Exposition of the Whole Bible

God to idolatry; fo the Targum of Fonathan, as Solomon's wives drew him afide: or he will tura away thy fon“, meaning, as Farchi obferves, that the fon of an heathen that marries the daughter of an J/raelite, will turn away the fon born of her to idolatry, called here the grandfather’s fon; though Aben Ezra fays this relpects the fon mentioned in the preceding verfe, that is, the fon married to an heathen woman, and not to a fon born in fuch marriage: Jo will the anger of the Lord be kindled againft you, and deftroy thee Juddenly; by fome immediate judgment ftriking dead at once; there being nothing more provoking to God than idolatry, that being directly contrary to his being, nature, perfections, honour, and glory, of which he chufe you, &c.] He had done both, and the one as the effeét and evidence of the other; he loved them, and therefore he chofe them; but neither_of them, Jecaufe ye were more in number than any people; not for the quantity of them, nor even for the quality of them: for ye were the feweft of a// people; fewer than the Egyptians, from whence they came, and than the Canaanites they were going to drive out and inherit theirland, ¥. 1. Thofe whom God has loved with an everlafting love, and as a fruit of it has chofen them in Chrift before the world began to grace and glory, holinefS and happinefs, are but a {mall number, a little flock; though many are called, few are chofen; nor are isjthey better than others, being by nature children jealous, of wrath even as others, and as to their outward

¥.5. But thus fhallye deal with them, &c.] The inhabitants of the land of Canaan: ye fhall defiroy their altars; on which they facrificed to their idols: and break down their images; of their gods, and the ftatues and pillars erected to the honour of them: and cut down their groves; facred to idols, which were ufually planted on hills, and about heathen temples, and under which idols were placed to be worfhipped. The Targum of Fonathan calls them trees of their adoration, which they worfhipped; though there was a worfhip paid to them, not indeed dire¢tly to them, or for their fakes, but for the fake of the idols they were facred to, or were placed under them; fo Mazmonides * {ays a tree which at firft was planted to be worfhipped, is forbidden of any ufe (or profit); and this is the [wk or grove fpoken of in the law, a tree planted and lopped, of which a graven image is‘made for an idol; and fo the tree that has been worfhipped, though the body of it isnot forbidden, all the fhoots and leaves, and the branches, and the fruits it produces all the time it is worfhipped, are forbidden to be ufed: though the word here ufed fometimes feems to fignify, not a grove of trees, but fome image itfelf, fince we read of it in the temple, 2 Kimgs xxi. 7. and xxiii. 6. and burn their graven images with fire; diftinguifhed from their molten images, which may be meant in a preceding claufe, and which are particularly mentioned as to be deftroyed as well as thefe, Numb. xxxiil. 52. face to deftroy them, &c.

y. 6. For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, &c.] Not fanctified in a fpiritual fenfe, or having principles of grace and holinefs in them, from whence holy actions fprang, at leaft not allot them; but they were feparated from all other people in the world to the pure worfhip and fervice of God in anexternal manner, and therefore were to avoid all idolatry, and every appearance of it: the Lord thy God bath chofen thee to be a fpecial people unto himfelf, above all people that are upon the face of the earth; for fpecial fervice and worthip, and to enjoy fpecial privileges and benefits, ciyil and religious; though they were not chofen to fpecial grace here, and eternal glory hereafter; leaft not all of them, only a remnant.according to the eleétion of grace; yet they were typical of the chofen people of God in a fpecial fenfe; who are chofen out of the world to be a peculiar people, to be holy here and happy hereafter; toenjoy communion with God in this life and that to come, ‘as well as to ferve and glorify him now and for circumftances the poor of this world..¥.8. But becaufe the Lord loved ‘you, &c.] With an unmerited love; he loved them, becaufe he loved them; that is, becaufe he would love them; his love was not owing to any. goodnefs in them, or done by them, or any love in them to him, but to his own goodwill and pleafure: and becaufe he would keep the oath which he bad fworn unto your fathers, the promife he had made, confirmed by an underoath: hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, out of the land of Egypt: and redeemed you out of the houfe of bondmen, where they were bondmen to the Egyptians: from the hand of Pharaob king of Egypt; who detained them, and refufed to let them go.

y.@. Know therefore that the Lord thy God he is God, &c.] The only true and living God, and not the idols of the Gentiles, who are falfe and lifelefs ones, and therefore not the proper objets of adoration: the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy; as appeared by fulfilling the promife made to their fathers, in bringing them out of Zgypt, and now them to the borders of the land of Canaan given them for an inheritance: with them that love bim and keep his commandments to a thoufand generations; fee Exod. xx. 6. which are not the caufes or conditions of his covenant and mercy, nor of his keeping them, but defcriptive of the perfons that enjoy the benefit thereof.

y.10. And repayeth them that hate him to their Openly, publickly, and at once, they not being able to make any refiftance. Ovnkelos interprets it in their life-time, and fo Farchi; which agrees with the Targums of Fonathan and Feru/alem: or to bis face‘; the face of God; that is, he will punifh them that hate him to his face, who are audacious, bold, impudent finners; finners before the Lord, as the men of Sodom were, Gen. xiii. 13. he will not be flack to him that bateth him, he \will repay him to his face; not defer the execution of his judgment and vengeance, which may feem to lumber and linger, but will quickly and openly bring it upon the finner; this alfo the Chaldce paraphrafes explain as before.

at) y. 11. Thou fhalt therefore keep the commandments, and the flatutes, and the judgments, &c.] The laws, moral, ceremonial, and judicial, urged thereunto. both by promifes and threatenings, in hopes of reward, and through. fear of punifhment: which. J command thee this day to do them; in the name jof the Lord, and by his authority; by virtue jof which he made a new declaration of them, evermore. to put them in mind of them in order to obferve

¥. 7. The Lord did not fet his love upon you, nor

y. 12. Wherefore it foall comé to pafs, if ye hearken io thefe judgments, and keep and do them, &&c.] Attentively liften to the declaration made of them, and be careful to obferve them: shat the Lord thy God fhall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he fware unto thy fathers; to bring them into the land of Canaan, and continue them in it;

DEUTRRONOMY, Chwits.12—240 ftrength: but fbalt well remeniber what the Lord) thy God did unte Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; ay people more numerous and potent than the Cana-, anites, among whom the Lord wrought fuch won-? derful things by his power, which obliged them to- let I/rael go, and his power was now the fame, he! could do as great things to the Canaaniles as he - had to the Egyptians; and as he had delivered thems yea to fend the Mefiah to them, and bring him the falvation’ of J/rael out of Zion, fee Luke i.

y. ws And he will love thee, 8¢c.] As he has done, and reft in his love, and give further inftances and proofs of it: and ble/s thee, and multipl) thee; that is, blefs thee with a multiplication of off fpring, which was what was often promifed to 4 brabam, Ifaac and Facob; that their feed fhould be as the ftars.of heaven, the duft of the earth, anc the fand of the fea: be will alfo ble/s the fruit of thy womb; not only give ftrength to conceive, but carry on the pregnancy, preferve the foetus, and prevent mifcarrying: and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, which were the principal produce of it: the increafe of thy kine, and the flocks of tby foeep; their larger and leffer cattle, oxen and fheep: ia the land which be fware unto thy fathers to give thee, the land of Canaan, given in promife, and that eftablifhed by an oath. y¥. 14. Thou [halt be bleffed above all people, &c.

Even with temporal bleffings, befides thofé of a religious kind; they having the oracles of God, the covenants, the giving of the law, the fervice of of God, and the promifes, Rom. iii. 1, 2. and ix. 4. there jhall not be male or female barren among you; which to be was reckoned a reproach, and the contrary a blefling, Luke i. 25. Pf, CRRVit. 6 and cxxviil. 3, 4. or among your cattle, the Targum of Fonathan is, nor thy beafts barren of wool, and milk, and lambs. 15. And will take away from thee all ficknefs, &c.] Bodily ficknefs and difeafes, prevent the coming of them, or remove them when come: and will put none of the evil difeafes of Egypt (which thou knoweft) upon thee, meaning either the plagues that were inflicted upon them to oblige them to let the J/raelites go, of which they had perfect knowledge, or elfe fome noxious and naufeous dif. eafes, which were common among, and peculiar to, the Egydtions, particularly what is called the botch of Egypt; fee Exod. xv. 26. likewife the leprofy; fee the note on Lev. xiii, 2. Deut. xxviii. 27. but will lay them upon all them that ‘bate thee: - with which God fometimes punifhes his and his people’s enemies; fee Fudgesv.9. Rev. XV. TO, 11, ¥. 16. And thou foalt confume all the People which the Lord.thy God foall deliver thee, 8ec.] All the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, which the Lord fhould deliver into their hands; them they were not ‘to fpate, but utterly deftroy men, women and children: bine eye Jball have no pity upon them, {ee y. 2. and the note there: neither jhalt thou ferve their gods, for that will be a fnare unto thee; which will bring into utter ruin and deftruction; fee Exod. xxii. 33.

Should have fecret thoughts arife in the heart, mif givings of heart, fears and doubts there, which though not outwardly exprefied, might be inwardly retained: the/e mations are more than I, \even to one, and perhaps any one of thetn as powerful as Yrael: how can I difpoffefs them? of the land they inherit, and take poileffion of it. y. 18. Thou foalt not be afraid of them, &c.} Neither on account of their number, nor their and the fiens, and the wonders, &ce.|

3 ‘ If thou foalt fay in thine beart, &c.} out of the hands of the Egyptians, he could ast eafily deliver the Cazaanites into their hands, and» put them into the poffeffion of their country.

¥. 19. The great temptations which thine eyes faw, racles wrought in Egypt; fee chap. iv. 34. and the mighty band, and ftretched out arm, wheréby the Lord thy God brought thee out; that is, out of Begypt, which was an inftance and proof of his almighty power: fo fhall the Lord thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid; not perform the fame miraculous operations among them, but exert the fame power in the deftruétion of thems and in difpoffeffing them of their land, as in deftroy-, ing the Egyptians, and delivering J/rael from among y..20. Moreover the Lord thy God will fend the hornet among them, 8c.) Not a fingle one, but feveral of them, and which may be underftood of creatures fo called, which refemble wafps, only cwice as large, an infect very bold and venomous’ fee Exod, xxiii. 28. Aben Ezra interprets it of the leprofy: until they that are left, and hide themfelves from thee be deftroyed, fuch of the Canaanites whe efcaped the fword of the [raelites, and hid them- {elves in holes and caverns of the earth; thefe the hornets would find out and fting them to death, antil they were all deftroyed. Thus God can make ufe of fmall creatures, even infects, to deftroy na+ tions the moft populous and mighty.

y. 21, Thou foalt not be affrighted at them, &e.J At their numbers, nor at their gigantic ftature:

for the Lord thy God is among you; in the tabernacle, in the holy of holies, which was in the midft of them, and befides would give proof of his powerful prefence among them, in protecting them, and deftroying their enemies; @ mighty God and terrible; mighty to fave his people and ter-

¥. 22. And the Lord thy God will put out thofe nations before thee by little and little, 8c.) Which is obferved for their encouragement, who feeing that all were not deftroyed at once, might fear the work would never be thoroughly accomplifhed; fee Exod. xxiii. 30. thou mayeft not confume them at once; though it was in the power of their hands ro do it, there being fome wife reafons for fpari them a while, at leaft for not cutting them off all at once, and one follows: Jet the beafts of the field increafe upon thee, through fo many places being wafte without inhabitants, and there being none to deftroy thefe creatures; and who therefore in courfe — would become more numerous, and fo more trovblefome and diftrefling to the J/raelites. The Tar gum of Fonathan adds by way of explanation, “when — ‘© they ‘fhall come to devour their carcafes”, the carcaies of the flain Canaanites; who, if deftroye at once, would be fo many that they would di At buried, which would invite the beafts of | 5 co come out of their lurking places to ft them, and which might lead them on to mifchief among the [raelites. yt. 23. But the Lord thy God foall deliver unto thee, &cc.) Gradually, by litt antil at length they fhould all ‘cc hands: and fhall defray them with a mighty deftruction until they be deftrayed; even all of them.

y¥. 24. And be foall deliver their kings into. thine band, %c.| Who were very numerous, for tho’

God.;, tiot only the idal. itfelf, being put iii the place of,God, and fo derogatory to his honour and glory; but the gold and filver on it being devoted to a fuperftitious and idolatrous ufe; and even thé there were but feven. nations, there were more taking of it and appropriating it to a man’s own, kings, even one and thirty, 70, xii. g—24. shou foalt deftroy their name from under heaven, not only deftroy the name of the reigning kings, fo as, that they fhould not be remembered and made mention ufe, was an abomination, and refented by the Lord as fuch.

¥. 26. Neither fhait thou bring an abomination into thy houfe, &cc.] An idol, fo the Targum of of any more, but put an end, to the name and race of kings among them, fo that they fhould never have any more, as they never had: shere foall no man be able to fiand before thee, until thou have deftroyed them, the nations and their kings,

¥. 25. Lhe. graven images of their gods ball ye burn with fire, &c.) Which is repeated from ¥..5. that it might be the more obferved and ftrictly | performed, and which unlefs done, they could not expect the utter deftruction of their enemies; who were left in the land to try and prove them with refpect to this very thing: thou fhalt not defire the Silver or gold that is on them, the raiment of gold er filver with which they were bedecked, or the plates of gold and filver, with which they were covered, or any ornament about them, as chains and the like, that were of either of thefe metals; fee Ezek. xvi. 16, 17, 18. Fer. x. 9. nor take it unto thee, left thou be fnared therein, nor take it into their poffeffion, or bring it into their houfes, as in the next verfe, left they fhould be under a temptation to worthip it, or keep. it as a fuperititious relick: for it is au abomination to the Lord thy Jonathan, the abominations of idols and their utenfils, or what is miniftred to them, with any thing that appertains to them, or is ufed in the.fervice. of them, as well as the gold and filver upon them; this care’ was taken as much. as poflible to prevent idolatry, and all appearance of it; and to fhew what might lead on and be a temptation. to it: eé thou be a curfed thing like it; as an idol is, and fo is every one that worfhips it; fot what more expofes to the curfé of God than idolatry, a breach of the firft table of the law? and therefore fubjeCts a man to the curfe of it; nay, the bringing of an idol into a man’s houfe brings a curfe into it, and makes him liable thereunto; for if the curfe enters into the houfe of the thief or perjurer, much more into the houfe of a man guilty of idolatry in any degree of it; fee Zech. v. 3, 4. but thou fhalt utterly deteft it, the Targum of ‘Fonathan adds, as the pollution of an abominable thing: and tou fhalt utterly aibor it, for it is a curfed thing; devoted to deftruction; and to have any thing to do with it is the way to entail a curfe, and bring to everlafting ruin and deftruction; fee Rev. xxi. 8.

| to obferve the commands of God, and urges the Jfraelites to it, from the confideration of the great and good things God had done for them in the wildernefs, and even in. thofe inftances which were chaftifements, and were of an humbling nature, ¥. 1—6. and on the confideration of the bleflings of the good land they were going to poflefs, ¥. 7, 8,9. for which bleflings they are exhorted to be thankful, and are cautioned againft pride of heart through them, and forgetfulnefs of God, and of his goodnefs.to them whilft in the wildernefs, and when brought into the land of Canaan, which they were to aicribe to his power and goodnefs and not their own, ¥. rc—18. and the chapter is concluded with a warning againft ido- -latry, left they perifh through it as the nations before them, ¥. 19, 20.

¥. 1. All the commandments which I command thee this day, foall ye obferve to do, &c] It is repeated over and over again, to imprefs it on their minds, and to fhew the importance and neceffity of it, how greatly it was expected from them, and how.

much it was incumbent on them: shat ye may live and multiply, and goin, and poffefs the land which the Lord fware unto your fathers, for, their temporal life, and the mercies and comforts of it, the _ multiplication of their offspring, and of their fubftance, their entrance into the land of Canaan, pofleffion of it, and continuance in it, all depended on their obedience to the commands of God; fee chap. xix. 30.

.. ¥. 2. And.thou foalt remember all ihe way which the Lord thy God led thee thefe forty years in the _ wildernefs, 8¢c.] For this was now the fortieth

N this chapter Mo/es répeats the exhortation year of their coming otit of Egyps into the wildernefs, into which they. quickly came after their departure from thence, and had been in one wildernefs or another ever fince, in which God went before them in a pillar of cloud and fire, and directed their way; and now they are called upon to remember all the occurrences in the way, what favours and mercies had been beftowed upon them, what provifions had been made for them, what enemies they had been delivered from. or overcome, as well as what afflictions and chaftifements had attended them: and fo. the people of God fhould call to.mind how they were brought to fee their wildernefs-{tate and condition by nature; how they were brought out of it, and ftopt in their career of fin, and turned from their evil ways and led to Chrift; what gracious promifes have been made to them; what light has been afforded them; what communion they have had with God; what pleafure in his ordinances; what food they have been fed with; what temptations have befallen them, and how delivered out of them; and what afflictions have-been. laid upon them, and how fupported under them, and freed from them: fe bumble thee; under the mighty hand of God, to bring down the pride of their hearts and hide it from them; to lay them low in their own eyes, and clothe them with humility, that the Lord alone might be exalted: and to prove thee, whether they would be obedient to his laws, or how they would behave towards him both in profperity and adverfity, and to try their graces, their faith and patience, fear and love: to know what was in thine heart; that is, to make it known to themfelves and others; for God knew.all that was in it, the wickednefs-of it, the unbelief, rebellion, and asa:

$2 nefs of it, and needed not any ways ard means to get into the knowledge of it; fee 2 Chron. xxxil. 31. whether thou would/t keep bis commandments or wo; which they had in fuch a folemn manner promifed to do; chap. v. 27, 28, 29.

y. 3. And he humbled thee, &c.] Or afflicted thee with want of bread: and fuffered thee to bunger; that there might be an opportunity of fhewing his mercy, and exerting his power: and fed thee with manna, which thou kneweft not, neither did thy fathers know, a fort of food they had never feen before, and when they faw it, knew not what it was, but afked what is it? Exod. xvi. 15. Thus the Lord humbles his people by his fpirit and grace, and brings them to fee themfelves to be in want, and creates in them defires after fpiritual food, and feeds them with Chrift the hidden manna, whofe perfon, office, and grace they were before ignorant of: that he might make thee know, that man doth not live by bread only; which is the ftay and ftaff of life, and which ftrengthens man’s heart, and is the main fupport of it, being the ordinary and ufual food man lives upon, and is put for all the reft: dut by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live; not fo much by the food he eats, as by the bleffing of God upon it, and who can make one fort of food as effectual for fuch a purpofe as another; for every creature of God is good being received with thankfulnefs, and fanétified by the word and prayer; and particularly he could and did make fuch light explains it, which is often the cafe in long jour nies; the Septuagint verfion is, did not become calfous; a calloufnefs or hardnefs is frequently produced by travelling; in chap, xxix. 5. it is €xplained of the fhoes on their feet'not waxing old; fo Ben Melech, and the Targums of Onkelos and fona= than, and the Syriac and Arabic verfions here, * thy “¢ feet were not naked’’, were not without fhoes; thefé were no more wore out by travel than their clothes upon their backs, and this was equally as miraculous? the Gideonttes pretending to come from a far country, and to have travelled much, and Jong, put, on old garments and old thoes, to make it probable and plaufible, Yo/h. ix. 5,13. This may be an emblem of the perfeverance of the faints in faith and. holinefs: fhoes upon the feer denote a gofpelconverfation, which is very beautiful, Cam#. vii. 1. the feet of faints being fhod with the preparation of the gofpel of peace; which, as fhoes to the feet, guides and directs the chriftian walk, ftrengthens and makes fit for walking, keeps tight and preferves from flipping and falling, and proteéts from what is hurtful, accompanied by the power and grace of God.

¥. 5. Thou foalt alfo confider in thine heart, 8cc.

Frequently think of, and meditate upon, revolve in their thoughts, well weigh in their minds, and take into thorough and deliberate confideration in their hearts; it being a matter of great moment and importance to them for their peace and comfort and the glory of God, namely what follows:

food as manna was, to anfwer all the purpofes of that as a man chafteneth bis fon, fo the Lord thy God folid bread for the fpace of forty years in the wildernefs; the Targum of Jonathan is, “ but by all «s which is created by the Word of the Lord is the << life of man;” which feems to agree with 1 Zim. iv. 3, 4. forthe meaning is not that the J/raelfes in chafteneth thee; that they ftood in the fame relation to God as a fon to a father, and therefore happy and honourable; that all their affli€tions came from God, were appointed, fent, direéted and over-ruled by him for his own glory and their good; that the wildernefs, and when come into the land of thefe were the chaftenings and correétions of a fa-

Canaan fhould not live by corporal food only, but by obedience to the commands of God, by means of which they fhould continue under his protection, which was indeed their cafe; nor that man does not live in his body only by bread, but in his foul alfo by the word of God, and the doétrines of it, which is certainly true; fpiritual men live a fpiritual life on Chrift, the Word of God, and bread of life, ther, and were not done in wrath but in love, and therefore fhould be patiently endured; and it‘ became them to confider well irom what hand they came, and in what manner, and for what ends and purpofes, how they ought to behave under them, and what they fhould do, as follows.;

¥. 6. Therefore thou fhalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, &c.] Not only becaufe they and on the gofpel and the truths of it, the wholfome words of our Lord Jefus, and are nourifhed up with the words of faith and found doétrine, by means of which their fpiritual life is fupported and ‘maintained; but this is not what is here intended.

y. 4. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, &c. They wanted not clothes all the forty years they are the commands of God, and of a covenant= God and father, which are reafons fufficient for the obfervance of them; but becaufe the Lord had dealt fo bountifully with them, in providing food and raiment for them in the wildernefs, which al-)ways continued with them; and becaufe when he afflicted them; it was a fatherly chaftifement, with were in the wildernefs; which fome account for by the rifing generation being fupplied with the clothes of thofe that died in the wildernefs, and with the fpoils they took from Amalek, Exod. xvii. 1. and others, as 4ben Ezra obferves, remark that they brought much clothes with them out of Egypt, which no doubt they did; fee Exod. xii. 35. and he adds, as worthy of notice, that the manna they lived upon did not produce fweat, which is prejudicial to clothes; but be it fo, that they were “fufficiently provided with clothes, it muft be miraculous that thefe clothes they wore fhould not wax old. This in a fpiritual fenfe may denote the righteoufnefs of Chrift, which is often compared to raiment, the property of which is that it never waxes old, wears out, or decays; it is an everlafting righteoufnefs, and will never be abolifhed, but will anfwer for the faints in a time to come; fee great tendernefs and compaffion, and for their good; all which laid them under obligations to keep the commands of God, whatfoever he had enjoined them, whether of the moral, ceremonial, or judicial kind: to walk in bis ways, and to fear him; to walk in the ways he direéted, to be under an awe of his majefty, a fear of offending him, and a reverential affection for him, fuch as children have to a father. righ ¥. 7. For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a@ good land, &c.] ‘The land of Canaan, abounding with good things after enumerated, a land flowing with milk and honey, having in it plenty of every thing both for convenience and delight; which is — another reafon why they were under obligations to r to ferve the Lord, to walk in his ways and— his commandments: @ land of past of water; rivers and torrents, fuch as Jordan, Jabbok, Ki-~ thefe forty years or puff up like pafte, as Farchi

Siloam, Gikon, Etam, the baths of Tiberias and 2 others:

‘ Ch. viii. ¥.8—t4. DEUVUTERONOMY. thers: and depths that {pring ont of vallies and deep waters, caverns, wells and jakes which had their rife from fuch places, of which there were many. With this agrees the account of it by our countryman, Mr. Sandys ¢, as it was inthe beginning of the laft century; that it was adorned with beautiful mountains and luxurious vallies, the rocks produbills s\and it was not unufual for people of other-nations to make honey of the fruit of them. Herodotus® reports, that the Babylonians made honey out of palm-trees; fo the Arabs call honey of palm-trees, Dids, Disis, Dipfo*, the fame with the word here ufed; agreeable to which both the Targums of Fosathan and Ferufalem paraphrafe the words, ‘* out cing excellent waters, and no part empty of de- ‘* of whofe palm-trees honey is made.”

¥. 9. A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without

y¥. 8. A land of wheat and barley, &c.] There were two harvefts in it, one a barley-harveft, began at the paffover, and the other a wheat-harfcarcenefs, &c | That is, fhould have plenty of whichj all forts of provifions, which dread is often put for thou halt not lack any thing in it, for neceffity and veft, which began at pentecoft: inftances of the great plenty of thefe might be obferved in the vaft quantities confumed in the times of So/omoz, in his houfhold, and in the yearly diftribution he made to Hiram, 1 Kings iv. 22, 28. and v. 11. 2 Chron. ij. 10. yea there was fuch plenty of wheat in this convenience, and for delight and pleafure: a land whofe fiones are iron; in which were iron mines: and out of whofe bills thou mayeft dig brafs; both which are taken out of the earth and the ftones of it, Fo) xxviii. 2. and were to be found in the land of Canaan, and particularly in the tribe of Aer,

Jand, that it not only fupplied the inhabitants of as feems from chap. xxxiii. 25. and more particu* it, but even furnifhed other countries with it; with this the merchants of J/rae/ and) Fudab traded at the market of Tyre, Ezek. xxvii. 17. fee Ads xii. 20. According to the Fewi/h writers the beft fine wheat-flour was at Mechumas and Mezoxichab, and the next to them was Chephraim or Ephraim, in the valley »: ad vines; with which this land abounded every where; the places moft noted were Lebanon, Efhcol, Engedi, Afcalon, Gaza and Sarepta; according to the dbove writers‘ Cerotim and Hatolim were the firft for wine, and the fecond to them were Beth Rimah and Beth Laban in the mountain, and Caphar Sigmab in the valley; the wine of Sharon is allo highly commended by them *: and figtrees and pomegranates; according to Fofepbus ' the country of Genefaret furnifhed with the beft grapes and figs for ten months without intermiffion, and the reft of fruits throughout the whole year. Figs and pomegranates, the fpies brought with them when they returned from fearching the land, as well as grapes, are a fpecimen of the fruits of it, Numb. xiii. 23. a land of oil-olive; the mount of Olives was famous for olive trees, and had its name larly at Sidon and Sarepta, which were in that tribe; the latter of which feems to have its natne from the melting of metals there, and the former is faid in Homer * to abound with brafs, wy. 10. When thou haft eaten and art full, then thou foalt blefs the Lord thy God, &c.] “For as the Lord would furnifh them with plenty of food, they might eat of it liberally, provided they did not indulge to intemperance, as every one may whom God has bleffed with a fulnefs of good things; and this fhews that we are to return thanks to God for a plentiful meal, as well as to afk a bleffing on it: for the good land which he bath given thee; which fupplied them with fuch plenty that they enjoyed full meals every day.

¥. 11. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, &c.] The father of mercies, and fountain of goodnefs, the author and donor of every good and perfect gift. Plenty is apt to induce a forgetfulnefs of God, when on the contrary one would think it fhould keep him in continual remembrance, and engage to daily thankfulnefs to him: in not keeping his commandments, and bis from thence; the whole land abounded with them, judgments, and his flatutes, which I command thee and though oil was fo much in common ufe with this day; gave a repetition of and in the name of the Yews, they fupplied their neighbours with it; fee 1 Kings v. 11. 2 Chron. v. 10. Ezek. xxvii. 17. God afrefh enjoined them, even laws moral, ceremonial and judicial, which when not obferved

It was ufual alfo, as we are told, for the ten tribes to fend oil into Egypt ™; according to the Fewifh doctors Tekoah was the firft place for oil, and the fecond Ragad beyond Fordan *, very probably the fame with Argob, chap. iii. 4. and honey; befides the great quantities of honey produced by bees in y. 12. Leff when thou baft eaten and art full, &c.] Not only once and again, but continually day after day, being indulged with great plenty: and haft built goodly houfes, and dwelt therein; who for 40 years had only dwelt in tents, moving from this country, there was much of another fort that place to place in the wildernefs.

dropped from trees, called wild honey, the food of Fobn the Baptift in the wildernefs, Matt. iii. 4. Pliny ° {peaks of a fort of honey which he calls Eleomeli or oil-honey, which is faid to flow from the olive-trees in Syria; but this honey here is generally thought by the Fewi/h writers to be an honey which was made of the fruit of palm-trees, frequent in this country, and efpecially about 7ericho; of which Fofephus * fays, that the palm-trees ~ about Yericho, the fatter of them (é. e. of the fruit of them) being prefled emit a large quantity of honey fcarce exceeded by any; and Maimonides? fays, that the honey fpoken of in the law, particularly in this place, is honey of palm-trees, fo Ben Melech;

y. 13. And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, &c.] Having good pafture for them in fo fruitful a land: and thy filver and thy gold is multiplied; by trading with other nations: and all that thou haft is multiplied, children, fervants and fubftance.

y. 14. Then thine heart be lifted up, &c.] As the heart is apt to be when riches increafe; hence the advice in t Tim. vi. 17. and thou forget the Lord thy God; from whom all good things come, and who can take them away when he pleafes, and therefore fhould be ever kept in mind, for ever looked to and trufted in for the continuance of them; yet fuch is the evil heart of man, and fuch the ftupifying nature of riches, that they bring on forgetfulnefs of the author of them, lead off trom dependence on him and obedience to him; in order to prevent which, an enumeration is given of wonderful inftances of divine goodnefs to J/rael, as follows: which brought thee forth out of the land of Ezypt, from the kouje of bondage; abounding with all the above good things, and therefore it muft be the higheft ingratitude to for- y. 17. And thou fay in thine heart, &c] Thefe words are in connection with the former part of the 14th verle: and thou forget the Lord thy God; the author and giver of all the good things enjoyed, and think within themielves, though they might not exprefs it in words at length: my power aud the into a landjmight of mine hand bath gotten me this wealth; fo afcribing that to themfelves, their labour, and diligence, which ought to be afcribed to the bounty.

get fuch a God, and difobey his commands.

¥. 15. Who led thee through that great and terrible wildernefs, &c.] The wilderneis of Paran, which was great and large, reaching from Sinai to Kadefo, eleven days journey, and terrible to the fight, nothing being to be feen but dry rocks and barren mountains; fee ch. i. 19. and efpecially for what follows: wherein were fiery ferpents and feorpicns, fiery ferpents, fuch as bit the / raelites, of which fee Numb. xxi. 6. and fcorpions, a kind of ferpents, venomous and mifchievous, which have ftings in their tails they are continually thrutting out and ftriking with, as Pinay fays*; and have their name from their great fting; for arifotle * fays, this alone of infects hasa large fting: and drought where there was no water; a dry and barren place where no water was to be had; fee P/ Ixiii. 1. or it may be rather another kind of ferpents may be meant, which is called Dip/as, and{fo the Vulgate Latin, Septuagint, and Samaritan verfions render it; the biting of which produces fuch a thirft as proves mortal, and which mutt be intolerable in a wildernefs where no water is; and from whence it has its name, which fignifies thirfty, as does the Hebrew word here ufed: who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; which was done both at Horeb and Kade/h, Exed. xvii. 6. Numb. xx. I1. and was very extraordinary; by ftriking flint fire is ordinarily produced, and not water. Dr Sha obferves *, that it may be more properly named, with other forts of granite marble here to be met with, the rock of Amethy/t, from their reddifh or purple colour and complexion.

y. 16. Who fed thee in the wildernefs with manna, &c.] Even all the forty years they were in it, Exed xvi. 35. which thy fathers knew not, when they firft faw it, Exod. xvi. 15. that be might bumble thee, and that he might prove thee, they were and bleffing of God; fee Hof. xii. 8.

¥. 18. But thou fhalt remember the Lord thy God, &c.] That he was the author of their beings, the God of their lives and mercies; what great and good things he had done for them in Agypt, and in the wildernefs, and particularly in putting them into the poffeffion of fuch a fruitful country, abounding with all that heart could with for: for itis he that giveth thee power to get wealth; tor though men may have feeming opportunities for getting wealth, may have capaciues for the manage~ ment of bufinefsyfor the acquifition of it, and may not be wanting in diligence and indultry, yet may not attain it; it is the blefling of God that makes rich, and to that it fhould be imputed whenever it is enjoyed; fee P/ cxxvil. 2. Prov. x. 22. Eccl. ix. 11. t Chron. xxix, 12. that be may eftablife kis covenant which be {ware unio thy faibers, as itis this day, that he would give the land of Canaan to their feed, and make them a rich and flourifhing people, as they would be and weie when poffeffed of the land, which is fuppofed througiuout this difcourfe.

¥.19. And it foall be, if thou do at all forget ike Lord thy God, &c.| Either the mercies they received from him, not acknowledging they came from him, but afcribing them to themfelves; or their duty to him, to whom they were fo greatly obliged: end walk after other gods, and ferve them, and worfoip them, which would be to torget him indeed, torfaking his worfhip, and giving homage and adoration to. idols, whichis what is intended by thefe expreffions: I seffify againft you. this day that ye foall furely perifp 5 by one judgment and calamity or another, as the fword, tamine, peitilence, and captivity; there being nothing more provoking to God than idolatry, which fo much detraéts trom his honour and glory; and which befides, in fuch kept humble, being dependent on God for'their'a daily bread, having nothing in the wildernefs to people, fo highly favoured of God, it argued the bafeft ingratitude.

fupporsthemfelves with; and this tried them, whe- y.20. As the nations which the Lord defirexeth ther they would truft in God for their daily fupply, and be thankful for it, or no: /o do thee gocd at thy latter end; that by living on fuch light bread, and this only and continually, his goodnefs might appear the greater, and be the fweeter to them, they came into a land abounding with all good things; which is not to be underftood of the latter end and laft days of their commonweal:h, as our verfion, with the Septuagint, Samaritan, Arabic verfions, and others, and the Targum of Onkelos; but of time following nearer, and the phrafe fhould be rendered hereafter ’; which better agrees with the promife of adivine bleffing; though, come when it would, it was the more acceptable for the “trial; as heaven will be the fweeter to the faints, through the afflictions, hardfhips, ftraits, and dif- Lefore your face, fo fall ye perifo, &c.| Be cutofe by the fword, or caft out as they vere, the fame jfins, particularly idolatry, being committed by them. ‘This is'to be underftood of the feven nations whenjof the land of Canaan, which the Lord would be gradually deftroying when J/rael came into the poffeffion of their land; and they might righteoufly expeét the fame treatment, fhould they be guilty of the fame fins: becaufe ye would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord.your God; exprefied in his law, efpecially in the two firft precepts of it, which require the worfhip of ene Ged, and forbid the worfhipping of idols; or to the Word of the Lord, as the Targum of Jonathan, Ckrift, the effential Word, in whom the name of the Lord was, and whofe voice J/rae/ was to obey, Excd. xxiii. 20,