Exposition of the Whole Bible

among princes, and to inherit the throne of glory, and»by whom he is exalted in his perfon, office, and grace. Golan fignifies revealed or manifetted; fo Chrift has been manifeft in the flefhi, and is revealed to finners, when they are called by his grace; to whom they flee for refuge, and Jay hold on him, the hope fet before them. _.

¥. 44.. dnd this is the law which Mofes fet before the children of Ifrael;\ Not the law concerning the cities of refuge, but the law of the ten commands repeated in the following chapter; fo Farchi remarks, ‘* this which he fhould fet in order after «« this fe€tion;” as. he does in the next chapter, where he repeats in ofder the ten precepts, and makes obfervations on the manner of the delivery of them, and urges obedience to them. | y. 45. Thefe are the teflimonies, and the flatutes, and the judgments, &c.] The laws moral, ceremonial, and judicial, delivered in the following chapters; which are renewed, repeated, and explained: which Mofes fpake unto the children of Ifrael, after they came forth out of Egypé; in the third month after they came from thence, thefe laws were delivered to him at mount Szwvai, and he declared them to them; and now afrefh, near 40 years after, repeated them to them in the plains of Moab.

¥. 46. On this fide Fordan, in the valley, overagainft Beth-peor,*&c.] Where the Ifraelites abode’ fome time; fee cb. iii. 29. in the land of Sibon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Hefebon; which was now conquered; and in the hands of the J/raelites: whom Mofes and the children of Lfrael {mote after they came out of Egypt, not as foon as, or quickly after they came from thence; for it was but a few months ago, fince this conqueft was made, where-

N this chapter Mo/es, after 4 fhort preface; ¥. 1—5. repeats the law of the decalogue, or ten commands, with fome little variation, ¥. 6—2ar.

and then reminds the J/raelites of the terrible manfathers, &c.] That is; not -with ner in which it was delivered to them, ¥. 22, 23. which put them upon making.a requeft that Mo/es might be a mediator between God and them, and hear what the Lord had to fay, and report it to them; to which they promifed obedience, y. 24—27, and which being agreeable to the Lord was granted ¥. 28—31. and this laid them under a greater obligation to obferve the commands of God, and keep them, y. 32, 33.

¥.1. And Mojes called all Ifrael, &c.] The heads of the feveral tribes, and elders of the people, as he had on occafion been ufedto do; unlefs it can be thought that at different times he repeated the following laws to feparate parties and bodies of them, until they had all heard them: and eid unto them, hear, O Ifrael, the ftatutes and judgments " which I fpeak inyour ears this day; the laws moral, ceremonial, and judicial, which he was about-to repeat, and afrefh declare unto them, being what they had alla concern in, and under obligation to regard. © y. 2. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb,] Which is Sinai, as Aben Ezra obferves; it being the fame mountain, only it had two cops, which bore thefe different names; for certain it is that the decalogue after repeated was given at Sinai, Wile. Bia Ne Zi

RONOMY: as it was near fort Egypt. Me

¥. 47. And they poffeffed bisland, and thz land of Og king of Bafban, 8c.) Seized upon them, and took them as their own; and divided’ them for an inheritance among two of their tribes and half another: two kings of the Amorites; which is more than once obferved, that ic might be taken “notice of, chat thefe were of the nations of the Canaarites Ifrael were to root out; and pofiefs their land: which were on this fide Fordan toward the fun rifing 5 which lands and kingdoms lay to the eaft of ‘yordan, onthat fide of it on which wete the plains of Moab, where Mofes and I/rae/ now were. PEL

¥. 48. From Arover which is by the bank of the river Arnon, &c.| A city of Moab, which was fituated on the bank of the river Arso#, that was on the border of Moab, ch. ii. 36. and iii, 12. even unto mount Sion which is Hermon, the méaning is, that the lands of thefe two kings conquered by Irael reached from the city “toer on the tiver Arica tomount Hermon, the one being the fouthern,; the other the northern boundary of them: Here Hermon has another name Sion, and is to be carefully diftinguifhed from mount Zion near FYerujalem; it lying in a different country, and being writcén with a different letter in the Hebrew language: In the Sepiuagint verfion itis called Séon, and by the-Targums of Fonathan and Ferufalem the mount of faow; fee the note on ch. iii. 9.

¥. 49. And all the plain.on this fide Fordan eafward; 8c.] The plains of Moab, on that fide of y years fince they came out of

| Jordan to the eaft: even unto the fea of the plaing.

the fea of Sodom, the {alt fea: under the fprings of Pifgab that rofe from mount Pifgab, the tame with Afbdoth-Pifgab, ch, iii. 174 and had the nature and form of a covenant; fee

Exod. xxiv. 7, 8. ¥.3. Lhe Lord made not this covenant with our them only, as farchi, Aben Ezra, and Abendana remark; for certain it is that this covenant was made, or law was given, to the immediate fathers of this prefent generation of J/raelites, whofe carcafes had fallen in. the wildernefs; unlefs this*is to be underftood of their. more remote anceftors, Abraham, Yfaae, and Jacob, with whom the covenant of grace was made, or afrefh made manifeft, efpecially with the former; when the law, the covenant here fpoken of, was not delivered until 430 years after, Gal. iii. 16, 17. but with us, even us who are all of us here alive this day; many of them were then prefent at the giving of the law, and though under twenty years of age, could remember it, and the circumftances of it; and befides, they were the fame people to whom it was given, though not confifting wholly of the fame individuals. ¥. 4s. Lhe Lord talked with you face to face in the mount, &c.] Meaning not in that free, friendly, and familiar manner, in which he fometimes talked with Moj/es, of whom this phrafe is ufed, Exod. XxXxill. 11. but publickly, audibly, clearly, and diftinétly, or without the interpofition of anocher; he did not fpeak to them by Mofes, but to them themfelves; he talked to them without a middle perfon between them, as ben Ezra expreffés it 5 without making ufe of = to relate to them what he

he faid; but he talked to them directly, out of the mid of the fre; in which he defcended, perfonally: brought thee out thence, through a mighty a, 4y a ftretched out arm, fignifying that their délive® and with which the mountain. was burning all the time he was fpeaking; which made it very awful and. terrible, and pointed at the terrors of the legal difpenfation.

We 5s Li ftood between the Lord and you at that times,&c. | Between the, Word of the Lord and you, asthe, Largums of Onkelos and Jonathan; that is, about that time, not at the exact precife time the ten-commandments were. delivered, for thefe were fpoken immediately to the people; but when the ceremonial law was given, which was ordained by angels, in the hand of a mediator, Gai. iii. 19.

rance from their ftate of bondage was not owing to'themfelves, nor to any creature, burt to the - mercy and kindnefs of God, and to his han power; and therefore they were under the great obligations to obferve any command and inftitution of his he fhould think fit to make; and particular this of the fabbath, which was made on that account, as follows: wherefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the fabbath-day; in commemo= ration of their reft from Egyptian bondage. ~ " * y.16. Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God bath commanded thee, 8c.} Andis and.whieh was at the requeft of the people as lows, terrified:by the appearance of the fire out of which-the moral law was delivered: to fhew you the word of the Lord; not the decalogue,\ that they heard with.their own.ears, but the other laws which were afterwards given, that were of the:ceremonial and judicial kind: for ye were afraid’ by reafon of the fire, and went -not-up into the mount 5 left they fhould be confumed by it; and indeed bounds were fet about the mount, -and they were charged notto break through: /aying, this word is in connexion with the preceding verfe, the. Lord’s talking out of the midft of the fire, when ‘he»faid)what folfol- the’ firft commandment with promife, as the apo- {tle obferves, Eph. vi. 2, 3. with a promife of long life and happinefs in the land of Casaan, as_follows’: that thy days may be prolonged 5 fee Exod. xx. 12. here it is added, avd that 7 may go well with thee; and which the apoftle alfo has in the place referred to: in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee; the land of Canaan which the fame apoftle explains ‘to a greater latitude, that thou mayet live long on the earth; applying it to Chriftians under the gofpel+difpenfation, whether fews or Gentileses 7 7;

ste 6: Iam the Lord thy God, &c.].

y.12. Keep the fabbath-day to fanétif it, &c. Or obferve it, by fetting it apart as a time of tural reft, and forthe performance of holy-and religious exercifes; fee Exod. xx. 8. where the phrafeis a little varied, remember the keep it-holy-5, it having ‘been inftituted before: as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. not at Sinai onlys forthe fame:might,then have been obferved of This is the avd, different from the manner in which they are and is the fame exprefied, Exod. xx. which joins thefe together, and theny with the preceding ones’; henee*the law is by fome faid to be one copulative, and may ferye to illuftrate a paflage in Fam. nt: 10, bs om ys 21.\ Neither halt. thou defire thy ‘Neighbour’ s ti/e; 8c, ] Here a neighbour's ‘wife is put before different from Exod. xx. 17. and B73 field is added, which with what follows take ia na-jevery thing that isa man’s property; and which is not to be defired or coveted in an unlawful manner by another, and much lefs fhould any means be fabbath-day to made ufe of to deprive him of it; but /w/ is the thing intended and prohibited, be it after what it may, which is another man’s; fee Maith. v. 28, Rom. vii. 7. of a man’s field, fee I v. 8: Mic. ii, 2.

with that.in Ewod. xx..2.' fee the note there; and thofe \commands are-here, delivered in the fame ordei,and, psetty. néar in the fame words, with a fitile variation, sand.a few additions;\which I fhall only, obferve, and refer to Exod. xx, for the fenfe of the feveral laws. Lilo gad his houfe, all the. reftof the.commands, but before the giving of thelaw, at the‘firft'of the manna; fee Eyed. XV1.52 Zehis ved ei 4,21, 3

14., Nor thine oxynor thine afs, Sec.) In Exod.

¥. 22. Thefe words the Lord’ fpake unto all your affembly in the mount, 8c. The above ten words or commands, which were fpoken fo audibly and loudly'by the Lord himself on mount Siai, that

Xx. 10; it is only inygeneral faid; wor thy cattle; here by way of illuftration and explanation the ox -and the afs are particularly mentioned;>the oné being ufed in plowing ground, andtreading out the corn,,and the other in-carrying burdens; and it js.added, wor any. of thy cattle; as their camels, or whatever elfe. they were|wont to.ufe in any kind of fervice;.they were none of them to do. any kind of work,,on the dabbath-day.. The» following the whole congregation of the people of Trael heard them*: out of the midft of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darknefs.; in which the Lord was 3 fee chiiv.:11. with a great voice, and be added no more; ceafed*fpeaking; after he ‘had’ ‘délivere | the, ten commands, he faid no. more at that'time. “The TZ. argum of Fonathan is, $* witha press vpice which ceafed'not.” « It ceafed not until all were delivered and then it did;' it was a continued Voice, el claufe, alfo is not ufed, before, whichoexprefles the end of this inftitution:, shat. thy. manzfervant and thy. maid-fervant may bove ref. as well.as thee; which. if, the cattle had.

ye kG ld remember that thou waft.a\fervant in ike land, of, Egypt, &c.]}, Even a bond-fervant; for Egypt.was an houfe of bondage, and there the /- raclites,.were made to, ferve in hard bondage; of which. they are reminded, that their: hearts might be touched. with it, and.inclined to fhew!pity to perfons in fomewhgt fimilar circumftances’; calling to mind how fweet.a little reft, would-haveibeen unto them when in Egypt: and that the Lord thy God and'diftin®:' and be wrote them”z ae ftonme; marble ftonte, as ‘the Targum f which*is much tore 'fikely than W ah not -reft, they::could not ee has on ch. iv! 13. ‘this is an é} ‘th duration of the law: and delivered them unta me to Wo/es, and by him to be ‘delivered to the [ 338 ple, who though they had hear d them ¥ apt to forget them; and therefore t ey W ten, that they might read them, and them, and be careful to keep them.

have, being obliged to,attend them at the-plow or elfewhere; and this -refpécts not.only.hired, but - bond-fervants and maidens.

. y. 23. And it came to pafs when ye hea out of the midft of the darkne/s, 8cc.: darknefs, where God ‘was, an “with mountain’ was covered, Exod.

mountain did burn with fire, why the Lord fpoke out of th mi thé niountain on which*he defcended burning with it; and alfo for his {peaking our of the midft of darknefs, becaufe not only a thick cloud covered _ the mountain, but it was altogether on a fmoke, which afcended as the fmoke of a furnace, Exod. xix. 16, 18. That ye come near unto me, even all ever heard the voice of the Lord ott of réal Gre and particularly exprefling fuch words as he did, but the J/raelites. Zoroaftres, the founder of the Magi among the Perfians, and of their religion feems to have had refpe& to this, and to have applied falfly this to himfelf, which belonged to Mo/és the heads of your tribes and your elders; or wife-men, as the Targum of Fonathan; by which it appears that not enly the common people were affrighted at what they heard and faw on mount Stxai, but thofe of the firft rank and eminence among them, who were the moft famous for their authority and and the people of J/rael; for it is faid*, “ one *¢ reafon the Perfrans have fire in fo much venera- ** tion is, becaufe they fay that Zoroaftres being ** caught up to heaven,’ did not fee God, but b beard him fpeaking with him out of the midft of r* TIre.

y.24. And ye faid, bebold the Lord our God hath Jbewed us bis glory and his greatnefs, &c.] In defcending on mount Sinai in the manner he did, and giving the law from thence with fuch folemnity; for there was a gloryin the miniftration of it, as the apoftle argues 2 Cor. ili. 7—11. it being delivered with fo much majefty, and fuch a glorious apparatus attending it; fee Deut. xxxiil. 2. Aden Ezra interprets this of the appearance of firein which the Lord was, and bis greatnefs, of the thunders and lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet: and we have beard bis voice out of the midft of the fire; the ten words, as the fame interpreter rightly notes, which were vocally and audibly expreffed out of the fire: we bave feen this day, that God doth talk with man, and be liveth; they had proof of it in themfelves; God had been talking with them out of the fire, and yet it did not reach and confume them, but they were ftill to God on it: and hear all that the Lord cur God foall fay; for they fuppofed by the continuance of the Lord on the mount, and the fire burning on it, that he had more to fay, which they were not averfe to hear; but defired it might be not immediately delivered to them, but by the means of Mo/es; the found of the words, and the fight of the fire, being fo terrible to them: aad {peak thou unto us all shat the Lord our God fheil foeak unto thee; they did not doubt, knowing the faithfulnefs of Mofes, his declaring all unto them that fhould be told him by the Lord; and they were defirous. that he fhould, they did not want to have any thing withheld from them, only they could not bear to fee and hear things immediately from the Lord: and we will hear it and do it, hearken to it, and receive it as the word of God, and not man, and yield a ready and chearful obedience, even to every thing that fhould be required; fee Ewod. xx. 19.

¥.25. Now therefore why fhould we die, &c.] Since we are now alive, and have fo wonderfully efcaped the danger we were expofed unto, let us be y.28. dnd the Lord beard the voice of your words, when ye /pake unto me, 8ec.] Notonly in a general way, as he hears and knows all that is fpoken by careful that we are not liable to it again: for this great fire will confume us, if it continues, and we are expofed to it; perhaps fome of them might remember the fire that burnt in the uttermoft parts men; for there is not a word on the tongue, formed upon it, and uttered by it, but what is altogether known to him; but in a fpecial and particular manner obferved, took notice of, approved, and of the camp at Taderah, and the deftruéction of Korab and the 250 men with him by fire, Numd. xi. and xvi. 35. if we bear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we foall die, for it was fuch a voice of words, they could not endure as to matter of them, and therefore intreated the word might not be fpoken to themsany more; it being/ the killing letter, and the miniftration of condemnation and death; and the manner in which it was delivered was fo terrible, that they concluded they could not live, but muft die if they heard it again; and imagined that if the fire continued, the flames of it would fpread and reach them, and they|&c. would not be able to efcape them.

y¥. 26. For who is there of all flea, &c.] What man was there in any age, that was ever heard of or can be. named: that hath heard the voice of the living God; who lives in and of himfelf, and is author and giver of life to all his creatures, whereby he is diftinguifhed from and is oppofed unto the lifelefs. deities of the Gentiles; and, which -makes him and his voice heard the more awful and tremendous, and efpecially as /peaking out of the midjft of the fire, which was the prefent cafe; ¢swe have and lived? of this there never was the like inftance;. for though fome had feen God and liyed, ‘as ‘Facob did, and therefore-called the name of place where he faw him Penuel, Gen. Xxxii, 30. cand Mofes had heard the voice of the angel of the - Lord out of a buth, which feemed to be burning, and was not confumed, Exod. iii. 2, 44 yet none was well pleafed with what thefe people faid: and 1, the Lord faid unto me, 1 have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have {poken unto thee; not only heard the found of them, but took notice thejof the fenfe and meaning of them, and liftened to them with pleafure and delight: they have well aid all that they have fpoken, expreffing fuch an awe and reverence of the divine majefty, defiring to have a mediator between God and them, and purpofing and promifing to hearken to and obey whatfoever he fhould command by him.

y. 29. Ob that there were fuch an heart in them, Notthat there is properly {peaking fuch volitions and wifhes in God; but, as Aben Ezra obferves, the fcripture {peaks after. the language of the children of men; and may be confidered as upbraiding them with wantof fuch an heart, and with the weaknefs to do what they had promifed; and at moft as approving of thofe things they {poke of as grateful to him, and profitable to them;. the words may be rendered, who will give that they had Juch an heart; not to.me,.but to them, as Aven Ezra notes;. they can’t, give it to themfelves, nor can any creature give it to them none but.God can, and therefore they ought to have prayed to him to give them an heart to hearkenand do; the agreeable. to which is the Arabic verlion, “ it * is to be wifhed by them, that fuch an heart ‘* would, continue with them;” which they by their language, fignified was in them: shat they would fear me, which is not naturally in the heart of man, is agift of God, a part of the covenant of grace, is implanted in regeneration, and is no inconfiderable branch of it; it is oppofed to pride, and is confiftent with faith and joy, and is increafed by views of the graceand goodnefs of God, and is a diftifiguifhing charaéter of a good man: and keep all my commandments always; not only one but.all, and not only at fome certain times but continually; and which are to be kept in faith from a principle of love, with a view to the glory of God, and in the ftrength of Chrift; and to _ this the fear of God is neceflary, for where there is no fear of God, there is no regard to his commandments; but where there is a reverential fear of God, there are faith, hope, love, and every other grace; yea, the Spirit, the author of all, who is in the faints to enable them to walk in the ftatutes of the Lord, and to keep his judgments and do them; and fuch keep the commandments of God,