8 When the Most High 'divided to the nar tions their inheritance, when he ■ separated the sons of Adam, he set the hounds of the people according to the number of the oliildren of Israel
9 For ■ the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the r lot nf his mheritance.
10 He found him ■ in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he * led him aboat, he ■> instructed hihi, he ' kept him as tbe ap^ of his eye.
repeated in our tnmslation, is but once in the original; and ihe marginal reading is greatly to be preferred. — He hath eorrujtltd to himaaf, thai IKey are not hi*'diitdre»; that it their blot. And because they had tbe blot <^ sin on them, because they were apolted with iniquity, and marked idolaters, therefore God renounces them. Then may be here an allusion to the marka which the wonhip-
Krs of particular idols had on difTereot parta of their dies, especially on Iheir foreheada — and as idolatry is the crime with which they are here charged, the mot or mark mentioned, may refer to the morA; or stigma of their idol. The different sects of idolaters in the East, are distinguished by their sectarian marka, the stigma of their respective idols. Iliete sectarian marka, partieularly oa the forehead, amount to nearly one hniidred among the Hindoos and especially among the two sects, the worshippers of Seera, and the worshippers of FtsAnoo. In many cases these marks are renewecl deiUyt for ihey account it irreligious to perform any sacred rite to their god, vithmA his mark on tne forehead; the marks are generally Aor*- zonial and perpem^tcu/ar lines, crescents, circles, leaves, eyes, &c. in red. black, white, and yelUno. Hiis very custom is referred to in Rev. xx. 4. where the beael gives hia mark to hie foltowere — and it is very likely that Moaee refers to sUch a custom among the idolatrous of 'hia own day. This removes all the difficulty of the text. God's childroi have no si'n/u/ spots, because Christ saves them ^rom ttieir sins, and their m«tto or fnant is, HoUntaa to the Lord.
Terse 8. When Ihe Moat High divided to the tuUimu, &c.] Verses 8 and!^ teys Dr. Kennicoa, give ue exprett authoriiy for believing, that the earth was early divided ni consequence of a divine command; and probably by lof i see I Acts xvii. 26. and as Africa it called the land of Ham, Psa. Ixxviii. 61. cv. 23, 27. cvi. 22. probably that country fell to him and to his descendants, at the tame time that Europe fell to Japhet, and Asia to Stem, with a narticDlar reserve of Palestine to be the Lor^s portion^ iatmime one pecniiar people. And this aeparation of mankind intB tbrefe bodiet, ealied the general mtgration, was commanded to Noah, and by him to his sons — so as to lake place in the days of Peleg, about two hundred years afierwaid. This general migration was prior to tlie partial dispersiaB fW>m Babel, by about five huiKtred years.
He set the eottnds to Ike pem^e according to the nvm* btr of the Midrm ^ Israet.] Hm Septuuini tranala- •ion » very eurioua, cntsu' t^**" t*^ aotBpss oyydUw ran Ben. He etiaUiabed tbe bp»ind« of tbe natioiM according to the number of the angels of God. The meaning of the passage seems to be, that when God divided the earth among mankind, he reserved twelve lots, aooardiago) the number of the sons qf Jacob, which he was now alwut to give to their desceixlaiita according to his promiae.
Verae 9. The Lonf» portion is Am P«>ffe\ What an astonishing t^ngl At holjf souls take OOD fcr their porHon, M> OOD lakea Aem kir his p&rlion. He r^teseiils himself as happy in hit fbUowera; and ihey are lafinitely happy in, «nd satisfied with God as their pertioa. This is what it implied in being a saint: he who is teeming for an earthly portion has little commerce with tfao Host High.
Verae 10. He (tbeLoid) /wtid Mm] (Jacob, in hit descendants) in a desert bmd (Ae wildenMH) he bdkisi about, forty yeara in this wiMemea^ DeoL viii. 2. or inuso^ v«sofre6eneftu — he compassed Attn ^wut: k s. Ood defended ihem on all hands, and in all placee. B* mslructed him, taught them that aMonishing law, tbrou^ which we have now almost passed, giving tbeoi «stutes and judgments, which for depth of wisdom, andcorrect political adaptation to timet, placet^ and ciren* atanee^ are to wondroiuly conttnietsd, «i eetentiall* to secure the comfort, peace, and happineas of dwiadinttnal, and the pro^iericy aod permaoency of the toonU system. Laws sosxeellaw that dup kftva mst wMi ap-
fields; and he made him to sack ' honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flipty rock;
U Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan: and goatH, rwith the fat of kidneye of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blocKl of the grape:
probation of [be wise and good in all countriea, and formed ibe buia of (he political initiiutioua of all the civilized natifitu in tho universe.
NotwiUucandiiig ihe above givei the pesMge a good ataae, yet probably the whole verse should be consi(»red more lilenJiy. It is certain that in the same country iravellera are often obliged to go about in order to fino proper passes betweeo the mountaina; and the following extracts from Mr. Harmer will illustrate this point.
"IrwiQ ferther describes the motmtains of the desert of DiebaiB, ^per Egypt) as sometimes so steep and dangerous as to induce even very bold and hardy travellers to ■void them bv taking a lai^ circuit; and that for want of proper knowledge of the way, such a wrung path may be taken as may, on a sudden, bring ihem into the greatest dangers: while at other times, a dreair waste may extend itself so prodigiously, as to make it dilBcult, winiout as- ■ifltance, to find the way to a proper outlet. All which show us the meaning of thoee wonts of the songt of Moses, DeuL zxzii. 10. He led Mm about, A« inatnuted him, he kepi him as the apple qf kit eye.
"Jehovah certainly instructed Israel in religion, by delivering to him his law in this wilderness: but it ia not, I presume, of this kind of teaching Moses speaks, as Bishop Pfttrick supposes, but God's instructing Israel how to avoid the daiuers of toe journey, by leodiog the people about this onathat dangerous precipiious hifl, directing them to proper passes through the mountains, and guiding them through the intricacies of that difficult journey, which might, and probably would, have confounded the most consummate Arab guides. They that could have saTelv tnough conducted a small caravan of travellers througn tfiia desert, might have been venr unequal to the task of. directing sueh on enormous multitude, encumbered with cattle, women, dtildren, wad utensils. The passages of Irwin, that establish the observation I have been making, follow here. 'Ai half past eleven we resumed our march, and soon come to the foot of a prodigious hill, which we unexpectedly found we were to ascend. It was perpendicular, like the one we had passed some hours before; but what rendered the access more difficult, the path which we were to tread was nearly right up and down. Ute eaptaia of the robben, seeing £e obslaclea we hod to overcome, wisely sent all his oamels round the mountain where he knew there was a defile and only accompanied us with the beast he rode. We luckily met with no accident in climbing this height,' p, 325, They afterward descended, he tells us, into a valley, by a passage easy enoug^ and stopping 10 dine at half past five o'clock, they were joined by the Arabs, who hoa made an astooiihing march to overtake them, p. 326. 'We soon i)uitted the dale, and ascended the high ground by the skie of a mountain that overlooks it in this part. The path was narrow and perpendicular, and much resembled a ladder. To make it worse, we preceded the robbers, and an ignorant guide amiHig our people led us astray. Here we found ourselves in a pretty situation! We had kept the lower road oa ihe aide ot tlie hill, instead of that toward the summit, until we could proceed no fiwtber. Wa were now obliged to gain the heights, in onler to recover the road, in performing which we drove our poor camels up sudi steeds as we bad the greatest difficulry to climb after them. We were under the necessity of leaving Ihem to themselves; as the danger of leadins them ihrcaigh places, where the least false step ^trould nave precipitated both man and beast to the unlathomable abyss below, was too critical to hazard. We hit u length upon die proper path, and were glad to find ooraelvea in (lie road of our unerring guides, the robbenu after having won every foot of the ground with real peril and fatigue, p. 324. Again: 'Our road, after leaving tt>e valley, lay over level ground. As it vrould be next to an impossibility to find the way over these stony flats, where the heavy foot of a camel leaves no impression, tlte djfierenl bands of robbers have heaped up stones at unequal distances for tlieir direction ihrougn this desert. We have derived great assistance from Ilw robbers in iliis respect, who are our guides when the marks either foil, or are uninlelUgible to us.' The predatory Arabs were more sucetssftilituides to Mr. Irwin and his companions, than those ha braaght with him from GSunnah} bat the march of Is-
11 ^ Ab an eagle stirreth up her neat, fluttereth over her young.'epreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
12 So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange gtxl with hini.
13 ' He made nim ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the
rael through dcsetta of the like nature, was ihrouA such an extent and variety of country, and in such circumstances, as to multitudes and incumbranees, as to make di* vine interposition necessary. The openings through the rocks seem to have been prepared by Him to whom all things from the beginning of the world were foreknown, with great wisdom and goodness, to enable them to accomplish this stupendous march." — See HarTtur'* Obser' vat. vol. iv. p. 125.
He kept Aim as the apple of hia eye] Nothing can exceed the force and delicacy of this expression. Is deeply concerned and as careftilly attentive as roan can be for the safety of bis eye-sight, so was God for the protection and welfare of his people.. How amazing this condescension 1 Verse 11. At an eagle atirreth up her nest) Flutters over her brood to excite them to fly — or, as some think, ditturbt her nett to oblige the young ones to leave it, so Ood by his plagues in E^rpt obligedthe Israelite^ otherwise very lelncunt, to leave a place, which he appwred by his judgments to have devoted to dMiruetion.
f^uttereth Over ker youny] i|n->^ yeracheph, broodeth over them, communicating to them a portion of her own vital warmth: so did God by the influences of his Spirit, enlighten, eiKoura^e, and strengthen their minds. Itia ths some word which is used, Gen. i. 2.
^preadeth abroad her mnga, &«.] In order not only to teach them how to fly, but Id bear them wlien weary. For to this fiut there seems an allusion, it lw.viDg been geitorally believed that the eagle, throng extraordinary afTeclion for her young, takes ihem upon her back when they are weary of flying, so that the archers c&nnut injure iheoif but by piercing the bodr of the mother. The same toiro is used Exod. xlx. 4. where see the note. The -an neetur, which we translate eagle, is supposed by Mr. Bruce to mean the rac/uma, a bird remAnable for its affection to its young, which it is known aoually to bear on its hack. when they are weary.
Terse 12. So the Lord alone did lead hijn] By his power, and by his only, were they brought out of ^ypt^ and supporter in the wilderness.
Ana there was no ttrange god\ lYtey had help from no other quarter. The Egyptian idols were not able to save their own votaries; l^t God not only saved his people, but destroyed the Egyptians.
Verse 13. He made him ride} ynxfy> yoreoeb^u, ha ■will cause him to ride. All the verbs here are in ihe future tense, because this is a prophecv of the prosperity they should possess in the promised laud. The Israatites were to ride, exult on the nigh places, the mountains and hills of iheir land, in which they are promised the highest de-
See of prospsrity j as even the rocky part the countiy ould be rendered fertile by the peculiar benediction m
Swk honey out qf the rock, and oil out of the Jtinty rocA;] This promise slates, that even the most Carren places in the country should yield an abundance of aromatic flowers; from which the bees should collect honet/ in abundance: and even the tops of the rocks aflbrd sumci«it support for oUve treeSj from the fruit of wfaidi they shouU extract oU in abundance: and alt this should be occasioned by the peculiar blessing of Ood upon the land.
Verse 14. Fat qf kidney* qf tAeat] Almost every petson knows tliat the kidney is enveloped lb a coat or the purest lat in the body of the animal, for which several anatomical reasons might be given. As the kidney itself is to the abundantly surrounding fat, so is the germ of the grain to tlie lobea, or farinaceous parts. The expression here may be considered as a very strong and peculiarly liappy figure to point out die finest wheat, containing the healthiest and most vigorous germ, growing in a very large and nutritive groin; and consequently the whole figure points out to iu» a species of wheat, equally excellent, both for seed and bread. Tliia beautiful metaphor seems to have escaped the notice of every commentator.
Purs blood tf the grope.] Red wine, or the pure juice^ of whatever colour, expressed from the grapes wi(hout any adulteration, or mixture with witer: blood here is synonrmous with juice. This intimates that their Hnea should be of the best kind, and their wine in abundance, and of ths most delieioui flavour.
15 TI But ' Jeshunirt waxed fet, and * kicked: 1 thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered i^t/i fatness: then he " forsook God vkich " made him, and lightly esteemed the • Rock of his salvation.
16 ' They provoked him to jealousy with ■trange goda, with abomiaations provoked they Idin to ajnger.'
17 '' They sacrificed uoto devils, * not to God; to goda wnom they knew not, to new god* that came newly up, whom your fathers feared
13 t Of the- Rock that begat thee thou are unmindful, and hast ■ forgotten 'God that formed
19 1j " And when the Lord Bair tt, he " abboirea titunn, 'because of the proTonng of hit ■ODB and of his daughters.
Tene 16. JtdiUran] p-^r" the upright; this appellative b here put for Iirael, and as it comei from •^•> yiuhar, be vaa right, *traight, may be intended to show that the people who once not only promiaed fair, but were really Upright, walkine in the paths of rightemtmet, Rhciula, in the time signified by the prophet, not only revolt from God, but actually flght against him, like blJuU fed korse, who not only will not bear the harnefl& but breaks away from iiU master, and endeavours to kick him as he Mrucgkn to gat looee. All tlua ia qioken prophetioally, and IB intended as a mrning, diet the evil mtent not take place. For were the transgression unai^otdabU, it must n the elTect of some neeasitating cause, which would destroy the turpitude of the action, aa it referred to Israel: for if the evil were abtolulely unavoidable, no blame could attach to the unfortunate agent, who could only consider himself the miserable instrument of a dire nteeaaity. See a case in point, 1 Sam. zziii. 11, 12. where the prediction appears in the most oftsofttfe fonn, and yet the evil was prevented by the person receiving the predielton as a tMrninp. The ease is the following:
He Philistines attacked Keilah and robbed the threshing-floors: David being informed of it, asked counsel of <3od, whetner he should go and relieve it— he is ordered to and is assured of aucceas — ^he goes, routs the Philistiiwa, uid delivers Keilah. Saul h*aring that David was ta Keilah, determines to besiege the place. David finding that Saul meditates his destruction, asked counsel of the IiOrd, diut, " O Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly beard, that Saul aeeketh to come to Keilah, to destniy the city for my sake. Wilt the men of KeHah deliver me up into his hand 1 Will Saul come down as thy servant hath heard 1 — And the Lord mL He will come down. Then said David, Will the men of ^ilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul 1 And the Lord ■aid, Tbey will deliver Ihee up. Then David and his men, whicfi mere about 600, arose and departed out of Keilah and went whithersoever they could go: and it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah, and he forebore to go forth." Here was the roost positive {nvdiction that Saul would come to Keil^ and tnat the men of Keilah would deliver David into his hands. Yet neither of these events took place, because David departed from I^lafa t but had he continued there Saul would have eome down, and the men of Keilah would have betrayed their deliverer. Thus the prediction was totally conditional — and so were all these prophecies relative to the apoatasy of Israel. Tliey were otily fulfilled in those who did not receive them OS wamingt. See Jer. xviii. 8~-10.
The Roek of kia talvaiion] He ceased to deprad od theybuntafn whence the salvatkm issued; and tninking highly qf himtelf, he HghUy etteemfl hi* Owl; and having ceased to depend on him, his fall hecarae inevitable. The figure is admir^ly well supported <hrough the whole verse. — We see ^rs(, a miserable lean steed, taken under die care and into the keeping of a master who provides him with an abundance of provender. We sm, auoiOily, diis horse waxing fat under his keeinng. We see him, AinUy, breaking aaay from his master, leaving his rich pasturage, and running to the wilderness, unwilling to bear the yoke or harness: or to make any returns for bis master's care and attention. We Kin,f<nirthiy, whence this conduct proceeds j from a want of consciousness that his strength depends upon his master's care and keeping; Old A lack of consideiation that leanness and wnichedneas Buut be the ooaMi)uenoe of his leftvins his iiuMter*s ser-
80 And he said, ' I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end thaU he: far they are a very froTOrd generation, ■ ehiUrea
21 "They have moved me to jealousy with that iehich is not God; they have provoked me to anger ■> with their vanities: and ■ I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people: I will provoke them* to anger with a foolieh nation.
22 For ^a fire is kindled in mine anger, and ■ shall burn unto the lowest hell, and ' iobII co»- eame the earth with her increase, and let oa fire the fonndationfl of* the mountains.
23 I will c heap mischiefs upon them; ^Iwffl spend mine arrows upon them.
84 Th^ ahall be burnt with huncer, and devoured wiUi -1 bm'ning heat, and with bitter de- nee, snd running off from his ma8ter*a pasnn^e. How easy to a^ply all these points to the case of the fsraetites 1 ana how illustrative of their former and latter state I And how powerfully do they Kfflj lo the case of many called Christians, who, having increased in richei^ iaigBt dm God from whose hand alone these mereies Sowed.
Verse 17. They taerifieed unto devila\ ori^sl word crSv oAedttn, has been variously understood. Tlie Synac, Chaldee, ^Vgums of Jerusalem and JoDatluu^ and the Samaritan, retain the original word; the Vulgate, Sephtagint, Arabic, PersiCt CopHe, and Angto-Sarttn, have devils Or dsnioDs. The Sephtagint has <0vaw wtrtt, they eaeryteed to damona: the Vulgate copies the Sepiuagmt; the Arabic bos Cue)kt»£> sAeeoleen, the phitol of t:j'C4v4«^ ^uttan, Satan, by whicn the rebellious angels appear to be intended, as dte word comes from the root Atttana, he waa obelijiatt, prmtd, • r^ratlmy, aeTxt far away. And it is likely, that these Mien nina having utterly lost the empire at which they aimed, got themselves worshiped under various forms and names in different places, 'nie Anglo-Saxon has beorlam, dmb.
New goda that came newly up} MU 2-\po Mikarob boM, " which came up from their neighboun." Viz. die Moabita and Ammonite*, whose gods they received and worshipped on their way throu^ the wildemen: and often afterward.
Verse 18. C(f A« Hock that begat Ate\ Ttt 7>Kr, die flrtt cause, t^ fountain of thy Ming. See die note to
Verse 19. Wien the Tjord taw it, &c.] More irtmlty. And Oie hard saio it, and Qirough indignation, he reprobated hie wnt and hie daughter*. Tnat is, VTheo the Lord shall see such conduct he shall be justly incensed, and so reject and deliver up to captivity his soos aod daughters.
Verse 20, Oiildren in whom is noJaWi.] B3 pK nV lo amen bam — " There is no ateadfaetneee in them; diey can never be depended on. TTiey m,fiekU, because they are/btA/ess.
. Verse 21. Titey have moved me lo Jealousy] His verse contains a very pointed promise of the calling of the Geodle^ in consequence of the refeetion of the Jews, threatened ver. 19. and to this gnat event it Is applied by St. Paul, Rom. x. 19.
Verse 22. ITie loweel hell] mnnn "yiMW Aeol taektitt, the very deepest destruction; a total ex terminal ton, so that Ae earth, their land, and ita inereaee, and all their pi»> perty, shouM be seized, and the foundatione of meir mountaino, their strongest fortresses should be raxed |« the ground. AH diis was ftilfilled in a most rentutaHe manner in tbe last destmetlon of Jerosalem by the Romans; BO that of the fortifications of that city dm oob stone was lef^ on another. See the notes on Man. xn>.
Verse 23. IwtU apend mine arrotet upon Oiem-] The judgments of Qod in general, are termed the arrvr* of €hd. Job vi. 4. Psal. xxx\-iii. 2, 3. xri. S. see also Exec. V. 16. Jer. i. 14. 2 Sam. xxii. 14, 16. In this and the followliig.verses, to the 2Stb inf lusivc^ God threatens this people with everv species ef calamity that could posstblr mil upon man. tiow strange it is, that having this lew continually in their hands, th^ should not discern those threatened judgments, and eleave to the Lord diat ifaey might be averted.
it was customary among the heatheas to reprcem loy judgment from tluir gods, under the notion i row, especaalTy tL-puUlmett and «te of their greatMt deitie%
•traetioni I wiU aim wnd * the teeth of b«wts upon them, with the poiwn of wrpenta of the
25 > The sword without, and terror ■ within, ■hall -dertroT boU» the voung man and the virgin, the suckUng aUo, with the man of gray hairs.
26 • 1 Boid, I would Bcatter them into cornera, I would make the remen^rance of them to cease from among men:,.,
27 Were it not that I feared the wrath of the «Demr> loBt their adversarieB p should behave themselves strangely, antl lest they should 'say, ■ Our hand is hign, and the Loan nath not done aJI 'his.,.,,,
28 For they are a nauon void of counsel, * neither im thire any understanding in them.
29 ■ O that they were wise, thfu they understood this, * that they would consider their latter end 1....
30 How should ' one chase a thousand, and
ApolltH is ever rqwesaated M bearing a and fu^ei* ftill of fteofffy amm: so Homer, 11. i. v. 43. where he Mpmeats him, m answer to the pra;rer of hi> priest Cniyns, coining to amiic the Greeks wUb the psfWenee.
Tin ChriHi piarM ■. iha bniiBlii( Dow Uladi
Aad ftm Ot/nipa* loAr up dowM.
Ob OMdM i^aiv a* hC'M'M Int tafu i
How frequently the seme figure is eiDployed in (be Sacred Writing '^"'7 c^^fut reuec knows i and <|iiotatkias need not be multiplied.
Verse 24. Th^ shaU be htrnf wIA ftangw] "nteirland •ball be eursed, am ^nHne shall prevaiL lliiaiasiuof the arrows.
BumingktiUi No riwwers to eool the atotoapheftt— or mtber, Klea^ blaios, and pestUentM fmnt this was a
' BiUtr dettrueium] The plague i this was a f&ini.
7est& oT btatU — teUh the pstim qf atrpenU] TTie beasia eC the field should multiply upon, and oeatroy them; ihit was tfnrtk; and poisonous terpatta infesting all dieir Btepat and whose mortal bite riiould produce the ntnwMtangnUh, wBsnbeaMharrow. Amed to all these, Ibe steord « thdr enemies — ttrror among thenuelTe^ ■nr. 25. and eaptUntth were to oomplets their rain, ana thus orroiM of God vtrt to be wptrU upon ttum- There is a boautinil saying in the Twauki TVemiwr, which will serve to illustrate this point ^la h ediibito one of tbs finest metaphors that oeeors m any writer, the Sacred Writers excepted.
" It was once detnaoded of the fourth ShaUtfek (Aaly,) on whom be the mercy of the Creator, 'If the canopy lUoMn were a sow; and if the tarth. were the cord thereof; and if oiUamUiet were Aaaowsl if mankind were the mark tot those orrotM; and if Almighty GoDf the tremendwjj and the glmiooi^ were the unsfTiRg aichek: to whom could the sons of Adam flee for protection 1 TT»e KhaUtfeh answered, nyingt "nie sons of Adam must flee unto the Lord.' '*
Terse 27. IKcrs U not that Ifearmi the vraih qf the «Rcniy] Houbigant and 6thers contend, that wroA ncre, refers not to the sn«iny, but to Ood; and that the passage riMmld be thus translated, " IndigiMltiOD for the adversary ' datwa UM, lest iheir enemieB should be alioiated, and my,.T%e Btrmigib of our haitd^ and not of the Lord's, hath done tfiis." Had not Ood punished them in such a way. as prored that his hand, and not the band of man had none It; the heathens would have boasted of their provress, and Jehovah would have been blasphemed, as not being able lo protect his worAipper^ or to punisn their infidelities. TttuM, when he took JeiuiBlem, was so struck with the smngth of the place, that he acknowledged, that if Ood bad not delivered it into his handi^ the itoinan armies never eoald have taken iL
Terae29. That Asy wouU convidsrArir foifor snd/} tsrrrmM ocharMtom, properly, fuir latUr Unua; the glo-
two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock ■ had sold them, and the Lord bad slutt
31 For ' their rock u not as our Rock, ■ even our enemies themselves being judges.
32 For ' their vine ^ is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapee of gait, their cKititers are bitter:
33 Their wine ts the poison of dragons, and the cruel • venom of asus.
31 Is not this << laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures?
35 * To me belongeih veni^eance and recompetiBe; their foot snatl slide in due time: for ■ the dav of their calamity is at hand, and Uie things that shall come upon them make haste.
36 ( For the Loan shall judge hia ueople, ^ and repent himself for hiB servants, when he seeth ttuit (AfiV > power is gone, and ^ thert if nme shut up, or left
rioin days of the MesHish, who, according to the fledi, should spring up aroone ihem. Should mey carefolly consider this subject, and receive the promised Saviour, they would consequently act as persons under infinite obligations to <jloU; hia strengih would be their shield, and dien,
Verse 30. Brno $kould otu cAom a thousand] II, thera> fore ihcnr had not foreotten their lioek, Ood their jluAor and D^hwt, it oouki not poasiUy have come to pass, that a thousand of them should flee bubre one of their fflwwift.
Is no/ OS our Jloek] Have twiiher power nor influenoa like our God.
Okf ensnitM Ihtnudvta he'mg Judgta.] For they often acknowledged the irresistible power of that Ood who foufdit for Israel. See Ezod. ziv. m Numb, juiii. 8— IS^— l9i 2(121. I Sam. iv. a
TTiere is a verse in Virgil, Eclog. iv. ver. 68. very similar to this saying of Moses.
" Should even Pan eontend with me" (in singiiw the pnusea of the future hero, the deliverer, propheawa of in the Sybilline books) " were even Arcadia judge, Pan would acknowledge biauelf to be vaoquudied; Arcadia herself being judge."
Terse 32. fVr Ikdr vine w iff the vine of Sodom\ "Hm Jews are as wicked and rebel lious as the Sodomites) for by the vine the inhabitants of the land are atamified: sea Isal. V. 2, 7.
Their grapet[ dieir aetionfc areMganrf worwiwodi producing nothing but mischief aba misery to themselves
Their elutten are biUtr] Their united exertions, as well as their individual ado, are sin, and only sin eoa> tiooaJly. That by rtne is meant ihe jmopZa / and by gropes their moral conduct, is evident from Isa. v. 1 — 7. It is very likely that the Kntpe* produoed about the lake.As- TphaitiUa, where Sodom and Oomorrafa formerly stood, were not only of on acrid, disa^veoble tast^ tut of a deleterious quali^) and to this, it is probable, Hoses here alludes.
Verse 33. TVt'r letnc] Their qrstem of doctrines and teaching, is &u poioon m dragtme, Ac &tal and destruo— live to (II them who follow it
Verse 34. Sealed no among my treaawet 7] Deeds or engagemenu by which persons were bound, at a specified timb lo fulfil certain conditiotia. were oealed, and laid up in plaoea of safely i so here God's justice is pledged to aveng* the aaanel of his broken eoveDant on the msob^ dient Jawa t oat die Itme and manner were sealed in Us treasures^ and known only to himself. Hence it is said.
Verse 35. 7Vtr/oo< Aall elidA in due ftine, dec] But Calmet thinks that this verse is spoken against the Canaanitea, the enemies of the Jewish people,
V«rae36. TU Lord OaU Judge hio veoptel He has an sbeoluie right over them, as dteir Creator; and authority to punish them fbr their rebelliona, as their Sifoereign t yet he will repent bimaeK i. a. ha will ehann bis manner of conduct toward them, whan he mcA thai iheir poicxr it gone, when they are entiretv subjugated by their advarsa. riea, so diat diair potitieaf power is antirsly destnnwlt Di§fi$edbyIjOOgre
S7 And he shall ear, > Where are their gods, tkfir rock in whom they trusted,
33 "Which did cat the fat of. their eacrificed, and drank the wine of their drink-afferinge? let them rise up and help you, and be " your protection.
39 See now that " I, even I, am he, and • there, is no eod with me: >> I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; neither tv ikere any that can deliver out of my hand;
40 ■■ For 1 lift up my hand to heaven, and soy, I live for ever.
41 ■ If I whet elitterinf sword, and minehand take hold on jadj^ment; < I will render ven-
~ g:eance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.
42 I will make mine nrrowa " drunk with blood, and my sword shall'devour flesh: and that with the blood of the stain and of the captives, from the beginning of ' revenges upon the enemy.
43 * Rejoice, ■ O ye nations, with his people: for he will? avenge the blood of his servants, and ■ will render vengeance to hia adversaries, and ■will be merciAiruoto his land, and to his
44 ][ And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, be, and * Hoshea, the son of Nun.
and (here U none ^mt up or l^, not one alrong jilace untaken, and nol one family left, all being carriM into captivi^, or scattered into strange lands; or, h« will do justice to his^eople and avenge them of their adversanes. — See
Verse 37. He «&aU aay] He shall begin to ei^tulate with thein, to awaken inem to a due sense of their ingratitude and rebellum. This may refer to the preaching of the Gospel to them in the latter day*.
Verse 39. See note thai I— am he] Be oonvinced that Ood alone can save, and God alone can destroy t aitd that your idols can neither hurt aor helpjtn.
I kUly and J make alive, Ac] Hy mercy it as great aa my justice, for I am as ready to save dte penitent as I was to punish the rebellious.
Verse40. Ar/I{^ up myAamlfoAMWn] SeOeoneemiog oaihs and appeus to doA, in the bow on diap. Ti. 13.
Verse 42. From, the beginning reiungee] The word mvtB perSoth, rendered retieng'**, « sense in woich it never. appears to be taken, has rendeFed (his plaos very perplexed and obscure. Hr. ParldMret has rendered toe whole passage thus:
WIA ita Maud of ihe dab c^dn Fnm At Miy kmd at ttaa nmaj.
Probably rt\y\b v>ca miroeh penioth, may be more properly translated, Yrom the naked head, the enemy shall have nolhiii; to shield him from mv vengeance; the crown of dignity shall fall off, and even the h&Tmet be no proteetk>n against the sword and arrows of the Lord.
Verse 43. Rejoiet, O ye nations] Ya Gentiles, for the easting off of tlie Jews shall be the means of your in);athcringwith hia people; for they shall not be utterly cast off. See Rom. xv. 9. for in this way the apostle applies it. But how shall tlie Gentiles be called, and the Jews have their init^uity purged t He wiUbe nureU'ui unio hit land, and to Aw people, -^bs* yedpher, he Aalt cause an alonenunl to be made for his land and people; L e. Jesus Oiris^ the long-promised Messiah, itmll be eru^Led for Jaws ai>d Oenules, and the way to the holiest m made plain by his blood.
ITie people hod long^been mitkln^ atonements for tbcmstlves, but to none effect; for iheir atonemenis were but eigTu, and not the thing signified, for the body is Christ; now the Lord himself makes an atonement, for the Zximb qf Ood alone lakeA awajf the tin t(f the leorld. Hub is a very proper and aneoui«!piig concluuon to &e awfully important matter of this poein.
Israel shall be long scattered, peeled, and punished, but they shall have mercy in the loiter times; they also shall rejoice with the Cientiles, in the common salvation purchued by the blood ot the Sanuur of all mankind.
45 And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel:
46 And he said unto them, ■ Set your hearts unto all the words which I testily among too this day, which ye shall command your duraren to observe to do, all the words of tnis law.
47 For it iff not a vain thing for you; "'becanse it is your life: and through this tning you sfaaO prolong vour days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to poBsees it.
48 II 'And the Lord spake. unto Mose* that selfsame day, saying,
49 Get thee up into Uiis ^ mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land oTMoeb, that is over against Jericho: and behold the. land of Canaan which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession:
50 And die in the mount whither thon goost up, and be gathered onto thy people; as >AaroD thy brother died in mount Hor,and was gathered unto his people.
6l BeoAuse ye trespajBsed against me amoiijf the children of Israel, at the waters of > Menbah-Kadesh, in the mldemets of Zin: becatue ye k BsnctHied me not in the midat of the ch^ dren of laraeL
52 I Yet thou shatt see the land before thee; but thou shall not go thither unto the land whick I give the children of Israel.
naclc where God bad given him this prophetic od^ and ba rehearsed it in the ears of the people.
Verse 46. iSef your heart* unis all the vords^ Anodicr proof that all these awfiil denunciations of divine wiadw though delivered in on abtolute form, were only dedaratory of what God would do ir they rebelled against him.
Verse 47. Through this thing ye ehall prolomg yoar daye] Instead of being cut off, as God here threatens, js shall be preserved and rendered prosperous in the kM^ which when they passed over Jordan, tney should possess
Verse 49. Gel uiee up into thie mounlaiH Abarim] Jim mount of the paetagee; i. e. of die Israelites wbw tbey entered into the promised land. — See the notes on Naw rxvii. 12.
Verse 50. Attd die in the.mount — a* Aormi] SooM have supposed diat Hoses was tranalatedi but if, ao^ ifaea Aaron was translated, for what was said et the dsHh «f one, is said of the death of the other.
Verse 51. Ye trespaaaed agatnet m«~-ai the wattrttf SSiriliah] See note on Numb. zz. 8.
Verse £2. Thou thaU see the taiid before thee] Sss Numb, xzvii. 12, &a. How glmous to depart out of this life with God in bis heart and heaven in bis eye I his wodt, bis great unparalleled usefulness ending only with bis lifk The serious reader will sureljrjoin in the following pioss ejaculation of Ihe late Rev. CSUWes ITcsby, (ma of As best Christian poets of the last oentury:
"O Oat wtUoM ■ Vnstrins fnav t unr Um mlwiuM invdnaAn, Mj body vlih mj Oiargt lur iam, ttA eeot uvoea is wrt ud Hh
It would muire a dissertation expressly farmed far ths purpose, to pomt out the general merit and eztnordinaiy beauties of liii« very sublime ode. To enter into audi per- ticulars, can scarcely comport with the nature of the peasent work. Drs. Lowth, Ketmieott, and DureU, have otms much in this way; and to their respective woi^ the erittcal reader is referred. A very considerable eztract of whsC they have written on this chapter, may be foond in Dr. Dodd!» notes. In writing this ode, the design of Moaas was evidentlv,
1. To set lorlh the majesty of God: to give that generation, and all succeseive ones^ a proper view of the gfa^ Hons perfections of the object of their worship. He diiemforc shows, that from his hoiiness and purity, he nuui fan displeased with sin: from his jastiee and n^AtsoBsiuas^ he must punish it: and from the goodnees and infinils benevolence of his nature, be is ever disposed to help As weakneae, insf iticf ihe ignormut, and show nsrqr 10 tfas wretdud, eli\ful sons and daughters of men.
2. To show the duty and interest of hia peapte. To have such a being for their yn'ent^ is to have all ponUe happiness, both spiritual and temporal, secunds to fans him for tbeircnsmj^ is to be exposed to inevitable deatrwtion and ruin.
failSiir' A ND this t« ■ the bleBnng, where- — "^^^^^jfX with Moses, -the man of God, Messed the children of Israel beibre bis death. 2 And he said, "The Lord came from Sinai,
3. To warn them agaiiut irretigion and apa^aey— to whow the poaaibtlit^ of departing from Ood, and the miBeriea that would overwhelm them and their poster i^, should IhCT be iaaad walkings in oppontion to the laws of their CmUor.
4. To give a proper and impreaaiTe view of the proeidfRM at Ood, by referring to the history of his gracious desiings with them and their ancestors; the minule atlenlioaltepc^ to ^1 thar wacts; the wonderful manner in whieh tw led, fed, ehxbed, protected aad saved them, in idl ibeir travels, and in all poila.
S> To leave on record an ererlaMitv testimony agaiiut thok dwold limf ever eaat off hia fear, and polhite hie mnfaipt whidi should serve at oom a* a wamii^ to the world, and a vindication of his justice, when the judgments he had direaiened wen fouiid to be poured out upon them; for he who loved them so long, and so intensely, could not become iheir enemy, but ia oonsequeoee of the great ett, and most unprincipled provocations.
6. To show the ahoeking and unprecedented ingratitude, «fai^ induced a peonle so highly fevoured, ana so wondroualy protected ancf lorad, to sin against their Ood; and bow reasonable and just it was, for the vindication of his boIineae,'that Ood should pour out upon them such judgments as he had never inmcted on any other people, and so autrlE their disobedieaee and ingratitude wi th fresh maAs of his displeotore, that the punishment should bear •ome proportion to the guilt; and that dieir preservation aa a distinct people, mi^t afford a feeling proof both of the providence and justice of Ood.
7. To show the gloiy of the tatter days, in the rc-eleetion of the Iong-repro«aied Jewish luuion, and the final diffwiai of hut grace and goodneM over (he earth, by neaoa of Ibe Off^el of ChriaL
& And all this is done widi such strength and elegance of diction; with mtth appropriate, energetic, and impreseive figures and metaphors; and in such a powerful torrent of that BOul-peiketratinK pure, poetic spirit, that comes glowing from the bosom of Ood, mat the reader is alternately elated Or depressed, filled with compunction or confidence, with despair or hope, accordin«r to the quick tranaitiona of the inimitable writer to the dmerent topics which form the siibiect of this incomparable, and wtmdjroualy varied ode. Hay that Spirit, by which it was dlcuite^ ^ve it iu (uUeat, most durable and most effectual unpreaston npos the miikd of eveiy reader I
NOnsS ON CHAPTER XXXm. Verse I. And thU is the bles»ing ■aherewilK Motet — blemMed, &c.] The genera] nature of this solemn iouoduction, aavs Dr. Keniiicott, is to Aow the foundaiion which Mosea had for blessing bis brethren, viz. because God had fire(]Qent]y manifested his glory in their behalf: and the Mver&l pans of this introduction are disposed in die following order;
1. The manifestation of the Divine glory on Sinai, as it was prior in time, and more magnificent in splendour, is Baentioned first.
2. 1>iat Ood manifested his glory at iSeir, is evident from Judg. V. 4. Lord, when thou teentett out tf Seir, uAsn thou ■marthedat out ^ Qufidda ^ Edom^ Ou earth tremhl«A and the luavent dropped, Ac.
The next place is f aran, where the gtory of the I^d appeared be/are all the children qf larael, Nund). liv. 10.
Instead of ke came icUh ten Ihotuand eatnit, by which our translators have rendered tnp rajno Meribbolh Kadcth. Dr. Kennicott reads Abrittah-Kadeah, die name of a place: for we find that toward the end of forty years the laraeiites came to Kodevh, Numb. z. 1. which was also called Meribah, on account of their conientloiu oppo- ■itioa 10 ihe determinations of God in dieir iavour, \et. 13. and there the glory of the Lord again appeared, as we are informed ver. 6. These four places, Sinai, Seir, Paran, and Meribah- Kadetli, mentioned by Moacs in die text, are the identical places where Ood roamfested hie
Slory m a fiery i^ipeomnee, the roOre illuatriously to proaim his special provideoea over, and care of Israel.
and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from moimt Paran, and became with ^ten thousands of saints: from his right-baod w«nf 1 a£ery law for them.
3 Yea, 'he loved the people; 'all bis saints are in thy hand: and they 'sat down at thy feet; every one shall " receive of thy words.
4 * Moses commanded ue a law, " even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.
Verse 3. Yea, ke loved the people] This is the bderenee which Hoses makes from those glorious appearances, that God truly loved the people — and that all nut saints, vignp kedouhatv, the people whom he had consecrated to himself, were under hia especial benediction. And that in order to make tbon »hMv nation, Ood hod displayed his g\orr on mount Sinai, where they had fallen prostrate at his feet with the humblest adoration, sincerely promising tbe moat ttSectienate obedience. And that Ood had there commanded &em a laa, which was to be the possession and inheriianoe of the oiildren of Jacob, ver. 4. And to crown the whol^ he had not mlytriessed dtem as their Lawgiver, bat had also TOudusfed to be AmV king, ver. 6.
Ter. 1. And this is (he blessuig wherewith Moses, dw man of Qo^ blessed dte children (3 Israel before his deadi. Andheeaid—
We have alreodv seen, dial Dr. Kennicott reads na*w» vp Meribah- Kaaeak, the name of a place, instead of nnp naa^^D Merib^tt^ Kadeek, which, by a most unnatural and forced eonitmctiois our vetaion render* fen JAouoand eaijtU, a translation which 00 cireumataaee of the history justifies.
Instead of a fiery law, mmeth daih, he reads, following the Samantan version, *^w pk m/i aur, a fire ehinin^ out upon thetn. In vindication of (his change in Ihe ori' ginal, it may be observed. 1. "niat though nt da/h, signifies a law; yet it is a Oialdee term, and appears nowhere in any port of the Sacred Writingv, previous to the Babylonish captivity: rrvm lorah, being the term constantly used to express the law, at all times prior to the corruption of the Hebrew by the Chaldee. 2. That the word i(»elf is obsc;ire in iu present situation, as the Hebrew Bibles write it and eah in one word, nnvM eAdaih^ which has no meaning; and whirh, in order to give it one, the Masorah directs should be read teparate, though written connected. 3. TTiBt the word is not acknowlc^ed hj the two most ancient versions, the Septuagint and Syriac. 4. That in the pajallel'place, Habak. iii. 3, 4. a word is used which expresses the raye qf ti^ht, isnn^ kemim, home, that is, etJendours, rays, or efiuigence of light. 6. That on all these accounts, tt^^ther with the almost impossibility of givituf a rational meaning to the text aa it now stands, the tRmsIation contended for shauld be adopted.
Verse 3. Instead of All hit sainla are in hit hand. Dr. Kennicott reads. He btetted all hit taint* — changing T^a beyadca into yi3 barac, he blessed, which word, all who understand the Hebrew letters, will see might be easily mistaken for the other; the i tuxlelh and the *> reek, being not only in MSS. but also in printed books, often so muda alike, that analogy alone can determine which is the true letter: and except in the insertion of the > yod, which might hare been easily mistaken for the apex ai (he top of the a beth, very Crequently in MSS. both words have the nearest resainblanee. To this nwybe added, that the Syiiae version lias bcrac, he blessed.
Instead of '[brff hrageleea,Kt\A yrriilD midaberoteyea, THT Jeet, and thv words. Dr. Kennicott reoda the pronouns in the third person sing, ^^rh Urc^claiz, and Wi-JTD midebarataiv, nia feet, his words, in ^^^)ich he is supportnl boih by tl>e Septuagint end Vulgate. He also changes HV* yi—a, as tkall reeeite, into vtv^ yitteu, tsst ahaU receire.
5 And he wu * kin? in r Jeihuron, when the hmds of the people ami the tribes of Israel were gathered together.
6 H Let Reuben live, and not die; aod'let not his men be few.
7 % And this ia the bleating of Jtidah: and he said, Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring hira uoto his people: ■ let hii handts be BufEcient for him; and be thou * a help to him from his enemies.
8 IT And of Levi he said, >> Let thy Thummim and thy Urim, be with thy holy one, ■ whom thou didst prove at Massah, and vtUh whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah:
▼«ne, wu written hy miitake for the foilowine word, nemo morcuhah, inheritance; and when the acribe found he had inaerted a wtodk word, he added the proper one, and did not erase the firat. TiM word Mmkm, be thinks, ahould therefore be left out of the text, as it ia improbable that be ihould here introduee hia own name | and that if the word be allowed to be legitiniate, dtaa tM worti kbtg nuat applr to Atm, and not to God, irtiidi would be moat abanrd. See Keonicott'a firat Diuertation^j). 422, Ac
Terae 6. Ltt Jt»uben live, and not dU] iWigh hia life and bia blesainga have been forfeited by hia tranagreaaiooa with hia (klheHa eoocubine, aee Oen. xlix. 3. and 4. and ia his nMlion with Korah, Numb, xvi, 1, Ac let him not become extinct aa a tribe in Isnel. " It ia very uaual," WKjft Mr. Ainiwoiih, " in the Scripture, to let down things of^ importance and eameBtneB& Ir^ affirmation of the one part, and denial of the otlier. Isai. uxvlii. I. T^untthait die, and not lire. Numb. iv. 14. T'hat they may live, and not die. Paal. czviii. 17. / ^laU not aie^ but Uve. Oen. xliii. 8. TVial we may live, and not die. Jer. zx. 14. Curved be the day — Ui not that day be bleaeed, I John ii. i. Heiaa liar, and the truth it not in him. lb. ver. 17. u trtiA, and no lie, John i. 20. He canfeeeed, and deniodnot. 1 Sam. i. 11. Rememher me, and not forget Ay handmaid. Deut. iz. 7. Rememher^jforget not. Dwt. xxxii. 7. O foolish people, and untmae. — In all these places it ia evident that there ia a peculiar emphaais in thia brm of expreaaioD, as if be had said, Let him not only not die, but let him live in great and iuertating peace and jtrotpority." — Do not only not forget me, but keep me aoHtuiuaUy in remembrance. He denied not, but eonjetted rvLLT and pabticulaslv. Ofootieh people, ailly and auijiA—and unaiee, destitute of all true wisdom.
And Ui not hie men bafeie] It ia possible that tlus elatiaa belongs to iSiswon. In ibe Alazandrian copy of tbeSeptua^I, tbaclwiieauudsihua: mi ZsfMwcrMmXvt (r «#i0ftw, and UI SiMBOK be very numeroue, but none of the other versions insert the woid. As the n^alive particle is not in the Hebrew, hut is supplied in our transla. tion, and the word Simeon is found in one of the moat ancient, and most auiheniic copiea of the Swtuagint version i and aa Simeon is nowhere else menlumea here, if Dot implied in this place, probaUy the clause aiMiently stood, Let Reuben Itve, and not ale i but Ui the men qf IXmion bt Aw. TiM this tribe was amall, when compared with we rest, and with what it once vam, is evident enough from the firat eensua, taken after they came out of Egy^ and that in the plains of Moab, nearly forty years af&r. In the &rstjStmeon was 69,300) m die last 22,200, ■ decrease of 37, 100 men I
Terse 7. And thie ia the blessing qf.Aidah] Though the word bUeeing is not in the text, yet it maT be implied from ver. 1.; btit probably the words, he spoJn^ are Uiosa which should be supplied; And thie he spake of Judah, hord, hear the voice of Judah, that is, says the Targum, receive hia praver when he Koes out to battle, and let him be brought back in safety to his own people: Ut hie hmtde he tmffleient for Aim, let him have a sufficiency of warriors always to support tlie tribe, and vindicate its rights; and let hia enemies never be able to prevail asninst nira I Tbree things are expressed here: 1. That the tribe of Judah, conscious of tta weakness, shall depend on the Most High, and make prayer and supplication to him. 2. "niataoa will hcarsuch prayer; and, 3. Tliat his hands iliall be increased, and that he shallprevall orer his enemies. This blessing has a striking amni^ with that whidi this tribe received from Jacob, Geo. xliz. 9. and both may refer lo our blessed Lord, who sprang from thia tribe, aa is noticed on the above passage: who has conqoarsd our jeaily foes by hisdeadi, and whose prajftug posleri^ ever prevailed ihraugfa bis '"'^^
9 Who said unto his father and to bis mother, I have not ' seen him; * neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew bis own childreo; for they have observed thy word, and kept thy
10 ■ They ^ shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: 'they 'diairpot incense) before thee, * and wliole bumt«icrifice tipoa
11 Bless, Lord, his substance, and ■ accept the work of his hands! smite through the loins of them that rise a^inst him, and of them thnt hate him, that they rise not again.
Terse 8. Qf Levi he said] Coneeming the Vrim and llatmmim, see Ezod. xzviii. 30.
71u holy one] Aaron primarily, irfio was aooinied ths high-priesl of God i and whose office was the moat holy that man could be invested with. 'nMiafera Aanm was called God's hoty one, and the more eapecially so, as b» wss the tm of the Moar holt and hhssed Jeans, fnm whom the Urim, all Ughi and viedom, and Tlbtamn^ all ereelUnce, eompletion, and peifeeiion, are dirivod.
Whom thou duUt prove, Ac] God ooDtended wtt Aaron as well as with Hooes^ at the waters of Meribahi and excluded him trooi the promised land, becssise be did not sanctify the Lord before the people.
From the words of Sl Paul, 1 Cor. x. 8—12. it is evident, that these words, at least in a secondary sense, behng to Christ. He is the Boly One, who was templed W them at Hassah, who suffered di^ manners in the wilderness, who slew 23^000 of the most incorrigible traas-
Eaaora) and who In^ought them into the promised lasd bis deputy JoAua, w^mo name and that of Jeaui^ b««a same siniification. Verse 9. Who eaid unio hie father, Ac] There art several difficulties in this and the following verses. Some think they are spoken of the tribe of Levi— others of aO the tribes— others of the Messiah, Ac but several of ths tntcrpretations founded on these suDpositioos, are loo recondite, and ahould not be resorted to, till a plain literal sense is made out I suppose the whole to b« primari^ nmken of Aaron and the tribe of Leri. Let us examins tne words in this way — Who taid unto hie father the law bad strictly enjoined, that if the father, mother, brother, or child, of the high-priesl should die, be vast not mourn for them, but act as if they were not hia kindred: see LeviL xxi. 11, 12. Neithef must Aaron Moum for his sons Nadab and Abihu, Ac though not only their deaih, but the eircumetancee of it, were the most sMicowg dtsl could possibly affect a parentis heart Boudea, the hiA
Sriest was fintriddeo, on pain of death, to go out from Cbs oor of the tabernacle, Lev. x. 2 — 7. for God would ban them more to regard their ftincUon (as good Bfr. Aiasworth observes) and duty in his service, than any nataral affection whatsoever. And herein Christ was £gtned, wbs when he was told that his mother and brethien eiood wiihout, and wished to speak with bim, said. Who is my ther, and who are niy brethren 1— whosoever diall do As will of my Father wno is in heaves, the same is ray bnK ther, and sister, and mother, Halt xii. 46— SO. It is likdy also that Hoses may refer here to the foct of the Levues, aecordiiw to the command of Hoaea, killing every msa bis bnMher, friend, neighbour, and even son, who had ainned in wmstupping tb« gmden calf, Ezod. xzzii. 2L and in ibis way the Cbaldee psraphmst tmdersiands dw wwds.
Terse 10. Tiey Aatl teoA Jacob, Ac] This was tM office of the Levitcs, to teach (by their significant vrmet. and typical ceremoniea,) ilie way of riihieousoesa and truth to the chiMren of Israel. Ai>d of iKeir feithAibwes in ihiM respect, Ood bears testimony by the propbe^ Mr covenant woe with htm qflife and peace, Maf. iL S. And, TTiataw of truth loaoin hie mouth, anaUiiquitywaonM found in hie Hp»i he walked teithmetnpeaetaid tamty^ and did turn many airay from iniquity t ver. 6. Dtesa words are a aufficient camment on the vorda of the text
Verse 1 1. Bleee, Lord, hUsubetance] The blesnng of Ood to the tribe of Levi was peculiarly necessary, becaos* tfaey had no inheritanee amonrthe children of Israel, and livM more immediately than otbero, upon the provideiwc off God. Yet, as they lived by the offerings of the petals, mod *s tithes^ the increase of ^ir substtnce meessarily impW the increase of (he peofils at large: (be moce frvitfiil land die more itandsat would ths tjihss «f dis!«■ of the LoBD iball dwell ia laAty by him: and l&« Lord ihall cover him all the day long, and be shall dwell between hia shoulders.
13 IT And of Joseph he said^ •Blessed of the Lord oe his land, for the precious thinge of hBOi- TOD, for p the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath J
14 And for the precious fruits brmtght forthby the sun, and for the precious things « put lorth bv the ' moon.
15 And for the chief things of ■ the ancient mountains, and for the precious things > of the lasting hills,
16 And for the precious things of the earth, and fulness thereof; and for the good will or ■him that dwelt in the bu^; let the bl«§»ir^
vitM be; and thus, in the increand fertility dS the land, the subeuoee of Levi would be bleaaed.
Tene 12. <y Ba^amin^-tlu btimad qfAt Lord] Alhidii^ to hii being peiticularty beloved of nia &tber jscofa^ Oen. xlix. 27, Ac
SSalt dutU in M/yy htf him] That ii, W the Lord, who«e temple, which i» ooneidered u hU dwetUng-plMe, wme in the tribe of Benjunin — for a part of JenuaJem belonged to thij tribe.
Aall cover him all tht day'\ Be hie continoal proteetor; •ad he thaU dmll battMm, his tiumldvr* — witlUn hit coomU, or in hie chief city, viz. Jerutalm, where temple of Ood waa built— on hi* numntamt, Zion wtd Horiah, here poeticdly tanned hie wkovUder:
Some object to our translation of the HArew y*- did, bf the tern bdottd, and think the original riunld be divided ai it ii in the Samaritan, yad yad, the hand even the of Uu Lord thatt dwall^ tafitjf or proted ion, Vrp Siaiv, upon him. This muaa a good aanae, nsd the reader may chooae.
Teree 13. Bteted—ht hit land] The whole of this paeeage certainly relate* to the peculiar fertility of the soil ID the portion that fell to thie tribe, which the Jewa aay yielded a greater abundance of all good thioga, than any odier part of the promiaed land.
Tht prteiotu thingt qf heaven} The peculiar mildneaa and aalubrity of ita atmoanbere.
fhr Hu dew] A plentiful aupply of which waa a great blcaaing in the dry soil of a hot climaie.
7^ tUut that eoucM/b beneaih'\ Probably referring to the pleniim] aupply of water, which ihould be fouoa ia digging wlla; nenoe Itaa Septnagint baa ^'•avw «wyMv,./auAtetn* ^ A« d^pg. Soine auppoae theraJbaa be«t a ■light change made m the word W) mital, for the dme, wiuch waa probably at first Vfo tne4/, rmom Asova, and then the paauge would read ihua: for tht prtdou* thinge qf heaven raoH Aiova, and for Ae deep Aai eoueheih niTBATB. This reading is confirmed by several of Ken- Dicott'a and De Rossi's HSS. The Syriae and Chaldee faavB bedi raadittga — Ou d«e qf heavmfrom, abate.
Tens 14. Uu prteioiufruitt brougnt forth by the tun] AU azeellent and important productions of toe earth, which oome to perfection once in the year. So, the preebnu thin ft piUjMh by A« mom, may imply tboee vegatablea which require but about a nimtb to faring them lo periection: or vegeiablei^ of vfaidi aevenl erapa mi^ be had in the eonrae of ayear.
Verso ISi 7%s dUfr Atega ^ Aa ancieni mountaiiw] enpwvt VM-W UmiroA kartrey kedem, and from the Jbeod, or lop of the ancient or aosfem mountaina I tbepreeiou* Ainge or pnduetUm* being attll understood. And this probably refers to the large treee, Ac growing on the mountain tope; and the springs of water iaauing from them. Ilie mountains of Uilead may be here intendedi M they fell to the half u-ibe of Hanaasdl. And the prodmu lking» liU laafing mur ngnifr die auteb and ninerole which might be diggea out of them.
Tersq 16. TfU^ood wiU ^ Mm <^ dtpettfniAa fttw&] The yiiwwr tA him irtio appeared in the burning boab, on mount Sinai— wtu> there, in his ^ood wiU, mere love and flompasaion, took Israel to be his people [ and who haa prtaerved Mid will preaerva in trilnlation and dietress, all those who trust in nimi so that they shall as surely eaeape nhburt, as the bush, thoo^ enveloped with fire, waa nnnimt.
TV top of At head, Ac.] "nie same words are used Jaeob in blessing thii tribe, Oen. zlix. 26. The meaning appeara to be, that Ood dmU distiiigwiih (hia tribe in a ftnisdir wi^, aa Joseph kiasalf was oeparalad no-
' come upon thn head of Joseph, and upon the top ol the head of bun that was separated from his brethren.
17 Hie glory is Wðe - firstling of his bullock, and his horns art like * the horna of ' unicoms: with them ■ he shall push the people to-
§ ether to the ends of the earth: and ■ they are le ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
19 They shall • call the people unto the mountain; there ^ they shall offer aacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and qf treasures hid in the sand.
a Nazonle, a conaecrated prince to God, from among, and in preference to all hia brethren. See the noiea on Oen. zlix. 25, &c.
Veree 17. HU gtory ia like AeJlreUing <^ hi» ftuifacil ■nua aimilitude ia very obooure. A bullock waa the most excellent of animals ajnong the Jew^ not only because of ita aaxptahlenta* in taerUtc* to Ood; but because of ita great uae/u/aeaa in agriourture. llwre is aomething peeuharly noble and dignified in the appearance of the ox t and his greatest ornament ore his fine Aomj — Umc the inspired penman haa particularly in view, aa tlie following clauae provea: and ii ia well known that in Scripture' language, Aoma are the emblem of tlrmgth, glory, and eover^gniy: Psal. Ixxv. B, U. Ixxxix. 18, 26. cxii. 9. Dan. viii. 3, *c. Luke i. 69. Bev. iviL 1 ic
Hie homt are Uke Ae home tfunteome] D»n Reem, which we translate unworn, from theuamiKpac, numoitero^ of the Septuaffint, signifies, according to Bodiart, the mounfoin goaf: and, according to others, the rhinoceros, a very large (quadruped, who has one great horn on his nose, from which circumstance his name is derived. See the note on Numb, xxiii. 22. xxiv. 8. Retm is in dia «in< guZor number, and because the Aorna of a unicorn, aoiunoroed animal, would have- appeared absurd, our tranalatora, with an unfiuihfblness not common to them, put the word in the plural number.
7^ tht end* qf the mtA] Of the land of Canaan, for Joshua with hia ormiea conquered all ibia land, and drove the ancient inhabitanta out before him.
They are the ttn Ihoueande qf Ephraim, An.] That i% the noma aignily the ten ihouaaoda of E|Araim, and the thousands oiHanasseh. Jaoobpro|Auaied,GeiL xlviii. 19. that the younger should be greater than the alifer; ao here raira qf Ihoueande are given to Ephraim; and only thouoanda to Monaaaeh. See the Census, Numb. i. 33-^.
Verse 18. Befoice, Zebulun, in Ay going tnd\ Thati% Tliou aholt be very prosperous in thy coasting voyages— ibr this tribe's situation waa fevourable for traffic, having many aet^wto. See Oen. xlix. 13.
And luaekar, in Ay tente.] Hiat ia, aa Zebulun should be prosperous in his tnipping and trt^fftc, so should Issa* char be in his tetUo, hia agriculture koS paaturage.
Verae 19. TJiey ehail call the people unto the mountain] By their traffic with the GentiUt, for so I think B^sp dmmim, should be understood here, they shall be the inatruments in Ood's bands of converting many to the true feith: ao (bat instead of saerlfieing to idol^ they ahould ofier aoerMoM iff rfgUaouanaaa.
And of treamret hid in Ae aanti.] JonaAan hen Uzzid has probably hit on the true meanii^ of thia difficult paaaoge. "From the asnd," aays he, '^are produced looking ffOMH* and gioas in gemru i the trtaturee, the method St finding and-woriting ihis^ waa revealed to ummb tribes." Sevenu ancient writers inform ua, that there were havens in the eoaata of the Zabulonite^ in whidi the vUreout sand, or sand proper for making glaaa, waa found. See Sindx), lib. xvi. see also Pliny, Hist. Nat. I. xxxvi. c 26. Tacit Hist. 1. v. c. T. The words of Tacitus are remarkable: Et BeUu omnia Jadaico man tUoWur, circa ejua oa teeta arena admixlo nitro, in vitntm, eaquuntur. '"Hie river Belus fells into the JewiUi sea, about whose mondi those aanda mixed with nitre nrs collected, out of whidi gfoss ia (tirmed; " or which ia melted into glaaa. Some mink that the oelebnited ahell-fiafa, calletT murex, out of which the precioua purple die waa extracted, ia hen intended by the traaauro hid in A* aandi this also Jonathan introoueea in this verae. And othars fiOQ dO IT Andof Oad he said. Bleaaed be he that "ealargeth Gtad: he dweUeth aa a Uod, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
31 And ' he provided the first part (or himself, beeause there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was Ae*8eated; and ^ he came with the heads of the beople, he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments with Israet.,
22 IT And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp; t he ^all leap from Bashan.
think, thftt it u & general term for the sdnaisges derived frOBi otivijnuion nai commeroa.
Terse w. BUued be ke Ikat mlarreA Oad} Am de> livenuwa oat diatreaa ia termed muwgit^. see PaaL iv, 1. this may refer to Ood'a deliverance of the tribe of Gad out of that diatroM mentioood Gen. xliz. 19. and to the enlai^enient obtained through the meana of Jephtha, Jadf(. xi. 33. and probably, also, to the vicioriea obtained by Gad and Reuben over the Hagarenes, 1 Chron. v. 19 — 20.
fie dieeUdh a» a lion] Probably the epithet of lion or Um-like, waa applied to this tribe from their fierce and warlike diapoaition. And on this auppotitioit, 1 Chron. Xii. & wiU appear to be a sufficient comment. And qf the OatUat l&ers were — men of fngh^, men war for the baUix, that could kandU thuld ana buckler, lehoce face* vere likb tub paces op lions, anditere at »V!\ft as Oie roes upon the mountains. — Tearing the arm or shoulder, vith me crown of the head, seems umply to mean, that no force ahould be able to prevail over them, or ataod against tfaem— u the arm or t/wulder, signifies oominioo, and the crovn qf the head, sovereign princes.
Terae 21. He provided Ae^rst part] lliat ia. he ehoee for himaelf a veiy excellent portion, viz. the land of Sihon jmd Og, in which this tribe had requestad lo be settled, by the laiegiver, viz. Hoses, from whom they requested this portion; Num. Ixxii. 1 — 5.
He came with the heads of Qu -people] Nolwifhatanding this portion fell unto them on the east aide of Jordan, yet they proceeded with the heads of the people, the chiefs of the other tril>e8.
To execute the justice if the Zjord] To extirpate the old inhabitants of the country, according to the decree and punmse of the Lord. See on Numb, xxxii.
Verse 22. Dan is a lion's whelp; he shall leap from Sathan] The Jewish tnteniretera observe, that Baahan waa a placa much frequented by lions, who issued thence into all parts to look for prey. Bv thia, probably, Mosee intended to point out the atrengtli and proweaa of tbis tribe; that it should extend its territoriea, and live a aort of predatory life. — It appears from Josh. xix. 47. that Uie eirtion orieinally assigtied tn diia tribe, was not aufficieut r them; hence we mtd them going out in war againai Ltcshem and taking adding it to iheir territoriea, and.calling It by the name of the tribe. Jacob, in his prophetic liteasiag ot thia tribe, represenu it under the notiin of a serpent in the path, Gen. xlix. 17, The character there, and that given here, constitute the complete warrior, stratagem and amrage. See the note on Gen. xlix. 17.