Exposition of the Whole Bible

rit put upon the 70 élders, Numb. xi. 17.25. and withbeldejt not thy manna from their mouth, all the while they were in the wildernels, until they came to Canaan’s land; called the Lord’s manna, becaufe prepared by him, and given "by him to them; a part or portion and gift from the Lord, as Bem Melech, from. whence it had its*name, fee Exod. xvi. 15. and gaveft them water for their thirf; which feems to have refpeét to the laft rock ftricken for them, after their many provocations in the wildernefs, Numb. xx. 11. (SR. y. 21. Yea, forty years didft thou fuftain them in the wilderne's, fo that they lacked nothing, &c.] As not for food, fo neither for raiment, as follows: their clothes waxed net old, aud their feet fwelled nots of which fee Deut. viii. 4.: y¥. 22. Moreover, thou gaveft them kingdoms and nations, &c.] The two kingdoms of Sion and Og, and the feven nations of Canaan: and didft divide them into corners; or corner; into every corner of the land of Canaan, fo that they poffeffed the whole of it, a few cities excepted; Yerchd interprets it of one corner, ‘that they might not be mixed with the people of the land, but be all together in one places but Aben Ezra underftands it of the Canaanites, ot their being divided and feattered into corners, when they fled from the J/rae/ites; but the former fenfe feems beft: /o they poffiffed the land of Sibon, and the land of the king of Hefhbon, or even, or namely”, the land of the king of Hefhbon, for Sibon was king of Fefhbon, and io the land the fame: aad the land of Og king of Bafhan; thofe lands both Jay on the other fide ‘/ordan, and were poflefied by the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manaffeb. ¥. 23. Their children alfo multiplied thou as the &c.}] Fulfilling the promife made to Abraham, Gen. xv. 5, and xxii. 17. Deut. i. 10. their number when they came out of Egypt, and juft before they encred into the land of Canaan, being upwards of 600,000 men, befides women and children, Exod, xii. 37. Numb. xi. 21. and xxvi. 51. and broughteft them into the land, concerning which thou hadt promifed to their fathers, that they foould go in to poffe/s it, the land of Canaan, promifed to Abraham, Jfaac, and Facob, and their feed, into which the Lord brought them by Foue; he was the inftrument, but the thing was of God. y. 24. So the children went in and poffeffed the land, &c.] Not the fathers of the J/raelites that came out of Egypt, they died in the wildernefs, all excepting two, but their children, which feems to be the reafon of this manner of expreflion, fee Numb. xiv. 30—33. and thou fubduedft before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites; by means of Fo/fbua, the general of the armies of J/- rael; there is an elegant paranomafia in the word for fubdue, and the Canaanites, which cannot be exprefied in our language: and gaveft them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would; no lets than 31 kings, fee Yo. xii. 9-—24.. ue y. 25. And they took ftrong cities, &e.] Such as, in an hyperbolical way, are faid to be walled up to heaven, Deut. i. 28. and a fat land; of a good and fruitful foil, abounding with all good things, Deut. viii. 7, 8. and poffeffed houfes full of all aol 3 ready built and furnifhed for them, both with good. _ provifions and good furniture: »wells digged; to fupply them with water: vineyards, and olive- to them the fpirit of prophecy, according to Ben Melech, and which Aben Ezra interprets of the fpiyards, and fruit-trees in abundance, which they planted not: and they did eat, and were filled, and became fat; iv body, though in mind became wanton and wicked; they made their hearts fat, or) 8&c. ftupid, as Aven Ezra interprets it, fee Deut. xxxu. 15. If. vi. 10. and delighted themfelves in thy goodne/s; notin praifing the Lord for it, and ufing it to his honour and glory, but indulged themfelves to: Juxury and intemperance; though it may be underftood of a lawful pleafure in the enjoyment of the great affluence they were brought into, which - Jaft agrees. with what follows.

¥. 30. Yet many: years didftt thou forbear them, ° Throughout the reigns of feveral kings, fuch was God’s long-fuffering towards them: or, thou great) did? draw upon them; that is, his mercy, as JFarcdz interprets, it; he drew it out of his heart, and prolonged it towards them: and teftifiedft againft them by thy /pirit in thy prophets; who reproved and admonifhed them, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit of God in them, who {poke in his name, and what he fuggefted to them: yet they would not give ear, to what the prophets faid, and the {pirit of God in them: sherefore gaveft thou them into the and of the people of the lands; people that were \\ords of many countries, as the Affyrians and Chaldeans.

y¥. 26. Neverthele/s, they were difobedient, and rebelled againjt thee, &c.} Notwithftanding all thefe favours and mercies beftowed upon them, which was great ingratitude » and caft thy law bebind their backs; as of no account, and unworthy of their regard; that which they fhould have had continually before their eyes, as the rule and guide of their actions, they caft behind them, not caring to fook into it, and read it: and flew thy prophets which tefified againft them, to turn them to thee; the prophets that bore a -teftimony again{t their fins, admonifhed them of them, called heaven and earth to record againft them fhould they continue in them, and ali to turn them from them by repentance to the Lord; thofe they were fo wroth} with on this account as to flay them, fee M/af#. xxiii. 37. Affs vii. 52. and they wrought great provocations; ferving Baalim and Afhtaroth, and ather gods of the nations, than which nothing was more provoking to the Lord. to the Lord, ch.i. 5.

' ¥. 31. Neverthelefs, for thy great mercies fake, &c.} For the difplaying of that, and the glorifying of it, which is fo large and exceeding abundant: thou didjt not utterly confume them, nor forfake them, fome were left in the land, and thofe that were carried captive found favour in the eyes of thofe that carried them away, and were fuffered to live, and many of them now had returned to their own land: for thou art a gracious and merciful God, of which they had abundant proof and evidence.

y. 32. Now therefore our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepeft covenant; and mercy, &c.] The fame titles Nebemiah gives and it may be reafonably thought the whole prayer is his compofure, which was delivered by him to the Levites: let not all the trouble feem little before thee, as-if it was not enovgh, let it be judged fufficient, and no more be added, but mercy fhewn; ben Ezra thinks the word /itt/e is not to be connected with ¢roudle, but with the neareft antecedent mercy, and fo Guffetius*; as. it the fenfe was, let not thy mercy be {mall with thee, but let it be largely extended along with all the trouble, or at the time when trouble of every kind comes upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and ox our pric/ts, and on our prophets, and on our fa- y. 27. Therefore thou deliveredft them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them, &c.} As the kings of M©e/opotamia, Moab, Canaan, and others: amd in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, as they utually did, Fudg. iii. 9. 15. and iv. 3. and vi. 6,:7. thou beardeft them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies, thou gaveft them faviours, who faved them out of the bands of their enemies; fuch were the judges, Oshniel, Ebud, Barak, Gideon, &c. and this was done for them, not on account of their merits, but the abundant unmerited mercy of the Lord towards them. thers, and on all thy people, fince the times of the

¥. 28. But after they had reft, &c.] From} kings their enemies, enjoyed their liberty, and were in profperity: zbey did evil again before thee; relapfed into idolatry: therefore /efteft thou them in the hand of their enemies, fo that they had the dominion over them, as the Philiftines had for the fpace of forty years, Judg. xiii. 1. yet when they returned and cried unto thee, thou beardeft them from heaven, and many times didft thou deliver them, according to thy mercies; this was their cafe frequently in the times of the judges; they finned and fell into the hands their enemies, then they repented, and cried to God for help, and he had compaffion upon them, and faved them.; kept it, but they had

¥. 29. ‘And teftified® againft them, &c] By fending prophets to them, to admonifh them of their fins, and remind them of their duty: shat thou mighteft bring them again unto thy law’; to.regard it, and walk according to it: yet they dea/t proudly; with an haughty air rejected the counfel of God: and hearkened not unto thy commandments; yielded not obedience to them: but finned againft thy judgments; tranfgreffed his laws, which were fo juft, righteous, reafonable, and equitable: which if a man do, be foall live in them; or by them, in the land of Canaan, fee Lev. xviii. 5. and withdrew the fooulder, and bardened their neck, and would not bear; like oxen, that wriggle and ftruggle, and draw back, and will not admit the yoke upon them, of Affyria unto this day, but this fenfe is not |clear, and makes it have refpect to times to come; whereas, it relates to time paft, and to all the trouble, and affiiction they had met with from the 4/)- rian kings, from. the time they invaded their land, and carried them captive, until this very time. yr. 33. Howbeit, thou art fuft in all that is brought upon us, &c.] They own the juttice of God, could not complain of any wrong done them; and had he fhewn them no mercy at all, it was but of! what they deferved: for thou bajt done right, but we have done wickedly, he had done according to the truth of his word of promife, he had faithfully tranfgrefied his righteous law.

¥. 34, Neither have our kings, our princes, our prieffs, nor our fathers kept thy law, &c.] All rariks of men, from the higheft to the loweit, had {hewn no regard, nor yielded obedience to the holy \aw of God; mor bearkened unto thy commandments, and thy tefimonies wherewith thou didft veftify againft them;, moral and ceremonial, which were a teftification of the will of God to them, and a teftimony againft them if they obferved them not.

y. 35. For they have not ferved thee in their kingdom, &c.] Whenin it, whether of J/rael or of Judab, and when in the moft flourifhing ciicum- {tances: and in thy great goodnefs that thou gave/t bem; amidft all the profperity and affluence of good things they enjoyed, which was an obligation upon them to ferve the Lord: and in the large and fat land which thou gaveft before them; the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk, which lay open for them, their enemies being driven out before them, fee ¥. 25. neither turned they from their wiched works; their idolatries more elpecially.: y. 36. Bebold, we are fervants this day, &c.] For though they had leave to return to their land, and rebuild their city and temple, yet they were {till in fubjection to the kings of Perfia: and for the land thou gaveft unto our fathers, to eat the fruit thereof, and the good thereof, behold, we are fervants in it; though the rightful owners and proprietors of it by the gift of God to their anceftors, to hold it and enjoy the good of it, and yet were obliged to pay tribute for it to the kings of Perfia, all excepting pricfts and Levites; fee Ezr, vi. 8. ‘and vii. plow ¥ a ¥. 37. And it yieldeth much increafe unto the kings much toll, tribute, and cuftom fromthem, which — greatly leffened the profit of the earth to them: alfo they have dominion over our bodies; and could, oblige them to work for them, and do any fervice. they fhould command: and over our cattle, at ther pleafure; to carry burdens for them, or, ride poft. with them: and we are in great diftrefs; being fer-. vants and tributaries to a foreign POWETs. Dedbbeniames ¥. 38. And becaufe of all this, &c.) Of all this, diftrefs, and that it might be removed, and be: clear of it; or ia all this diftrefs and evil, as Farchi and Aben Ezra, in the midft of it all: me. make a fure covenant; or faithfully promife to ob-, ferve the law of God, and particularly put away ftrange wives, and not intermarry with the people. of the land: and write it; that it may remain and, be a teftimony againft them fhould they break it,y being their own hand-writing:. and our princes, Le-» vites, and priefts feal unto it; as witnefles of its whom thou baft fet over us, becaufe of our fins, &c. Though a very fruitful land, and brought forth and thereby binding themfelves to obferve the fame. things; their names that much, yet not for them, but for foreign kings, next chapter.

that had the fovereignty over them, and enacted

in this chapter we have the names of the perfons that figned. and fealed the covenant mentioned in the laft, y. 127. and the things they agreed unto, and promifed to perform; in. general to obferve the law of God, in particular not to marry with the people of the land, to keep the fabbaths weekly and yearly, to pay annually the third part of the fhekel for the fervice of the temple, to bring into it the wood-offerings, firft-fruits, firft-born, and tithes, ¥. 28—39.

y. 1. Now thofe that fealed were, &Sc.] That fealed the covenant, made ch. ix. 38. Nehemiah the Tirfoatha, the fon of Hachaliah, the governor of the Jews: and Zidkijab; who feems.alfo to have beer a prince, fince without, it could not be faid it was fealed by their princes, ch ix. 38. though fome think both thefe were priefts, and then the princes muft be fuppofed to be among the chief of the people, y. 14. from hence to the end of the 27th their names follow; the names of the priefts, y. 2—8. who were in all 223 no mention is made either of Eliafbib the high-prieft, nor of Ezra the prieft and feribe; fome think the former had not ehaved well in his office, and that the latter was either fick, or returned to Babylon, or however hindered by fome providence or another, fince we hear of him both a little before and after, ch. viii. 2. 13. and xii. 36. then the names of the Levites, ¥. 9—13. in all 17, moft of which we have met with in this -book befare; next follow the names of the chief of the people, ¥. 1427. their number in all 44; and their names may be obferved in the lift of thofe that came out of Babylon with Zerubbabel; the whole number of thofe that fealed, princes, priefts, Levites, and chief of the people, were 84.

Ww. 28. And the reft of the people, &c.|. That did not fign and feal: the priefts, the Levites, the porters, the fingers, the Nethinims, the porters and as waited upon the priefts, as the Nethinim were perfons that waited on them: and all they that bad

Seperated themfelves from the people of the lands, unto the law of God; profelytes, who had renounced that we would leave the 7th year; the g U tilled in that year, the vines unpruned

: it, fee Fer. xxxiv. 18. and to obferve and do fingers were Levites 5 but thofe fo called were heathenifm, and embraced the true religion, had received the law of God, and profeffed to walk according to it: their wives, their fons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having underfianding; of the nature of the covenant, and the things contained in it, of what was required of them, and of what they promifed, of the nature of an oath they entered into, and of the fin of perjury. ¥. 29. They clave to their brethren, their nobles, &c.] Who had figned and fealed the covenant, they declared their approbation, of it, attended to it, and ratified what they had done in their name: and entred into a eurfe, and into an cath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Mofes the fervant of God; they bound themfelves with an oath that they would keep the law of God, and added a curfe or imprecation on themfelves to it fhould they break it; or, according to Pifcator, they went into thé fpace between the two pieces of the calf, which they cut afunder for the confirmation of the covenant, and fo they curfed themfelves if they fhould all the commandments of the Lord our God, and bis judgments and bis flatutes; all the laws, moral, ceremonial, and judicial; this they engaged to do in general; fome particulars follow. weal ¥. 30. And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters or our fons, &c.] Intermarry with them ag the had done, and were prone to do, and even digas ter this, ch. xiii. 23. <n |e ¥. 31. And if the people of the land bring ware, &c.] Any thing to be fold, any fort of g that being fold might be taken away, as the wo fignifies: or any vidtuals on the fabbath-day, to fell; any thing to make food of; wheat or barley, as Aben Ezra interprets it; the fame word is rendered corn in Gen. xlii. 1. fee the note there; to fel which was not lawful on the fabbath-day, fee Anos viii. 5. that we would not buy it of em Oe Hee bath, or on the holy day; any feftival, as the. of the paffover, pentecoft, and tabernacles: ‘ax fruits of the edrth which fprung of therifelves, for.the poor to gather, Lev. xxv. 4—y7. and the exaction of every debt; that they would not demand the’ payment of any debt on the 7th year; as the law required they fhould not, Deut. xv. 2.

¥. 32. Alfo we made ordinances for as, 8c.) Laws among themfelves, binding theny to that which the laws of God did: not: 40 charge our elves yearly with the third part of a foekel, for the service of the houfe of our God; the particulars of which follow in the next verfe; forthe defraying of which there ufed to be a treafury in the temple; but now there was none, and therefore they took this method to aflefs themfelves; and being poor, inftead of the half fhekel, which in fome cafes was required, they only charged themfelves with the third part of one though Aven Ezra thinks this was fuperadded to the half fhekel, and was paid over and above that; accotding to Brerewood*, ‘it was of the value of ten-pence of ‘our money; Wa/erus * has given us the figure’of one of thefe coins, with: this infcription, a third part of a fhekel of J/rael.

y. 33. For the foew-bread, &c.] To defray the expences of the 12 loaves, which evety week were fet on the table of “fhew-bread, Lev. xxiv. 5—9. and for the continual meat-offering, and for the continual burnt-offering; tor the daily facrifice morning and evening, which always had a meat-offering along with it, Exod. xxix. 38—42. of the fabbaths, and of tbe new moons; on which were additional facrifices,. Numb. xxviii. g—15. and for the fet feafts; of paffover, pentecoft, and tabernacles; in which alfo were offered other facrifices, befides the daily one, Numb. xxviii. 16—31. and xxix. 139. and

_ for the holy things, which were both by way of thankfgiving to God, and that they might feat and rejoice together: and for the fin-offerings, to make an atonement for Trael, for the whole body of the people, and fo were made at the public expence: aud for ail the work of the houfe of our Ged; whatever elfe was neceflary, that is not mentioned.

¥. 34. And we caft the lots umong the priefis, ‘the Levites, and the people, &c.| The priefts and Levites were in one lot, and the people in another,.as

_Aben Ezra: for the wood-offering; for providing wood to burn upon the altar continually, concerning which Maimonides‘ thus writes; ‘* what is the

wood-offering? there was a time fixed for families to go out unto the forefts, and bring in wood of difpofition (to be laid in order on the altar;) ‘and the day when it came to the turn of a family to bring the wood, they offered up free-will-burntofferings, which were called a wood-offering; and it was to them as a good day, (or feftival) and they were forbid to mourn, faft, or do any work

on it;” and he obferves, that if a fingle’ perfon brought wood of his own free-will, he was obliged to the fame; and Yo/ephus * {peaks of a featt called ZvaoPone, when it was cuftomary for all to bring wood to the altar, to keep alive the facred fire, that it might not go out, which, according to him, was onthe 14th of the month Lois, or Augu; but this was not the bufinefs of all the people, lots were caft, as here faid, who fhould do ir, and when: #0 bring it into the houfe of our'God; the temple, where there was a place called the woodroom, into which the wood was brought after it had been wormed by the priefts*: after the boufes of our fathers; or families on whom the lot fell to do it: fome rénder it, tito the boufe of our fathers; meaning the fame as before; the temple fo. called, becaufe they built it, and worfhipped God in it; fo Farchi and Aben Ezra: at ‘times: appointed, year by year, asthe lot directed: thefe, according to the Jewifo dottors *, were niné times in the year; on the firft of ‘ Nifan (or March) the fons of “Arach; of the tribe of Fudab, brought the wood; on the 20th of Tammuz (or Fune) the pofterity of David, of the tribe of fadeh 5 on the sth of 4b (or Fuly)” the children of Paro/h, of the tribe of Fudah; onthe 7th of the fame month, the fons of Jonadad the fon of Recab; on the 1oth of the fame. month, the pofterity of Senaah, of the tribe of Benjamin on the 15th of the fame month, the children of Zatta, and with them the priefts and Levites, and all wha were of an uncertain tribe, ec. on the 20th of the fame month, the pofterity of Pachath- Moab, of the tribe of Fudab; on the 2oth of Eiul, (or Auguft) the children of Adin, of the tribe of Judah; on the 1ftof Febeth (or December) the pofterity: of Parofh again’ brought the wood: %o burn upon the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law; the wood fhould be burnt upon it, and fire kept omit continually, Lev. vi. 12, 13. for this refers only to that, the wood-offering is no where fpoken of in the law.

¥. 35. And to bring the firft-fruits of our ground, &c.] Not that they! caft lots to do this, but they. bound themfelves with an oath, according ‘to the law, to do it; this isthe firft of all the fruits’of the earth, Exod. xxiii. 19. though Aben Ezra reftrains it to the fheaf of the’ firft-fruits, and'to the two wave-loaves, Lev. xxili.. 10. 17. and the fir t-fruits of all fruit of all trees; which, as Aben Ezra obferves, their wife men-reftrain to the feven’kinds only, mentioned in Devt. viii. 8.

¥. 36. Alfo the firft-bori- of our fons and of our cattle, &c.] Such as were unclean, as Aben Ezra notes, as the afs, @e. and are diftinguifhed from clean ones mentioned in the following claufe; now both thefe, their fons, and this fort of cattle, were to be redeemed by a price’ paid to the priefts: as it is written in the law, Exod. xiii. 2:'13. Numb. xviii. 15, 16. and the firfilings of our berds, and of our flocks; clean cattle,’ which were to be offered, Numb, xviii. 17, 18. to bring to the boufe of our God, unto the priefts that minifter in the boufe of our God; a price for the one fort, and the other for facrifice.

¥. 37. And that we fhould bring the firft-frnits of our dough, 8c.| According to the lawin Numb. XV. 20,.21. and our offerings; their heave-offerings, Numb, xviii. 8.11. and the fruit of all manner of trees; bore by them on the 4th year after their planting, Lev. xix. 23,.24. of wine and oil's to which Aven Ezra reftrains the fruit of the trees, fee Numb, xviii. 12. all thefe they were to bring unto the priefis, to the chambers of the boufe of our God there to be laid up for the ufe of it; and oil and wine were frequently ufed in facrifices: and the

tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the fame

Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage; the tenth part of the produce of their agticulture every where throughout the land, fee Numé. XVili, 21. ¥.°38. And the pric the fon of Aaron, fhall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes, &e.

There was always to be a prieft with the Levites at fs fuch

144 NEHEMIAF. Ch. xi. ¥. I—12, fuch times, to take notice what quantity they received, that they might not be under any temptation, or lie under any fufpicion of defrauding the priefts of their due, who were to have a part in tithes, as follows: and the Levites (hall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the boufe of our God, to the chambers into the treafure-houfe, which were in the court of the priefts for that purpofe; for out of the tithes of the Levites there was another tithe or tenth part taken, and given to the priefts, fee new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, &c.] In the temple: where are the veffels of the fanttuary; to put the faid things into, that they might be the) ready at hand when wanted, as they often were for \the meat and drink-offerings: and the prichs that minifier, and the porters, and the fingers; who dwelt there when in their miniftrations, and were fupported by. the above tithes and gifts: and we twz// mot forfake the bouje of our God; neither forfake the aflembling themfelves there for worfhip, ©

¥. 39. For the children of Ifrael, and the children {ervice of it, as they had too much done, but now nor neglect to make the neceffary provifions for the of Levi, foall bring the offering of the corn, of the,refolve for the future to behave better.

HIS chapter treats of the inhabitants of Fenow a province of the Perfian monarchy: dat in rufalem, thofe of the tribes of Fudab and Benjamin, who fettled there by lot, or of their own. accord, their names and numbers, ¥. 1+~g. and of the priefts and Levites who dwelt there, yr. 10—19. and of the reft of the people, priefts, and Levites the cities of Fudab dwelt every one in his poffeffion in. their cities; in which they or their anceftors had formerly dwelt’: to wit, T/rael, the people in general of the tribes of Fudah and Benjamin, and fuch of the other tribes that returned with them: fhe ~ that dwelt in the other cities and villages of Fudab priefts, and the Levites, and the Nethinims, and the y. 1. And the rulers of the people dwelt at Ferufalem, &c.\ Where it was proper they fhould, being the metropolis of the nation, both for the performance of their offices, and to protect and defend it, as well as to fet an example to the people, children of Sclomon’s fervants; of whom fee Ezra th. Been:

¥.4. And at Fertfalem dwelt certain of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin, 8c.

It belonging partly to one tribe and partly to the other, and io inhabited by both, as: it. originally was, Fob. xv. 63. and xviii. 28. of the children of and encourage them to dwell there alfo: the reft of 'fudab,; Athaiah; called Uthat, 1 Chron. ix. 4.

the people alfo caft lots to bring one of ten, to.dwell in Setufalem the holy city; fo called, becaufe of the temple and the worfhip of God in it; and fo it is called. by Julian the emperor ®; and fome” have thought that the Cadytis of Herodotus * is the fame with Ferufalem, which had its name from Mw, holy, and is now called by the Turks Cuds, that is, holy *: now, though it was the chief city, and the place of public worfhip, yet the people were not forward of fettling in it, partly becaufe of the rage of the enemy, which this city was the butt of, and partly becaufe it was more to their wordly advantage to dwell in the country, and where they could have better fupplies; they confulted their own eafe, fafety, and profit; wherefore this method was taken to oblige fome to dwell in it, by taking one out of ten by lot, that there might be a‘fufficient number to rebuild the houfes of it, repeople and defend it: and nine parts to dwell in other cities; to which they belonged, or where they pleafed, any where in the land of J/rael.

y¥.2. And the people bleffed all the men that willingly offered themfelves to dwell at Ferufalem.|

¥. 5. And Maafeiab, &c.| Who feems to be the fame with d/aiab, 1 Chren. ix. 5. and whofe genealogy is carried up through Baruch, Colbozeh, Hazaiah, Adaiab, Foiarib, Zechariah, to Shiloui; perhaps the fame with Shelab, another fon of Judah, fee 1 Chron, ix. 5.

¥. 6. All the fons of Perez that dwelt at Ferufalem, were 468 valiant men | And fo well qualified to defend the city againft its enemies.

¥. 7. And thefe are the fons of Benjamin, &c.} That were of that tribe, and inhabited Feru/alem, namely, that follow: Sallu the fon of Mefbullam; who from him is traced up through Foed, Pedaiab, Kolaiah, Maafeiah, Ithiel, to Fefaiab.

¥. 8. And after him, &c.| That is, Sallu: were Gabbai and Sallai; in all 928; there were more of the tribe of Benjamin than of the tribe of Fudab, they having perhaps a greater fhare in the city, or were better difpofed to dwell in it.

¥.9. Aud Foel the fon of Zichri was their over-

Who were not taken by lot, but of their own ac-} cord fettled at Ferufalem; they praifed them for it, and wifhed them all happinefs and profperity, fincé they denied themfelves of eafe and profit for the fake of the public good; and it is this which makes the difference between the lift of the inhabitants of rufalemin 1 Chron. ix. 2. &c, and this here, that takes in all that fettled there, whether voluntarily or by lot; this only fuch as were fixed by the lot, and of them only thofe who were of greateft note and efteem, as Yarchi obferves, and fo it follows. _¥. 3. Now thefe are the chief of the province that dwelt in Ferufalem, 8cc.] That is, of Fudea, reduced to a province by the king of Babylon, and eer, 8cc.] Or chief governor of the city: and Judah the fon of Senuah, was fecond over the city; ~ or the deputy-governor of it; fo Pitholaus is called an under-governor in Yerufalem by Fo- /ephus *.

e:! y. 10, 11. Of the priefts, &cc.] Who dweltin. Zeru/alem, of whom the fame account is given in thefe two verfes as in 1 Chron. ix. 10, 11. only Seraiab here is called Azariah there.

y.12. And their brethren that did the work of the oufe, were 822, &c.] That offered the facrifices, burnt incenfe, fet on the fhew-bread, lighted the — lamps, &c. and Adaiah the fon of Jerobam; fee 1 Chron, ix. 12. whofe. genealogy is traced here

© dwelt at Feru/alem: were in all the cities of Judab,

~ Tem was Uzzi,. the fon of Bani, &c.| He was the

¥. 13. And his brethren, chief of the “fathers, 242, &c.] ‘That is, the brethren or relations of Adaiah > and Amafhai; called Maafeiab, 1 Chron. ix. 12. whofe lineage is traced here through ‘4zareel, Abafai,. Me “pill: emoth, to Immer.

y. 14. And their brethren mighty men of valour, 128, &c.] ‘The brethren of Adaiah and Amafpai, who were able men to do the work' of their office as priefts, and men of courage to fight the enemy, and defend the city upon occafion: and their overfeer was Zabdiel, the Jon of one of the great men; or the fon of Hagedolim, or Gedolim as fome, who take-it to be the proper name of a man.

¥. 15. Alfo of the Levites, &c.] Who dwelt in Ferifalem: Sbemaiab the fon of Hafhub; traced from him through 4zrikam and Hafhatiab to Burni; thefe were “of the fons of Merari, the third fon: of Levi, fee's Chron, xi. 14.

y¥. 16. And Shabbetbai, and Fozabad if the chief of Ae Levites, &c.] Along with Shemaiab; thele had she overfight of ihe outward bufine/s of the houfe ef God; who had the care of the repairs of the temple, and of getting in the wood for thealtar, as Farcbi, and collecting the third part of the fhekel, to purchafe things with for the ufe of the temple.

‘y. 17. And Mattaniah the fon of Micha, the fon of Zabdi, the fon of Afapb, &c.| Zabdi is called Zichri in 1 Chron. ix. 15, was the principal to begin the thank/giving in prayer; he was the precentor, or led the fong at the time of the daily facrifice, in which prayer was alfo made, as in many of the fongs, hymns, and pfalms of David: and Bakbukiah the fecond among his brethren, he was the next finger, or deputy to Mattaniab, perhaps the fame that is called Bakbaker, 1 Chren. ix. 15. and Abda the fon of Shammua; called Obadiah the fon of. Shemaiab, 1 Chron. ix. 16. the fon of Galal, the fon of Feduthun; one of the three principal fingers.

¥. 18. All the Levites in the holy city, were 284.

Who had their refidence there, fee y. 1.

¥. 20. And the refidue of Ifrael, of the priefts and the Levites, &c.] Allof them, befides thofe that to Micha, the fon of d/aph, ¥. +7. of the fons of Afagh, the fingers were over the bufine/s of the boufe. of God; which, according to archi, was to take but one would think rather that part of the fervice of the houfe which lay in finging the fongs of it is refpected.

¥. 23. For it was the king’s commandment concerning them, &c.| Either of king David, as fome, fee ch. xii. 24. or rather of the king of Perfia: that a certain portion fhould be for the fingers, due for every day; he fettled a daily falary A them, to be paid out of his treafury,; having perhaps a peculiar refpect for fuch fort of men, being a lover of mufic, by means of which they hada fettled habitation in Ferufalem.

¥. 24. And Pethabiab tbe fon of Mefhezabeel, of the children of Zerab, the fon of Fudab, &c} The twin-brother of Pharez, Gen. Xxxviil. 30. was at the king’s band in all matters concerning the people; to fpeak for them to the king, as Farchi,; when they had a favour to afk of him, a petition to prefent to.him, he delivered it for them, and by him the king returned the anfwer..

y¥. 25. And for the villages with their fields, &c.

The cities and villages in the country,.an account of the inhabitants of them next follows: fome of the children of Fudeb dwelt at Kirjath-arba, and in the villages thereof; the fame with Hebron, Fofh. xv. 54. and at Dibon; the fame with Dimonab, Joo. xv. 22. and at Fekabzeel and in the villages thereof; the fame with Kabzeel, one of the utter— moft cities of the tribe of Fudab fouthward, Fo. XV. 21. of which city was Benaiah, one of David's worthies, 2 Sam. xxiii. 20. from hence to the end of ¥. 30. mention is made of various cities and towns in the tribe of F#dab, inhabited by the men of it, which are to be met with in Joh. xv. exicepting Fefhua and Mekonab, y. 26. 28. of which we no where elfe read.

¥. 31. The children alfa of Benjamin, from Geba, dwelt at Michmafh, &c.} Geba was a city on the fouthern border of Benjamin, Fofb. xviii. 24. and Michmaj/b on the northern, of which fee 1 Sam. xiii. 2. in this and the four following verfes are the names of feveral cities in the tribe of Benjamin, inhabited by the men of that tribe, as “ja, the fame with Ai, that lay on the eaft of Bethel, here alfo mentioned, fee Yo/b. vii. 2. Anathoth, the birthplace of Feremiab the prophet, Jer. i, 1. Nob, a every one in bis inheritance, the I/raelites, in the cities, houfes, and eftates enjoyed by their anceftors, and the priefts and Zevstes in the cities given out of the feveral tribes.

¥. 21. But the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, &c.] An high place or tower on the wall of Yeru/alem, fee 2 Chron. xxvii. 3. and Ziba, and Gifpa were over the Nethinims; had the overfight of them, and city of the priefts, 1 Sam. xxi. 1. and xxii. 19. Ananiab is no where elfe Ap eee. Hazor is to be diftinguifhed from another of this name in the tribe “of Naphtali, Foo. xix. 36. Ramab, a place well known in Benjamin, Fofb. xviii. 25. Gittaim, of which fee 2 Sam. iv. 3. Hadid, the fame with ddi- took care that they did their work; they were fuch ee but the principal of them, fee Ezra ii. doim,.a valley of this name, is read in 1 Sam. xiii.

18. Neballat we read of no where elfe; of Lod and Ono, fee 1 Chron. viii. 12. and the valley of craftfmen, or Chorafin, 1 Chron.iy. 14.

¥: 36. And of the Levites, were divifions in Fudah, and in Benjamin.| ‘hey were fcattered abour, trite here and fome there, in both thefe tribes, for the better inftruction of the people, ne 22., The overfeer alfo of the Levites at Ferufa- fupervifor of them, that looked after them that they did their work in miniftring to the priefts, as they had occafion for them; this man’s genealogy is farther traced through Hajbabiab and Maitanghs