Commentary on the Holy Bible

Verse 20. ntooe twelve etonte\ It is very likely thai • base of mason-work was erected of some oonsideraMa hei^I, and then the twelve stones placed on the top of iti and that this waa the case both in Jordan and in Oilga]: for twelve such stones aa a man conM carry nconsidef^le way on hie shoulder, see ver. 6. could acai«dyfaave mads any observable altar, or pillar of memorial: bnt erected ssi a high base of mason-work, they would be very eoaqacnous, and thus n/operly answer Uie end for wfaioi Ood ordered them to be set up.

Verse 22. Ttien ye ahatt let your tkOdren knaw] Ite necemty of an early religions education ta ineoleaisd through die whole orades oi Ood. The parents who neglect It, have an Kwiiil aooount to give to the Jodpi of (to mtiok and dead.

Varae24. TJtatattAepeofOeqf As earA might kmm\ It ia very likely diat fwn -tif S3 cct tmmar Aa-arrfs^ means simply, all thepeople qf tiiie lattd—all tbeCaaaanitish nations, to whom, by (ho miracles wroti^l in behaJf of his people, he mtsnded to ikow his etwnal nawer sad Godhead, the exeelleace of his pntcetion, aad the i unkHbtfJ nhu ul parrb« f oiirii. na ilp

* A came to pass, when all the i.uiraw'*». xX IcingB of the Amoritet;, ivhich isere on the side of Jordan westwHrd,

and B.II the IcingB of the Canaanites, * which toere ky the sea, ' heard that the Lord had dried up the waters or Jordan from before the children oT I«rael, until we were passed over, thut their heart melted, " neither Wiia there spirit in them any more, beeause of the children of Itrael. 3 1f At that lime the Lord said unto Joshua,

VBiloblenasa of human migbl a^nst liis omnipotcuce; •ad the miracles he wrouf^ for this people in the aieht of tbe hcalhen, vere well ralcujated to make these uiings inown..

1. Odd intends that his religion ihould be maintained ■nd propagated in ibo earth: therefore he hu ^ven a reveloiion of himself to men, that it may be tau^t in the vorld; and he particwlarly re<]uirea that jiareota should be ililigenl and fervent in teaching their children the knowledge of his name. 2. This is one great use of the ordinance* of the Gospel, and the rilu of religion. They are all ngnificalora of sabred things, and point out matters of infinite importance beyond themselves. 3. A epirit of in- ^iry. is commoD to every child; the human heart is ei-er r«ntiit(r after knowledge; and if not rightly direc:ed when Tcwn», will, like that of oiir first mother, oatrav after forbidden science. 4. If we wishour el]ildn>n to lie nn;imr, we should ^ow them where happincfls is to be found. If we wish them to be vrUt, we should lead (hem nnio God, br m?-ins of his word ami ordinances. It is natural for a child to inquire, " Whit do you mean hj this bapitsm 7 — By ritis Mcramm?— B? prayingt—By ■:n;^ug psalms and hymnal" fte. Ana what fine opportunities do such

Siesrions ^ive pious and inielligent parents to instmci sir children in every article of the Christinn faiih, and in every fact on which tltese articles are esioiblished! Oh *vhy is thianegteeled, while (he eommaad-uf Ood is before our eycL and the iniportaace of the measure so «trikh)gly obvious!

NOTES ON CHAPTER T. Verse 1. 7%e Amorita whuA wtn on the tide qf Jordan wulwird) It has alreoily Ijeen remarked thst the term AmoriU is atiplii^d sometimes to sigjiify nil \\\-. nations or tribes of Canian. It appears from ihia verse thai «hflre were people thus denominated iliat dwelt on both sides of the Jordan, Those on the east side ha-l already been destroyed in the war which the Israelites hid wi'h Sikan and O^i willi thOM on the west side, Josh:ia had not yet wazed war. It is possible, however, that the ATnorile*, of whom we read in this verse, were the renuini of rhove who dwelt on the east side of the Jurdon, and who had takea refu^ here on tlie defeat of 0^ and Sihon.

Verse 2. Mukt the* sharp Itnires] d'-'J ma^n cSirhol'i Uitrim, knive* of rock, stone, or ^int Before the use of iron was common, all the nations of the earth had their •dge-lools made of »tone»,Jtinlt, dfce. In the lately discovered islands this is found to be a common case. Our smceKors, in these countries, made their arrow and apearhtadt of Jtint! these I have often esen turned up by ilic plough. But we cannot suppose, that, at the lim-! here referred to, the Israelites were destitute of iron, and were therefore tAlijed to use knives made of atone or flint: their different manufactures in the wiMemeas, prove that tb«y must have had both iron and stoif, ^fihy then use kntret made of stone'/ Probably it was unlawful to use fiutai ot any kind in this religious rit« ( and, indeed, this seems likely from the circumstance of Zipporoh, Exod. iv. 25. taking a tAarp ttone, and elrcumelsiDg her son i and we find, from the most ancient and authentic accounts, that the Bsvptiana oeosidered it unlawful or probne to use any kind ot metal to make inotnons In the human body, when preparing it tor embalmingt see the note on Oen.!. 2. and on Exod. iv. 2S. That it was deemed improper to use any other kind of instrument in circumcision, we have apTOor ia (ho tribe Alnajab, in Ethiopia, who follow the Moqaio institution, and perform tho nto of circumcision, •eeording toXAidolf, euUris laptdiinu, with kntveo made ^ ttone. Hist. Etbiop. lib. iii. e. 1. And as Ood eom* nwwled people to mske him SB altar ^ inthewn stoor,

Make thee " diarp " kniven, and circumcise ajntin, the children of Israel, the Acrond time.

3 And Joshua made him t^harp knivcR, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hiU of the foreskins.

4 And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: "All the people thai came out of Egypt, lhaC were males, even all the men of war, died in the wildernesfi fay tlie way, alter they came out of Egyot.

5 Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people lhat icere born in the wildernesii, by the way as they came Jbrth out of Egypt, Uicm they had not circumcised,

G For the cltildren of Israel walked ' forty years in the wilderness, till all the i>eople that

on which no tool of iron hod been lifted up, because this would poUule it, see Exod. xx. 25. and Deuu zzvii. 6. hs might require that no instrument of iron sliould be uswd in a rite by which the body and soul of the person were ia the most solemn and ncred manner dedicated to him, to ba his house and temple; the heart itself being the altar on which continual sacrifices to God must be offered. A physical reason has been given for preferrine knives of atone in this operation: "the wound sulfera fees through inflammation, and fs sooner healed." For this a reason may be given. It is almost impossible to get an edge made to even and firm as net to leave particles of the metal in the incisions made even in ihe most delicate flesh: these particles would soon become oxidized by ihe oftion of (he air, and extra mflammation m the part would Ite the eonBef)uence. The great aptitude of iron to be oxidized, i, e. to be converted to rvsl, is well known; but how far tjiis reasonine-, rhnsappliod, may be Biipported Wfaet, I cnnnnot preiciTd to determine: but it is sufficiently evident, thai it was a common custom to use knives of stone in circumcision, and in all operations on (hose parts of the human body. I diall give a tew examples. Pliny tay% when they amputate certain parts, th^ do it with asftsrp atone, hernuse nothing else eould be empltr^ without dan^r. Samia tetta vtriiUateitt amputa&ml i neealUer eiira ptmieiem.

Ovtd, Past. lib. iv. ver. 237. relates a eircumstanee where the eaxum aaitum, or ekarp etene, was used about those ports':

TDrrffan ttte turput ImilaiO trm*.

Ah t pfniiH nviM. mir noaien iidM AbaBmam! itiMtol adhur, omai ('WiM< Itaoatut uHl itUti lifna iditta Hrl,

Tliis quotation is produced in order to prove that a /eni/'s made of^ a tharp elone was used in making incisions and amputations of certain ports of the body, even when (he use of iron was well known: but a (raoslation of th« verses is not necessary, and would be improper, llis

Jif jHU fkl npu Hnnit sKhnJi* uaii of Juvenal (Sat. vi. ver, 513.) is a fiirfher proof of this. Many other proofs might be produced; but those who wish for more may consult Cetlmel and StAtvdizer.

C'imtinei»e a''ain the children of Itratl the teeonit lime.] Ihia certainly does not mean that they sliould repeat circunteision on those who had alroody received it. Tliif would have been as absurd as impracticable t but the oommnnd implies, that they were to renew tlia observance of a rite which hod been neglected in their travels in the desert) whieh is Bufhcieoily evident from the following verses,

Verae 4. 77if« is the cause leimjoehita did etmtmeiee] The text here explains itself. Before the Israelites \m Egypt all (he males were circumeised; and some teamed men think that all those who were bom during their encampment at £Vna> were circumcised also, because there they celebrated ihe paasover i but after that time, during the whole of their siay in the wilderness, (here were none circumcised (ill they entered into (he promised land. Owing to their unseided state, Ood appears to have dispensed, for (he (ime being, with this rile i out as they ore about to celebrate another possover, it was neeesso^ that all the nudes ahoukl be eiretimeised i for, without this, they could not be considered within the covenant, and could not keep the pisBOver, which was a leal of that covenant. As baptism is generally understood to have succeeded to circumcision, and the noly eu^iahst to the passover; hence, fo the ehurdi of Englaad, and probably in most others, no parsoi is permhlea to reeeive the saeroment of the LonPt MOMT tul he has bean bmttzed.

vers moo of war, which came out of Egypt, were contained, because they obeyed not tne voice of the Lord: unto whom the Lohd sware that * he wuulit not show them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us; t a land that floweth with milk aad Bonev.

7 And " their children, whom he raised up io their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they wore uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.

8 And it came to pass, * when they had done circumcising all the people, that they ^ode in their places in the camp, " till they were whole.

9 And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away ' the reproach of E^ypt from ofi'you. Wherefore the name of the ^ace is called r Oilgal ■ aalo thjs day.

Verse 8. T^uy abode — In Ou camp liU they vera vhoU.] "niia roouired levenU days; Me the notea oa Gen. xxxiv. Sir J. Chardin informs us, ibal when ndiUu were circutnciKd tbey were oblieed to keep their bedi for nbout three weeks; or, st least, ouring that time tber were not able to walk abaat but with great difficuhy. Tht account he had from several renegadoe^ who bad reoeived circomoisioD among the Hohammedana, Is it not strange, that during this time they were not attacked by the inl^taota •f the load, and utterly destroyed, which might have been easily effected 1 See the case of the poor Shechemttes, as related in GeiL xxxiv. with the notes there. Joshua, aa an able geimal, would at Mtce perceive that ibis very measure must expMe his whole host to ibe danger of beu^ totally annihilated; hut be knew that QOD eoutd not err, and that it was hit duty to obcyf therefore, hi the very teeth of his enemiea, he reduced the major part of his army to a state oi total helpleosnesa, simply truslinj^ for protection in the arm of Jehovah E The sequel shows tik&t his confidence was not misplaced: during the whole time, Ood did not nennit any of their enemies to disturb them. The path of duty is the path of safety; and it is impossible fat any soul to oe iiyured while walking in the padi of obedieaefc But why did not Ood order them to be circumcised while ihej were on the east side of the Jordan, in a Slate of great securityl Beoause he chose to bring them into straits and difficulties, where no eounsel or might but his own, could inlallibly direct and save them; and this be did, that (hey mi^t see that the excellence of the iKnver was of Ood, uu) not of man. For the same reason, he caused them to pass the Jordan at the time that it overflowed its banks, and not at the time when it was low and easily ftmlable, that be might have the better opportunity to show them that they were under his immediate care and protection; and convince them of his almighty power, that they might trust in him for ever, and not fear the force of any adversaries. la both coses, now apparent are the wisdom, powerjond goodness of Qod 1

Verse 9. TlurepnaAqf Sgypt.] Their being unnrtamand, made diem like die uneircuneised Egyptians t and die Rdnews ever considered all thoM which were uncArcumcised as being in a slate of the grossest impurity. Being now circumcwed; the reproach of uncircumcision was rolled away. This is another proof that die Israelites did not reeeive oiroumeision from the E^ryptiana t for they oould not have ooosidered those in a state of abomination, from whom they reoeived that rite bywhieh they coO" •eived dwrnaelns to be made pure. Tt» Isnelites bad this rite from Abraham j and Abraham hod it (ram die express order of Ood himseit— See Uen. xvii. 10. and the note there.

ThejfUaet u called GU/^f\ A rolling away, or rMiag oyl See the note on chap. iv. 19. where the word is bU]KeIy explained.

Verse 10. K^OupoMifftr mOufmirtemUKdayqf MSMoMiA] Udwoeremoiiy of circumcision wnsperformra on dw eleventh day of the mond), as many dimki diatdte ■ore was at the worst on the tliirteenth, and that die passover was celebrated on the fourteenth, the people being Uien ouite recovered; it must have been radier a vUraeahu» Uian a natural htaUnr. Wo have already seen, from thsaceouotof Sir J. Chardin, that it required about three wedu to reaiore to soundness adulu who had submitted to oirramamonr if any thing like diis took plaoe in the case

10 If And th« children t£ Until encamped in Gilgal.and keptthepaasover 'onthefoorteenth day of the mtHitb at even, in the idaku of

11 And tbey did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow afler the passover^ unleavened cakes, and parched com in the seltsame day.

12 iT And the manna ceased on the morrow after thev had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; hut they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan, that year.

13 1[ And it came to paw, when Joshua waabr Jerii^ho, that he tilled up his eyes and loiAed, anti, behold, there stood ' a man over against him '' with his sword drawn m his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and soul unto him. Art tboa Su us, or for our adversaries?

cision. The apparent impossibility of this led Mr. Hsr> mer to suppose, that they Kept the passover en tbe liiurteendi day of the tecowt mon ih, the preceding time having been employed in the business of the circumcision. Sea his O&sn-co^ions, vol. iv. p. 427, &c

Terse 11. They did tat of Ui« old com As iMd] The Hebrew word toy Sbur, which we timnalate sId torm, occurs only in this place in such a sense, if that sense bs le^timate. The noun, though of doubtful Bignifieatioa, is evidently derived from '■OF Sbar, to pa»s ocer, to go beyotid f and here it may be translated simply, the vrodmetf that which posse* from the load into tbe hand* ot the cuilivator i or, according to Coceeiia, what passes from person to person, in the way of tniffic: benee bought wm— what diey purchased from tbe inhabitants of the tand.

qfUr Ih* ptumrer] That is, on ifaej|^ teenOi day; Cm- dien ihe feest of unleavened bread b^w. But they could neidier eat bread nor perched cora, nor green ears, till the firal-fraiU of the harvest bad faeta toaved at the lobsmaclc, see Levit. xxiii. 9^ dtc And therefore, in this case, vire may suppose d^at the Isnebica bad offered a sheaf of the barlty harwett^ the only giaia that was then ripe, before they ate of die unleavened cakes and parched ecNro.

Verse IZ And the mama eeatd — afltr Ifuy kad Mtm Iff the old com] This miraculous supply continued wid> them as long as tbey needed it. While tbey wtn in dke wilderness, Utey required such a provision; nor could sodk a multitude, in such a place, be supported without a mii^ cle. Now they are got into the promised land, the anaihematized inhabitMits of which either fell or flee before them, they find an eld tloek, and tbey are brought in ^ist at the commeocement of tbe harvest; hence, as there is an ample provision made in the ordinary way of ProvidciK^ there is no longer any need of amu-acu/cus supply; tbctefore the manna ceased, which they had enjo^d for fatf years. The circumstances in which it wee 6m given, ns continuance with them, through all their peregrin itisws in die wilderness; its accompanying them over Jlordaa, and ceasing as soon as they got a siqiply in ihe onhnary way of Providence, all prove that it was a preleriHUund gift.

"On die fourteendioflfisait they sacrifieed the Phaelia] Iamb; on the fifteenth, i. e. according to our calculaiiai^ the same day after sunset, they disposed tbemaelTes fbraal* ingit,andactuallydideatiL On the morrow, the sixtanslv after having offered to Ood the Aesur, tbey begaa eatiiig the com of the eountry i and the seventeniih we mm* ceased to fell from heaven. What supports this feWtoricQ is, tliat the Aonter, or aha^f, was offered the eixiesnili sf Nisan, in broad day-light, though preUy tate. Now da manna did not fall till ni^t, or very earlv in tbe momiogi so ihat it cannot be said to have ceased fallinr the same day that the Israelites bc^an-to eat of the produee of the country.' ' — Dodd.

Tme 13. When Jothua vat by JtriiM^ TV sixth ehapter should have commenced here, as this is an ouirdj new relaticQt or these two chapters should have Made mt one, OS the present division has most unnaturally divided rhe oomrounieation which Joshua bad from the angd of the Lord, and which is eontinoed to verse 6. of chap. vi. It is very likely that Joshua had gone out privatriy to reconnoitre the city of Jeridw, when be bad this viaun; and while contemplating the ftnogdi of the jAam, and praka bly refieeting on the extreme diffienlty <iS redaeing it, Qs^ to encourage him, granted him this vision, and BwtoveMl hia indie Beans IT vhiehlhsei^sboaw bet *

NOW Jericho ^ was etraitly shut up because of the children of

14 And he said, Nar; bat at ■ captain of the host of the Lord, am I now come. And Joshua Tell oo his face to the earth, and did worship, aikd said unto him. What aaith my lord unto his

15 And the captain of fhc Lord's host said unto Joshua, < Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did to.

larad: none went out, and none came in.

Tlun tiood a man over againat h.im\ It hu been a very geiMml opinion, both uoong the ancients and moiiam, that ths jwrsoa mentioned oere was no other than dw Lord JenH m that form, which, in the fiihieM of time, he wu aeuially to oMuaie for tne redemption of man. That the appearance waa aupernatural, 'a agreed on all hande; and aa the name Jeluiah. is given him, (chap. vi. S.) and be neeived from Joahua aivine adoration, we may presume Am ao ertaUd <uigtl is intended.

And JoduM vent unle Aim] This ia a very natural fdation, and carries with it all ine ■jipparaneea and char- •eteriatks of a simple relation of facL Ihe whole biilory of Joidiiia ihowi him to have been a man of the moit unttavnUd miad and itUrepid courage — a genuine hero. An ordinary person, Meing thia man armed with a drawn nrord in hii hand, would have endeavoured to have regained ^e camp, and lought safety in flight: but Joebua, undiamaved, though probably altghtly armed, walks up to ihia terrible peraon, and immediately questioned him, Art Hhou/or ue, or far «ur aduermritM? Probsbly, at firat, supposing that he might be the CanaanitiA genenL coming; to reconnoitre the IsraelitiA tmmp, as himsuf was eooie out to examine the city of Jericho.

Verse 14. But aa et^ptain of the hoel <^ tha Lord am I ao» ceme] By this saying, Joahua waa both encouraged fend instrueiML As if ne nad aaid, "Fear not: Jehovah buh sent fra«n heavu to save thee and thy people from Ae rurottch of them, that would swallow Ibee up. Israel ie tbeLord's hoatj and the Lord of hoeta ia luael'a cap- Bdn. Thou thyself aholt only be captain under me; and I mm now about to instruct iltee relative to thy conduct in this war."

AtuI Jjuftwa— Jfrf ttorahtp] Nor was he reprehended toe offering divins wonhm to (his person, wfaieh he would BOthannesivadthwlhsMsnaerwilMlaiig'el.— See Rev. sxii.Bt 9.

Verse 16. Looae Iky ^ from itftky foot, &c] These w«re the same worda which the angel on mount Sinai ■Mke to Mose^ aee Ezod. iil 6 — 8. aiai from this, it aeemi likely (bat it was the aeme peraon that appeared in both places I in the Jlrtt, to encourage Hoaea to deliver the op- Bwssad Isnelitei^ and bring them to the promised land; m the sscsttd^ to enoouiage Joduia in his arduous labour ia enslliiw the ancient inhabitanta, and establishing the people ia the ioberitonce promised to their fathers.

Tans ia aeareely a more unfortunate division of chapters in (he whole Biole than that here. — Through thia very •iieiumlsiiGe, many peraoiu have been puzzled to know what was iatanled by this extraordinary appearance, because they supposed that the whole business ends with the ebapter, whereas, it is oontinosd ht the suceeediM one, the ftrat verse of whieh ia a mere parenthesis, aimply relating the slate of Jericho at the time that Joahua waa fiivourra by diis eooouraging vision. We nay draw two tise&U reSec liOBs from the subjects of this chapler.

1. As the manna had now fiubd, dw people, alwigrs matly addiotsd to hwrwfailifr, ni^ have hssn led to UBsciae th^ Ood had now cmn wen up, and wooM be no bmger in thnr armies, Bad be not gbsn them this ■IrM^ assuianee, (hat the angel of his nreaenoe should be with diem as the guide and protector of the whole camp: Idt JoslHia undoubtedly innrmed iboa of the eooour- •Cassaot b3 had raesived from ^ oiptota «f the Lord's

2 1[ And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, • I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the ^ king thereof, and the mighty men of vaJour.

3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round noout the city once. Thus shalt thou ao six days.

4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven I trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and "> the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the

f)eople shall ascend up, every man straight beore him.

6 J And Joshua, the son of Nun, called the priests, and said unto tliem. Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven prieots bear seven trum* pets of rams' horns, before the ark of the Lord.

2. By thia vision he showed them that their help came from himself and that it was not by human might ot power, but by Aa Lord qfkoatM, they were to have the victory over all their adversaries: and he gave them the moat convincing proof of thia in the miraculoua deairuc* tiun of Jericho. By this meana he continued to keep il.<rm dependent on his arm alone: without whieh depcoidei. 'e the apirit of religion could not have been preserreo among thetn.

Verae I. Aote JeriAo was ttraittv Aid up] The kmc of Jericho finding that the apiea had eacuied, ihotigh tli>. city waa alwaya kept abut by night, took the most proper pecaution to prevent any thing of the kind in future, by Iteeping the city ahut both day and night; having, no douDt, laid in a aufficieney of proviaiona to aland a aiege, being determined to defend himself to the uttermost.

Verse 2. And Lard »atd unto Jookua} Ihia ia the aame peraon who, in the preoedhig elwpter, is called the capbtin or prince <if Uu LonP»hMti the diacoorae being here continued that waa b^pin at the eooelusion of the preceding chapter, from which the five first wses of this are unnaturally divided.

/ have men into Uinu hand JeriAo, Ae.] From ver. 11. of chap, zziv.it seems as if there had been persons of all the seven CanaanitiA natiofla then in J«iclu\ who roi^t have eome (ogether at this time to help the king of Jendio against the invading laraelites. Hie Tsrgum mti* mates thu the place wma very strong, having *~gatee of tron, and bora of bnue — and was abut up so closely, that none came out either to combat, or make ofiera of peace."

Verae 3. Ye ehall eompaee me city] In what order the people marched round the city, does not exactly appear from the text Some think they obeerved the same order, as in tbor ordinary marches in die desert, see (be note on Numb. X. 14. and see the plan^ Numb. ti.) others think ibai the soldiers marched first, then the prints who blew die trumpets, tbMi those vbo oorried lbs sil^ and IssUyi the people.

Verse 4. Seten trumpete tff ramJ Aoma] The Hebrew word E3^3r> yobelim, does not signify ranw' Aorw*— see the note on Lev. zxv. 11. nor do any of the ancient veratona, the Chaldee excepted, give it (his meaning. Ihe instruments used on this occasion, were evidently of the same kind with thoee used on the jubilee, and were probably made of horn or of silver: and the text in thia piace may be translated, And meeen prieeU ehall bear before the ark the aeten jabUee trumptia; for they appear to have been the same Kind oa thoee used on the pibilee.

Seven timee] Tbt time was thus lengthened oat, that the besiegers uid the besieged might be the mors deeply impreaaed widi that aupenatural power, by whidi oioae the walls fell.

Verae 5. The valU if the city AcUfatt dottn Jtof] Several commentatora, both Jews and Christians, have Buppoeed that the ground under the foundation of the walla opened, and the mil aunk into the chasm, ao that there remained nothing but plain ground for the Israehtes to walk over. Of thti^ the text «ys nediing: mm hSmi* nvmn *i*vn venaphetoh dumoA hAb- taenuyah, Uiamlly tnnalated, is, 7n« wall qf the eUy ahaUfaU down tnmsa irsatT) which u>pean to mean no more than, (bewail slwH bJl down from its very foundations. And (his pr<»- bab^ was d» eass hi sMvy part, thonrii large brsMbas in difirsM plwss tdght be si^ soAeint w nimit the

7 And he Haid unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is arined pass on berope the ark of the Lord.

8 If Anil it rnme lo pnpn, when Joshaa had epokr^n unto tho people, that the seven priests be3rin<r tlic seven trumpete of rams' noma, pnepfd^on before the Loud, and blew with the tniinpel-i: nnil the ark of the covenant <tf the Lord tullowcd them.

9 And the nrmed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, "and the Prereward came afier the nrk, /Ae pr/c»/* going on, and biowitis with the trumpets.

10 And Joshua had commanded the people, Bnyin?,Ye shall not Khout, nor imake any noise with vour voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouili, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.

11 So the ark of the Lord corapaBsed the city, ffoin^ about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.

13 And seven priests bearing: seven trampcts of rams' liorns before the ark of the Lord, went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests goin? on, and bIowin<f with the trumpets.

14 And the second day ihey compassed the city once, and returned into the camp; eo they did six days.

15 And it canje lo pass on the seventh day, that they rose earlv about the dawning of the day, and compassed the ciiy aller ihe same manner, seven time f: only on that day they compassed the citv f-even times.

16 And it came to p is.^ that the seventh time, when the priests blew with tiie trumi)erR, Josliua

armed men firat, after whom tiic whole host raiglit enter, in order to dea'roy the city.

Veres 9. Ttie renwanl came ajlcr the ark] The word (pNS meauapft, trom ipH aaaph, to colieel or eaChtr up, may siznify either the rereirard, as our tmnalalion underetantla i>, or the people who carried the ba^^ie of tiie army; for on ihe seventh day this was necessary, as much (ightinf migbl be naturally expected in the assault, and tiiey would need a mpply of arms, darts, &c. as well as convenienees for thosn who might happen to be wounded: or the persons here intended might be such as carried ibe ■acred ariiclea belonging to ihe ark — or merclv such people as might follow in ine procession, without oWrving any particuloi' order. The Jewa tliink the division of Dan IS meant, wliicli always brought up the rear. — See Numbers X.

Verse 14. So tluu did tix daysl It is not likely that the whole Israeliliah host went each day round the city. — lliia would have been utterly impoxsible: the fighting men done amounted to nearly 600,000 independently of tlie people, who must have amounted to al least two or three millions; we may therefore safely assert, that only a select number, such as was deemed necesaaiy for the occasion, were employed. Jericho could not have been a large city; wul to reduce it could not have required a hundredth pari of the armed force under the command of Joshua.

Verse 16. Th'. iepenlk day — Ouy rote tarly] Because on this day they had to encompass the city seven times; a proof that the okr eouU not have bean very extetuive, else this going round it seven time^ and having time suifieient left to soM and destroy it, would have been impossible.

It is evident that, in the course of these seven days, there must have been a sabbathi and that on tliis sabbath, the host must have encompassed the oitr as on the other days: ibeJewsthemselvcaallowthis) and Aafr. i>. XimcU says, "Hs who bad ordained ihe observation of the sabbath, oommandeU it to be broken for the destmetnn bf Jeridio.'' But it does not appear that diere oouU be any brtaeh in the sabbath by the people simply goin^ round the city, the ark in company, aiid the priests soundmg die sacred tnimpets. This was a mere religious procession, performed at the command of Ood, in which no servile wont was done. Therefore A&mon's obfecdon, that the Ood of the Hebrews showsd a cbaogsableness of disposition in eommaodiaK the ■ritedi IB bt Inpt Mend at ooa tim and than lo ba InkMi said unto the people, Shout: for the Lobd hath given you.the city.

1? Tj And the city shall be »artCTir6ed, eten it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot rhall live, she and all that are with her iti the house, because ■ ^e hid the messengers that WA sent.

18 And ye, " in any wise keep tfottrgelres frran the accursed thin^, lest ye make ymtrseives accursed, when y« take of the accursed thins, and make the camp of Israelacurc:e,'andtrDiuileit.

19 But all the silver, and gold, and veBselsoT brass and iron, are * consecrated unto the Lori>: they shall come into the treasury of the LoRir,

20 If So the people shouted when the priestit blew with the trumpets: and it came to paw, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the peni)le shouted with a ^reat shout, uiat ■ the wall fell down ' fltit, so that the peopfe went up into the city, every man straight oelore him, and they took the city.

91 And they ■utterly destroyed all tlmtvasin the city, both man and woman, young and old. and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword,

22 IF But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the coiuttry. Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all thiit she hath, ' as ye sware unto her.

23 And the younp men that were tspiea went in, and brought out Rahsb. and her father, and her nioilicr, and her brethren, and all that she had; and Ihey brought out nil her ' kindred, and tell them without Ihe rttmp^ of Israel

24 And they bnmt the city with fire, and all that 7cas therein r only the silver, and the gold,.^nd the vckscIs of brass nnd of iron, they put into the treasiirv of the house of the Lord.

25 And Joshua saved Raliah the harlot alive,

Qtanorher, ii without foundation: for I mnstconieBd, Ibat no brearh look place on this occasion; imless it couM ba mode to appear that the day on which 'Jericho was taken, was the sabbath, which is very unlikely, and whidi none can prove. But if even this were m be eooceded, it is » sufficient answer to all such cavils, thai the Ood who coaaraoDiied the aabbaih to bs set apart for rest and religioas pnrpoecs, liai always authority to suspeixl for a mason tbe operation of merely ceremonial laws; or toabr(K;ate ihRB entirely, when ilie purpose of their insiitution is AUfiUed. Tl«r Son of mnn is Lord even of the sabbath.

Verse 17. Tlie city thalt be mcurted] That is, it shall be devoted to deatniciion — jre shall take no spoils, and put all that raUt to the sword. Though this may be the nwaningof tlie word Q^n cherem, in some places, see the note on Lev. xxvii. 29. yet here it seems lo imply the tttal destruction of all the inhabitants, see ver. 21. but h ia likely that peace was offered to diii ci^, and that Um exieriaination of the inhabitants, was in eoasegueoce of the reiecm of this offer.

Verse 20. 77t« pMpU AmUed w'A a rrtmt dmtt, tkmt tbe vail _f«U dotrir] TT»ere has been moot learned Ubosir spent to prove that the shouting of the P^ple might he iba natural cause that the wall fell down I Tn wait here, eiiber to detail or r^ta any such arguments, would be loat tUae: enow of ihem may be seen in Scheudiaer. The whole leladon evidently euppoees it to have been a sapematanl interferenoe, as the blowing of the trumpets, and tbe sboMingof die people, were too contempliue to be uaedena as instrumente in this work, with the expectation of atcew plishing it ina natural way.

Verse 21. TTtOf utterly deutrtryed — both man md woman, Ac.] As this act was ordered by Gad bimselC wbe is theHakerandJudg«ofatlraen,itmustberte:U; far tbe Judge of all the earth cannot do vnmg. litodi^ that breathed was permitted In Hve i hence the oxen, abe^ and aases, were destroyed, as well as the inhabitants.

Verse 23. Bnmghi out Rahab, and ktr foAtr, Ac] Rahab having been faithful lo her vow of aeeiecr; the Israelites were Dound by the oath of tbe spies, who'had acted as their representatives in this business, to preservafaer and her fiimily alive.

and her father's hoosehold, and all Uutt she had; and • she dwelleth in iBrael even unto this day; because she hid the measengers which Joshua Bent to spy out Jericho.,,,,

26 It And Joahua adjured them at that time, saying, ' Cursed be the man before the Lobd,

heathenism, were purified, and the male* received eircumeiaion, they were doubclees admitted into the camp, and became incorporated with lamel.

Verse 24. Only the tUver, and the gald—thty put into titetrearury, &c.] The people were to have no ihare of the apoil^ bncauae they had no hand in the conquest. Ood alone ovenhrewthe city; and into hia treasury only, the ■poiU were broughL This is one proof that the agitation 01 the air, by ttic sound of the people's voica waa not the eause of the tall of the city walU.

Veasela qf braataadqf trmt] Instead of "frS kaUy.vta- BBLs i the Ssptuoijini in the Alexandrian copy, evidenily have read S5 w/, all, with the oraisaion of the ' yerf; for they translate in ver. 19. »a* xjA^os ««< ffiSnpos, all the bram ana iron; but this reading does not appear in any of Kennteott's or De Roni's MSS.

And the dMlUih in Israelevca unioBuMda}/] Thii is one proof that the book was written tn the time to which it is commonly referred: and certainly mia^ht hare been dbne by the hand of Joshua himaelf| though doubtlesi many marginal notes miy have since crept into the text, which, to (UpitrGcial observers, give it the appearance of having been written after the days of Joshua. See the preface to Aia book.

Verse 26. And Joikua adjured ihem at that Utne] It amiears that they h:id received intimations from God, that this idolalrous city should continue a monument of the divine displeasttre: and having convened the princes and elders of the people, he bouM them by an oath, that they ^ould never rebuild it.- and then, in their presence, pronounccd a ourse ufwn the person who should attempt it. Ilie ruins of tliis city continuing, would be a permanent proof, not ottlyofOocf 8 displeasure against idolatry, but of the miracle which he had wrought in behalf of the Israelites; and for these reasons, Qod willed that it should not be rebuilt: Nevertheless, he left men to the operation of their awn free will, and recorded the penalty which those must pay who should disobey him.

ffeahaillatf thefimndalion thereof, &c.] This is a strange execration; but it may rather be considered in the light of Apredietioit. It seems to intimate that he who should at> tempt to rebuild this city, should lose all his children in the interim, from laying the fotmdation to the completion of the walls; which the author of t Kings xvi. 34. says was acoenipliihed in Hiel the Beihelite, who rebuilt Jericho, under the rei^n of Ahaz, and laid the foundation qf it in Abtram, kiM firat-born; and setupil» gate* in hit youngest ton Segub: this was 650 years after Joshua pronoimced die curse. But we are not sure that this means, that the children either died a natural or violent death on this occa- ■ion, for we may undersland the history as relating to tlie ■low progress of the work. Hiel havmg begun the work at the birih of his first-bom, was not able to conclude before the birth of his last child, who was bom many years after: and OS their names arc mentioned, it is very likely that the distance of time between the birth of each was well known when this history was written: and that the extraordinary length of time spent in the work, in which a multitude of vaxatious delajrs had taken place, is that (o which the prcK phettc execration relates. Yet the first opinion is the moat probable. We must not suppose that Jericho had b^en wholly neglected from its overthrow 1^ Joshua, to the days MJitl; if it be the same with the city qf palm tree», meBtiooed DeuL xzxiv. 3. We find it mentioned as an inhabited place rn the beginning' of Judges, chap. i. 16. a short time afVer the death of Jodiua. AndlhechiUrenqf IheKe' nite, MbttM' father-in-law, vtntupout ^ theatyqfpalm treet, vHth the children qf ^uifaA, &c. and thissaid city, if the same with the city oiT palm trees, was taken from the Israelites by EgUm, king of Moah, Judg. iii, 13. The ambassadors of David, who were diagracefully treated by HanuK king of the Amraoniiea, were commanded to tarry at Jwiebo till their beards should grow, 2 9am. x. 4, 6. It upears, therefore, that there was a city which went uttder tms name, long before the time of Hisl, unlesswe can suppoM that the eUy tjf palm trte* was a differenl place from Jerieho, or that the nama Jeriehd^ was given to some part at the circumjacent eounlrj, after the cof VM deArajei^ wnieh is very protable;

that riseth up and boitdeth this city Jericho: he ehall lay the roundation thereof in nis firat-bom, and in his younj^est ton shall he set up the ^ated

if7 ■ So the Lord was with Joshua: and hia fame was noited throughout all the country.

After Hiel had rebuilt this city, it became of considerable consequence in the luid of Judeei the courses of priests lodged there, who served io ihnr turns at the tera- -ple; see Luke x. 30. There was a school of prophets ■here, which wa« visited by Elijah and Elisha, 2 Kings ii. 4, 6, 18. and it was at this city that our Lord miraculously healed blind Bartimeus, Matt. x. 46. Luke xix. 1, &c. At present, Jericho is almost entirely deserted, having but thirty or forty miserable cabins in it, which serve for a

[ilace of refuge Io some wretched Moors and Araba^ who ive there like beasts. The plain of Jericho, formerly so celebrated for its fertility, is at present uncultivated, producing notliing but a few wild Uees, and some very indifferent fmits. See Calmet.

Verse 27. So the Lord was wfiA Jo^ua] Giving him miraculous assistance in all his eniemrises: and this was what he was naturally led to expect from the communication mode to Iiim 1^ the captain of the Lord's host, chapter V. 14, dtc.

1. Mak? attempu have been nuule either to deny ths mfroWe in the fall of Jericho, or to account for it on natural causes. Reference has already been made to some of these in the note on ver. 20. But to those who believe the Divine authenitcity of the New Testament, every olneotion of this kind is removed by the authority of tlw uuhor of the Epistle to the Hebrews, chap. xi. 30. By FArni the walla of Jericho felt dovin after thofkad been eonpatted about smrn day. Hence we find thai it was a miraculous interference; and that Joshua's /ofrt, in the promise made to him by the captain of the Lord's host, was the instrument which God chose to employ in the accomplishment of this important purpose.

2. The some is said of SMtkb, By paitr the harlot Rahab perilled not with them that beUeted not, vhen sAs had reetised the tpies v>ilh peace, Heb. xi. 31- Sbs bolieved that the true God was on the side of the Hdirews; and that (dl opposition to them must be in vain; and this feith led her to nut herself under the Divine protection, and in vir;ue of it she escaped the destruction that fell on her countrymen. Thus God has ever chosen lo put honour on faith, as the instrument by which he will perform his greatest miracles of Jutliee and' tnercy. God, who cannot lie, has given the promiM; he that believes ■hall have it accomplished: tor, with Ood, nothing shall be impossible; and all things are possible to him that believes. These ore scriptural maxims, sod Ood cannot deny himself.

3. On the curse pronounced by Joshua on those woo should rebuild Jericho, it may be necessary lo make a few remarks. In ancient history wc have mu^ instaness «t execration* against those who should rebuild iboae cities which had been destroyed in war, the revival of wboee power and influence was dreaded; especially such cities as had been remarkable for oppression, insolence, or perfidy. Strabo observes, lib. xiii. p. 898. ediL 1707. that Agamemnon pronounced execrations on those who should r^iiM "Trvy, as Crcesus did against those who should re* build Sidena, in which the tyrant Olaucaa had taken refuge; and this mode of execrating dtias, aecording to Strabo, was an andtnt euMtom — tin itmt MrmnpCMS res Ayt/itfirovot *ara ToXator (Oct* tefimp trai » Kpsinf cflAsy riiv ZiAt>"P t'C If * Tvpai'i'K Kart^oyt rXawMACi *f*f S0trs Kara ri^» nKXtinrrtav raktu nv rowaw.

Tite Romans mode a decree, full of execrations, against those who should reBuild Carthage, which had been the rival of their empire; and whidi, from its advantueous situation, mi^t again become fDrmidable uiould it db re* built. See Zonara*, Annal.

The lonioTu, according to laoeratea, pronounced the most awi^l execrations on those who should rebuild the templet desWwed by tlie Peraianas that they might remain to posten^ an endless nraument of the impiety of those barbarians i and that none might put confidence in a people who were so wicked as to make war oo the gods themselves. The other Greeks who had stUTeied by the Persians, acted in the some way, leaving the deeouued temples as a public monument of the enni^ Jhu dmn ever subsist between the two nations. See Coimst, ud see the notes on Numb. zxii. 6.

BUT the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thine: for ' Achan, " the bod of Carmi, the son of > Zatxlj, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing; and the an«er of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.

2 IT And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Aj, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Qo up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.

3 And they retarned to Joshua, and said unto bim,LetnotaIlthepeopleKoup; outlet "about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they ttre bat few.

4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: " and they ned before the men of Ai.

NOTBa ON CHAPTER YU. Tarn 1. ITte Aildren ^ brad eommUUd a trapaaM] It is certun thu one oa\j wm guilty; and yet tbe treipau is impaled here to the whole congregation; uid the whole «on2regMion aoon auffered ihKme and disgrace on the acoouni^ as their armiea were defeated, thiriy-aix persons alwDt arid general terror spread through tlie whole camp. Bein; one body, Gkid atlribuies tbe erime of the individual tB the whole, till tha traqwas was discovered, and by a ffMic act of juttiee inflicted on the culprit, the congregation had purged ttaelf of the iniquity. Thii was done to render every man extremely cautioua, and to make the people watchful over each other, that «a misht be nowhere (olmted or co aid fed at, as one tnuoagranoa micht brins down the wrath of God upon tbe vlwle camp. See on ver. 12.

T%t aeeunad Aing] A ponioD of the of the ci^ of Jericho^ the whole of which God had comuumded to be destroved.

Por Adutn, Ifu ton Ou-mi, Judah had two sons by Tamar, Phorez, and Zerah. Zerah was father of Zabdi, and Zabdi ot Carmi, the father of Achan. These five persons extend throurii a period of 265 years; and hence Calmet concludes, that they eould not have had ehildren befbre they wwe 50 or 66 years o( am. Iliis Achan, son ^ Zabdi, is called, in 1 Chron. ti. o. Aeftor, ton of Zimri; but this reading is corrected intoAcAan, by some M3S. in the place above cited.

Terse 2. Stnl men from Jericho to Ai] ITua is the place called fiat, Om xii. 9. It was in tbe east of Beth- ■A, north of Jerieho, from which it was distant about ten or twelve miles. From verses 4 and K. it appeats to have been situated upona&UI^ and belonged to the Amorites, as we ]«m from verse T. It is very likely that it was a etrong place, as it chose to risk a si^e, notwilbsianding the extraordinary destruction of Jenebo, which it had Jately witnessed.

Terse 4. About three tkouMmd men) The spies sent to reoonncRtre the place, ver. 3. reported, that the town was atsanh garrisoned, ud that two or three ibousaod nen wouW be. sufficient to take it. 'Riese were accordingly MDt up, and were repulsed by the Amorites.

Terse 5. lyiey eltated them from before the gate even unto S^d^ar^m] l^tey seem to have presumed, that tbe men of At would have immediately opened their galea to them, and therefore they manned up widi oonfidenoe; but the enemy appcMing, tney were put to flight, their ronAw Mtteriy bnken, and thirty-six of them killed. Shebarim, sv^av ngnifies ArsoeAfes. or broken jOaeea, and may here apply to the rankt of the Israelites, -which were broken w the men of At; for the people were totally routed, thoufrh there were bai few slain. They ware paniostruek, and fled in the utmost confVtsion.

5 And the men of Ai smote of th«m about thirty and six men: for they chued them/r«» before the gate even unto Shebarim, aod amot* them 'in the going down: wherefore 'the hearts of the people melted, and became aa water.

6 \ And Joahua « rent his clothes, and fell to the- earth upon his face b^ore the ark of the Lord, until the even-tide, he, and the elder* of Israel, and '' put dust upon their heads.

7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, ■ wherefore hast thou at all broucht this people over Jordan, to deliver us into tSe hand of ihe Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other i^e Jordan t

8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel torneth their > backs before their enemies?

9 For the Canaanitea and all the iiftiabitaatf of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and <■ cut off our name from the earth: and * what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

10 IT And the Loan said unto Jodiua, Get tbee up; wherefore * liest thou thus upon thy face?

U 'Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which 1 commanded them; ' for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and * dissemUed also, and they have put tC evm among thar own stuff.

discouraged % and by this gave an ample proof; that widkout the Bupenatunu assistance of God, they could nersr have conquered the land.

Verse b. Joshua retU hie etcthee, &«.] It was not In cotisequence of this sli^t discomfiture simply considered in itself that Joshua laid this business so much to beait: but, 1. because the people melted, mui became <u woiv. and there was little hope that they would make any smm against the enemv; and 2. because ibis defeat evidendr snowed (hat God dad turned his band against them. Had it not been so, their enemies could not have prevailed.

Put duet upon their heade] Reading tbe rkdkrt, beating the breaety tearing the hair, putUng d^ut t^sn the head, and falUag down proeirate, wei« the oanal marks of deep affliction and distress. Most natioBs hsrs exprasat d their sorrow in a similar way. The example of the distressed familv of king Lalinue, so a^djagly related by Virgil, may be adduced in illustiaiion «f maaf passans in the history of tbe patriarehi^ propbei% i ties, Ac.

r>lllll«S fcaSMlllllaTBiBI lllllMllMIIIM

Terse 7. Alo^ O Lord Oxi] Paitieles of ettla— tioas and distress^ or what are -called interjectione, are nearly tlw same in all languages; and the reason ia, because they are the simple voice of nature. The Hebrtv word, which we translate^ aloe, is rvm ah, ah. The eouplaint of Joshua, in this and the follnwing verses, seems principally to have arisen from hia deep concern tot the glory of God, and the affecting interest be took in behalf of the people] be felt for tbe thoosanda of Isnri, wfaaa hft considered as abandoned to deatroctioa i and be Mt Ibr the glory of God i for he knew, should Israel be destroyed, Ood's name would be blasphemed among tfao beauien; and his expostulations wim hia Hskv, whadi have been too hastily blamed by sMne, as savaariasaf u» great freedom and impatieaee, are CHodad oa OodPaom worda Deut. xxzii. 2b, 27. and oo die jmetiee «f Mssaa himself who bad osea nmilar expteawnns on a simUw occasion. See £xod. v. 22, 23. Numbi ziv. 13—18.

VenelO. Whertfore lieet thou Aae vpon thy foeefj H is plain there was nolhmg in Jodtna's prayer, or earnplaint, that was offensive to God, tor boa tbeta ia M re^ebenaioii. Utet Omt tkuef lUa ia no tisBS fer

12 > Therefore the chUdrea of larael could

Dot stand before their enemies, but turned (*«r backs before their enemies, because they were accurst: neither will 1 be with you any more, •xcent ye destroy the accursed from amon? you.

13 Up, * sanctily the people, and say, Sanctn fy yourselves against to-morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, T/iere U an accursed thing fai the midst of thee, O Israel: thou ean^ not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed ihii^ from among you.

14 In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which * the Lord takcth shall eome aecordios to tbe families thereof: and the fomily which the Lord shall take shall come by households; and the household which the Lord •htUl take, shall come man by man.

15 ' And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing, shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath ■ trans-

Eessed the covenant of the Lord, and because *> hath wrought > foUy io IsraeL

16 H So Joshua rose up early in the morning, eomplsinti ssmedifag eln is indiqieittttbly neessssry Is

Terse It. Invd fuM gtnatd\ It is impoiubte that Qod •hould turn again*t hia people, if tney lutd not turned oioay from him. TJtey hate t<tken qf the iccurted Aiitj^-'OOtwitbatutdiiig my •evere prohibition; thof haee aUo auppoetng, if not seen by their brethren, I

•hould either not eee, or not r^nl it. 'nuyhaee dU- MmbUd — precended to have kept atrictly the command 1 gam them: and Asse jrut it among Aeir own ftuff— coosidsred it now m a pan of their own property.

Terse 12. Beenaie titty were aeeuned} From this vem it appears that tlie nature of the etecration or anathema was aucbf that ihoee who took of the thing doomed to destruction, fell immediately under the same condemnation^ The iohabitante of Jericho, and all ih&t they had, were Mcumd; therefore diqr, and all their lubstance, were to be dsitroyad. The Iiraeliies took of the aeearttd thing, and theroiere became accursed with it. This wan certainly understood when the cune was pronounced — Every Qian who touches this property shall be involved in the same exeeialioii. Actum, therefore, was sufficiently aware of the risk he ran io taktac any part of the anathematized tfiing; and when viewedin this light, the punishment in- Aieted on him will amiear to be perfectly just and proper.

ToTss 13. Uft, aatmiftf the pome] Joshua, all the ume that God spake, lay proetrate benm the ark; he is now commanded to get up, and sanctify the people, i. e. cause them to wash themselves, and get into a proper disposition to hear the judgment of the Lord, relative to Uie late transactions.

Terse 14. T< tliaU bt brought according to your frifres) It has been a subject of serious intjuiry, in what aaanDcr, and by what means, the culpable tribtyfamUy, htntMMd, ana fWfvitfiM/, were discovered. Tne Jews have many eonoeits on the subject: the most natural ia, <bat the tnbee heinf, in their representatives, brought hefore the high priest, the stone on the breast-plate gave immediate intimation by suddenly loaing its lustre, according to them. This is what is termed, eoiuniltii^ Ood by Urim and Tnumminn. It is, however, most probable, that the urtiole was dstermineo by the M; and that Ood ehooe this method to detect the guilty tribe, next the J^fnily, thirdly the kousehotd, and lastly the individual. This was nearly the plan pursued in the election of Soul, 1^ Samuel. "Now, therefore," says he, "preaent your- ■elvn before the Lord by your tribes, and by your thousands. And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to oome near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. Wbeo he had caused the tribe of Benjamin Io eome near

Sr their families, the family of Hatri was taken; and anl the eon of Kidi, was taken." If the lot was used hi the one case, it was doubtless used in the other also, as dte procedure, in tbe main, was entirely similar. The same mode was used to find out who it was that transgressed- the king's command, when it was found that Jonathan had es'en a Httle honey, 1 Sam- xiv. 40 — 43. It la Irsll known that the promised land was divided by lot MBong; tbe Israelitea, see Numk xxiv. 6S. xxnii 64. OBOL I. 3ft tte. and that liis oonrses of tbs priests wen - -ilstsd 17 h)t in dw days of Da^ | Chnn. sxit. t, and brought Israel by their trflKs; and the tribe of Judah was taken:

17 And he brouj'ht the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brot^ht the family of the Zarhites man by maaj and Zebdi was taken;

18 And he brought his household man by man: and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, k was taken.

19 H And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, 'give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, " aod make confession unto him; and " tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

20 And Achan answered Joshua, end said. Indeed I have sinned against the Loan Qod of Israel, nnd thus have I done:

21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekeu of silver, and a ° wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midirt of my tent, and the silver under it.

Ac That this was a frequoil mode of determiaiag diS* cult auesdon% aitd appoiaied hy Ood himsriC, is evident from Lev. xvl ft PsaL xxti. 18. Prov. xvi. 33. xviii. 1ft and Acts i. 26.

Terse 17. And he brought the family (f Judah] Dr. Eennicott obeervea, " All Israel came near tnr tlietr TsiBEs, and one tribe was fixed on: then that tribe earns by its FAMIL1E3, and one family was fixed on t then casDS that Tamt^y by iu HOtmxuoLM, and one kouthold was fixed on t and then that household, coming man by max, one man was fixed 00. Tet, according to the t»«s«nt text, in the escciiiion of this command, all Israel came^ and the tribe qf Judah was fixed on: secondly came th4 familiea of Judah, and the family of the Zarhites was fixed on; thirdly eame the family ef Oit Zarhites, tUM by MA!f, and Zabdi was fixed' ont and fourthly cams the household of Zabdi, mas by biak, and Achan was fixed on. 80 ifiat, in the third anicle, tbe word tor, bjf hauatholds, is most certainly left ouit and the fourth article, ffiftn by man, is improperly eipressed twice. Instead of ai'-ij>'7 legabtrim, man by man, in vei. 17. the true word O'nsV tebeithim, by hovbeholos, is preserved in six Hebrew copies, and the Syriae version. By this method was discovered Achan, as he is here five times callei^ though the valley in which he was slqiieil is called Achar, He IS also called Adiar in the text, and in all the Teraions, in 1 Chron. ii. 7, He ie called Achar in Hajtvt pItLCCB of Joshua, in the Syriac version, also, in all^9e,iii the Oreek of the Tatican MS. and twice in the Alexan> drian MS. and so in Josephus." — Kennicoifs Observat.

Terse 19. My ton, give—glory to the Lord God] The person being now detected, Joshua wishes him to ao* Knowledge the omniscience of Ood, and confess his crime. And doubtless Ibis was designed, not only for the edification of the people, and a vindication of the righteous jiidgraent of Ood, but in reference to his own salvoUont for as his l^e wai now become forfeited to the law, thera was the nimost neeesaity of humiliation before Ood, that his soul might be saved. Oive glory to God, signifies the same as make a thorough confession as in the presence of God, and disguise no port of the truth. In this way and in these very words, the Jews adjured the man who had been bom blind, that he would truly tell who had healed him; fbr they pretended to believe that Christ was such a sinner, that Ood would not work a miracle by kirn, John ix. Z4.

Terse 20. I have sinned against the Lord Ood] Tbis seems a very honest and hearty eonfeseion; aud there is hope, that tnis poor culprit esci^wd perdition.

Verse 21. A goodly Babylonish garment] V>» irnvt adereth i^ineSr, a tpleniud or eosUy robe tf ShinSri but as Babylon or Babel, was built in the plain of iSSiinor, the word has, in general, been translated Babylon^ in this place. It is very pndiable, that this was the robe of ths icing of Jericho; (or the same word is usmI, Jonah iii. 6. to express the royal rote ^ die king of Nineveh, which he laid aside in order to humble himself before Ood.

Bochart and Calmet have shown at lai^^ that Babylonish robes were very splendid, and in high reputation. "Tbtj are," says Calmet, "generally alkwed to bavs been a vsnow tohurt, thoncb some suppose ibey wars

22 So Joshua sent meaeen^era, and they ran uoto the tent} and, behold, U wa» hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them nnto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and Plaid them oot belbre the Lord.

24 If And Joshua, and all Israel with him, tool( Achao the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wet^e of ^old, and his sons, and hia duufhters, ana his oxen, and hia asses, and hia aheep. and hia tent, and alt that he

«tMn thiu; odwn, that they were tanbnMettd with the KMflte; and others that tbay were paiaUd. SUi»t» Baiiau iqipears to think they were wrna, thua:

Tih «Wi rrftiMW Bihiim tuUut,

"Martial aeema la aay they were embroidered with the aeedle:

"PuifT (lik VliL e. 4a) and Apnunw (Florid, lib. i.) wpiak of them ai if pmnted: Coloret divewt pictura:

Thus far Calnul: but it may be obaerved, that the dotbei woven of divers colours at Babylon, which were M greatly celebrated, and hence called Bain/Ionic garment*, appear rather to have had the pictures woven or embrcidertd in them, than painted on them, aa Calmet mpposas; though it ii most likely, the finirei refeired to, were the work m the needl^ after the eloui came from the loon.

Aqitila tranBlatea the original, Ttmt adereth. SkiitSr, by ffroXiji' BivJpXivikiii', a Babytanith robt — Symma- CHiTS, uSafia avpap, a robe of Sinar — the Septuaoint. jUXnif irauiXijc, a Jine garment of different eoloura — aiid Die VvuiATS, PaUiam eoceineum, a aearlet cloak. There is DO doubt it was both beatUifat tatd eotttyt and on iheae ground) it was coveted by Achan.

Tiea hundred §hekelt of tUver] At three ihUlingt per diekel, amount to about a)^ sterling.

A aedge of gold\ A tongue of gold, am peV letkon xahab, what we commonly call an ingot of gold, a corruption of the word Ungot, signiTpinz a little tongue — of Jifly thekelt weight. Thwjlfly Miekels, in weight ^ n. l9iS gr. at 21. 6i. 21 ||per eh. would be wortli about 1131. lb. lOl.

Thia verie gives us a notable instan'^e of the progress of aio. 1- It enteri by the eye; 2. Sinks into theAear'; 3. Ai^aatet the hand,- and 4. Leads to lecrecy and diatlmulation. I Mw, &c. I eoveled, &c. I took and Aid them in the earth. Tims sayv St. James t "Wlien lust (evil desire) is conceived, it bringelh forth sin; and when ain is Onished, it brmgelh forth death," ehui. i. 16.

Terse 24. Joshua — took AiAan — and all that he had\ He, and his cattle and substance, were brought to the valley to be consumed; his sons and bis daui;hters (probably) to witness the judgments of Qod inflicted on their disobedient parenL — See ver. 25.

Verse 2S. Why haat thou troubled tu 7] Here is a referflnca to the meaning of Adtan't or Aduu'M name, un-tsjr ns meh ACAi-fanUf and aa Sear ia used here, and not \yg &aii, and the valley ia called the Vailey qf Acar, and not the valley Jean, henee some have supposed that Aear was his proper name, as it is read in 1 Cnron. ii. 7. in some HSS. and ancient versions. See the note on

And all Itraelitonedhimitithstonea, and burned them igWiJlre, ^fler thai had ttoned them with stoneaj With gnat deference to the judgment of others I ask. Can it be fairly proved from the text, ibat the aona aitd daughtert of A<»an were stoned to death, and burnt, as well as their father? The text certainlv leaves it doubt/ul, but seems rather to intimate, that AcSan alone was stoned, and that bis tubttanee was burnt with Are. The reading of dte Bresent Hnixw text a-~thej/ atoned him wUAstonev, and humt THBN with Jlre, t^fter thty had atoned thbm with ttonu. TTie aingular number being used in the Jtrat clause of the verse, and the plural in the laat, leaves the niatter doubtfijl. The VuixiAtx is very clear; f^apidavilque kitm omnis Israel; el cuneta qua illiita trant, igne conaumpta aunt — " All Israel stoned him; and all that be had was consumed with fire." The SaprnAOUtr add this and the first clause of the next verse togMber i mi (Xi0*- 0oXimu avnir Athif wat WfonK fifn-naaa vwrtt wttfw Mv» firmr—And aU Mtraeldoiud iiui wilA stnua and had: and they brought them unto ^thevnUeyof Achor.

'^5 And Joshua said, ■* Why hast thou trotdded us 1 the Lord shall trouble thee this djtv. ' And all Israel atoned bim with atones, andf btiri^ them with fire, Ed\er they had stoned them win stones.

26 And they ' raised over him a great heap of atones itnto thia day. So " the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, ' The valley of * Achor, unto this day.

raised mer him a great hmp «f stone*. Hm Smao says simply, 7%ey atoned him %eith atmta, amd ktml what pertained to him withjire. The TABomi is ihs same as the Hebrew. The Anclo-Saxok seems to refer die whole to Aehan and his ooooa: Anb htne &skji TCcn* bon, 1 hlr Binj FOnt>K|mboo. — And him they atoned Aert, and burvt hia good*. Tht Ababic version alooe saji. They atoned him and Am chiu>KS1(, and hia gotidt, SIV« 9 t jfA Instead of burnt trmm, tam olham, two of De RouFs M SS. read vw otha, hui; which reading, if genuine, would make the differmt members of 9m verse afree b^ter. It is possible that Achan, hia estn, aaaea, aheep, tent, and all nis houiehoid gooda, were oe* siroyed; but his son* and daughtera left uninjured. But it may be asked. Why are they brought out into the raUcy with the rest? why, that they might aee, and fur, and m tot ever deterred by dieir fatber'a punishment (nm imiiaitng his example.

I have gone thus far into (his important tiaosaeiioa, in which the Ttufiee and mercy ttf Ood are so much ooncenied, that I migiiibeableioaBsiKn toeachitsdue. Hmk Adian's life was forfeited to justice by his Iransgreasion, no one doubts; he sinned against a known and positive law. Ha children could not suffer with him, because of the law, DeuL xsiv. 16. utUcas they had been aecomplieea in hii guilt: of this there irno evkleoeet and the text in qotv lion, whidt speaks of Achan's punishment, is extrMwiy dubiotu, aa far as it relates to this point. One rimimstance, that strengthens (he supposition (hat the ^ildnn were not included, is the command of the Lord, ver. iS. " Mc that ia taken V>iih the accuraed thing, ahaU bt burnt with Jtra, he and all that he hath." Now atl that kt A«* mav certainly refer to his gooda, and ik>i to his cAitdrtn; and hw puniAment, and the deaimction of his piopeiy, Wouldaoawer every purposeof public justice, both ass pan. ishment and preventive of the crime; and both metCT tad justice require, thai the innocent shall not suffer wiui Aa guilty, unless, in very extraordinary cases, where God may permit the righteous or the innocent, to be involved in ttiose public calamities, by which the ungodly are sw^ away from the face of ibe earth: but io dw eaae befofea^ no necessity of this kind ia urged i and dierefiore I eea^ elude, that Achan olotu aoffereo, and dwt his itpenttnea and confession were geiuune and ainoere; and toat wfetle rusrica ret^uired himJifa, jtaaor was extended to the lal' vation of his soul.

Verse 26. TTiey raiaed over him a great lu^^Uomet] Tho burial-places, both of beroea and emiooit cuhrii^ were anciently thus disiinguidwd; and iranaaciicaaM dni kind gave rise to those sreat piles of atones called enrm^ that are ao frequently to be met with, especially in nof** ern countries.

FaoH the whole o( this account, we may sea the exceeding sinfulness of silt, and the great danger of notwittelanding iu first appi«acbea. By evMtonncst, many lives and many souls have been deatrorcd i and yet dw living Iw it not to heart I Who faan the toot of momt^

Srovided he can get ridieal 'Hutiurit the iMenaity of dM esire, every part of the surface of the earth, and ss far sa possible its bowels, are ransacked in order to get wealth; and God alone can tell, who sees all thinge, to now many privatecrimes, frauda and diaaiimd^ona, this gives birth;)iy whidi the wraUi of God is brotqifot down npoa ifae eommunily at la^l Who ia an enenur lo hia ewmnyl The sinner against bia Ood. An epan Jo* Taay be reaiMad and repelled, because be is ibmsnr but the emisw man, who, as far as his perKmal safety will admit, is ootnigiBg all the requisitions of justice, is an unseen peatileBee, sow iag (he teleds of desolation and ruin in society. Acfaas's eovetotuness, which led him to break ibe «w of Ood, bad nearly proved the destruction uf the lanflitish campt nor would the Lord turn awi^ from hia dnpleaMtn tJ!:fa> evil was detaett^ and the eriminal pmislwd.

^ 1^ A the Lord ttajd unto Joshua AwMta 'Fear not. neither be thou diR Tift^ roayed: take all the people of war with thee, add ariae. go up to Ai: see, M have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and hia people, and his city, and his land:

a And thou shalt do to Ai and her king a^thou flidst anto ' Jericho and her king: only <' the spoil tbereor, and the cattle thereof; shall ye take for -a prey untojoureelTes: lay thee an ambash ibr the city behind it „., ^

3 tSoJo8haaaroBe,andallthepeopleorwaF, «• go up against Ai: aiuUosbuachoBeoutthirty thatwand mi^ty men of valour, and sent them away bf ai^t.

Reader, is the fiue of God turned against Ikee, becouM of aome private tnuufpeBsion 1 Are not thy circuinitancefl »ni fiuaiiY nifiering in ooiuequence of Mmething in ihr pritMe hvel O Mwoh and try thy way^ return to Ood, •ad humble thyaelf More him, lest thy iniquity imtuuly Jbtd Ikta oat.

Verae 1. fVornof] The iniquiiybeint now purged (i-way: becanse of which God had turned his hand afloat iBracI, there was now no cause to dread any other disaster j and therefore Joahua ia ordered to take courage.

"Tak* all the people, tear wtM thee] From the ItUer of Ibra VMM it appMiiLtlMtallthatwere capable of cany^ imt arma. vm to manai out of the eamp oo this occasion; (JtirCy thmuand ohosen men formed an ambuacade in one plkcei jiive thousand be placed in another, who had all f^ained their poaitiona in the night seoaon; with the rest of me army he appeared the next morning before ^i, wliicb the men sf that city would naturally auppoae were ilie whole of the broelitish nreea t and eonaequently be the moie emboMenaed to oene out and Utiek (hem. But aome think that thirty tfaonsaiid men were the whole that were employed on diia oceaaion: five ihouaand of whom were placed aa an ambuscade on the vnet aide of the city, betwe«i Btth'd and Ai, ver. 12. and with the reat he appeared before the oity in the morning. The king of Ai seeing but ^tout twenty-five thousand coming against him, and being detemuMd to defmd bisei^anderowntntbelaatextremitf, thoof^ he had but twelve (houaand pereona in the whole «ity, ver. IS. aeareely one Iwlf of whom we can auppoae to be«fleetive men, he was determined to risk a battle; aitd aeeordii^ly iaaoed out, and waa defeated by the airata^pm aaention^ in the preceding pan of this chapter.

Serentl eminent commentalora are of opinion, that the whole laraelitiah force waa employed on thia occaaion, be. caneeofwhaiisaaidinthefirMTerBe: h>U thia is not at all lik^. 1. It uipeari that bat Oiirty thousand were choKn out of the vrtKHe eamp for this expedition, the rest being drawn up ia readiness, should their co-operation be nccesaary. See veraes 3 and 10. 2, That 4ul Ike people -n-pre mustered, in onter lo make this selection, ver. 1. 3. That tbeta thirty tbotwid were sent off by ni^ht, ver. 3. Joahua hioHelf coQtiauii^ in the wmp a part of that night, ver. 9. with the desiim to put himaelf at the head of the army next nonrinw. 4. Tbatof dteihirtrthaaaaadmenr/Hftouaand wore directed to lie in ambush between Beat-dl and Ai, on the west side of the city, ver. 12, the twenty-five thousand having taken a position on the north aide of the city, ver. II. 5. Hal the whole of the troops employed against Ai on this oocosion, were thoee on the north and west, ver. 13. which we know from the preceding verses, were compoaad of thir^ thousand ehoaen men. 6. Tliat Joshua went in (beeoaraeitf ibeniidit, prtAaUy before day-hreak, into the vallev, between BtUira and At, where the ambuscade <rf #M thousand men was plaeed, ver. 13. and gave them the pr^ier directions bow tfiey were to prooeed, and agreed on iho sign he was to give ihaaa, at the moment he wished tftem toad, sas ver. 18. and that after haviqg dona so, he pot himaelf at the head of the twanlV'ilTe thousaod nen on

4 And he commanded them, saying. Behold, ■ye Bhall lie lo wait against the city, eren behind tlie city: go not very far from the city, but be yo all ready:

5 Ann I and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: snd it shall come to pass, when they come out ngainst us, as at the first, that ' we will flee before them,

6 (For they will come out after us) till we have « drawn them from the city: for tney will say. They flee before us. as at the first; therefore we will flee before tnem.

7 Then ye shall rise up from the ambiish, and seize upon the city: for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.

8 And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire: according lo thecommandmentof theLoRpsballyedo. ^ See, I have commanded you.

9 f Joshua thereiore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Bethrel and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joahua lodged that njght among the people.

10 And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he aiu the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.

11 ' And all the people, euen the people of wap

the north side of the city, for we find him among them when the men of Ai isaued out, ver. Ifi. thougli he was the night before in the valley on the west side, where the embuBcade ver. 13. 7. That as Ai was but a small titf, coDtaining only twelve ihouaand inhabitanta, it would have been absurd to have employed an army of aeveral hundred thousand men againet them, S. Thia is confirmed by the opinion of the tpies, chap. vii. ver. 3. who, from the smallncBs of the plofe, ihe fewness of its inhabitanta, and the panic-stnick state in which they found them, judged that three thousand troops would be quite sufficient to rrauce the place.. 9. That it appears this judgment waa correctly eDoagh formed, aa tne whole population of the place amounted only to twelve thousand persons, as we have ^ ready aeen^ ver. 25. 10. That even a less force might have been sufficient for ihe reduction of ihta place, bod they been supplied with battering-rama, and such tike instniment^ which itdoeanotappeorthelsnoliteaposaesaed. 11. nwrt thia is the reason why Joahua employed the atatagema d»> tailed in this chapter, for having no proper inatniments or roachinea by means of which he might hope to take the city by assault j and to reduce it by famine, which was auite possible, would have consumed too much time, he uaea the feigned flight, ver. 19. to draw the inhabitants from the city, that the ambush, ver. 12, 15. might then enter, and tue posseanon of it. 12. That had he advanced wiui a greater lorce againat the oity, the infaabitanu would have nad no confidence In riaktng abattl^ and eonaequentW would have kept within their walla, iidiioi would have defeated the da. sign of the leraelitea^ which was to get them from the city. a. TiM. all these circumstances considered, thirty thousand men, disposed as above, were amply siitHcient for the reduction of the city; and were llie whole of the Isroelitisji troope which were employed on tlie occasion.

Verae 8. Ye sAoU set the city on fire] Probably llu't nwaoB no more than that they should kindle a tire in t« city, the smoke of wbieh riMUld be an indication that they had taken it. For as the spoils of the city were to be divided among the people, had they at this lime set fire to the city itself, all the properly must have been consumed, for the five thousand men did not wnit to SK\-e any thing, as they immediately isaued out to attack the men of 4( in the rear.

Verse 10. Numbered the peoplt\ tajTumtpB^vajfiph' kod el kadm, he visited the people, that is, inspected dielr ranka, to see whether every thing were in perfect rcadineae, that, In caae they abouM lie Deeded, they might be led oa to the attack. Hiere is no doubt that Joonuahad left the reat of the army so disposed and ready, part of which hacf proboblv advanced toward ^t, that he might easily receive reinroreements, in case of any disaster to the thirty thou* sand which had advanced against the city: nnd ihis consideration will serve to remove a part of ihe difficult which arises from the Isl, 3d, and 10th verses, collated with other parts of this chapter. Had he brought all hia troops in sight, the people of Ai would not have attempted to risk a battle, and would eonaequently have kept within their Walli^ from which it waa the object of Joshua to decoy them. See dte praoadn^ obwmuons, partiealarly the lOoi, ltdi, •ad I2th. ^

that were with him weDt and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitehed on the north eide of Ai: now there was a valley between them and Ai.

12 And he took about five thousand men, and eet thfem to lie in ambuah between Beth-et and Ai, on the west side ^ of the city.

13 And when they had Bet the people, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and I their liers in wait on the weet of the city, Joehua went that night into themidetof the valley.

14 t And it came to pass, when the king of Ai aaw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out a^inst Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but ho ■» wist not that thfre were liers in arabosh against him behind the city.

15 And Joshua and all Israel » made as iJ they were beaten before them; and fled by the way of the wilderness.

16 And all the people that vere in Ai were called together to pursue f^r them: and they

ftursuwt ail^r Josnuai and were drawn away rom the city.

17 And there was not a man left m Ai or Bethel, that went not out after Urael: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.

13 And the Loan said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city.

19 And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon aa he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into the city, and took it, ami hasted euuI set the city on fire.

20 And when the men of Ai looked bdiind them, they saw, and behold, the smoke of the cily ascended up to heaven, and they had no 'power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness, turned back upon the pursuerji.

Tane 17. TJure uxu not a man Uft in Ai or Deih-ei] It ■■ very likely, that the principal atreiigth of BeUi-el bad been previously brought into Ai, u the itron^t place to make a atand in: Betn-el being. but about three milea diitant from Ai, and probablynot greatly fortified. Therefore Ai contained, on this occanoo, All the mm qf BeUi-tL all the warriors of that city, as well as iu own troops and inhabitants. Others think, that the Beihelites, aeeuig the Israelites fly, sallied out of their city as against a common enemy, but that finding the men of Ai discomfited, end the city taken, tbey returned to Beth-el, which Joshua did not ihuk pnuM- to attadk at thii time. From Judges L 24. we find, that Beth-el was then a vailed city, in the hands of the Canaanites, and was taken by the house of Joteph-

Verse 18. StreUh out Uu ^>ear] It is very probable that Joshua hod njlag or entign at the end of his spear, which ndgfat be easily seoi at a considerable distance; and tliat the ttufkt^ing or warfn^ of this, was the sign agreed oit between him and the ambuah. — See ver. 13. and the pveeeding observatioDs on ver. 1. observation 6. and on •Being this jSaf tx entign unfurled, the men who lay in ambush arose, and entered the city: making the ^re previously ■naed'on. — See ver. 6.

Terse 20. TTtey had no power to JUe Ihie way or that wy] They were in utter oonstemation t they saw that the city was taken— th^ found themselves in the midst of their toes — that dwir wives^ chikheOt and property, had fallen a prey to llieir enemies^ in consequence of which, they were so uttH'Iy panic-struck, as to be incapable of making any resistance.

Verae 24. Returned unto Ai, and tmole it with the tdgt nf the aaord.] This must refer to the women, c^ildrsn, awl old persons left behind i for it is likely that all the •ffsetive men had sallied ant whan they.imagined the 1braelitea had fled. Sea ver. 16.

Terse 26. Jaihua drew not hit hand back'] He was not ordy the general, but ihe atandard-bearer or eneign, of his own army; and continued in this employment during the whole tfT the battle. See on ver. 18. Some cominentalors understiuid this, and ver. IQ..figurativtl]/, iu if thej

21 And when Jodiua and all Israel saw that the ambu^ had taken the city, anii that the smoke of the city ascended, then they torned again, and slew the men of Ai.

23 And the others issued out of the city against ihem: so they were in the midst of Israel, eome on this side, and some on that aide: and th^ smote them, bo that they * let none of them remain or CEcape.

23 And the king of Ai they took alire, and brought him to Josntia.

2i And it came to pass, when Israel had made an ^nd of slayin? all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness Wherein they chased them; and when they were all fallen on the edge of the Bword, untH they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge ol" the sword.

25kAnd 80 it was, that aO that fell that day, both of men and women, vere twelve thonBUflr even all the men ofAi.

26 For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhaoteants of Ai.

2? ' Only the cattle and the spoil of that citr Israel took for a prey unto themselvea, according unto the word of the Lord, which he ^eonmanded Joshua.

28 And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it ' an heap for ever, even a desolation mito tfaia (hty.

29 " And the king of Ai he handed on a tree until eventide: 'and «b ooon as the sun waa down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcass down from the tree^ and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and * raJae thereon a great heap of stones, that remctiM^ unto this day.

30 Then Joshua built an altar mito the Ltna God of Israel, 'in mount Ebal,

31 As Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the children of Israel, as it is written m the ' book of the law of Moses, an altar of urtwle

implied that Jo^ua continued jn prayer to God for th» eycceas of his Troops; nor did be cease till the armies of Ai were annihilated, and the city taken and dostrayed.!!• Hebrew word kidont which we render speor^ ja tcbderad by the Vulgola cmMnm, buckler; and ii atttst ba owned, that it seems to nave this signification in senvsl passages of Scripture. See 1 Sam. xvii. €. aod 4S. Job xxxix. 23. but it is clear enough also, that it neaas a •pear, or some kind of qffennM armour, in oibei fJaeca. See Job xli. 29. Jerem. vi. 23. I cannot therefore iksA that it baa any nuAipkorieal meaning, such as that attribeted to the htdding np of Moaei^B hanoa, Exod- xvii 10-^ which is generally allowed to have a apirinial iiiiiaait. though it might be understood aa the act of Joshua ia here; and to this meaning an indirect glance is gire* in the nato on the above place. But however the place in KxodmmKv be understood, that before ua does not appear tv bave motaphorical or equiyocol meaning — Joshua eoMiansA » hold up or Btretcit out his spear, and did not dadc fiMi tho purauit, till the forces oi Ai were utterly dinsaifiMri.

Verse27. Only the eatiU and the epoU] In ibecMaaf Jericho, these were all consigned to deslruciion, and ikei»- fore it was criminal to take any thing pertaining la the city, as we have already seen; but in tlie case before ua, ike cattle and spoils were expressly gi^ U the eop^uatws >y the order of Ood. See ver. 2,

Ver8e29. TTu king ^if Ai ht hanged m a tne} B* had gone om at the hwd of his men, and bad been takaa prisoner, ver. 23. and the battle being over, he was oadesvd to be hanged, |wobabIy afiar having bean slrmgied, or m soma way delved oi UIb^ m in the eaaa m(ainiHd« ikap. X. 26. for in diosa tiinea tt waa not ctiatomwy IB iaag people alive.

Aa toon M the tun xtxu dovn\ It vis not lawfd to let the bodiea remain all night upon the tree. SeaifaaaMaaa DeuL xxi. 23. Ute Septuagint *y, the king of Ai vas hanged cri {vW iti*^Mt^ upon a dmuiU troe, whkb ably means ti/orked tree, or aomathiag in iba Sam W « cross. The Use on which criminale were hangad aaMSg

•tooeB, over v^iich no man hath lift up any Iron: mi ■ they offered thereon hurot-oiferiog's unto the Lord, and sacrificed peace-ofieriiigs.

32 And ^he wrote there upon the Btones a copf of the law of Moaes, which he wrote in the preaence of the children of lEraeL

33 And all Israel, and their eiders^ and ofiicerfl, and their judgee, stood on thte side of the ark, and on that side, before the priests the Levites, ^ which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, as well ' the stranger, as he that was born amonff them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal: as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of IsraeL

34 And atlerward * he read all the wordn of the law, ' the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book ofthe law.

35 There was not a word of all that Moses eommanded, which Joshua read not before all tiie congr^ration ef Iirad, f with the women, and the tittle ones, and ^ the strangers that 1 were eonverrant among them.

M,1. 4 TIm luhtUuvv of iTitTon b-nirinc kin^a which were on ihi^ t^ide Jordan, in the hills, and in the val- lUe RoRtaos wu called arbor i^fdUr, and Kgnum {fi/Uta^, the unforiunaie, iU-faled, or aceurrea free.

Raise Iherem a great heap of stones] This W a common cintora through all ButitfUKy in every country, aa we hftre already aeeii in the case of Achan. Chap. vii. 19).

Verae 30. TAen Joakua built an altarl Tixin was done in. obedience to the expresi cotnmaod of Ood. DeuL xzvii. 4 — 9. See the note* uiere.

Vene 32. A copy ijf the Jaw of AftiMal rwn mtra viisfuuh torallL, the r^>eiU^^m of we low / that is, a copy ef the bUssinrs and rarsu, as commanded by Moeea — not a eopy of the Decalogut, as some imagine; nor of the book of Deuteronomy, as others think; much less of the whole Pentateueh, but merely of that pari which contained the blesainga and curses, and which was to be read on this aolemn occasion. See the note on DeuL xxvii. 3.

Verse 33. UaJf qf ihem mer against mount Gerixtm] See the arrangement of Tho whole of this business in the note and obserrations on DeuL zzvii. 26, And see also the notes on chap, xxvili. of the same t}Ook.

Verse 36. With Ike mmen, and the little ones] It was necessary that ail should know, that they were under the same obligation to obey—even the women are brought forwvd, not only because of their personal responsibility, but because to ihotn, was principally entrusted the education tt the children. — Tkit diildren also witness this solemn taHaetion, that a salutary fear of offending Ood might be early, diligently, and deeply impressed upon their hearts. Thus every precaution is taken to ensure obedience to the PrrinB preoeptL and consequently to promote the happiness of the people: for Ihia, every ordinance of God is remarkable^ as be evar causes tlie tnierett and dut}/ of bis followers to go hand in hand.

1. It may be asked, seeing Ood promised to' deliver Ai into the hands of the Israelites, why need«d thar to employ ■o muiy men, and lo many atratagemi, in order to its redanfaml To this it may oeanavwedfthatGrod will have man to put forth tba wisdom and power with which he has endued him, in every important purpose of life; — that he «adued him with those powers for this y^y end t and that it would be ineonuient with his graeiAis dsiign, so to ba^ nan at aoy tim^ as to render the powen he had given him. useless.

2. It is only in the use of Iswful means that we have a^y rsMon to ej^teet Oofs blessing and help. One of iho aoBtaabi has remarked, " TViugn Ood has made man

cys, and iii all the coasts of * the great sea over against Lebanon, i the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the JcbuBite, heard thereof;

2 Tliat they "eatbered themselves loaethcr, to fight with Joshua, and with Israel, with one " accord.

3 1 And when the inhabitants of • Oibeon p heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,

4 They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine hottles, old, and rent, and bound up;

5 And old shoes and clouted, upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and aU the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.

6 And they went to Joshua " unto the camp at Gilgal, and said imto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far cotmtry: now therefore make ye a league with ua.

7 And the men of krael said unto the 'Hivites, Peradventore ye dwell among ua; and ' how ^all we make a league with you?

8 And they said unto Joshua, i We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?

9 And they said unto him, ■ From a very fiir country thy servants are come, because of ihti name of the Lord thy God: for we have ' heard the fame of liim, and all that he did in Egypt.

10 And * all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that -were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.

11 Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying. Take

without himself, he will not save him without himself; and therefore man's own eoTKurrence of will, and eo-operalion of power with God, are essentially neceasaiy to his preservation and salvation. This co-operation b the grand condition, sine gud non, on which Ood will help or save. But is not this " endeavourinc; to nurit salvation hy our own worksl" No: for this is impossible, imlesa could prove that all the mental and corporeal power* which we possess, came from and qf mtrMvae, and that we held them independently of the power and benefieence of our Creator; and that every act of these was of infinite value, (0 make it an equivalent for the heaven we wished to purchase. Putting forth the hand to receive the alms of a benevolent man, can never be considered a purchase price for the bounty bestowed. For ever ahall that word stand true in all its parts, Christ is the AtrrnoR of etenud salvation to all them that obkt htm. Heb. v. 9.

Verse 1. And itcame to past when aUlhe kinga~-heard thereof] From this account, it appears that the capture and destruction of Jericho, and Ai, had been heard of ro the remotest parts of the land: that a general fear of llie Israelitish arms prevailed; and that the dilTerenl dynasties or petty governments into which the land was divided, felt ell their interesu at slake, and determined to make ilie defence of their country a common cauee. ITiia was tlie most prudent step they could take in their circumstancf,^; and therefore they entered into a confederation, in order 'o arrest the progress of the Israelites. TTie gnat sea mentioned here, is the Mediterranean tea, tlie coasts of which were inhahiled by the Phamidans, "Pyriant, Sidoniant, and Philistines. It is very likely tliat all these unitea with the Canaauitea, for their common safety.

Verse 3. The inhabitanU Gibeon ktard\ These alone, did not join the confederation. Gibeon is stipposed to have been the ci^ital of tlie Bivita. In the division of the Isjnd it fell m the lot of Benjamin, chap, xviii. 25. and was aflervrord given tu the priests, chap. xxii. 17. See the note on chap. x. 2-

Verse 4. 77i«y did vork ■wUily\ Finesse of this kind is allowed by the conduct of all nations: and stratagems in war are all considered as legal. NiRe-t«ntha of the victories gained,- are attributable to ttratetgtm; all sides practice them, and therefore none can condemn them, much time and labour have been loet in the ini)uiiT, " Did not the Oibconite* tell liesT' Certunly th^ aid— and victuals ■ with rou for the iourner, and go to meet them, and B&y unto them. We ore your Aervanta: therefore now make ye a league with

12 This onr bread we took hot /or oar prcmeion, out of our houses, on the dav we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy;

13 And these bottles of wine, which we filled, itere new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments, and our shoes, are become old by reason of the very long- journey.

14 And 1' the men took of their victuals, 'and asked not ctmmel at the mouth of the Lord.

15 And Joshua ' made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation svmre unto

vhat is that to ua? Does the vord of Ood eammmd ttiem for it 1 It does not. Are (hey held up to ui oa - amplta? ourely no. TViey did what uiy other niUiOD would have done in tlteir circumBianocB; and we have Bothing to do whh their «zaii^»)e. Had they come to the Imelitei, end simply submitted ihemaelves widwut oppomtioo, and without fraud, they had certainly fared much better. Lyins; and hypocrisy, always deftot their own purpose; and at best can succeed only for a short season. TVuih and Hontttu never wear out

OW sacka—nna aint-balllea, old, &c.] They pretended to have come from a very dlatont country, end that their neks, and the goal-tkin* that Mrved them for canring their wine and water, were worn out by the length of the journey.

Terse S. Old sAm^ and ctoutedl Their sandals, they firetended, had been worn out by loi^ and difficult traveling, and they had been obliged to have them frei^uently patched during the way; their fc&rments also bein? woru thin, and what remained of their bread, mmtldy, and. spotted with i^e: or, as our old version has it, bored, pierced with many holes b^ the vermin which had bred in It, through the length of die time it had been in their sacks; and this ia the most literal meaning of the originsl S'-ip) nilckudimj whioh means apotud, or pterced withmany holes.

The M and clouted shoes, has been a subject of some controversy; the Hebrew word n>'?3 baloth, signifies warn out, from 7h:i balah, to wear away, and nt^oo metuUaoth, from mVs tala^ to spot or pat<^ i. e. spotted with patches. Our word clouted, in the Anglo-saxon xeclutob, signifies teamed up, patched, from elut, a douij rag, or smaii piece of cloth, used for piecin? or patchms. But some suppose, tike' word here comes from clouel, the diminutive of clou, a small nail, with which the Sibeonites had fortified the soles of their shoes, to prevent them from wearing out in so lonv a joumeyj but this seems very unlikely: and our old English term clouted, teamed, or patched, expresses the spirit dt the Hebrew word.

Verse 6. Make ye a league wUJi ua.] r^^-^a >n-o earitu Umu berith, cat, or divide the caBOtattt sacrifice wiih lis. From ibii tt appear^ that heathenism, at this time, had lU sacrifices t aiid eoveiianis were ratified by sacrificing to, and invoking the objects of their adoration.

Verse?. Peradventure ye dwelt amon^ us] It is Strang^ they should have had such a suspicion, as the GKbeonites had acted so artfu^y: and it is as strange, that having such a suspicion, they acted with so little caution.

Terse 8. We are thy sertunte.] This spears to have been the only answer they gava to the qoesUOD of the Israelitiab elders, and this tney gave to Joshua, not to ihem, as they saw that Joshua was commander in chief of the host.

Wh4> are ye? and from tokence come ye?l To these questions, from such an authority, they felt memselves obliged to give an explicit answer; and they do it very artfully, by a mixture of truth, falsdiood, and hmoerity.

Verse 9. Because of the name of the Lord toy Ooa} They pretend that thpy had undertaken this jouroey on a religious aecount; and seem to intimate, that they had the highest respeot for Jehovah, the objoct ef the lantditBS* worship; this was hypocrisy.

We have heard the fame of Aim] "Hiis WIS true: the wonders which Gfod did in Egypt, and the discomfiture of ^hon and O^, had reached the whole land of Canaan; and it was on this account, that the inhabitants of it were panic-struck. The GHbeonites knowing that they could not stand where sudi ""^^ forces had UiOiea, wished to

16 f And it came to pais at the end of throe days aller they had made a leuue with them, that they heard that they w«r« their nei^ibaiin!

and thai they dwelt amone them.

17 And the children Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities -were ^'Gtbeon, voA Chephinih, anl Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearnn.

18 And the children of Israel nnote them not, 'because the prtncee of the coiu^reeation Im sworn unto them by the Lord God of laraeL And all the congregation murmured against the princes.

19 Bnt all the prmces said onto all the eonffr^ation. We have sworn onto them by the LoRo God of Israel: now therefore we may not tcmeh them.

20 This we wQl di> to theiff; we will erai let

make the Israelites their friends. This part of tbeir rdstion was stridly trua.

Verse 11. Wherefore our elders, Ac.] All this, bim£ what follows 10 the end «f vw. 13. was fatte^ cootriiverf merely fot the pui^NMB of deceiving the Israelites; and dus they did to save tbdr own livesi as they expocied aO the tidiabituiu of Canaan to be pat to the sword.

Verse 14. The men took of Ikeir viduoZa] "Hua w«» done, in all probalnllty, in the way of frieitds/up.- kr, from time immemorial to the present day, eating fegether, in the Asiatic countries, is considered a tokta of uiMtenble friendship; and those who eat even saU together, ferf themselves b(Mutd thereby in a perpetual covenant. But the marginal reading oi this clause should not be hastily rejected.

^lul oaftecl not eonnsel of As ntwA 4^ As ZisnO Th^ made the covenant with the Gibeonites^ without coosnhiog God by Urim and TViummim, which was hig^ily nprrl^nsible in them, as it was a stais trmsactiecs, ia which the interests and honour of God their King were iurimately concerned.

Verse 15. Joshua made peace with themi Joduft agreed to receive ihem into a friendly connection widi dw Israelites; and to respect their lives and properties; sad the elders of Israel bound themselves to the obeervanceof it, and confirmed it with an oath. Am the same words am used here as in ver. 6. we may suppose that the coveout was made in Che ordinary way, a sacrifice being offmA ao. the occasion, and its blood poured out before the Lord. See on Oen. zv. 10, &c.

Verne 16. At the end qf three days] Oibeim u reputed to be only about eight leagues distant from Gilgal, and oa this account the ^aud might be easily discovered in lbs time mentioned above.

Verse 17. TTu childreh of IsraeI-~-eai»t un/o their eitiea] Probably when the fraud was discovesed, Jodnia sent out a detachment to examine their country, and to see what use could be made of it in the prosecution of their war with the Canaanites. Some of the cities meniioasd here, were afterward in great repute among the Israelites^ and God chose to make one of them, JftmA-JtoHn, ifae residence of the ark of the eovenant for twtnlv yean, ia the reigns of Saul and David, TTiere ia no evidence »t the preserralion of the Oibeonites was disjrieasiog to Jehovah.

Verse 18. All the congregation murmured] Mta^ because they were deprived of the spoils of tM Qiheoailes. They had now got under the fall iBfloenoe of a predatory spirit; God saw their pronenees to this, aad therefore, at particular limei^ totally inierdieted the spoils of conquered cities, as in the case of Jericho.

Verse 19. We have sworn VTito Oitm] Althoagfa the Isi-aeliies were deceived in this business, and the eovensac was made on a certain supposition, which was aAennud provedtohavehad no foundationin truth, attd Cfflnseipimlly the whole engagement on the wt of the decei»sd was hereby vitiated^ >nd rendered null and void; yet, I the elders had eaten leith them, offered a oo*ma»t flee, and twom by Jehovah, diey did not ooonder themsdvM at liberty to break the terms of the agreement, as far as the lives of the Gibeonites were eoncented. That their eoiH duet in this respect was highly pleasing u> God. is evidT from this, that Joshua ia nowhere r^ebendea for making this covenant, and sparing the Gibeoniteei mad that Saul, who four hundred years after this, thought himseir and the Israelites loosed from this obligation, and, in consequence, oppressed end destroyed the Gibeodites^ was puBisbed far flw fcwacfa i^ this treaty, being BimriJinil i them live, le«t * wrath be upon ni, became of the oath which wc eware unto them.

81 And the princes aaid unto ihem, 1-et tnem live; bvtt let them be 'hewers of wood and drawers of water \into all the congregaUon; as the princes had ' promised them.

22 If And Joshua called for them, aad he nrnke unto them. Baying, Wherefore have ye biffuiled U8, saying, ■ We ore very far from you; when " ye dwell among u« 7

23 Now therefore ye are i cursed, and there ■hall ' none of yon be freed Irom being bondmen, and ihewera of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

24 And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the Lord thy God " commanded his servant Moses to five you all the land, and to destroy all the inluibitantB of the land from before you, therefore * we were sore aflraid of our lives because of you, and have done tfaie thuw.