terse 21. The ptHUmet cleave unto mm] n^m pa'p •am nn yedabtk Yehotah beea tt haddaber, the Lord shall osHEirr the pestileoce, at plague lo (hefr— qptmrvX- Xwi K>piac (i( n rai- Awsrw, the utaa will ghu (inseparably atuch) the death onto tfaee. Stf^ua^nL How dreadful a plsgos must it be, that ravages wtlhovt iniermifmen, aiqr penon msy eoDoeive, who has ever heard of thenMiiet
TerM 22. Comoiiftkw] nsnv Shaduipkiih, atrophy through lack of food; from JiathajA, to be in want.
bFUKHATtOM] nifri DattaMu from pVi dalak, to porsus eagerly, to bum aftert proosiUy a rapidly oonsoming eaneer.
BxTBBna snBimN} "^mn Chnrchur, burning upoa bumiiig t soaU upon scald, from m diar, to be heated, enraged, Ac. This probably refers not only to excmeiatinff inflamnuUions on ine body, hut also to the irritations and agony of a tniod, utterly abandoned by Ood, and tost to hope. What an accumulation of miae^ I bow fomddeUe I sad especially ia a hud vdiere great keat was pvvalent and dreadful.
Swmnl War ia genenlt owmiM leWmt, sad a*U ttvtta wlAfn. This was temarksbly the case in du last siwe of Jerusalem.
BLABTiyo] pm» Shiddaphon, probably either the blighting east wind, that ruiDod vegetation, or those awAil pMtileatial winds, which suffocate both man and beast wherever they come. TTiese often prevailed in different puts of the east, and several ez&mplea have already been given. See Geo. xli. 8.
MiLPXw] |ip-P Yerakon, an midatton of the vwetativs Juice from different parts of due stock, by which the maturity and perCecti<Hi of tbe ptaiU are utterly prevented. It comes frma pf yarat, to throw out moisture.
ibeir bodto^ die fise latter upon dieir snbstaDce. WW a fearful thing it ia to fbll into the hands of the Living God!
Verse 23. Thif heaven— thaJl be brata, and the etuth iron.] The atmoephere shook] txK be replenidwd with aqueous vapours, in eooaequence of which, they dwuM have neither the early nor nte latter rain — hence the F«rth, tbe ground, must be wholly intractable, and ifartm^ its haroneas ineuable of cultivation. God shows dM W this that he is Lord of nature; and that drought and tlerilily are not catuaiHet, but proceed from the immediate oppotTiimmt of the Lord.
Verse 24. ITu rain <^thv land powder and Am(] As their keavene, atmoqibere, clouds, Ac. were to be as hrmao, yielding no nini ao the surface of the earth must be leduoed lo powder; and this being frequently taken tm by the straw winds, would fUl down In abnsen insfsss at rain. Whole earataru have been buried under Aowets of sand; and Thsvenot, a French traveller, who had observed these riiowers of dust, Ac. says, "They gricvoosly annoy all th^&ll on, filliiw their ms, ears, nostrils, Ac" Travels in the East, part I. book li. chap. 80. ne oahthalmia in Egypt appears to be chiefly owii^toavery one sand, the partielea m which are like broken glaa^ wWth are carried about by die wind, and entering into tbseflisiy glands, produce grtevoas and oontinual inlnmmatinim
Verse 27. 7Tu Lord wiU mUe Oee iHlh the boUl] pnv Sheehin, a violent inflammatory swelling. In Jobit one of the Hexapla versions render it the Bte- phaniiaeia, a diaeaae the most horrid that can possibly afflict human natural In this ilisorder, the whole body is covered with a most loathsome scurf— the jeinis are all pretenatunlly eolatsed, and the rinn swells on, aid grows into folds like uiat of an d^Aon/, wbenee mt disease has its name. 'Hte skin, thnugh its rigidiiy, braaks across at all the joints, and a most aSominabTe mm- flows from all the chinks, Ac. See an account of it in Areteeia, whose langimge is sufficient to ehiU the blood of a moium; ooald be aUend to the deacriplioD, given by this grest master, of this most loathsome and ebominaUe of afi tfas natural productiona of dealh and tin. This was ealMths 6ofcA o/^ £gypt, as being peculiar to diat eooBtry, sad particularly in the vidni^ of the Nile. Henoe those ' of Lueretiu^
ScAaJ an Oarab, does not oecur as a verb in die Hebrew Bible, but i^mA gharb, in Arabic, signifies a dirtem» perinthecoraertntheeve, CaUeLnoA may amount lo the Kgvptian sfdidialmis, wnieh ia ao epidemic and djstraate taitlHt ooeattyi ssess- siqiposs tbsseiirvy lebniaMML
S8 The LoKD ■hall tiiee with madneaa,
HOd blindoesfl, and (astonuhment of heart:
29 Thou shalt ■ ffrope at nooo-day. as the blind gropeth in darkneu, and thoa shalt not prosper id thy wajra: and thou abalt be only oppresnd and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
30 * Thou shall betroth a wife, and another maa shall lie with her: *thou shalt build a house, and thou shalt not dwell thnrein: '^thon shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not ga'^r the crapes thereof
31 ' Thine ox ahatl.be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof; thine ass sAou be violently taken away from before thy- face, and ■ shall not be restored to thee; thy sheep shall b« given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.
32 Thy sons and thy daushters thall be eiven unto another people, and thine eyes stu^ look, and ■ fail vith longing for them w the dav long: and there ahall be no might in thine band.
33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, sh^l a nation which thou knowest not eat up: and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed.alway:
34 So that thon ahalt be mad ■> for die sight of thine eyes, which thou shalt see.
35 The Lord shall *' smite thee in the knees, and in the tegs, irith a sore botch that oannot be heated, from the sole of thy Ibot nnto the top of thy head.
36 The Loan ahalt 'bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation wtuch neither thon nor thy ihthers have known: and ' there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
37 And thou shalt become ' an astonishment, a proverb, ^and a by-word, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.
39 1 Thou ahalt carry much seed out into the field, and sbalt gather b\U little m; for ^ the loeast shall consume it.
39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them; but shalt neither dnolc of im wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
40 Thou shalt have olive-trees throughout all
Itch] s^n Otarett a burning itch, probsbly •omelhiog of Um eiiaipaifttoua Kutd, or wfaot is coinmonly called Sl
Whert^ thoa eana not b* luaUA.'] For as they were fanietcd by Ood'i juatiee, they could noTof course be cured fay kumatt art
Verse 28. Tlu Lord aliall stniU thu wUh madw] ppxw Shiggdon, diatnction, ao thst thou ahalt not know wbst louo.
And blindtiMt] p-np /nxron, blind D««s both uhyaical and menisli the » gtuvb, vsr. 27. deatroying their eyea; and thft jodgmeius « Qod confiMuidiiv their wklaralaodings.
AftonUknun/] pnon TimeAon, atupidity and amazemenL By the iuat judgments of Qixl they were ao cam-
Ktely eoofouuded, aa not to diacem the meana by which y might prevent or remove their calamitiea; and to adopt tlMw which led ditscUy to their ruin. How true » theoocieitt aayii^;) Qhm Dtuattiltperdan, jtrivdemeiitit. " ThoM whom Qod ia determined to mtroy, he first inEaluetea." But thia appliea not exeluaively to the poor Jtm: how miaerably mbtuatod have the powera o f the toniinent of Europe been, in all ifaoir councils and mea- ■uree, for aeveral yeara paati And what is the resultl n>ey have folleni mo«t deplorably f&lleni
Verse 29. 'Vhoa thalt 6< only oppreutd, Ac.] Perhaps no people under lbs sun have Men mors oppressed nnd ■pousa than the rebellious Jews. Indeed this bss been their portion with but little intermission for nearly 1300 years. And still iltoy grope al nom-day^ at the blind groptth in darkiu*a~ittey do not ret diaoorar, notwith- ■tanding the effulcence of the U^t whieh they are eneompaMOd. that the rejection of their owQ Bfeasiah is the I of all (beir oalsmiiies.
thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint Avsel/with the o3; for Ihine olive shall caat htsjruit.
41 Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, hof 1 thou shalt not enjoy them; for " tlwy shall go into captivity.
42 All thy trees and fruh of thy bod shall tb« locust "consume.
43 The stranger that ia within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
44 ' He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: * he shall be the head, and thon shalt be the tail.
45 Moreover, 'all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall poraue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkeaedst not unto the voice of the Loan thy God, to keep his commandments and hi> statntea which he commanded thee:
46 And they Aall be upon thee * for a sign and for a woDider, and upon thy seed for ever.
47 ' Because thou servedat not the Lena tt^ God with joyfolness, and with gladness of hewi, "for the abundance of all things;
48 Therefore shalt thou serve thme enemies which the Loan shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he * ahall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, tmtil he have destroyed thee.
49 *The Lord shall bring a nation againat thee from far, from the end of the earth, ' tut tvift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not 'understand;
50 A nation ■ of fierce countenance, ■ which ahall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the young.
51 And he shall >> eat the fruit of thy cattle,' and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which aUo shall not leave thee either com, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocka of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
52 And he shall < besiege thee in all thy gataa, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall badege thee in all tny gates throughout all thy lEuod, whidi the Lord thy Qod hath given thee.
heart imagine any thing more grievous ihsji the eviut tlusateusd 10 this sod the following vecaesi To be on the brink of all social and domestic hoppioess, sod dien to be suddenly deprived of all, and see an enemy possess and enyrf every thing that was dear to them, must excite them to the uttermost pitch of distraction and madnesa. They have, it is true, grievoualy sinned: but, O ye Christians, have they iKit grievously eufiered for it 1 Is not the stroks of God heavy eitough upon themi Do not then by unkind treatment or cruel oppression, increaae their misones. They are, above all others, the men who have aesa aniotion by (he stroke of hia rod. Lam. iii. 1.
Verse 32. TTiy sons and thy daughtera shall be givtn unto anolher p«opIe] In aeveral countries particularly ia a sin aad PortagaL, the children of the Jews have been en from them ny order of government, and educated in the Pspish fitith. There have been some instances of Jewiah c&ldren being taken from their parenta, even ia ProtuUmt eouDtries.
Verae 35. WiSi a wort boAAl ynv SkeAin, an Inflammatory swelling, a burning boil. — See ver. 27.
Verae 36—45. Can any thing be conceived more dread- Ail than the calamities threatened in these verses I
Verse 48. Thtr^ort thaU thou tertt thint enemim} Boeause they woukl not serve Ood, therefore dtey became §^pff to men. Verse 49. A TuUioiv-^Imn far) Probably the Romans. Am Ac eagUJlitth] TIm very animal on all the Roman standards.— The Amuin ea^Ic is proverbial.
Whota tongue thou ^talt not uruier§tand\ The Latin language, thui which none was more fin-eign to the sUw ture ai3 idiom of the Hebrew. Verse 1^ Nebuebsdnensr first, 2 Kings xviiL 9t
. B9 And ' tboa atmlt eat the fralt of thine own • body, the fieah of tby sons and of thy daugb- UtB, which the Lom thy Ood hath given thee, ia the' aieg«, and in the straittiem, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:
S4 So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, ' hie eye shall be erit toward hie brotner, and toward > the wife of hie boiem, «ad toward the remnant of his ctuldren which he shall leave:
53 So that he will not give to am of them of the flesh of his children whom he shw eat: because he hath nothing lefl him in the siege, and in the etraitneBs wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.
50 The tender and delicate itonan among yon, which would not adventure to set the sirie «f her foot upon the grorind far delioateness asd tendernesB, ^ her eyes sfaaiU bo evil toward the ho^and of her bosom, and toward he/ sou, and toward her daoghter,
97 And toward her ■ young ens thxt coiaeth om ^froia between her feet, «tid toward Irtr children which she shall bear: for she shall eat thcnn for want of all thine* secretly in the sji^e and strahness, wberewitfi thine etmny shall distress thee in thy gateei b •
56 K thoa wilt not observe fd do att thewOrds of this taw that are wriuert in this booh, that thou mayest fear > this gloriotts and fearful name, THE LORD THY QODt
69 Then the Loan will mdke thy plagues
wonderful, and thef plagues of thy seed, even gVeat pl^oes, and of long OontiAuatne, and sore aiDknessee, and of lone eontiaiianee.
60 Moreover he will bring opon thee aH ■ the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of j and the? shall cteave unto thee.
41 Also every siclmesa, and every plague, whieh is not written m the book of this raw, them win the Loao "bring upon thee, ontil thoo b« destroyed.
&0. and TVu* next— «A(tU hfUge tlue in. ali Uiygmtml Beset thee round on every aide, and cut a Mneh wouna the^ viz. lines of eircamvatlftiion; aa our Lord predicted, ■ee MMt. xxiv. I, &c and Luke xxi. 5, &c — ail Oiy golf throughout aH thy land; that t;^ all Ay Jenced citiea, which pointe oat that iheir ■ahjuEatioD riumld be eomplete, «v bodi Jenisslein, and all their fortified phtees, riiould be AlwR. tliis was dons Nterally by NebuchadDescsr and the Ronmna.
Terse 66. Ine tender and dtlieale woman\ Thie wa« literally ftiFinied vrhen Jennslem waa bealeged W the Roroana; a woman named Mary, of a noble Ikmily, driven to diatraction by fiunine, boiMB and ate her own child I — See on Lev. zxvi. 29. See a atmllar caae 2 Kings vi. 29-
Tene 67. Ttmard A*r young one — and tovard her dUIdren vhtA the ehail bear] lltere seeme to be s apecies of taidi^gv in the two chusu of this verse, srhich may bs preventea by tmnalatinr (he laat irord, ravfytt akUeyatka, irteraJly her eecondinee, which ia the meaning of the Arabic Jlrti eala, not badly understood by the Scpiua^nt, x'P'" AriK, the chorion, or exterior membrane, which inveala the fa;tua in the womb; and etitl better translated by Imther, Vie Hftvc Btbucttl, the o/i<p-Wrtfc— which Baying of Hoses atrongly marki the deepest distress, where the modier is represented as feeltnzthe moit poignant regret, that her child was broui;ht fbrtfi into sueh a state of sufFering and death: and 2dly, that it was lilrely from the favouraDle circumstancea aj7rr the ftiVA, that theherseff ahnaU survive her inlying. No words can more forcibly depict this miseriea of those il. "adful times. On this ground I see DO absolute need for Kennicott'a criliciim, who, instead otriT^i^ ubcskclei/itah, against her atcondlnca, reOda rtwai ubeehel<A, and the thaU boH, and translates the 66tliand 57th vcraes as followa: "Hie lender and delicate wbman among yon, who would not adventure to set the able of her foot upon the ground, for delicateneas and tenderoeiB, her eye Blmll be evil toward the husband of her tWaom, and toward her ton, and toward her diuighter. 67. And the thall boii that which Cometh out from between i hsi feel, even her ehitdrent which At shall bean for she sbBll eat dwm, for want^d^sll thingf, ■ecxMly.'' Th«w I
69 AiWlya*riMUbelflAfinriniKimbor,whev»* as ye wtte 'aa thn nafs of taaavea fin* moftltode } becttuse thoa wooldest not <dMy iJie voice
63 And it shall come to pass, thai as the Lon ' rejoiced over yon to do you good, and to mtdliply you; sO the Lobd ^ will rejoice over you to destroy yoii, and to briisr you to nought; and ye shall be plucked fVom on' the land whither tho« goest to possess it.
64 And the Lord ■ shall scatter thee aawf^ all people, from the one end of the earth evea onto the other: and 'Oiere thou i^t serw other gods, which neither theu nor thy Athers hare known, even wood and stone.
65 And * among these nations ehelt thou find no ease, neitiier snail the sole of tbjr fbot hav« rest; 'but the Lobd shall.give thee there a trembling heart, and fiiiUng of eyes, and ' sorrow of Mind:
oa Afld thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thoa ahah fear day and night, and shah hacn none aesaranee of thy life:
67 ■ In themonrning thon ttitSt say, Would God it Were even! and at even thon shalt say, WosM God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and ■ for the sight of thine eyes which thou rtialt see.
68 And the Lord ^ shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spate unto tfi«e, «Thou shaft see it do more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and boadwotnen, and no man ehaH bay pm.
THESE are the words of the covo- ^fe^SiSnant, which the Lord commanded
WonK stg* he, being protdtftieal, are AilSlled in 2 Eisga vi. ^ for we read (here, thai two women of Sanaris hsv- ing agned to eat their own children, one waa aetoally botle^ where the very aarae word '>V3 bathot, it UMd. — See tennicott'a Disserts ciona on I Chron. zi. Ac p. 171.
VerseG4. TTie LordakaUteaUer thee amtitg aii yspte] How literally has this been fnllilted! the people of the Jews are scattered over every nation under ncaTen.
Verse 65. Noeate — a trembling heart, and ^aiHtuf^ eyes] The trembling iif heart may refer to their atBK ofeca* tinual intecurUy, being under every IHimI of govemmenl, proscribed, and uiMler the most mild, even uooerlain Of toleration and protection: and the faiting vain and ever-diBappointed expectation oi the Measiab.
Terae 68. And the Lord shall bring thee into Egyfi again] That is, into another state ^ slavery and &Mu^ age, similar to that of Egypt, oat of which they had been lately brought. And there ye diaU be siM, that is, k erpotad to sale, or expose yourselves to sale, as the void Dn-oonri hithmaeartem, may be rendered — they wereva* grants, and wished to become slaves that they migfat he provided with the oeccssBriea of life: arut no atan shall ftuyyou: even the Romans ihoug;ht it a reproach to hava a Jeu> for a slave, they had become so deniiaMe to aH mankind. Whitn Jerusalem was taken by Titu^ manyof the captives which were above seventeen years of age, were sent into the works in Egypt— See Josephn^ Aotiq. b. x'li. c. 1, 2. War, b. vi. c. 9. a. 2; and above »B, ses Bishop Sevton's Dissertations on the f*roph^:it*.
The first verae of the next chapter: in sntne of Ae moat correct Hebi-ew Bibles, makes the 69th of thia. and wjt properly, as the second verse of the following chapter begins a new subject.
TTiia is an astoni^ing chapter: in if, are prophsetesdslivered more than 3,000 years ago, and now ftimlling!
O Ood! how immense in this wisdom! and bow profound thy counsels I To thee alone are known otl d>y works from the beginning to the end. What an imfeagable proof does this chapter, compared with the paat and present state of dw Jewish people, afford, of the truth «>1 Divins origin of the PentateudU!
Moees to make with the children of Israel, in the land of Moab, besides ' the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.
2 1f And Moses caUed unto all Israel, and snid tinto them, * Ye have seen all that the Lobd did before your eyes in the land ofEgypt, unto Pharaoh, ajid unto all hts lervaota, and unto all hie land:
3 'The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:
4 Tet ' the Lobs hath jiot given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to eee, and eara to hear, tioto this day.
5 * And I have led you forty years in the wilderneas: i vour clothes are not waxen old qpon jou, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy Toot.
6 *Te have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye mij^fat know that I am the Loan your God.
7 And when re came unto this place, t Sihon the king of Heenbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them:
8 And we took their land, and ** gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, acn to the Qaditee, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh.
9 ■ Keep therefore the words of tlds eorenant, and do them, that ye 'prosper in bU that ye do.
10 H Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God; your captains of your tribes, yom elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,
11 Your little ones, yonr wives, and thy stranger that ia in thy carap, from p the hewer of (by wood^nto the drawer of thy water:
12 That thou shouldest tenter into covenant with the Lord thy Grod, and ' into his oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day:
Terse 1. 7Vm an the wmir qf eoimant] TioM vane aeeiiM properly Wbelong to tne preceding chapter, at a widely dinereiit aubjeet ii taken up stvene 2 of thia; •ad it IB diatingtttsed u ihe 69th verae in (ome of the moat correct eopiea o( the Hebrew Bible.
CtrmmMdad Mmm to motw] n-u^ liMroA, to cut, ftlludiag to the eorenant aaeriSDe which wse ofierad on the oo- CMioii, and (UvUed^ai is explained aen.zv. 1&
Jffatwae A« eotenmt wlUeA he modern HbreftJ What ti raentiooed here ia an additkmal inatitution to the (m 'vord^given on Horeb; and Ae carsee denounced here, mn ditnrent from thoae denounced against the tnugreMOn of the deoalocue.
Yom 4. Ttu Lord hoik not givm ymt a heart, (fee] Some critics read thia Tcrae inierrogattTelr.—And hath not Ood given you a heart Ac? Becauae they suppoae that Ood eouM not rsprebend them for the non-performauee of a duty, of which ne neidier gave theu a nuod to conceive the oblivion, nor strength to hlfill it, bad the obHgaiioD been known. Though tnia ia atrietty juat, yet diere ia no need for the intemM^on, (w the word* only imply that ttqr had not mA a koarl, Ac. not beeauae God had not ^vea ibem all the means of knowledge, and helps of his giaeeand Spirit, which were noeesaaiy i but they had not nHHfcafciilihl useof their advaatMes, and UierefiMe dt^ had not that wise, lovioc, and obedient heart, which Utey otherwise might have had. If they bad had auch a heart, it would have been Qod's gift, for he is the author of all good; and that they hod not each a heart waa a proof that mn bad grieved his Spirit, and abased the grace idiich he had offered them to proauoe thoieracioua change, the want of wfatdi ia here deplored, nenes Ood himself ia represented as grieveiL beoauae they were unchanged and diaobedient; O that there were auch a heart in them, thai they would Ctar me and keep all my oommondmenta alwaya, tlmt it might be well with tbam and with their ebtldreo for ever I— See chap, v. 29. and the note (here. Ver.6. FoureMAatarenoliMJMnoU]8eeoQchap.viii.4. Verse 6. Ti have not eaten bread, dbcj Thai iaj ye ham not been supported in an onlinaiy providential wayi I hav» bean ooniinaaliy working miracfaa far you— fftaf ye
13 That he may • establish thee to-day ftw a people unto himself and that he may be unto thee a God, ' as he hath said onto chee, and " aa he bath Bworn unto thy fathers, to Abralum, to leaac, and to Jacob.
14 Neither with you only ' do 1 make this covenant and this oath:
15 But with him that standeth here with tu this day before the Lono our God, • and also wiOi him that U not here with us this day:
16 (For ye know how ye have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nationa whicn ye passed by;
17 And ye have seen their abominations, and their "idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which vere amons them:)
18 Lest there should he among you man. ot woman, or family, or tribe, ^ whose heart lorneth away this day from the Loan our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; * lest there should be among you a root that bearetb '
- 19 And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of thi^ curse, that he bless himself in his heart, suing, I Rhall have peace, though I walk ■ in the ' imaginaiyu of mine heart, ■ to add ^ drunkenness la tmrst:
20 ' The Lord will not spare him, but then ^ the anger of the Lord and > his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and ail the curses that are written in this book shall Ue up<» bim, and the Loan ■'shall blot out bis name fbom under heaven.
21 And the Lord ■ shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the eorenant that ■ are wruten in thia book of the law.
22 So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up ader you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall
mMU know Aat I am the Lord. — Thus we find, that Om had fumidied them with all the nteana of this knowledge; and that the means were ineffectual, not bectuisf they were not properly ealcubied to answer Qod'a j^ucious purpoae, but becauae the people were not workera with God 1 consequently they reoeived the graoe of OodtnTaio. — Sea 2 Cor. vi. 1.
VerselO. Y$otand— all ^ yen b^fi/nOu Lord\ Ubij ware about to eiuar into a oorenaot with Ood j and as a covenant implies two parties emtraeUng, Ood ia represented aa being present t and they and oil Awir fimiliitu old and young, come before him.
And into hie ealk] "nius we find, that ia a eovensM wars dMseseMnpwtioalars. 1. parties about to egn> traet, were considered as being hitherto eepamted. t. They now agree to enter into a atate oi ebm and perwuH nent amity. 8. I^iey meet together in a solemn manner for thia purpoae. 4. A taer^ee ia offered to Ood on Iba oceaaion, for the whole ia a religioua aou B. TTie vietim is separated exa<^ly into two t^uat parte, the sepaimtiaa being in tbedireetionof the efine, and these parts are bid ei^iMits to each other, suffiocnt room being allowad for be oooitaotitig parties to pass between them. 6. Tbeeootraeting parties meet In the victim, and the conditions of the covenant by which they an to be mutually bound, are recited. 7. An oath ia tmon by these partiea, that tbay aball punctually and &ithfiilly perform their re^MStiva eondiaona, and thus the covenant is mode and ratified. — See Jar. xzxit. 18, 19. and see the notes on Geo. vi. 1& rv. 19. Exod. xzix. 4ft. Lev. xxvi.
Terse IS. Him-Aat etandelhhere] ORw present nn»* ratioiL Km IfuU it not here, all fiiiure generatioDB w this
Verse 18. AroatAatbtardhfnUandwirmwoo^T^ ia, aa the apoatle expreaeee it, Heb. iii. 12. An, evil heart qfunbeli^fdeparHnq/roM the Uving God i fiirtodtta njaoe he eridendy rttfers. It may also oigufy /oisa lis^ trbiee, at idoMmte vereom among tbemaelvea.
23 And that the whole land thereof is brimstone " and saJt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, i* like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, wtiich the Lobd overthrew in his aoi^er, in his wrath:
24 Even alt nations shall say, « Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this land? what meanetk the heat of this great anger?
25 Then men shall say. Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fethers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:
26yor they went and served" other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, ajid whom he had not ' given unto them:
S7 And the anger of the Lobd was kindled against this land, < to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book:
28 And the Lord ■ rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is
29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our Gtod: but those things which are revealed belong unto us, and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
thtidta pnoln ut ^na W Ite pnitBi), 1-^ Thi Lafl vill dnamclH (hwr hwn, aid pvt ■]] timtt gui— mi Ibfllr cnflnJs if tbiy hmkcn lo bit loue, fend ^^^^^......
thee, the blessing and the curse, whtdi I have •et before thee, and 'thou shalt call them to mind, Eunong ail the natims, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee.
Versa 26. Oodt—vhom he had Tioi ^iwn unto lhtm\ l^a it an unhappy tranaladon. Houbiganl rendera the original words dt^ [^n I'j^ velo duiek uhem, et auibuaeum nuUa tit mxieiaa t " And with whom liiey had no society," and &IIb unmercifully on Le CUre. becauBC he bad trKiulaCed it,Jhm w/um they fuidreeeivta no benefits. 1 must differ from both these great men, beeauae I think they difibr from the lex^ ph" ehcUk, sigiiifisa a fwrfwn, lot, inheritance, and Ood is frequently rHtreeenlad in Scripture aa the portion or inheritance of hie people. Here, therefore, I think the original should be rendered, And there mu no portion to them; that is, the gods they served could neither supply their wants nor save their SMili; thw were no portion.
Verae The eteret thii^ belong unto the Lard, &c.] This vcrae has been variously translated. Houbigaiit renders it thus: Qiue apud DonUnum noetrvm aSeeondita mnt, nobie ea fliiaque noetrie ptUam facta ntnt ad muUaa ataiet — " The things which were hidden with the Lord our Ood, are made maiiifeat to ua and our obildren for many f^neratioua." I am not aatisfied with this interpretation; and find that the passage was not so understood by any of the ancient veraone. The simple genera] meanins seems to be thia — " What God has thought proper to reveal, he has revealed: what he has revealed ia essential to the well-being of man; and this revelation is intended not for the ■praent time merely, nor for one people, but for all succeeding generations. The things woich ne has not revealed, concern not man, but Ood alone; and are therefore not to be inquired after." That, then, the tkinge that are hidden, belong unto the Lord; those that are revealed, belong unto ua and oxtr children. But possiUy the words hen refer to the subjects of these chapters, as if he had said, "Apostacy from Gtod and his truth is possible. When a national apostacy among us may take place, is known only to Qoa; but he has revealed hiroaalf to us and our children, that we n>ay do all the words of this law, and so prevent the dreadful evila that shall &11 on the dtsobedient" The Jews have atwi^s conridand Owe vmsbs h oaabuoiMr snbiaeta of ifae
2 And ehalt ' return onto the Lord thy God,
and shalt obey his voice, according to all thaJt i command thee thie day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
3 > That then the Lord th^ God will turn thy captivity, and have compaBsion upon thee, and wfll return and 'gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lobd thy God hath scattered thee.
4 If any of thine be driven out unto the utmostpartg of heaven, from thence will the Lobd thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
5 And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possesaeQ^and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee ffood, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
6 • And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy eoul, that thou mayest live.
7 And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.
8 And thou shall return and obevthe voice of the Lord, and do all his comm^ndmentB which I command thee this day.
9 And the Lord thv God will make thee
fdenteous in every work of thine band, in the ruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fVuit of thy land, for good: for Ute Lord will again ' rejoice over thee for good, aa he rejoiced over thy fathers:
10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice ofdw Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes, which are written in, this book of the law, ana if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
11 1[ For this oommandment which I eommand thee this day, ' it u not hidden from thee, neither i» it far on.
iiiuVi ^iVIonutifebon^u, "to m and to ow ornvBsm" in order to fix the attenuon of. the Reader on tntiha whin aSect them individually, and not theia only, but the wfarit
NOTES ON CHAPTER XXX. Terse 1. When aU Aese thit^e an come vpan thee, the bleating and the curse] So fnl^ did Ood foresee the bad use these people would make m their free-aMncy, in re- BiBting the Holy Ghoet, that he speaka of their sin and punishment as certain; yet, at the same time, shows bow they might turn to himself ajid live, even while he w pouring out his indignation opon them because of ibeir trangressiona.
Verse 3. Gather thee from all the nationa] Thim nnM refer to a more extensive captivi^ than that vfcuch ih^ suffered in Bahylon.
VerseS. Will bring thee into the lancfi As this promise refers to a return from a captivity in which they biid been scattered amon^ all nations, consequently it is noc tfas Babylonish captivity which ia intended; and the i aion of their land must be different from that which ' consequent on tiwir return firom Chaldea.
Verse 6. God will circumcise thine hearty 111 is proaiin remains yet to be fulfilled. Their heart, as a pec^de, has never yet been circumcised; nor have the vsrioua prtnoises in this chapter been ever yet fulfilled. There rewiaimei^ dierefore, a rent for this people of God. Nt>w, at tbe Lata, properly speaking, made no provision for the nmmciaioA of ine heart, which implies the remieium suis, and purification of the soul from all uorighteonsneaa; and as circumcision itself was only a sign of apiritual good, oo*- seouently the promise here refers to tbe daya of the He^ aiah; and to this all the propheta and all the apoMln witneas; for circumcision ia tliai of tbe heart, by tbe SfRrii^ and not in the letter, Rom. ii. 29. and.the genuine folknrcn of Ood are eireumciaed with the circumcisioo made istfkoxtX hands — by tbe circumcision of Christ, Colon, ii. II, 12. Hence wa ate, these promises cannot be fulfilled to At Jew% but in tbeir embnsios the Goa^l of Quiet, n
12 " It i9 not in heaven, that thou shouMest aay, Who shall eo up for ua to heaven, and bring it unto that we may hear it, and -do it?
13 Neither in it beyond the sea, that thou ■houldest Bay, Who ehalt go over the sea for oaj and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do ii?
14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heau-t, that thou mayest do it.
16 In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes, and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Loan thy God ahall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but ahalf be drawn away, and worahip other gods, and serve them:
18 ' 1 denounce unto you this day, that ye diali surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong yottr days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
19 ' I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, tk(U ' 1 have set before you life and death, Wessin" and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
SO That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he « thy 'life, and the leugth of ' thy days; that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
look, therefore, for ilieir restoration, is idle and Augatoiy, while their obstinacy and unbelief remain.
Verse 11. 7%ia commandment — ig not hidden^ Not too wmderfid or difScult for thee to comprehend or perform, M the word nMVn nipUethy implies, — neilher u ii Jkr 0^ t the vord or daetnne of nlvUlon shall be proelaimed in yonr ava land; for hi is to be bom in Bethlehem of Judah, who ta to feed and »ae« Jtraet — and the Pkofret who la to teach them, is to be raised up from among their brethrm.
Yerae 12. // is not in heaven] Shall not be communi- Mted ID that way in vhichthe prophets received the Kving ' oracles, but the woip shall m made JUsh, and dv>m among you.
Verse 13. yAAm- a it beyond 0u mo] Ys diall not be oblifi|ed to travel for i! to distant natiom^ h&eaumaalaation i* of the Jmw».
Verse 14. But ths word is very nigh unto thee] The doetrioe of salmion preached by the apostles — in thy mouth — the promises of lederaption made by the prophets, fomiiag a, part of ATery Jew's creed,— ~£n thy hiart — the power to belien with the heart unto ririiteoasiwM, that the tongue may make confession unto salntioii. la this way It IS evident St. Paul undentood these passages. See Rom. X. 6, Ac. Verve 16. lAfeandgood] Present and ftiture blessings. Death and eDi{\ Present and future miseries, termed, ver. 19. I^e and death, Uening and ournng. And why wmOwwsef btfore themt 1. That they might comprtkend their imporL 2. That they might Jed ibeir importance. 3. "nuM they might cAoose life, and the path of faeKcTin^, loving obedience that led to it. 4. That thciy and their posterity, Uiua choosing life, and refiising evil, might be the favourite* of God in time and eternity.
Worn diere no suoh thiiw ufree will in man, who could raeoDcile these sayings other with sincerity or common seasa! Ood has aide the hmaan wiliyi-st^ and there is no power or influence, either in heaven, earth, or hell, on this aide the power of God, that can deprive it of ita./rss voUtiont I of its power to leUt and niit, to choote and rsAiM, to act or not act—m force it to sin against God. Hence man is accountable for his actions, because they are Aii — were he neceasiiaied by fiua, or aovereign conainint, they ooDld not be Am. Henoe he is rewardable — hence he is punishable. Ood, in bis creation, wiUerf that the hmum ersoftifw aAonU bs^v^ and he formed bis soul soDonUnglT; and the Law and GomsL die and preeept, the o»*
Mon UIbS MK bankid ud twRttr jmi iM hJiImiiI hi Jti mHi Ijii J.i>hi|> IKher'uH eihnrti lb«D to oourn^ iLtfl iftwibnB*, I— O- tMIr^ w Atrmm Jfnliua, T, S. Drill
AND Moses went and spake these * words unto all Israel. ■
2 And he said unto them, I * am an hundred and twenty years old this day: I can no more ^ go out and come in: also the Lobd hath said unto me, • Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
3 The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them* aTid Joshua, he 6hall go over before thee, * as the Lord hath said.
4 ' And the Lord shall do unto them « as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites; and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.
5 And the Lord shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.
6 I Be strong and of a good courage, ^ fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thr- Qod, ■ he it is that doth go with thee; " he wiUnot fail thee, nor forsake thee.
7 f And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, ■ Be strone and of a good couraee: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath
constructed on this ground: tliat is, tliey all necessarily suppose the freedom of ihe human will: nor could it be irii/if it were notyree; because the principle of yreectem or liberty is neceS«rily implied in the idea of. volUioH.— See on chap, v, 29.
Vetse 20. TTiat thou mayest love the Lord] Without lovefhen can be no obedience.
And — cleave unto him] Without elate atlachmeni end p9r»eoeran«<, temporaiy tove, however sincere end ferveaL temporary obedience, however disinterested, energetic, ana pure, while it lasts, will be ultimately ineffectual. — Ha alone, who aiduret to the end, ahali oe saved. Reader, how do matters stand between Ood and thy soul t He cannot persevere in the grace of God, whose soul ia not yet mode a partaker of th&l ^race. Many talk strenuously on the impossibility, of falling from grace, who have not yei tasted tliat the Lord is mcious. How absurd to talk and dispute abaot the infiwbili^ of arriving safely at the end of a way, m which a man has never yet taken one hearty step t It is never among those that nave the gntea <^ Ood, but amonj those that dstb il not, that we md an overweening contidence.
NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXL Verse 2. /am an hundred and twenty yearo i^d] His life of Moses, the great prophet of Ood, and lawgiver of the Jews, was exactly the same in length, aa the time Noah employed in preaching righteousness to the antediluvian world. Tliese one hundred and twenty years were divided into three remarkable periods. Fwty years he lived in Egyptj in Pharaoh's court, actjuiring alt the learning ana wisdom of the E^ptians, see Acts vii. 20. 23. FMy yean he sc^ourned m the land of JUidian in a slate of preparation for his great and important mia■ioI^ Acts vii. 29, SO. and forty year* ho guided, led, and governed the braelitea under the express direction and aathority of Ood. In all, on« hundred and ftrenfy ysor*.
Verse 3. JbsAua he thaii go oeer before thee] See on Numb, zxvii. 17, &c
Verse 6. Be ttrons'] ipin chixeht, the MuAe word that is used Exod. iv. 21. ix. 15. for hardening Pharaoh's heart See the notes there. The Septuagini, in diis and the folknring ver«e, have "« «Te»«, play At mon,
•worn unto their fethere to ^ive them; and thou idi^t cause Uietn to inherit it.
8 And the Loan, ' he it tt that doth so before thee: ' he will be with Uiee,.he will not fail Uiee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
' 9 If And Moses wrote this law, '' and delivered it unto the prieats, the sons of Levi, ■ which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Xtnto all the elders of Israel.
10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the Bolemnity (MT the t year of release, ■ in the feast of taber^ nacles,
11 When all Israel ta come to ' appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, *tbou ehalt read this l^w before 1^ Israel in their hearing.
12 ' Grather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy etranger that ia wttliin thy gates, that tliey may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and crfuerve to do all the worde of this law:
13 And thca their children, » which have not known any thin^ * may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
14 IF And the Lord said unto Moses, ■ Bebold, thy approach that thou must die: call Joshua anf present yourselves in the tabernacle of me congregation, that '> I may give him a oluLrge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presepted themselves in the tabernacle of the confregation.
15 And ' the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: aim the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.
mrtfit^ttSt. KpartncOt. Stand finn -in the butb; play the Bisii, set like heroes; be vigorous.
Be wtH t« wttft (Ae«] Accompany thee in jownqw; and WHit thee in all tby anterpriaes.
Jte wiU tuafail thet] l^y expectation, bowerer (trong and exianaive, ahall never be dtaqipointed — tbon canat not expect too much from him.
KeUh»rfortakt t)ui[ He knowa that without him thou eanat do notfainft and thereforehe will continue with thee, and HI such a manner too, that the excalleaee of the power •hall appear to be of Ahn, and not of man.
Verae 9. Aftaa* wrafe Aia late] Not the wbele Pentaleueh, but either the djaoouraaa and pracepta mentioned in the preceding chaplerst or the brat « Sautevnomy, iritich ia mort likely.
Some of the rabnna have pretended that Moaea wrote Airtten oopiea of the whole Pentateuch j that be gave one loaaoh of me twelve tribea, and the thirteenth waa laid up
Sths ark. Tbis (minion deaervea litde credit Some ink that be wrote neo copiea; one of which he gave to dtejtrieata and Levite^ for general uae, according to what ia nid in thia veras; the other to be laid up betide the ark, aa a atandard copy for reference; and to be a witneu against the people, should they break it, or become idolatroua. This second copy ia suppoaed to be intended, ver. 2fl. jU (be law waa properly a covenant or contract between God and the pe<»le, it ia natural to eappoee ^t dure were two ooptea of it, that each of the coulracting partiea mi^t have one: therefive one was laid up beei<i^ the arkt this waa the Lord's copy; ansiber waa g^iven to theprieaUand Levites; thia waa the people's copy:
Verae 10 and W. At tht md nfwtrywevm year*— ttou Mi raad A*» lau)] EveryeeveniAyMr wasayear of re- Uam, DeuL xv. 1. at which time the pet^Ie'a minda being tinder n peeultar degree of solemnity, were better disposed to hear and profit by the words ot God. I suppose on thia ground also, that the whole book of Deuteronomy ia meant, aa it alone contaioa an Mtitome of the whole Pentateuch. And in thia way eoma of the dtiaf iewiah rabtHna luder- •tand thia place. It is atnue diat lUa Bomwnndmant, relative to a mJtUc
16 ^ And the Lobd said unto Moses, BehaU, thou shalt ^ sleep with thy fathers; and this people will * rise up, and 'go a whorine after the gods of the strangers of the bad, whither they go to be among them; and will ■ forsake me, aai * break my covenant which I have made with ihem.
17 Then my anger shall be Undfed against them in that d!ay, and 1 1 will forsake tbera, awl I will ^ hide my face from them, and they «hall be devourei^, and many evils ana troubles shall 1 be< thein; so that they will say in that day, ■"Are not these evSs come upon us, because our God it " not among us 1
13 And ° I will surety hide my face in that day, for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto-otber gods.
19 Now therefore write ye tbis sodi^ for rou, cmd teEwh it the children <^ Isra^; put it in their mouths, that this song may be 'a vimeM (or me agamst the children of Israel.
20 For when I shall have brought them iota the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; ■ then wfll they turn tmto other sods, and serve them, ttnd provoke me, snd breu eo' venant.
31 And it E^all come to pass 'when many evib and troubles are be&Uen them, that this
song shall testify ' against them aa a witness.; for it shall nut be Ibrgotten out <^ the mouths of their seed; for 'iknow their imaginatioa " which * they^o about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.
22 Moees therefore wrote this aong the sasnt day, and taught it the children of Israel.
mentioned Joshua viii. 31). at which time thia public reading first took place, till the reign of j€hothajAat, 2 Chraa. xvii. 7. there waa any public aeventh year icai^n^ a period of B30 years. The next aeventh year readiiw wea not till the eighteenth year at iba reign <aJo*uik, 2 Chraa. xxiv. 30. » apace of tw Kundrtd and ei^y-two ycara. Nor do we mid an; other publicly meotwaed from ihia time, till the return from the- Babyloniah captivity^ NeK viiL 2. Nor ia there any other on record from thait tuna to the deatniction of Jerusalem.— See Dodd.
Verse 16. Bthold thou tiiaU aUtp viik tityfoAm] 33» shoeeb, thou thalt lU down, it aignifiea to rett, take rest in sleep, and metaphorically to die. JIuch stress camxit be safely laid on this expressiw, to prove the immortality of the soul, or that the people, in me time of Bloses hwl a distinct notion of ita aepante exialence. It was, however, underatood in thia aenae W Jonatttu ben Uiziel, who ia his Targum, paraphtaaea the word thua; " Tbax dialt ha down in the dust with thy tehera; and thy aosl niahmotoc) shall be laid up in the treawuy of the lile is come, wiih thy fBlbers."
Verae IS. / will turely hide vwjae*] Withdraw my approbation and my protection. "This w a guteral ncaaing of the word in Scripture.
Verse 19. WriU yclhia mmg] The aong which fallows in the next ch^Her. Thioga which wtn of grestinportaoce and of eemmon ooqeern were, among the nnrirwa. put into verae, as this waa found the bftt method of kc^ ing them io remembrance; especial^ in ihoae limea, whsa vnriting was little practised. Even prose waa sometimaa mug. The history of Herodouia was divided inta tkm book; and eaeh inaeribed with ibe name of one ef-tfar mc JIAieee, beeauae theaa books were anciently aui^. HMaar is reported to have aimg his soem* dinugfa diffmai Gnek cities, Aristotle obaervea, tbat anciently, the paopte sons their lows. And Cieero obaerres^ that it was a aostora among the ancient Romans to sing ibe praises of their be: roes at the public leativalsb This waa the case smoaw ibe northern innabitaatsof Europe, particularly in IrrlasiianJ Scotland; heooe the Qaelic poetry of Oasian and oAass. — See Doddi and see the sow on Excd. xv. I. wfaare sufawMt is largdytrasted.
Varaa 31. T&mAeUt«t^ag^ntiaum\ in It, tbeir nnenl denetion is sredieiBd, bat in sttdh ft T. «sierito«aMnhevio«nidaM«ya— MtdifdMy dMnsi
53 If r Aod he gave Joshua, the ion of Nun, a charge, and Baid, * Be stroiiff and of a good oouraKe; for thou shalt bring tne children of Ibrael into the land which I aware unto them i and I will be with thee.
54 K And it came to pass, when Moeea had made an end of ■ wriiin;? the words of this law in a book, until they were 6niahed,
25 That Moses commanded the Levitea, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Load, aay ia":.
26 Take this book of the la«r, *> aod put it m the aide of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your Ood, that it iDaj be there < for a witness affainat thee.
Z7 ''For [ know thy rebellion, and thy •stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, TB have been rebellious acaiost the Lohd; and how much more after my death t
S8 Gather unto me alt the elders of vour tribes, and your officers, that I may speak tnese words in their ears, '' and call heaven and earth to record againat them.
29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly ' corrupt youraelves, and turn aside fVom
avoid the avil, and the threUened puaishmeat abould come iu>on thfim, dten the toag should Uatify agaioit tham, by •nowioff ttut they had hooi aufficiently waroed, and migbt have lived lo Ood, and eo eacaped those diaastera.
Terse 26. Tak» t!ii» book -qf the lav) The itandard CO|7lowbieh all tnuueripts mutt ultimately refer: another copy was put iDto die hands of (h« priaeu. — See the note on ver. 9.
Verse 27. WkHe I am ytt alive — ye have bem rebtllioiw] Such was the di^xwiiion of this people to act contrary lo inosil goodnees, that Moses felt himself justified in iDferriag vhat would lake place from what bad already
NiVBB waa a people more fully and faithfully warned; and from this very circumstanc« we may see, that they were onder no JaUil constraining neceasity to commit sin against Ood — tbey might have avoided it, but they teould not. Ood was present to help them, till, by their repeated proTooati<HiB they forced him to depart: wrath therefore came upon them to the uttermost, because tbey ainned, wbeu they might have lived to the glory of Qoa. Utoee who abuse Qod'i grace, shall not ooly have (hat grace taken awayfrom them, but shall be puiu^uHl for the o&um of it, as well as fbf the tratitgreatimi. Every sin is dmbU, aod must have a Ivf/Ua puaiahmenti — 1. Grace is reaiatedt and 2. tranBgreanoa ennmitted i and God will visit for both.
2. How BstontBhiog it ia, that with nudi exanptea of Ood's justice before their vytM, the Jem should be so little effected; and that the Qmtiiea, who have received the Oo^l of Ood, should act as if God would no more puniah tranagrnsion g or (hat he must be so partial to them, aa to pasat^.inifiuiliea, for which the hand of his justice •till continues heavy i^on the deaeendanti of Jacob 1 Let them take heed, for if Ood spared not the natural branches, he will not spare diem. It they sin after the manner of ths Jnem, they may expect to tie partakers with diem in dtair puniahinentB. What Ood does to nattaiiM, he will do to individuals, who reject his mercy, or trample under Jbot hie grace; the Moui that nnneth, and returns not to Ood br repentance and faith, ehalt die. Tliie ia a decree of Ood that shall never be reversed t and every day beaia witness how' strietly he kaeps it in view.
X The ode composed by Hoses for this occasion, was, probably, set to some lively and afTeeting air, and eung by ihe people. It wmild be much easier to keep such a teng in remembrance, dum an equal quantity of^ pnee. Hie vlwle would have the additional circumstances of cadence aad ftou to eaoae it lo be often repealed) aod thua ensure its being kept in memory. Poetry, though nflen. nay jwuroiqr arniaed, iaj tievertheless, a giftfiom Qod, and Dwj bs an^lmd with the best afltet'in hiB Bervica. kvBiy eoDsiderable part of the Old Testament ia written in peiii J); particularly die whole book of Ptalne, great part of the prophet ttaiak, the LamerUaium*, and much of the miner prophet*, "nioae who speak against poetic eompoaiiions in the oervice of Ood, speak against what tfi^ do not understand. AU (h&t a man bau.sbould be wwaiMiil to his. Kakar, aad cnpbmd iithia aervtea: not only Iba aasrgy of his heart and m<nd, tfaa phyital the way which I have commanded youi aad '> evil will befall you i ia the latter t^ys; becausa ye will do evil io the sight of the Loab, to pro* voke him to anger through the work of your hands.
30 And Moses spake in the ears of all the con
3 My doctrines shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, ' as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers uptHS the c^ss.
3 Because I will publish the name of the Loan: ' ascribe ye greatness imto our GoA.
NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXII. Terae 1. On the inimitable excellence of thit ode, much has been written by commentators, critics, and poets; and it ia allowed by the heat judges to oontaio a specimen of almoat every species of excellence in composition. It is so dusroughly poetie, that even the dull Jews themselvea found they could not write it in the proee form i and henea it is disbnguished as poetry in every Hebrew Bible, by being written in its own hemistichs or dnon half line^ which is the general form of the Hebrew poetry t Biq were it traiislaied in the same way, it would be more easily understood. Tlie sung iiaelf hu suffered bodi by tran* ■cribers and translaiors-rlhe former having mistaken soma letters in different places, and made wrong comUnaiiona of them in others. As to the translators, most of them have followed their own fancy from good Mr. Aiosworlh, who ruined it by the most inanimate- rhyming veraion, to certain later poet^ who have eaat it unhallowedly into aa European mould. See. the observations at the end of Iha cfaaMer.
Give ear, O yt htavene\ Let angala and men hear; and let this testimony of Ood be rtgiatsred both in heaven and earth. Heaven and earth are appealed to as permaaeiU witnessea.
Verse 2. My docfrtnc] wpS I^Akedti, from np^ /a/aacA, to take, carry away — to attract, or gain ottr the heart hy eloquence or persuasive speech. Hence the Septuagint traaalate the word arofby^a, an apophthegm, a sententious aod weighty saying, tor the regulation of the moral conducL Sucti, properly, are the sayings in this inimitable ode.
Shall drop ae the rain} It shall come drop by drop as the shower, Deginniiu; slowly and distinetly, but incraasing more and more, till the plenituda of rightemianess is poured down, and the whole canon of DiviiM Revelation completed.
J^fy *7xaA ahaU dietil ae the dae] 'n^OK Imrati, mv familiar, friendly, and affectionate apeecheo, shall demand gently and softly on the ear and the heart, as the dew, moistening and refreshing all around. In hot regioni^ dew is oflao a substitute for rein — ^without it, there could be no fertiUtjr in thoee plaoeB, enaeially where rain seldom hlla. And in such places only, oao the meM^iOT here used, be felt in its perfactton. Homsr uses a aimihr figure | when neaking m the eloqueoee of UlyasB^ he says^ IL r. v«r. 231.
On the manner in which de» is produced, philosophers ate not yet agreed. It waa long supposed to deeeend, and to differ only from ratn, as lea trom more; but the ex periments M a Frend>' chymiat aeemed to prove, that dew oseenjiied in liirbt thin vapours, aod that mealing with a
Ieolder rc^on of the air, it baeamB oondwiBBd, and Ml down upon the earth. Odter r«oent enerimeni% ihoa|^ tbey have not aatmly bmlidued tha farmer, have raa-
A He is * the Rock, ' hia work is perfect: Tor < all his ways are judgment: ^ a Grod of truth, and iwithout initjuity, just and right is he.
5 k They > have corrupted themsetvea, " their spot is not the spot of his children; they are a B perverse and crooked ifeneration.
6 Do ye thus " requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not he c thy father thai nath ' bought thee 1 hath be not ■ made thee, and estabhshed thee?
7 It Remember the daj's of old, consider the years of 'many generations: "ask thy father,
dered the doctrioe of the ascent «f dew doublful. Tliough we know nothing certain as to the manner of it« production, yet we know that the thing exists; and ihat it is enaeniially UMfiil. So much we know of the sayinKa of our God, and tlte bleased effects produced by them: God hath •p6ken, and the enteriiw in of hit wonla givea light and life. — See the notes on Gen. ii. ver. 6.
At ike tmaii rain] a-yyvs keaiirimy from -^yv «Aar, to be rough, or tempenluous. Sweeping (bowen^ Boeompanied with a stroag gale of wind.
And at the sAouMr*] D'3'3i Rebibim, from rofio^ to imtlliply, to tTiereate ^ea//y— shower after shower: or Tslher a continual ram, whose drops are multiplied btmnd calculation, upon the earth. Alluding perhaps to the rainy atatons in the Eatt i or to dtose early and latter rain», to esaeatinlly neeeasary for the vegetation and perfection of the grain.
No doubt these various expresaions point out that great variety in the Word or Revelation of God, whereby it ia cuiled to every place, oeeanon, person, and ttale; being "profitable for doctrine, reproof, and edification in Hghteousttess." Hence the apostle says, that God, at sundry timet and in divers manners, apalce in lime pott unto the fathers by the jH-ouhets; and in these last limes has spoken unto us by hts Son: Heb. i. 1, 2. By every vrophet, wangetUt, and aposlle, God speaks a particular language— ^1 is his doctrine, his ^reat vystem, of instruction, n>r we information and salvaiiOn- of (he souls of men — but some portions are tike the aweptng Aawera, in which the tempest nf dtotTa wrath appears against siimers. Others are like the incessant thowert of gentle rain, preparing the soil for the germination of the grain: and eausmg it to take root. And others siill are like the dex, mildly and gently insinuating coniHctions, persuasions, reproof and consolations. The preacher of righteousness, who wishes to handle this word profioibly, must attend closely to those distinctions, thai he may rightly divide the word at truth; and give eadi of his hearers nit portion of the bread of life in due season.
Verse 4. H« is t/u Rock] The word Sn ttur, is rendered creator by some eminent critics; and tjiJb' Afto/yA", is die reading in Ihe Arabic version. Rab. Moses ben Maymon, in his valuable work, Moreh Neboehim, observes, that the word ft taur, which is ordinarily translated rock, wgnifies origin, /btt7ilain,Jtrat catue, &c. and in this way it should be translated here: " He is the first principle, his work it perfect." Aa he is the cause of all things, he must be infinitely perfect.; and consequently all his works must be peifeet in iheir respective kinds. As is the cause, so must the effect be. Some think the word rock gives a very good sense: for, as in those lands, rocks were the ordinary places of defence and aeairity, (Sod may be metaphorically represented thus, to signify bis prolemon of his Ibllowers. jfprefer tlie opinion of Maimonides.
Verse 5. "Vkeir apot it not the spot of hi* cAfMrm] Tliis verse is variouaJy translated and varioutlr understood. Thetfare corrupted, nothia, diildrenqf pollution. KemjiicOTT. lyuy are corrupt, they are not ku children; they are blotted. HovBtaANT. This is according to the Samaritan, The interpretation commonly given to these wo^d^ is aa unfounded aa it it ezceptionable. "God's ehildren have their apott, i. e. their tins'; but tin in them is not like sin in others; in others tin ia exceeding^ sinful: but God does not see thcsins of his children as he sees the siiM of hiH enemies," Ac. Unfortnnacely for this bad doctrine, there is no foundation for it in the sacred text, which though very obseure, may be thus translated: He [Israel) haih corrupted himae{f.-~-'T1uy{\ivb Israelites) arenothia thUdren: ney are apatted. Coverdale renders die whole ■ataage thus: "The trowsrd, and overthwart genenttion, nave marred themselves to bimward; and are not hie children became of dieir deformity." Thie ia the souse of the vane. Let it be obeer^^tbat the ward ^ot, wfaioh ia