CHA P.
N this chapter, the exhortation to love the Lord, I and keep his commands, is repeated and urged again and again from various confiderations; as not only. from the chaftifement of Pharaoh and the wicked Egyptians, but of fuch Jraelites who ed the Lord, and tranfgreffed his law, ¥.|tion of -y—7. from the goodnefs and excellency. of the land they were going to inherit, ¥. 8—11. from the effects of their conduct and behaviour, a bleffing upon them if obedient, but a curfe if difobedients
¥. 26,27, 28. and the chapter is concluded with an exhortation to pronounce the bleffing on mount Gerizzim, and the curfe on mount Ea/; the fituawhich places is defcribed when they fhould come into the land of Canaan, of which they are affured, ¥. 29—32.
bleffing of rain that would come upon it, and be: productive of all good things for man and beaft, in cafe of obedience, and a reftraint of it in cafel&&c. of difobedience, ¥. 12—17. from the continuance of them and their offspring in the land, fhould they be careful to obferve the commands themfelves, and teach them their children, y. 18—21. from the extenfivenefs of their conquefts. and domipions, y¥. 22—25. and from the different iffue and y.1. Therefore thou foalt love the Lord thy God, Becaufe he is fo great and glorious in himfelf, and becaufe he had done fuch great and good things for them, the J/rae/ites, particularly in the multiplication of them, the laft thing mentioned: and and keep his charge, whatfoever the Lord had charged them to obferve, eveniwhat follow: and his ftatutes and bis judgments,and his commandments alway, all his laws, ceremonial, judicial, and moral; and that conftantly and continually, all the days of their not their houfes and their tents, as the Septuagint and fome other verfions; for though the word fig-:
lives. nifies houfes, and is often ufed for them, yet here
¥. 2. And know you this day, &c.] Take notice of, and diligently attend unto, what is now about to be delivered: for I fpeak mot unto your children which have not known, and which have not feen, the chaftifement of the Lord your God; who have no knowledge and experience of the chaftifement of the Lord on themfelves, or on their foes or friends; it muft fignify families, their wives, and children 5 fince they had no houfes, but dwelt in tents, all which were {wallowed up with them: and all the /ubjtance that was in their poffefion; gold, filver, cattle, houfhold-goods, and whatever they were poflefied of: or was at their feet; or which followed them, their living creatures; or was for and with whom the argument drawn from it could not come with that force, and make that impreflion, as it might be thought it would being ufed with them who had perfect knowledge of it. The Zargums of Onkelos and Fonathan render it doctrine, which being children they were not inftructed fo perfectly in, as they were who were adult perfons, to whom Mo/es directs his difcourfe: Ais greatne s, his mighty band, and ftretched-out arm, the exceeding greatnefs of his power, difplayed in the following inftances.
¥. 3. And his miracles, and his alts which be did in the midft of Egypt, &c.] The miraculous works done there, the ten plagues inflicted on the Egyptians for refufing to let [/rael go: unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and unto all bis land, for thofe plagues not only affected him and his court, and his metropolis, but all parts of the land, the inhabicants of
it every-where. ¥. 4. And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horfes, and to their chariots, &c. At the
Red-fea, when they purfued J/rae/ in order to bring them back or deftroy them, after they had let them go, which army was very numerous; fee Exod. xiv. 7,9. how he made the water of the Red-fea to overflow them; or, to flow over their faces”, as they purfued after you; fo that they could not fee their way, nor fteer their courfe after them; and not only fo, but were covered with the waters of the fea, drowned in them, and funk to the bottom of them: and how the Lord hath deftroyed them unto this day; either continued to deftroy them yet more and more by one means or another; or elfe the deftruction made by the feveral plagues upon them, and particularly that of their army. at the Redea, which was the ftrength and glory of the nation, was fo general and extenfive, that they never recovered it to that day; and fo were in-no capacity of coming out againit them, and attacking them, and doing them any hurt, all the forty years they had been in the wildernefs; of ‘which no doubt they had knowledge, and of their condition and circum- {tances there.
¥. 5. And what he did unto youin the wilderne/s, until ye came unto this place;} Meaning not fo much the good things he did for them in divers places, as the chaftifements.and corrections he had exercifed them with for their murmurings, rebel- ‘lions, idolatry, and uncleannefs, as at Taberah, Kibroth-battaavah, on the coaft of Edom, and plains of Moab; by fire, by fword, by plagues, and fiery ferpents; the inftances both before and after being of this fort. “+. 6. And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the fons of Eliab, the fon of Reuben, 8&¢.] When they with Korab and his company quarrelled with Mojfesand Aaron about the priefthood, Numb. xvi. 1, &c. bow the earth opened her mouth, and fwallowed them up, the hiftory of which fee in Numb. xvi. 30—33. and their houfbolds and their tents;
ian meer bb) bye yn fecit inundare fuper facies eorum, Pagninus, T3772 que erat in.pedibuseorum, Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus.
them, as 4ben Ezra interprets it; for their ufe, fervice, and neceffity: and this was done in the midff of all Ifrael, openly and publickly, they beholding ityas follows; and therefore fhould be rendered, ire all Ifrael*, and befides, the tents of Dathanz. and Abiram, Reubenites, were not in the midit of T[rael... ¥.7. But your eyes have feen all the great atis of the Lord which he did;| Even all before related, with many others; and therefore the inftruction they fhould learn from thence, fhould be as follows. — ¥. 8. Therefore fhall you keep all the commandments which I command you this day, &c.| For the reafons before fuggefted, as well as for what follow: that ye may be firong; healthful in. body, and couragious in mind, for fin tends to weaken both; whereas obfervance of the commands of God; contributes to the health and ftrength of the body, and the vigour of the mind; both which were neceffary to the prefent expedition they were going upon: and go in and poffe/s the land whither ye go to poffe/s it; the land of Canaan, they were marching towards in order to poffefs it; and nothing would more infpire them with courage, and caufe them to enter it manfully without fear of their enemies, than obedience to the commands of God; whofe prefence being promifed them on that account, they might expect it, and fo. had nothing to fear from the inhabitants of the land. ' ¥, 9. And that ye may prolong your days in the land, &c.] Not only enter it, and take poffefion of it, but continue in it long, which depended upon their obedience to the laws of God: 2obich the Lord ware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their ced; had. promifed with an oath, fo that they might be affured of the enjoyment of it, though they could not be of their continuance in it, unlefs they obeyed “the divine commands: @ land that owelh with milk and honey, abounds with all good things, whofe fruits are fat as milk, and fweet as honey; fo the Targum of Fonathan. “aa ¥. 10. Lor the land whither thou goeft in to poffefs it, 8c.) The land of Cazaan they were about to take poffeffion of: is not as the land of Egypt from whence ye came out, either the whole land of Egypr, or that part of it, Rame/es, in,which I/rael.dwe and which was the beft of it, as farchi oble eS, and yet Canaan exceeded that; though the defi of this paflage is not fo much to fet forth the'fupetior excellency and. fertility of the land of Candas to that of Egypt, which was certainly a very frui ful country; fee Gen. xiii..10, but to obfe ee things in which they differed, whereby t 7 ee the ad- became fruitful, and in which Canaan had vantage: where thou fowedft thy feed, and w it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs; as a gat when he has fowed his feed, or planted his pla waters them that they may grow, by carry water-pot from bed to bed, which requ labour and toil. In Egypt rain feldom fell, efpecially in fome places it-was very rare, though that there was none at all isa vulgar miftake; fee the note on Zech. xiv. 18°. Totfupply the want of it the river IVile overflowed once a year, which not only moiftened the earth, but left mud or flime upon it, which made it fruitful; but this was not fufficient, for what thro’ the river not overflowing enough fometimes, and fo as to reach fome places, and through the heat of the fun hardening the earth again, it was found neceffary to cut canals from it, and by water from thence to water it, as a gardener waters his feed and plants; and it is to this watering that refpect is here had, not to the overflowing of the Nile, for that was before the feed was fown; but to the watering of it out of the canals, which was done after it was fown; the former was without any trouble of theirs, the latter with much labour; the manner in which it is done is exprefled by the phrafe with thy foot, which the Zargum explains dy thy felf, by their own labour and induftry. ‘archi is more particular; «¢ the land of Egypt had need to have water brought from the Vile with thy foot;” he feems to have underftood the phrafe to fignify carrying water on foot from the Nile to the place’ where it was want- pleafant; for the damps that arofe from the overflow of the Wile, were fometimes prejudicial to health; and during the feafon of its overflow, which was in the fummer, they were obliged to kee in their houfes, and could not walk abroad for weeks together; to which inconveniences the land of Canaan was not fubject; but then, as its fertility depended on rain from heaven, the J/raclites would be under the greater obligation to obferve the commands of God, who could give and withhold it at his pleafure, and as they conducted themfelves; whith feems to be the general drift of this paffage.
¥.12. A land which the Lord thy God careth for, &c.] In a very particular and fpecial manner; otherwife he has a general care of the whole world, and all the parts of it; for as the earth is his, and the fulnefs thereof, his providential care reaches every-where; but as this fpot was what he had chofen for his own refidence, and the place of his worfhip, and for an habitation for his peculiar people; he exercifed a more peculiar care over it, to make it fruitful, commodious, and pleafant; or which he feeketh', that is, the good of it, and to make it convenient, ufeful, and delightful to his people; yea, which he fought for and defired for ed; but the cuftom ftill in ufe in Egypt, when they water their fields, plantations, orgardens, will give us a clear underftanding of this phrafe; as a late traveller informs us, the water is drawn out of the river (Vile) by inftruments, and lodged in capacious cifterns; when plants require to be refrefhed, they ftrike out the plugs that are fixed in bottoms of the cifterns, and then the water gufhing out, is conducted from one rill to another by the gardener, who is always ready as occafion requires. toftop and divert the torrent by turning the earth againftit. with bis footy and opening at the fame time with his mattock a new trench to receive it: and to the fame purpofe another learned has obferved, that at other times (than the of the Nile) they are obliged to have recourfeto art, and to raife the water out of the river fome deep pits by the help “of machines, which] water is afterwards directed in its courfe by channels cut in the ground, which convey the water-to thofe places where it is wanted; and when one part of the ground is fufficiently watered, they then ftop that channel, by thrufting fome earth into the entrance of it with their foot) and then alfo with their foot open a paffage into the next channel, and fo on: and Philo the: Few » {peaks of a machine} with which they ufed to water fields, and was worked with the feet by going up the feveral fteps within, which gave motion to it.
y. 11. But the land whither ye go to poffe/s it, is a land of hills and vallies, &c.| And fo could not be watered by» the overflow of a river, and -by canals cut out of «it; and in the manner Egypt was; which was for the ‘moft part a plain and flat country, but not fo.Canaan, in which were many hills - and mountains, as thofe about Jeru/alem, Carmel, Zabor, Lebanon, and others; and plains and vallies, asthe valley of Yezreel, &c) and which made ‘it more delightful and pleafant for profpects; ch. viii. 7..and drinketh water of the rain of heaven; by which it was watered, refrefhed, and made fruitful; not by. means of men, but bythe Lord himfelf, and fo with much more eafe'to men, and without the toiliand labour they were obliged toin Egypt, as well, as it was, both more. healthful and his own habitation, Pf cxxxii. 13, 14. the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginming of the year even unto the end of theyear his eyes of providence, to give the former and the latterrain, and that there be feed-time and harveft in their feafons, and that the fruits of it be produced thelat their proper time; fome at the beginning, others’ at the end’of the year, and others in the intervening months, and all wifely fuited to the good of the inhabitants of it.
.13. And it fhall come to pafs, if you jfrall earken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, &c.] Inthe name, and by the perfon #) authority of the Lord, the only lawgiver: to love howing) he Lerd your God, and to ferve bim with all your eart, and with all your foul; fee ch. x. 12. Farchi andjinterprets this of prayer; but it is not to be retrained to that only, but includes the whole fervice of God, in all the parts of it, performed from a principle of love to him, and in fincerity and truth, ane r isk y. 14. Phat Iwill give you the rain of your land z his due feafon, &c.] Such a quantity of it as the land required, a fufficiency of it to make it fruitful, and that in proper time: the fir} rain‘ and the atter rain; the former rain in Marche/van, the latter rain in Ni/an, as the Targum ot Jonathan the firft fell about our O¢?oder, which was at or quickly after feed-time, to water’the feed that it ‘might take root, and grow and fpring up; and the latter fell about March, a little before harveft, to ripen the corn, and fwell and plump the ears of it, and make them yield more and better; fee the note on Feel ii, 23. that thou mayeft gather in thy corn, and ‘hy wine, and thine oil; which were the principal things the land afforded for the fuftenance of men; bread-corn, the ftay and ftaff of human life, and which ftrengthens: man’s ‘heart, and makes him fit fee for labour wine, which is his drink, and makes the heart of man gladfome and chearful; and oil, which in thefe countries was ufed inftead of butter, and was fattening, and made the face to fhine, P/- civ..15. The in-gathering of thefe fruits were at different times; the barley-harvett firft, the wheat+ harveft next,-and after that the vintage, and the gathering “© See alfo Vanfleb’s Relation of a Voyage to Egypt, p. 213. who {peaks of large Rains in Egypt. Coatuncagen’s iP ng. p. 325.
thering of the olives; and by means of rain in due feafon, they were favoured with each of thefe.
¥.15. And I will fend gra/s in thy fields for thy cattle, &c.| By giving plentiful fhowers of rain at proper times, to caufe it to fpring up and grow, that fo there might be food for the cattle of every fort, greater or leffer; fee Pf civ. 13, 14. Zech. x. 1. that thou mayeft cat and be full, which refers to the preceding verfe, as well as tothis; and the fenfe is, that the J/raelites might eat of and enjoy the fruits of the earth to fatiety; namely, their corn, wine, and oil; and that their cattle might have grafs enough to fupply them with.
¥.16. Lake heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, &c.| By obferving the influence of the heavens upon the fruitfulnefs of the earth, and fo be drawn to the worfhip of the hoft of them, the fun, moon, and ftars; or by the examples of nations round about them;_ and by the plaufible arguments they may make ufe of, taken from the traditions of anceftors, from antiquity, and the confent of nations, andthe great numbers of worfhippers, and the like: and ye turn afide, from the true God, and the worfhip of him; or from the law, as Yarchi, which directs to the worfhip of one God, and forbids idolatry, or the worfhipping of images: and Jerve other gods, and worfoip them; other gods than the one only living and true God; gods that made not the heavens and the earth, and which cannot give rain, nor any bleffing and mercy of life, nor help and deliver their worfhippers when in diftrefs.
y.17. And then the Lord’s wrath be kindled azainft you, &c.} For their idolatry, nothing being more provoking to him than that, it being contrary to his nature and being, as well as to his will, and to hishonour and glory:. and he fhut up the heaven, that there be no rain; the treafares and ftore-houfes of it there, or the windows of it, the clouds, which when opened let it down, but when fhut withhold it; the key of rain is one of the keys which the ‘ews fay * the Lord keeps in his own hand, and with it he opens and no man fhuts, and fhuts and no man opens; fee Deut, xxvili. 12. Mal. iii. 10. and that the land yield not ber fruit; which is unavoidably the cafe when rain is withheld: and left ye perifh quickly from off the good land which the. Lord giveth you, for ifthe land does not yield its fruit fufficient to fupport the inhabitants of it, they.muft in courfe perifh. —, y. 18. Therefore hall ye lay up thefe my words in your heart, and in your foul, &c.] Treafure up the laws of God delivered to them in their minds, retain them in their memories, and cherifh a cordial affetion for them; which would be. an antidote againft apoftacy, idolatry, and. other fins, Pj.
cxix. 11. and bind them for a fign upon your hand, that they may. be as frontlets between\your eyes; of
this and the two. following verfes, fee the notes on ch. vi. 7, 8 9-
¥. 21. That your days may be multiplied, &c.}
Long life being a very defireable blefling, and which. is promifed to thofe that obey and.keep the days of your children, which are dear to parents, and the continuance of whofe lives, next to their. own, is moft defireable, yea, as defireable as, their own,; and efpecially it is defireable that they might havea pofterity defcending from them, to enjoy for ever their eftates and pofleffions; as it was to the people of Jrael, taat they, might havea feed always to dwell in the land which the Lord fware unto your fathers to give them; the land of Canaan, fo often’ {poken of as the promife, oath, and gift of God: as the days of heaven upon the earth; thavis, as long as the heavens and the earth fhall be, and the one fhall be over the other, as they will be to the end of time. mt
¥. 22. For if ye foall diligently keep all thefe commandments which I command you to do them 3] Qbferve and take notice of them, even all of them; and fo as not merely to have a theory or notional knowledge of them, but to put them in practice: to love the Lord your God; and fhow it by obeying his commands, and which is the end of the commandment, and the principle from which all obedience fhould flow: to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; fee ch. x. 12, 20.
_¥. 23. Then will the Lord drive out all thofe nations from before you, &c.| By little and little, even all the feven nations which then inhabited the land of Canaan; and this he would do tomake room for them, that they might inherit the land; fee ch. vii. 1. and ye fhall. poffefs greater nations, and mightier than yourselves; countries whofe inhabitants were more in number, and greater in ftrength, than they; and therefore the conqueft of them was not to be afcribed to themfelves, but to the Lord; this is often obferved; fee ch. vii. r. and ix. 1.
¥.24. Every place wherein the folesof your feet
Jeall tread, 8<c.| Meaning in the land of Canaan;
though the Fews vainly apply this to every land, and country, and place, therein where any of them come; pleafing themfelves with this foolifh fancy, that all thall be theirs that the foot of any of them have trod upon, or they have dwelt in but that it refpects only the land of Canaan, appears by the following defcription of it and its boundaries: from the wilderne/s, the wildernefs of Paran, which lay to the fouth of it, where Kade/b was, from whence the {pies were fent, and was the fouthern border of it: and Lebanon; which was a range of mountains to the north of it, and was the northern border of the land: from the river, the river Euphrates 5 which was the eaftern borderof it, when it was carried to its utmoft extent, as in the days’ of Solomon, 1 Kings iv. 21. even unto the uttermoft fea foall your coaft be, the mediterranean fea, which was the wef= tern border of the land of Canaan, or the binder fea, and fo it is called Zech. xiv. 8. it lay atthe back of them; for if a man ftands with his face tothe eaft, the fouth will be on his right hand, and the north on his left, and the weft will be behind him, or at the back of him,;
¥. 25. There foall no man be able to ftand before as Og, or any of the-fons of Anak, the'giants; becaufe it,could never be thought, imaginedyor feared, that one man only fhould:be able to ftand ae
600,coo fighting men, ‘but any people: or nation, though greater and. mightier than they: for the Lord your God foall lay the fear of you, and the dread of you, upon all the land that ye foall tread: ‘ that is, upon all the land of Canaan, and the iahabe tants of it; who fhould hear what wonderful things had been done for them in Zgypt, andat the Red- fea,.and in the wildernefs; and whatthey had done to Sibon and Og; and to their countries, and w. accordingly was fulfilled, ‘of. ii..9, 10, 11. ashe hath faid unto you; had promifed them, Deut.i 25. and which was prophefied of inthe: prophetic fongat the Red-fea; fee Exod. xv. 14,15, 16.: ¥. 26,
Ch. xi. ¥.26-—32. DEUTERONOMY. 4e ber ik 3:2 Bobold I fet béfore you this day a blefiing and a curfe, &c.] Meaning ‘the law of God, and the ftatutes, judgments, and commandments of it; which, if obeyed, bleffings would’be beftowed upon them; but if difobeyed, they ‘would be liable to thecurfes of it, as the following words explain it; fee ch. xxx. 15—19. every one of the J/rael- #tes were called upon to fee and confider this matter, it being an interefting one to them all. ‘y. 27. A dleffing, if ‘ye obey the commandments of) the Lord your God, &c.] That is, a blefling fhould come upon them, even all temporal bleffings they ftood in need of; they fhould be bleffed in body and eftate, in their families, and in their flocks, in town and country; fee Deut. xxviii. 1—6. which I comthand you this day, afrefh repeated to them, and enjoined them the obfervation of it in the name of mere: @. 9) 28. Anda curfe, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, &c.| Accurfed in body and eftate, in bafket and ftore; in their familiés, flocks, and herds; within doors and without; incity, and country; going out, or coming in; in this world, and that to come, if divine goodnefs prevent not; fee ch. xxviii. 15—20. and Xxix..20. but turn afide out of the way which I command you this day; which the law he gave them, and repeated to them, diretted them to walk in: to go after other gods, whith ye have not known, to they turned their faces acdinft mount Ebel, and opened with the curfe, Deut. xxvii. 15. and both anfwered Amen *;” fee the performance of this command in Fo. vill. 33, 34.
¥. 30. Are they not on the other fide Fordan, &c.] Oppofite to that where Ado/es now was in théyplains of Moab, even in Samaria; fo in the Mifuab ¢ itis faid, ** as foon as J/rael paffed over Fordan, they came to mount Gerizzim and mount £da/, which are in Samaria,;” but thofe mountains were not hear Fordan nor Jericho, to which the people of Tfrael came firft, but 60 miles from thence; tho’ they were, as Mofes fays, on the other fide from the place they now were: dy the way wherewith the un goeth down; or, as the Targum of ‘fonathan, ‘* after the way of the fun-fetting;” following that, or taking their direCtion from thence, figni+ fying that they lay to the weft of Jordan: in the land of the Canaanites; of that particular tribe or nation which were eminently called Canaanites, for thefe dwelt by the fea by the coaft of Fordan, Numb. xiii. 29. or as-‘further defcribed, that dwell in the champain over-againft Gilgal, in the plain open champain country oppofite to Gi/gal; ‘not that Gi - gal Fofbua encamped at before he came to Jericho, which in Mo/es’s time was not known by that name, but another, as Dr. Lightfoot * obferves, and he thinks Galilee is meant: befide the plains of Morch 4 near to Shechem, Gen. xii. 6. and jthat Gerizzim, ferve and worfhip the gods of other nations, ftrange gods, which neither they nor their fathers knew any thing of, or ever received any good thing from 3 and which indeed are no gods, and nothing in the world, as an idol is.: as in Deut. xi. 30. - ¥. 29..And it fhall come to pafs when the thy God hath brought thee into the land whither thou Zoeft to poffe/s it, &c.] Which is often obferved, as being near at hand; and when and where many things were to be done, which could not be done in the place and circumftances they now were, particularly what follows: that thou fhalt put the blef- Jing on mount Gerizzim, and the curfe upon mount Eval that is, pronounce the one on one mountain, and the other on the other mountain, or at leaft towards them, or over-againft them.
their faces againft Gerizzim, they opened with the bléffing, blefled is he that maketh not any one of thefe mountains, was not far from Shechem, is evident from Fudge. ix. 6, 7. and fo in the Mi zab “ it is faid, that thefe mountains were on the fideof Shechem, which is in the plains of Moreb, Gen, xii. 6. as the plains of Mo- Lordireb here denote Shechem, fo there: Benjamin of Tudela fays * there is a valley between them in which lies Shechem; and in his time there were on mount Gerizzim fountains and orchards, but mount Eda was dry like ftones and rocks. The Targum of Yonathan here, inftead of Moreh, reads Mamre; ee Gen. xiii. 18,.31. For ye fhall pafs over Fordan, to go in to poffe/s the land which the Lord your God giveth you, &c.] They were now near it, and by this they are The Targumlaffured they fhould pafs over it, in order to take poffeffion of the land God had given them, and (fee ch.jwhich gift of his was a fufficient title to it: and yé /ball poffe/s it, and dwell therein, fhould not only take poffeffion of it, but make their abode in it; they are affured hereby of continuance in it, on condition they obeyed the laws of God, as follows.
of Fonathan is, “ ye fhall fet fix tribes on mount Gerizzim, and fix tribes on mount Eda/; XXvii. 12, 13.) bleffing they fhall turn their faces againft mount Gerizzim, and curfing they fhall turn their faces againft mount Eéa/;” with which ‘agrees the account given in the Mifnah; < fix tribes went to the top of mount Gerizzim, and fix to the top of mount Edal, and the priefts Levites, and the ark, ftood below inthe middle; the priefts furrounded the ark, and the Levites priefts, and all J/rael were on this and on that of the ark, as in of. viii. 33.
andthe) y. 32. And ye foall obferve to do all the ftatutes and judgments, &c.] Take notice of them, and thejheed unto them, fo as to practife them: which I fidel (et before you this day; repeated in order to them, then they turnedjon the obfervance of which depended their continuance in the land of Canaan and therefore this gtavenlis fo often repeated and urged, or molten image, and both anfwered men; then
“EN this chapter orders are given to deftroy all aljj tars, pillars, groves, and images, made for the worfhip of idols in the land of Canaan, ¥. 3, 2, 3. and to bring’all facrifices and holy i. unto the place which the Lord fhould chufe for his. habitation, and not doas they then did, not being come to their reft, ¥. 4—14. flefh for their common food might be killed and eaten in their own houfes, provided they did not eat the blood, but poured it out upon the earth, ¥. 15—25. tithes, vows, and free-will-offerings, were to be eaten in the holy place, ¥. 17, 18, 19. and burnt-offerings to be offered on the altar of the Lord, and the blood of them to be poured out upon the altar, ¥. 26, 27, 28. all which they were carefully to obferve, ¥. 29. and they are cautioned againft idolatry, and enquiring after the manner of it, as practifed by the old inhabitants of the Jand, and introducing their cuftoms into the fervice of God, ¥. 30—32.
y. 1. Thefe are ihe ftatutes and judgments which ye foall obferve to do, &c.) Which are recorded in this and the following chapters; here a new difcourfe begins, and which perhaps was delivered at ano-
_ ther time, and refpects things that were to be obferved: in the land which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to poffe/s it; the land of Canaan, often defcribed by this circumlocution, to put them in mind that it was promifed to their fathers by their Covenant-God, was his gift tothem, and which they would quickly be in the poffeffion of; and therefore when in it fhould be careful to obferve the ftatutes and judgments of God conftantly: even all the days that ye live upon the earth or land, the land of Canaan; for though there were fome laws binding upon them, live where they would, there were others peculiar to the land of Canaan, which they were to obferve as long as they and their pofterity lived there; fee 1 Kings Vili. 40.
¥. 2. Ye fhall utterly deftroy all the’ places wherein the nations which ye fhall poffe/s ferved their gods, &c.] The temples erected for the worfhip of them by the Canaanites, of which there were many, as appears by the various names of places given them from the temples in them, as Beth-/hemefh, Beth- Baalmeon, Beth-peor, and others: upon the high mountains and upon the bills; which they chofe to worfhip on, being nearer the heavens, and which they thought moft acceptable to their gods;' and fome of them had their names from hence, as Baalpeor, in like manner as Jupiter Olympius was called by the Greeks; fee Fer. ii. 20. and iii. 6. and under every green tree; which being fhady and folitary, and pleafant to the fight, they fancied their gods delighted in, and this notion prevailed among other nations; and there is fcarce any deity but what had fome tree or another devoted to it'; as the oak to Fupiter, the laurel to Apollo, the ivy to Bacchus, the olive to Minerva, the myrtle to Venus, &c. fee Fer. ii. 20, and iii. 6.
y. 3. And you foall overthrow their altars, &c.] Which were of ftone, as Farchi obferves; whereas the altar ordered to be made by the Lord, before the altar of burnt-offering in the tabernacle was made, was of earth, Exod. xx. 24. thefe were to be démolifhed, left the J/raelites fhould be tempted to make ufe of them; and befides, the Lord would not have any remains of idolatry in the land where his tabernacle and worfhip were, as being abominable to him: and break down their pillars, or
_-ftatues erected ta the honour of their idols; according to Farchi it was a fingle ftone hewed out at firft for the bafis of a ftatue’; perhaps fuch as were called Betulia, in imjtation of the ftone Facod fet up for a pillar at Bethel, Gen. xxvili. 18, 19. and burn their groves with fire; which were planted about their temples, and under which alfo their idols were placed, and where they privately committed the meft abominable lewdnefs under the noti religion. The Targum of Fonathan renders th word abominations, meaning idols; and fo Jarcht. interprets it by a tree that is worfhipped; fee the. note on ch, vii. 5. and you fball bew down the graven images of their gods; which were made of wood: and dejlroy the names of them cut of the place, by. never making any mention of them in common. difcourfe, and by changing the names of places. called from them; and efpecially by deftroying all the relicks of them, and whatever appertained to. them, which might lead to the mention of them;, fee Hof. ii. 17.: %
¥.4. Ye fhall not do fo unto the Lord your God;}, Not facrifice to him on hills and mountains, and. under green trees; though the Yews commonly re-. fer this to the deftruétion of the names of God,. and of any thing appertaining to the temple; that. though the temples and the altars of the heathens were to be overthrown, yet not a ftone was to be taken from the houfe of God, or that belonged to it, nor any of his names to be blotted out; fo the Targum of Fonathan and Maimonides +, who alfo obferves *, that whoever removes a ftone by way of deftruction from the altar, or from the temple, or from the court, is to be beaten; fo he that burns the holy wood.;
¥.5. But unto the place which the Lord your God, &c.] The Targum of Fonathan is, that the Word of the Lord your God: jhall chufe out of all your - tribes to put his name there; to place his tabernacle, fet up his worfhip, take up his refidence, and caufe the fhekinah, or his divine majefty to dwell there, as the next claufe explains it; out of what tribe it fhould be chofen, and where it fhould be, is not faid. Maimonides » gives three reafons for it; he fays there are three great myfteries why the place is not clearly, but obfcurely mentioned; 1. left the Gentiles fhould feize upon it, and make war for the fake of it, fuppofing this place to be the end of the law; 2. left they in whofe hands the place then was, fhould by all means wafte and deftroy it; 2. which is the chief, left every tribe fhould defire to’
have it in its own lot and jurifdiction; and fo ftrifes might arife among them on account of it, as happened to the priefthood: even unto his habitation Jeall ye feek, the temple at ‘ferufalem is meant, where the Lord took up his dwelling, and whither men were to come and feek unto him by prayer and fupplication for whatfoever they needed, and to enquire of him in matters doubtful, and they wanted counfel in: and thither thou fhalt come; with facrifices of every fort, where they were to be flain and offered to the Lord, and become acceptable to him, as is more largely declared in the following part of this chapter.
¥. 6. And thither ye foall bring your burnt-offerings, &c.] For the daily facrifice, and upon any other account whatfoever; this was before ordered to be brought to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and now to the place where that fhould be fixed, Lev. xvii. 8, 9. and your facrifices; all other diftinét from burnt-offerings, as fin-offerings, trefpafs-offerings, and peace-offerings, efpecially the latter.. Farchi interprets them of peaceofferings of debt, fuch as a man was iged ta bring; but as the diftance of fome perfons from Ferufalem was very great, and it was ble joe and expenfive, they might, according to i/o writers, bring them the next grand fe when ‘@ll the males were obliged to appear there Me;
Ch. xi.v. 7-12. DEUTE fo {ays Maimonides *, all offerings of a man, whether by: obligation (fuch as he was bound to bring) or free-will-offcrings, he muft bring at the firft feait that comes; and another of their writers obferves *, thatif only one feaft has pafled, and he has not brought his vow, he tranfgrefies an affirmative precept, Dew. xii. 6. the firft feaft on which thou comett thither, thou muft needs bring it; and if three have pafled, he tranfgreffes a negative precept, Deut. xxiii. 21. and your tithes, tithes of beafis, and the fecond tithes, according to Farch: and heave-offerings of your hand, thefe according to the fame writer were the firft-fruits, and fo it is ren dered in the Sepiuagint verfion; and thus Mai monides ° fays, (he firft-fruits are called Trumot, or heave-offerings; ‘fee Exod. xxii. 29. and your vows and your free-will-offerings; which-were ipecies of peace-offerings, Lev. view 16. and the firftlings of your herds and of your flocks; which. were anctified and devoted to the Lord, Exod. xiii. 2.
y.7. And there ye fhall eat before the Lord your God, &c.] The priefts and the Levites, what was their portion, fo Aben Ezra, but the people alfo are included, and by what follows feem chiefly defigned, who were to eat their part of the facrifices, particularly of the tithes and peace-offerings, in the holy place that fhould be chofen and appointed; fée ch. xiv. 22, 29, 26, 27. and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto; in all the labours of their hands, and what they got thereby, which they were chearfully to enjoy, and exprefs their thankfulnefs for it inthis way; fee Ecc/. v. 18, 19. ye and your Loufbolds 5 their wives, fons, daughters, men, and maid-fervants; yea, with them Levites, ftrangers, fatherlefs, and widows, were to partake of fome of their free-will-offerings, ch. xvi. 10,11. wherein the Lord thy God hath bleffed thee; and thefe offerings were euchariftical, and by way of thankfgiving for the blefling of God upon their labours, for it is that which maketh rich, Prov. x. 22.
y¥.8. Ye foall not do after all the things that we do here, &c.| In the wildernefs, where they had no rael did to Canaan; for God has promifed and prepared it, and it remains for them; Chri prayed for ity is allo gone to prepare it, and the Spirit is the feal and earneft of it, and works up the faints, and makes them meet for it: and tothe inheritance which the Lord your God giveth you; and the land» of Canaan being an inheritance, and the gift of God, was alfo a type of the heavenly inheritance; which faints are now born unto, and have both a right unto, and meetnefs for, through the righteoufnefs of Chriff, and grace of Gad; but as yet are not entered on it, but that is referved for them in heaven, and they are preferved’ and kept for that; and ere long: fhall inherit it, as the free giftof God their Father to them, and which is peculiar to them as children. ‘archi and Bex Melech by the reff underftand Shiloh, and by the inheritance Ferufalem, fo in the Mifnab'; fee 1 Chron, xxiii. 25. the Targum of Fonathan is, *¢ ye are not come tothe houfe of the fanctuary, which is the houfe of reft, and to the inheritance of the land.”
¥, 10. But when ye go over Fordan, &c.| Which iay between the place where they now were, and the land of Canaan, and which they would quickly go over: and dwell in the land which the Lord jour God giveth you to inherit; the land of Canaan, and which fhews that thac is meant by the inheritance: and when de giveth you reft from allyour enemies round about; which was done when the land was fubdued, and divided among the tribes of J/- rael, Fofo. xxii. 4. and which confirms the fenfe of Canaan being the reft; though this was more completely fulfilled in the days of David, when he and Jj/rael had reft from all their enemies round about, 2 Sam. vii. r. and who brought the ark of the Lord to Jerufalem; and into whofe heart the Lord put it to prepare to build a temple at Ferufalem for him, and which was ereéted and finithed in the days of his fon Solomon: fo that ye dwell in fafety; from their enemies, as they more efpecially did in the reigns of David and Solomon; which feems plainly to defcribe the time when the place abiding, but were continually removing from place not named fhould appear to be chofen by the Lord to place, and could not always obferve punctually and precifely the exact order and time of their facrifices and other things, nor offer them at any certain place, and many were doubtlefs neglected by them;, fee Amos v. 25. every man whatfoever is right in his own eyes,; that did he, brought the above things when and where he pleafed; not that there was no regard had to the laws and rules given, as if there was no prieftin J/rael, but they were not fo exactly in all circumftances conformed to,.as they would be obliged to when they came into the land of Canaan, and had a certain place to bring their offerings to; fo fome in Aben Ezra obferve, that one would give the firftling, another not, becaufe it depended on the land, or was what they were obliged to only when they came into the land of Canaan; fee Exod. xiii. 11. but he thinks the
- fenfe is, that they did not all fear God, and fo did not do their duty.
_ 9. For ye are not yet come to the reft, &c.) The land of Canaan, which was typical of the reft which remains for the people of God in heaven; for though they now enter into a fpiritual reft in Chrift, they are not yet come to their eternal reft, they are ina world of trouble, through Sin, Satan, and wicked men; but they fhall come to itgyas I to put his name in, as follows.
y. 11. Then there foall be a place, &c.] Fixed and fettled, and will be known to be the place: which the Lord your God foall chufe, to caufe his name to dwell there; where he himfelf would dwell; and where his name would be called, and he would be worfhipped: thither fhall ye bring all that I command you, your burnt-offerings and your facrifices, your tithes, and the heave-offerings of your hands; of which fee the noteon ¥. 6. and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord; or, the choice of your vows®; which, as Yarchi obferves, was brought of their choiceft things, as they ought to be; fee Mal. i. 14.
y.12. And ye foall rejoice before the Lord your God, &c.] In the place chofen and fixed, wherea temple would be built for him, and he would ta up his refidence; eating with joy and gladnefs that part of the offerings which belonged to them, keeping as it were a feaft before the Lord, in token of gratitude for what they had received from him: ye-and your fons, and your daughters, and your men- Servants, and your maid-fervants; which explains what is meant by their houthold, ¥. 7. wives are not mentioned, becaufe it could not be thought they would eat and rejoice, or keep fuch a feaft
& 37) WAY exrccrov ra duper vw, Sept. optima votorum veftrorum, Fagius.
without them, and therefore needlefs to name them: but of -the tithe which every three years they “Y
_and the Levite that is within your gates; fach allo were to partake of this entertainment, who were ufeful in inftruCing their families in the knowledge of divine things, and ferviceable to them on many accounts in the worfhip of God: fora/much as be hath no part nor inheritance with you; in the divifion of the land, and fo having nothing to manure and cultivate, was deftitute of the fruits of the earth, and could make no improvement and increafe of his fubftance,.as they could., ¥. 13. Take heed to thyfelf, that thou offer not thy burnt-offerings, &c.| And fo any other, this is put for all the reft: in every place that thou feeft; which might take with their fancy, feem pleafant, and fo a proper and fuitable place to facrifice in, as on high places, and under green trees; but they were not to indulge their own fancies and imaginations, or follow the cuftoms of others, but keep to the rules prefcribed them by the -Lord, and to the place fixed by him for his worfhip.
y. 14. But in the place which the Lord fhall chufe bound to bring, but brought them freely.
in one of thy tribes, &c.] Which tribe is not-named, nor what place in that tribe; fee the note on y.5. there thou foalt offer thy burnt-offerings, on the altarof burnt-offering there placed: and there shalt thou do all that I command thee, refpecting fanetuary-fervice, and particularly thofe things obferved in y. 6.
¥. 15. Notwithftanding. thou mayeft kill and eat flefh in all thy gates, 8ec.] They might kill fuch cattle that were allowed for food, and eat the fiefh of them in the feveral cities and houfes in which they dwelt; they were not obliged to bring thefe to the place God fhould chufe, and kill them there, as they had been wont to bring them to the tabernacle whilft in the wildernefs: whatfoever thy foul lufteth after; whatever they had a mind to, or their appetite craved, and were defirous of, provided it was not any thing forbidden, but was allowed to beeaten: according to the bleffing of the Lord thy God which-he hath given thee; which it was in the power of their hands to procure for themfelves; they might live according to their abilities, and keep a table anfwerable to what God had blefied themwith; from which they were fo far from being reftrained, that it was rather commendable in them fo to do, provided they did not indulge to luxury and intemperance: the clean and the unclean may eat thereof, that is, fuch in their families who laboured under any ceremonial uncleannefs by the touch of a dead body, or by reafon of iffues and menftrues; thefe, as well as thofe who were to lay up within their gatés, and which they’
to eat with their families and others; but the other’;
two years they were to carry it to the place the Lord chofe, or turn it into money, and when they’ came thither purchafé with it what they pleafed,: and-eat it they and their houfhold, and others with’ them, before the Lord fee Deut. xiv: 22-29.) the firftlings of thy herds or of thy focks + thefe alio’ the firft-born males belonged to the Lord, and fo’
to the priefts, and could not be eaten by the’ people’
any where; and muft be underftcod either of y next firftlings, ‘which were the people’s, or of ‘the’ female firftlings, which they might devote to the’ Lord, and fo notallowed to eat at home, but in the chofen place: xor any of th) vows which thow vowel, nor thy free-will- offerings; which were fpe~ cies of peace-offerings, and fo to be eaten not in’: ey their own cities, but in the place appointed: of: beave-offerings of thine band; the firtt-fruits, fee ch. xxvi. 1—r1. thefé were fuch’ they were not a.) y¥. 18. But thou muft eat them before the Lord thy God, in the place which the Lord thy God foall choofé,8cc.] Which may be faid to bé eaten before him, being eaten in the place where his fanétuary flood, in which he dwelt’: shou, and thy fon and thy daughter, and thy man-fervant and thy maid fervant, and the Levite that is within thy gates; who were all to-come with him to this place; fee the note on ¥. 12. and thou foalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, in all that thou putteft thine hand untos chearfully make and keep this feaft in the manner directed to,. rejoicing with his family and his friends, with the Levites and with the poor, expreffing his thankfulnefs to God for his bleffing on his labour, ¥. 19. Take heed to thy/elf that thou forfake not the Levite, &c.]} By withholding from him the tithes appointed for his maintenance; or rather by nes glecting to take him with him in order to partake of the feaft or entertainment before fpoken of: as long as thou liveft upon the earth; fo that it wag not one time only, but always; whenever he eat thele holy things before the Lord, as long as he lived, he was to be careful he had the Levite with him, fora reafon given, W. 12. - W.20. When the Lord thy God fhall enlarge thy border as he hath promifed thee, cc.) Brought them into the land of Canaan, where they fhould have large and good paftures for the feeding of their cattle, which they had not in the wildernef$, and fo a greater increafe of them: avd thou foalt fay, Iwill eat flefh; which they were fparing of, or eat free from any thing of this kind, might eat of but little of in the wildernefs, left their herds and common food in their houfes, though they might not eat of the holy things; fee Lev. vii. 20, 21. as of the roe-buck and as of the bart 3 that is, as thofe were clean creatures, and allowed for food, ch. xiv. 5. fo they might eat of oxen or fheep, or lambs or rams, and goats, though they were creaes ufed in facrifice.
¥. 16. Only ye fhall not eat the blood, 8c.) manner of blood being forbidden, of fowl or of Alljand allowed to be eateh, and as much of it craved, only intemperance mutt be guarded a
¥. 21. If the place which the Lord thy God hath food: ye foall pour it out upon the earth as water; which cannot be gathered up again for ufe, but is chofin to put bis name be too far from thee, 8c.) Or rather for®, or feeing’ the place will be t eafts, whether flain for facrifice or for common fwallowed up in the earth.
y.17. Thou maycft not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, 8cc. This can’t be underflood of the tithe given to the Levites, or of that which the Levites out of theirs gave to the priefts, for that was only eaten by them; kill and eat flefh for common food in thei | ¥. 15. then thou foalt kill of thy herd and of flock; of thy oxen and of thy fheep, creattn ufed in facrifice; but this was no bar ad the ufe them for common food alfo: which the Lo:
their flocks fhould be confumed; but now havir room to feed them, and an increafé of thems they would give themfelves a greater liberty of eatin flefh: decaufe thy foul longeth to eat fle 5 sad have a craving appetite unto it, having fo long eat none or very little: thou mayef eat flefo what- Joever thy foul lufteth after; of any fort thatis cle.
from thee; for it is allowed before that they given thee as I have commanded thee; ¥. 15. and thoulin
Joalt eat in thy gates whatfoever thy foul luftetb after; flefth of any fort, lawful to be eaten.
¥.22. Even as the roe-buck and the kart is eaten, &c.] Which were not only clean creatures, as before obferved, but were commonly and frequently eaten, there being plenty of them in thofe parts: o thou halt eat them; their oxen and calves, their fheep and lambs, their goats and their kids: the unclean and the clean fall eat of them alike; no dif. ference being to be made on that account, with re {pect to common food; fee the note on y. 15. which all alike might partake of, notwithftanding any ceremonial uncleannefs that any might be attended with.
W. 23. Only be fure that thou eat not the blood, &c.] This is repeated again, that they might be careful to obferve the law concerning that: for the Blood is the life; which is the reafon given for the prohibition of it, Zev. xvii. 11. fee the note there: and thou mayeft not cat the life with the flefh; by
3; and eating commen fieh in their own houfes, only to be careful not to eat blood: shat it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever; for, as has been often obferved, their continuance in the land of Canaan, and enjoymentof all good things in it, depended upon their obedience to the commands of God; fee Jf i. 19. when thou doch that which is good and right in the fight of the Lord thy God; which is to do all his commandments; forthefe are what are good and right in his fight, and it is for the good of men to do them.
¥.29. When the Lord thy God fhall cut off the nations from before thee, &c.] The feven nations of the land of Canaan, ch. vii. 1. whither thou goeft to poffe/s them, and thou fucceedeft them, and dwelleft in their land; or to inherit them, and thou doft inherit them, by dwelling in their land.
¥. 30. Take heed to thyfelf, that thou be not fnared by following them, &c.| Their examples and cuftoms, and fo be drawn into the fame idolatrous practices; fee Pf cvi. 35, 36. after that they be de- which it feems that the meaning of the law was| froyed from before thee; for their idolatries and other that the blood might not be eaten in or with the fiefth, but to be let out of it, or the flefh not to be fins: and that thou enquire not after their gods; what they were, their names, forms, and figures:
eaten raw but dreffed; for there were divers laws /aying, how did thefe nations ferve their godi? what about eating of blood, which are differently exprefied. A
¥. 24. Thou fhalt not eatit, &c.] Neither with the flefh, nor feparately: shou fhalt pour it upon the earth as water; as the blood of facrifices was pour- was the manner of worfhip they gave them? what rites, cuftoms, and certmonies, did they ufe in their adoration of them? ever fo will I do likewife; or however, if this was not determined on when the enquiries were made, there was danger that this ed upon the altar, the blood of common Alefh was would be the refult of them, and therefore the cau- to be poured upon the earth, fignifying it was not to be ufed, and no account to be made of it; fee the. note on y. 16.
tion is given. ¥. 31. Thou feali not do fo unto the Lord thy God, &c.] Not ferve and worfhip him after the manner
¥. 25. Thou foalt not eat it, that it may be well with thee, and with thy children after thee, &c.J That they and their pofterity might be fpared, and continue long, and enjoy much profperity; for thofe that eat blood, contrary to this command of of the Gentiles, nor introduce their rites and cuftoms into his fervice, ufed by them in the worhhip of their gods: for every abomination which be hateth bave they done unto their gods; as murder, adultery, &c. which God has expreffed his averfion to, and
God, it is threatened that he would fet his face again{ft them, and they fhould be cut off, Lev. vii. 27. and xvii. 10. when thou fhalt do that which is right in the fight of the Lord; not only obferve this command, but all others.
¥. 26. Only thy holy things which thou haft, &c.| Which the Zargums of Onkelos and Jonathan interpret of the tithe of their holy things, and Aben fzra of their burnt-offerings and peace-offerings; they feem to includeall in. 17. and thy vows thou fealt take, and go unto the place which the Lord fhall chufe; fo often referred to, but not named; fee on ¥e 5 ¥. 27. And thou fhalt offer thy burnt-offerings, the fiefo and the blood, upon the altar of the Lord thy God, &c.] And on that only, even the altar of burnt-offering: and the blood of thy facrifices; one as well as another, not only of the burnt-offerings, but of the fin-offerings, trefpafs offerings, and peace-offerings: /ball be poured out upon the altar of the Lord thy God; either fprinkled on it, or poured out at the bottom of it; fee Lev. i. and iii. and iv. and thou foalt eat the flefh, that is, of the peaceofferings, for of them only might the people ear, and that only before the Lord.
¥.28. Obferve and hear all thefe words which I from it;
indignation at; one inftance of the former fort is given here: for even their fons and their daughter$ they have burnt in the fire to their gods; not only men have they facrificed to them, but fuch near relations; and not only caufed them to pafs through the fire, but burnt them in it; fo the Carthaginians are faid to do, who learned this inhuman practice from the Phenicians; they were a colony of the inhabitants of this land of Canaan, Of the Phenicians, Porphyry fays', that in great calamities, as war or peftilence, they facrificed to Saturn fome one of thofe that were deareft to them, appointed by fuffrage. The Phenician hiftory, adds he, is full of fuch facrifices, which Sanchoniatho wrote in the Phenician language; and Curtius fays *, the cuftom of facrificing a fine boy to Saturn was received by the Carthaginians from their founders (the Zyrians and Phenicians), and which they continued even to the deftruction’ of their city.
y. 32. What thing foever 1 command you, obferve to doit, &c.] In the manner it is commanded and © direéted to; the laws of God, both as to matter. and manner, were to be obeyed juft as they were delivered: thou fhalt not add thereto, nor diminifhneither add any cuftoms and rites of the command thee, &cc.| Refpecting the demolition of all monuments of idolatry, and bringing all holy heathens to them, nor neglect any thing enjoined on'them; fee Prov. xxx. 6. Rev. xxii. 18, 19.
things to the place the Lord fhould chufe to dwell