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and terrible; among;themy,dwelt the uckim, ‘and they themfelves were very warlike and, populous 5 or they are taken notice, of particularly,.here,,.becaufe they dwelt in’ the.weftern part of the land Ith 02, essai Pca} Pet Jachatin fol. 10.4. ottinger. Thefaur., defcribed by then, fo Kimchi thinks; according to Farcbi, this was its length from eaft to weft: and unto the great fea, the Mediterranean fea, which was the weftern border of the land of Canaan, called great, in comparifon of the fea of Tiberias, and the falt fea, which were in it: toward the going down of the fun, fall be your coaft; the weftern coaft, fee that the law was obeyed by the people in all things, and particularly as the general of the army, who was to obferve to do what had been ordered, with refpect to the Canaanites, fee Deut. vii. I—5. turn not from it to the right-band or to the lefts from the law, by adding to it, or taking from it; fo Ben Gerfom explains it, ‘* turning to the right-.
fee the note on Deut. xi. 24. this will be more fully verified in Chrift, when his kingdom is from fea to fea, Pf. lxxii. 8.
¥. 5. There fhall not any man be able to ftand before thee, &c.| What is promifed to the people in common, Deut. xi. 25. 1s_here particularly promifed to o/bua their general; and which was ful-
*¢ hand is, when any adds to its words, and turn- ‘< ing to the left-hand, when he diminifhes from “ them;” or from bim*, that is, from Mo/es; from his good way, as Kimchi; though he adds, or elfe from the book of the law; for though he does not mention the book, he does the law; fo Ben Melech: that thou mayeft profper whitherfoever thou filled in him, and ftill more in Chrift his antitype, goe#; fucceed in every battle he engaged in; it who made an end of fin, deftroyed the devil, fpoiled principalities and powers, abolifhed death, and would be well if generals of armies would obferve this; the way to obtain victory over enemies being overcame the world: as I was with Mojfes, fo will I be with thee; to counfel and advife, guide and direét, protect and defend, profper and fucceed; the Targum of Jonathan is, ‘* as my Word was << for the help of Mo/és, fo will I be with thee:” to be obfervant of the laws of God themfelves, and to take care that they be obferved by the foldiers under their command: or that thou mayeft alt wifely'; the word of God furnifhing out inftruction to men in every ftation of life, fee Luke iii.
I will not fail thee, nor forfake thee; but grant him his prefence, communicate ftrength unto him, make good his promifes, and leave him not till he had made an entire conqueft of the land of Cazaan, and even not till the end of his days; and was true of Chrift in his ftate of humiliation, in his fufferings and death, and even in the grave, where he was not left fo long as to fee corruption; this is applied to particular believers in Hed, xiii. 5. fee the note there.
¥.8. This book of the law fhall not depart out of thy mouth, &c.] He was often to read it, frequently repeat it, and fpeak of it, to refrefh his own memory with it, and the memory of thofe about him. Ferchi reftrains it to the book of Degteronomy now before him: but thou foalt meditate therein day and night; whenever he had any leifure from the important bufinefs of his office, whether by day or night, fee Pf i. 2. that thou mayeft ob- y¥. 6. Be ftrong, and of good courage, &c. fame exhortation Mo/es gave him, Deut. xxxi. 7. and is afterwards repeated in this chapter, as being of great moment and importance, as it is in the general of an army to fhew greatnefs and|good ftrength of mind, valour and courage, and not be difmayed at the number and ftrength of the enemy. As Fofpua’s work in fighting with the Thelferve to do according to all that is written therein; which frequent fpeaking of it, and conftant meditation on it, would lead unto: for then thou fhalt make thy way profperous, and then thou foalt bave ucce/s; in his wars with the Canaanites. y¥.9. Have not I commanded thee? &c.) The above things, to go over Fordan with the people Ca-linto the land of Cazaan, and to obferve the law of
#aanites, and conquering their land, fo Chrift’s work in the redemption of his people, and fubduing their enemies, required ftrength and courage,
Mofes in all things, and to be of good courage, which is again repeated; confider who it is that has given thefe orders and inftructions, the great and both were very eminent in him: for unto. this people halt thou divide for an inheritance, the land which I fware unto their fathers to give them; and this promife included and enfured the conqueft of it, and the putting the people into the poffeffion of it; for if he was to divide it to them, he muft firft take it out of the hands of the prefent inhabitants, and deliver it into the hands of the children of [frael, to be poffeffed by them, dividing Jehovah, the everlafting I am, who is faithful to his promifes, and able to perform. The confideration of which would ferve to animate him to the work he was called unto, to encourage his faith in God, to engage in his fervice chearfully and readily: de frrong, and of a good courage; fee the note on y¥. 6, 7. be not afraid, nor be thou difmayed; at his enemies, numerous and powerful, nor difcouraged at any thing in himfelf, any unfitnefs for to each tribe and family their part and portion, ¥.7. Only be thou firong, and very courageous, &c.]. For though Fo/hua was a man of valour and courage, as appears by his war with Amalek, yet there was need of this exhortation, and of repeating it, fince he was to engage with a people more and mightier than thofe with him, and who dwelt in ftrong and fortified places, and had been preparing for fome time, having had notice, and were in expectation of the J/raelites attempt upon them; that thou mayeft obferve to do according to all the law, which Mofes my fervant commanded thee; not only as a private man obliged to obferve the whole Jaw, and act according to it in all things; though no mere man is capable of it, only Fe/hua’s antitype, who is the end of it for righteoufnefs to all fuch fervice, as he might think, or at any difficulties he might fear from the people he had the government of, and was to lead on; it was enough that the divine prefence was promifed him, and which is repeated: for the Lord thy Ged is with thee whitherfoever thou gocf; or as the Targum of Fonathan, ** for thy help is the Word of the Lord ** thy God;” fee the note on ¥. 5.
¥. 10. Then Fofoua commanded the officers of the people, &c.] The fame word is ufed in Deus. xvi. 18. where it feems to defign fuch officers that attended on the judges, and executed their orders; but one would think it fhould here rather fignify - officers in the army, as captains, and the like; unlefs it fhould defign a fort of heralds, who were to make proclamation throughout the camp, of ~ that believe, having fulfilled it in all refpects; but as the fupreme magiftrate under God, who was the feveral orders iffued out by ¥o/bua, immetoldiately upon his having the above diredtions and inftruétions from the Lord: /aying; as follows..
¥. 11. Pafs through the bof, &c.} The whole camp of J/rae! confitfing of 600,000 fighting men:
was according to the will of God; he gave it to
¥. 14. Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, foall remain in the land which Mofes gave you
and command the people; even all the people of on this fide Fordan, &c.] This was what they
Ifrael, this. includes women as well as men, for the one, as well as the other, were to do what follows, and efpecially it may feem the bufinefs of over before your brethren armed, bearing arms, to the former: faying, prepare ye viduals, this muft be underftood, as Kimchi obferves, of other forts of food befides bread; for they had manna, the bread of heaven, which fell about their tents every morning, fo that they were fufficiently provided with that always,-and which did not ceafe until they had entered the land, even until the fixteenth of Nifan, ch. v. 12. though indeed, as Abendana obferves, that might be faid to be prepared, it being ground in mills, and beat in mortars, and made cakes of, Numb. xi. 8. but rather this defigns meat and other provifions, which being upon the borders of Moab and Midian, they could furnith themfelves with for their money; and befides, they were in the poffeffion of a fine country, of Bajhan and Grlead they had taken from Sibon and Og. archi interprets it of every thing fit for journeying, and arms for war, with which they were fupplied from the fpoils of their enemies, the Egyptians at the Red Sea, Amalek at Rephidim, and the Amorites and Midianites lately {mitten by them; and to this fenfe Yo/epbus "feems to agree: for within three days ye foall pafs over this Fordan, or at the end of three days, as the Targum of 7onathan; and fo Farchi, while there are yet three days, after that ye fhall pafs over: but here arifes a difficulty to be reconciled, how this could be done three days after, when the {pies which Fo/bua is afterward faid to fend into the land, ftayed three days in the mountains, befides the time of their going, and returning, and ftay at Rabad’s houfe, and it was not till after their return, that the camp began to move; to which it may be obferved, that though the affair of the fpies is afterward related, they might have been fent by 7c/hua before this order was given to prepare for the journey, and of this opinion are feveral of the Fewi/h writers °: this being the cafe, they might return before fight for them; for none but fuch that were fit to bear arms were obliged to go; and thefe were to go harneffed’, as fome render the word, or ina military order, in rank and file, by fives, five in a row; not at the front of the army, for the ftandard of Fudah went firft, but along with them; for defore them fignifies no other than in the prefence of them, and in company with them: aif the mighty men of valour, and belp them; to obtain a conqueft over the Canaanites; all according to the order of Mo/es, and by their agreement were to go, all that were able to bear arms; but Yo/hua did not take them all, only a felect company of ftrong and valiant men; for out of 130,000, but 40,000 went with him, ch. iv. 13.
¥.15. Until the Lord hath given your brethren ref, as he hath given you, &c.] Reft from their travels, as they ‘had: and they alfo have poffelfed the land which the Lord your God giveth them; are fettled in the land of Canaan, as they were on that fide Fordan: then ye fhall return unto the land of your poffefion, and enjoy it; the countries of Sibon and Og, they were put into the poffeffion of: which Mofes the Lord’s fervant gave you on this fide Jordan, toward the fun-rifing; the land given to them lay to the eaft of Fordan.
¥. 16. And they anfwered Fofbua, &c.] The two tribes of Gad and Reuben, and the half tribe of Manaffeb, the heads of them, fuch as were deputed for that purpofe, and were their mouths to him: faying, all that thou commande? we will do; with refpect to this affair of going over fordan with their brethren, to affift them in the conqueft of the land of Canaan: and whitherfoever thou fendeft us we will go; in what pofition he would have them be in the army, and to whatfoever part of the country he fhould fend them to fubdue, and to whatfoever city he fhould order the expiration of thefe three days, at the end of them to befiege.
which Fofbua, with the whole hoft, removed a-
¥.17. According as we have bearkened unto Mo- greeable to thefe orders: fo go in to poffe s the land| fes in all things, fo will we bearken unto thee, &c.]
which the Lord your God giveth you to poffe/s it; which muft be a great inducement and eacouragement to them to obferve his inftructions, and go over with him.
y.12. And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manaffeb, &c.] Who were fettled on that fide ‘fordan where J/rael now were:
# y. hap ee the word which Mofes the fervant of the Lord commanded you, &c.) In Numb, Xxxii. 29, 30. and to which they had folemnly agreed; and now the time was come to put it into execution, Fofbua reminds them of it: faying, the Lord your God hath given you reft, from their travels, and a fettlement in a country agreeable to their own defire: and hath given you this land; where they now were, and which they had
Not right or wrong, but in all things that were according to the laws and will of God made known to them; and particularly it may refer to the above affair, which was fettled between Mo/es and them, to whom they then hearkened, and now promife to confirm the fame, and hearken to whatfoever orders and inftructions Yo/bua fhould give them relative to it, according to the plan agreed upon: amly the Lord thy God be with thee, as be was with Mojfes; which is not mentioned as a condition of their obedience to him, but rather as a reafon of it, and as an encouraging motive to it; for, according to Kimchi, the true fenfe and meaning is, “« for the Lord thy God will be with thee, as he “« was with Mo/fes;” fo Noldius renders it, ** feeing *¢ the Lord thy God is with thee.”
¥. 18. Whofoever he be that doth rebel againft taken from Sibon and Og, kings of the Amorites, and joined to Moab, on the borders of which J/rae lay encamped; and by this it appears, that the fettlement of thefe tribes, on the other fide Fordan, thy commandment, &c.] Refufes to go over For- |dan with his brethren the children of Lrael, when commanded by Yo/bua fo to do: and well not hearken to thy words in all that thou commandeft him; or ie he does go over,yet willlinot-obey orders to take fuch a poft, or go againft fuch a city, or niarch ifto fuch apart of the.country: 4e shall be put to deaths this part of military ‘difcipline they agree to, ‘and. hereby declare their entire fubmiffion to
' are Fa eS d FKOSNMGHA- Sp» Ghuiwsiys only be firong, and of. good courage; which alfois not to*be underftood as a condition of their fu miffion and obedience, but’ as a hearty wifhand prayer for him, that he might have ftrength and courage neceffary to. the great work’ he was ¢ him as their’ general; fome. underftand’ this” as fpoken by ‘all U/rael, and of their promife: of obedience to Yofbua, as their governor, “in_all ging in, and which to fee would be no finall ens couragement to follow and obey him. «955 things: to Agailts ts 1 ne a dl;
és 10 Ny a2; guilt rls eats eet it'was a great city, as Kimchi notes; of this city; és fee the note on Luke xix. 4. Whether it had its name from the fweet-fmelling balfam which gréw — in plenty about it, or from the form of it, being — r [ \HIS chapter givésian account ofthe: fpies: dent by Fofoua to fericho, and of ‘their entrance into the houfe of Rabab, who hid: them from the king’s meffengersyo. s—-7. of the relation fhe gaveithem, of the fear. and dread of Jrael, which were fallen upon the Canaanites, ¥.. 8-—>11.0and of the requeft fhe made. to them, to fave-her? and: her father’s -houfe, whenithe city fhould be taken, and torhaye afure fign-of it given her, oy ray 13: which the fpies folemnly promifed,sand: gave her avfign of it, with a charge.not to difcover the matter/tov any, ¥.14—-20. and ‘being Jet down by a cord through the window of:her houfe, they made their; efcape to a’ mountain,swhere they lay ‘three daysyvand then returned:to Fofua, and!made their Feport; 1¥i2I-—241 ac! al fl aad vo. And Fofoua the fon of Nun fent out of Shittim. two vmen, &c. | wOr chad fent?;.forsthis was donesbefore the aboveorderto depart: it ista-tradition of the Yews,thaticthey> were: Caleb and Phinebas but they were notryoung men, as‘in‘ch vi.’2 3. elpecially «they formers: nor iscitsprobable that men_ of fuch rank: and «figure: fhould:be’fent, but rather meaner: perfons;: yet: fuch as wéré»men ef good: fenfe’ and abilities, and capablewof:condusting fuch an affair theywere fent aboutyas.well as men of probity and faithfulnefs 5. two. goodmen, Kimchi fays they. were,:and not as: ‘they: that ‘went on the miffion of Mo/es; thefe were-fent from Shit- that of an half-moon, isnot certain.. S#rabo* fays of it, that here was a paradife of balfam, an aromatic, and that it was furrounded with hills ina plain, which bent'to,it like’an amphitheatre. They were, not'-fent. to;fpy the land, as the {pies in the times. of Mo/fes, to fee what fort of land it was, and whatefort of people: dwelt init; but to reconnoitre’ it, to know where it was, beft to lead the people at firft; and encamp; and, particularly towobferve, the: paffes and avenues leading to Fericho, the firft city in it, neareft'to them, of impor- — rahee: y Ben Gerfom thinks it was to fpy or pick out the:thoughts of the inhabitants of/the land, ” what apprehenfions they had of the people of Jraél,. whether‘ difheartened and difpirited at their near approach, and what were: their intentions, refolutions and preparations to aét againft them offen fively: or defenfively; and which feems not amifs, fince \this:was. the chief information they got, and which they reported to Yo/hva upon their return 5 though Abarbinel objects to it as a thing impofii, blesoand they went;:and came into a hatlots boufe, named Rababs they.went trom Shittim, and crofied the: river. Fordan, by fwimming or fording, and came to) Fericho; which, as ‘Fofephus * fays, was Go:furlongs, or feven miles and a half from ors tim, the fame with dbel-frittim, in'the plains of dan; and they went into an harlot’s houfe,.not
Moab, where I/rael now layencamped, Numb. xxxiii. 4g..awhich Fofephus'» callssdbila,: and fays it was 60 furlongs, or feven miles and betterfrom Yordani: aiid [py fecretivs or filéently*;, not fo.much with Fefpect to the inhabitants.of the land, for it is fuppoled jin) all fpies, ‘that they, do» their) bufinefs: in the moft' private and fecret):manner}; fo: as not to be difcovered by the inhabitants, whofe land they aresfent to fpy 5; burewith orefpect to the children of J/rael, that they might know nothing ofvit, left they fhould _be: difcouraged, thinking that!: fofbua was in fome fear of the Canaanites, and under fome diftrult of the promife of God to give thedand to them: the.ward for imiths, and alfo for perfons deaf and dumb, coming from the fame root, have furnifhed the ‘fei writers: with varioussconceits; as that thefe fpies went in the habit of: fmiths,~ with the inftruments of theimbufinels in their hands; or actedas.deaf and dumb perfons, and fo-ag uncapable purpofely for that reafon, becaufe it was fuch an one, but fo. it proved eventually; though the Targum of Fonathan fays it was the, houle of a woman,.an: innkeeper or -victualler; for Farcbi; — Kintchi and Ben. Melech interpret -theword it ufe of.a feller. of food *; and if fo, it furnifhes outa reafon why they turned, in thither,’ where they might expect to have food and lodging;, though the Fezs commonly take her to be a harlot; and — generally {peaking in ‘thofe times:and countries, — tuch as kept public houfes were proftitutes; and there are fome circumftances which feem to con firm this in the context; and fo the Greek verfion-— calls her, and is the character given of her in the
New Teftament: her name was Rebab, of whom the ews have this tradition ¥, that fhe was ten — years of age when J/rae! came our of Egypt; that fhe played the harlot the forty years they were in the wildernefs, became the wife of Fofhua, who
Aad daughters by her, from whom «came eight ing to-any queftions iputito, chem, fhould they: be takemup. and examined;, their commentators in general:take notice of thisi: /aying, govview the land, even fericho, efpecially: Jericho, fo Noldjus*; the landin general, and Yerscho in. particular,: becaufe prophets, Yeremiah, Hilkiah, \Maafia,. Hana *4 \Shallum, Baruch, the fon of Neriah, Ezekiel, the ~ fon of Buzi, and fome fay Huldab the prop a but the truth is, fhe married Selnion, a prince of * the tribe of Judah, Matt. i. 5. dee thenote sae es of giving: an. account of themfel ves} ‘or of anfwer- and lodged there; that is, théy «went thither in order to lodge... iw slagiw 2th ‘Ye.
x. 2. And it was told the king of Fericho, faying, &c.) Who being alarmed at the near approach of the J/reelites, and knowing their claim to the land of Canaan, and their defign upon it, employed men to watch and obferve what pafied in the city, and parts adjacent, and inform him of it; or fome perfons of.themfelves, and for cheir
¥. 5. And it came to pafs about the time of tbe utting of the gate, &c | Of the city, which was done every night, and at a certain time: when it was dark; the fun fet, and night come on’: the men. went out, out of her houfe, and out of the city too, as fhe faid, though it was a downright lie, as well as what follows: whither the men went, 1 wot not, though fhe knew they were not gone, but were now in her houfe; fhe might not {cruple tel- own fafety,.and the good of their fellow-citizens, gave notice to the king of it: debold, there came men hither to-night of the children of Ifrael, who were known by. their habit and language; or) at leaft being ftrangers, were fufpected to be of people, the terror of whom had fallen on all inhabitants, fo that every ftrange man they took ling a lie, being brought up a heathen, and being done with a defign to {ave the lives of, perfons that belonged to a people, fhe was perfuaded were the people of God, and to whom he had. given the thatjland; though her lies are not to be jultified;. evil theJis not to be done, that good may come $ nor are men to.-tell lies one ‘to another upon any. account;
for ‘an Ifraelite; from hence it appears, that, the fpies came to Fericho at night, that they might not be obferved: but with all their precaution they were taken notice of, and their defign fufpected, namely, io fearch out the country, which were the proper places to attack firft, and where there was the greateft probability of fucceeding,.as well as to find out the difpofition of the inhabitants, whether fearful or fearlefs of them.
¥.3. And the king of Fericho fent unto Rabab, &c.] Not merely becaufe fhe kept a public houtfe, or being a proftitute had often ftrangers in it, and fo conjectured, that the men he had notice of might be there; but he fent upon certain information, that they were feen to go in there, as it follows: aying, bring forth the men that are come to thee; not to commit leudnefs with her, though this is the fenfe fome Fewi/o commentators give; but this neither agrees with the character of the men Fo/bua had chofen for this purpofe, nor anfwers any end of the king to fuggeft; nor can it be thought that Rabad would fo openly and freely own this, as in the next verfe: but what is meant by the phrafe, is explained in the following claufe, which are entered into thine houfe; in order to lodge there that night: for they be come to fearch out all the country; 10 it was fufpected, nor was the fufpicion groundlefs.
¥.4. And the woman took the two men, &c.] Or foe had taken them * before the meffengers came, upon a rumour fhe underftood was gone abroad, that fhe had got J/raelitifh {pies in her houfe, and fo might expeét to be vifited and fearched by the king’s. officers, and therefore took this precaution: and bid them; the Hebrew word is fingular, bims: hence the Fews, who take thefe two fpies to be Caleb. and Phinebas, fay, that only Caled was hid, and Phinebas, though he was before them, was not ‘feen, being an angel, Mal. ii. 7. but the fenfe is, that fhe hid each of them, and very probably fingly and apart, that if one was found, the other might efcape, as Ben Gerfom obferves; and Abarbinel is of opinion, that fhe hid them twice, now in the middle of her houfe, one in one. place, and the other in another, for the reafon before given, and after this hid them in the roof of her houfe, as afterwards related: and faid thus, there came men - unto me; that is, into her houfe, this fhe owned: but I wift not whence they were; of what country they were, whether I/raelites or not; which whether fhe knew or not, is not certain; it is probable fhe did, and told an untruth, as fhe alfo did in the next verfe.-.
but theic fins, with others, the Lord forgave her:
purfue after them quickly,.and ye fhall overtake them this fhe encouraged them to do, to get rid of them the fooner, and to remove all {ufpicion of her having any refpect for them, and of, being concerned in concealing them. ’ ¥. 6. But foe bad brought them up to the roof of the boufe, &c.]. Before the meffengers. came though Abarlinel thinks it was after they were gone, when fhe took them from the place of their concealment, and had them to the root of the houfe, where fhe thought they would be fafe and fecure, fhould the meflengers return, or others come-in fearch of them, who would not, as fhe imacined; 5 > look for them there: and hid them with the fralks of flax that is, under them, or ix flax of wood, or @ tree”; which may with as much propriety, or more, be called a tree than hyffop, 1 Kings iv. 33. as it isin the Mi/nab*. Moreover, there was a fort of flax which grew in the upper part of Egypt towards Arabia, as Pliny fays*, which they called Xylox, or wood, of which: were made Jina xylina, though the words may be rightly tranfpofed, as by us, flalks of flax, which are large and (trong before the flax is {tripped or beaten off of them; the Targum renders it bundles of flax, or handfuls and fheaves of them, as they were when cut down and gathered: which fhe had laid in order upon the roof, to be dried, as Kimchi obferves 3. and Pliny ¢ {peaks of flax being bound up in bundles, and hung up and dried in the fun; which was done that it might be the more eafily ftripped and beaten off; and the roofs of houfes in thofe countries being flat, were very fit for fuch a purpofe; fee the note on Deut. xxii. 8. and thefe being now laid there, were very fuitable and convenient to conceal the men under them. This feems to be in favour of Rabab, as being a virtuous and induftrious woman; fee Prov. xxxi. 13, 19, 24. ¥. 7. And the men purfued after them, &c.] As they thought: se way to Fordan; on the other fide of which the people of J/rae/ lay encamped, to which they fuppofed, according to Kabad’s account, thefe two men directed their courfe: unto the fords the fords of Fordan, the paflages through it; for in fome places, and at fome times, it was fordable; which accounts for the way in which thefe fpies could get over Jordan, fee Gen. xxxii. 10. it was moft reafonable to conclude they would return the fame way; and fo far the king’s meflengers went, but farther they did not chufe to go, becaufe it
|would be to no purpofe, and they might expofe themfelves to the camp of Jrael, which lay on the other fide: and as foon as they which pursued them were gone out, they fout the gate; as foon as the king’s meffengers were gone out of Rabad’s houfe, either the fpies, ot rather the of the houfe, Rabad’s fervants, fhut the doot of to prevent their return, or others coming in; rather; when they were got out of the city, watchmen of the city} the porters of the city-gates fhut them; that if they were not got out of the city, to prevent their efcape, or however to keep out others from entering that might bé on fuch defign or worfe. _ jit would be binding upon y. 10. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red-fea for you, when ye came out of Egypt, &c.] To make a paflage for them through it, to walk in as on dry land; this they neath, the maker and poffeffor of both; is the goafter vernor of the whole univerfe, and does what he that is, either pleafes in it; and difpofes of all countries, perfons, and things, as he thinks fit: this is a proof of menjher knowledge of the true God, and faith in him, itjand fhews her to be a believer, and hence fhe is or reckoned in the Catalogue of believers, Hed. xi. 31. thejand her faith is proved to be of the right kind by the works the did, Yam. ii. 25. _
¥. 12. Now therefore, I pray you, fwear unto me éy the Lord, 8c.) Which being a religious action, fomejand done by men that feared the Lord, fhe knew them: the Targum is, wear to me by the Word of the Lord:”” fince £ 4ave foewed you kindnefs, by receiving them with peace into her houfe, and hiding them when enquired fhe came up unto for and demanded of her; in doing which fhe rifqued her own life; had this treachery to her country, as it would have been deemed, been difs unto my father’s boufe; fhe mentions not herfelf and houfhold, for if this was granted that would be implied and. anjincluded; and this fhe preffes for by the law of retaliation and friendthip, for fince fhe had fhewn kindto them, it was but reafonable it fhould be returned: and give nte a true token, that fhe and her father’s Houfe would be faved by them when the ofjeity fhould be taken and the inhabitants deftroyed; ofja token that would not deceive her, on which fhe might depend, and would be firm and fure. y¥.13. nd that ye will fave alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my fifters, &c.] She makes no mention of any hufband or children fhe had, as harlots feldom have, and which feems to confirm her character as fuch; and fo Adarbinel intojobferves, that her father’s houfe is only mentioned - to tell us that fhe had no hufband, for the was an harlot and had no children, and puts her father and mother in the room of an hufband, and her brethren and fitters in the room of children: and al/ that they have; not their fubftance only, but their children more efpecially, the children of her brethren and fifters: and deliver our lives from death, here fhe manifeftly includes herfelf, and requefts the faving of her life, and the lives of all her relations, when fhe knew the inhabitants of
¥.8. And before they were laid down, 8ec.] Un-|‘* der the ftalks of the flax; or rather; fince they are faid to be hid in them, before they were fallen afleep; fo Kintchi and Abarbinel:
them upon the roof; to acquaint them how things were, and to converfe with them on the following fabjects. covered: that you will alfo few kindne
¥. 9. And foe faid unto the men, &c.] The two fpies: I know that the Lord hath given you the land; the land of Canaan, of which fhe was inhabitant, and in which they now were; this fhe knew either by fome tradition that was among nefs them; or by divine revelation, a fupernatural impull upon her minds or by obferving what the Lord had done already, in putting the iand the Amorites into their hands, which were one the feven nations of Canaan; and by this it alfo appears, and more clearly by what follows, that fhe had knowledge of the Lord God, the God of Tfrael: and that your terror is fallen upon us; which was another token or fign by which fhe knew the land would be delivered to them; that they who were a formidable people, and ftruck terror others, now were terrified themfelves, at the rumour of J/rael being come to invade them; this was what the Lord faid fhould be the cafe, ch. xi. 25. and that all the inbabitants of the land faint becaufe of you, or melt', like wax before the fire, as Mofes had predicted, Exod. xv. 15.
had heard of and remembered, though it was forty years ago: and what you did unto the kings of the Amorites that were on the other fide Fordan, which were things more recent, done but a few tnonths ago: Szbon and Og whom ye deftroyed; the hiftory of which fee in Numb. xxi. 21—35. who were deftroyed by them under Maoj/es and Fo/bua their commanders; and Hercules who is thought to be the fame with Fo/hua is by Lucian * called Ogwius, from flaying Og as is fuppofed 5.
y. 11. And as foon as we bad heard thefe things our bearts did melt, &c.| Particularly what were done to the two kings of the Amorites, who, and their people were utterly deftroyed, their goods made a prey of, and their countries feized upon and poffefled: neither did there remain any more courage in any man, becaufe of you; they looked dejected in their countenances, had no heart to go about any bufinefs, trembled at the fhaking of a the city would be all put to death upon the taking of it: thus fhe provided for the fafety of her family, as Noah in another cafe and manner did, Heb. xi. 7. and indeed feemed more concerned for them than for herfelf; and thus fouls fenfible of their own eftate and condition, by nature and grace, are very folicitous for the falvation of their relations and friends, Rom. ix. 2.
¥.14. And the men anfwered ber, &c.| The two {pies: our life for yours; or our fouls in your flead to die’, that is, we engage for the fecurity of your lives, fhould they be in danger; we promife to die in your room and ftead rather than you fhould: this they faid not as though their lives would be required of them for them, but to affure her of the fafety of her and her father’s houfe, on the following condition: if ye utter not this our bufinefs; not their bufinefs in fearching the land, for the difcovery of that would be of little avail after leaf, or at the leaft rumour and report made that the J/raelites were coming on and were at hand; they had no {pirit to prepare to go out and they were gone; for it was known already that there were perfons come to fearch the land; but this meetlour word*, what they were going to.fay to her and ~~ them, or to defend themielves: for the Lord your God, be is God in heaven above, and in earth be- bid her do, as a fign of fafety to her and hers; which, if fhe difcovered, others would give
DOSAINM 133 anima noftra pro vobis ad moriendum, Pagninus, Montanus.
Ghiickig—ty =. FOSHUA | igi out the fame fign, and then they could not, promife her fafery; or if fhe did not take care to bring in her father, mother, brethren and fitters, and theirs into her houfe, they could not engage to protect them: and it fhall be when the Lord bath given us the land, not the whole land, but Jericho and the land about it, that when that part of it fhould be delivered into their hands: we will deal kindly and truly with thee; kindly, by {paring her and her father’s houfe; éruly, by faithfully performing the promife and oath they made_to her. »
¥. 15. Then fhe let them down by a cord through the window, &c.| Which mutt be large, and the cord ftrong, as well as fhe herfelf a mafculine weman, to let down two men by it, unlefs fhe employed any of her fervants in the affair; though this being fo great. a fecrecy, it is probable fhe trufted none of her domeftics with it as little as poffible: in like manner the apoftle Pau] was let down by the walt of Dama/cus in a bafket, As ix. 25. Jarchi fuppofes it was the fame cord and window, by means of and in at which her gallants ufed to.come and go: for her houfe was upon the town-wall; in a fuitable and convenient place to receive her guefts, and gallants: and it is obferved, that harlots have had their houfes on or under walls: Martial fpeaks of harlots whom he calls! Summeniane, whores that plied under the walls and in the fuburbs of cities: aud fhe dwelt upon the wail; that part of the houfe in which fhe particularly dwelt was built on or over the wall, and the re{t towards the city was for the entertainment of perfons that réeforted t@®her houfe.
yw. 16. And fhe faid unto them, get ye unto the mountain, &c.| Which was near to the city, and is, fuppofed to be the fame which is now called Quarantania: Dr. Shaw, a late traveller in thofe parts, fays™, from the mountain Quarantania, the yery fame perhaps where the two {pies concealed themfelves, o/h. ii. 16. we have a diftinct view of the land of the 4morites, of Gilead, and of Bafban, the inheritance of the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and of the half tribe of Mana/feb—to it joins the mountain of Adummim, and through it the road is cut that leads from Ferufalem to Fericho, where probably it was from the very nature of the fituation that the man fell.among thieves, Luke x. 30. which very probably is the fame mountain which Fofephus* fays, hung over the city, and was a very barren one; though the fingular may be put for the plural, fince, as Strabo {ays °, it was furrounded with mountains: Jef the purfuers meet you; on their return from the fords of Fordan, being difappointed: and hide yourfelves there three days, fome of the ¥ewifh Rabbins, as Farchi and Kimchi obferve, that fhe had this by the revelation of the holy Ghoft, that the purfuers would return at the end of three days; but the latter more truly remarks, that this was faid by conjecture; that eriche being, as he fays, one day from Fordan, and a lirtle more, by going, returning, and fearching for the fpies, they would be three days in doing it: until the purfuers be returned; into the city; for until they were they could not be in fafety, but mutt be in danger of being met by them and taken up: and afterward may ye go your way; dan, and fo to the camp of Jacl, and that withkilled by any perfon, his death will be owing to to For- himfelf and no blame to be laid on us; nor fhall we reckon ourfelves guilty of the breach of the out fear. oath taken: and whofoever hall be with thee in-the y. 17. And the men faid unto her, 8c.) Some think that this difcourfe which paffed between the houfe, bis blood thall be on our head, if any hand de upon him; if any one within doors is killed by fpies and her, was whilft in the houfe- before the let them down, or otherwife they would have been in danger of being over-heard, and fo the whole affair difcovéred; but as it was on the other fide of the houfe, and under the wall of the city, and without it, they might with the greater fafety converfe together: we will be Alamele/s of this thine oath which thou haft made us fwear y.that is, they would moft faithfully and punétually.keep it, it fhould be facred to them, and fhe fhould have no occafion to lay any blame upon them in the leaft.
¥.18. Behold, when we come into the land, &c.} The land of Canaan, and into this city, into that part of it, as the Septuagint, where her houfe was, meaning not themfelves only, but. the people of T/rael they belonged to: thou fhalt bind this line of {carlet thread in the window which thou didft let us down by; the word dy refers either to the fearlet thread they were let down by, faid to be a cord, ¥. 15. and therefore muft be a line twifted with various {fcarlet threads, as Kimchi, who obferves, that according to the Targum, it was the border of a red garment; or to the window through which they were let down, as the Septuagint verfion; it may refer to both, and the fenfe be, that the fame twifted cord of fearlet thread they were let down by, fhould be bound to the fame window they were let down through; only this objection there is to the fame window, that it was not towards the city, and fo not to be feen when they came into it, but looked over the wall without the city: now as Rahab was an inftance of the falvation of finners by the grace of God, for fhe was a finner. by. birth, by practice, and a notorious one; fhé was an inftance of diftinguifhing grace, of free and efficacious grace, a fingular inftance of it; and.became a true penitent, a real believer, was a juftified perfon, and faved: fo the fcarlet thread was an emblem of the blood of Chrift, by which falvation is; redemption and all the bleffings of grace are through it; juftification, remiffion of fin, reconciliation and atonement, and fafety and protection from avenging juftice and wrath to come, are only by it: likewife the fpies who are alfo called meffengers, Fam: ii. 25. may reprefent the minifters of the gofpel, who are the meffengers of Chrift, and the churches, are fent out by him the antitypical Fa/bua, men of wifdom, courage, and valour, and are fent as fpies to bring to light men and things, who direct to the way of ialvation and give the fame token of it, Mar. xvi. 16. and thou fbalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s houfhold home unto thee x into her houfe, where the fcarlet thread was bound, and where only they would be fafe, as the [ raelites were in the houfes where the blood of the ‘pafchal lamb was fprinkled, Exod. xii. 23. and fo they are fafe, and they only who are under the blood of fprinkling, and partake of the virtue of it.
¥. 19. And it fhall be, that whofoever fhall go out of the door of thy boufe into the fireet, &c.} After they have been taken in, and when the’ //- raelites were come into the city: Ais blood fhall be upon bis head, and we will be guiltle/s, if he is an J/raelite entering in, the guilt of the blood fhall lie upon us, and we will be anfwerable, according to the tenorof the oath,.our life for yours, ¥. 14.
y. 20. And if thon utter this our biifinefs, &c.] So that othets would either hang out fcarlet threads or get into her houfe for fhelter, fee the note on ¥. 14. then we will be quit of thine cath which thou haft made us to fwear, be under no obligation to make it good, by faving her and her. fathet’s houfe.
yx. 21. And foe faid, according to your words, fo be it, &c.} She agreed, that if the condition required were not performed, they would be quit of their oath, but if they were, fhe expected it would be fulfilled: and fhe fent them away, and they departed, took their leave of each other: and fhe bound the fcarlet line in the window, immediately, as Abarbinel thinks, and in the fight of the fpies, that they might fee that fhe conformed to their direCtion, and that they might take notice where: fhe faftened it; and that the herfelf might, at the fight of it, be put in mind of the defign of it, and be an encouragement to her faith as to the fafety of her and her father’s houfe; and it being a thing fo trifling and infignificant in itfelf, would not be taken notice of.by the inhabitants, or be thought to be done with any defign; though, according to the inftruction of the fpies, it feems as if it was to be done when they came into the land, and into the city, and which feems moft likely that it was then done.
y. 22. And they went, and came unto the mountain, &c.| Rahab had directed them to, the mountain Quarantania, fee the note on ¥. 16, and abode there three days; being, no doubt, fupplied with food by Rabab, and it might not be three wholly, but one whole day and part of the other two: until the purfuers were returned, to the city of Fericho, as might reafonably be fuppofed: and the purfuers fought them throughout all the way, from Fericho to the fords. of Fordan, fearching every
. OS HUA removed from Shittim to Fordan, where he ftaid three days, ¥. 1, 2. the people are directed to move when they faw the ark bore by the priefts, and what diftance they fhould keep turned: dat found them not;
Rabab having hig them in her houfe, and then fent them to the mountain, there to remain till the return of the y. 23. So the two men returned, and defended. from the mountain, 8c.) Or came down from it again, by which, it feems, they went to the top of it, and hid themfelves in fome cave there: ate defcent, Kimchi fays, was, ‘ on the third day of ‘* their being fent, which was the fecond day of “¢ the three days fo/bua made mention of when he “ faid, within three days;” fee the note on ch. i. 11. and paffed over that is, the river Yordan, at the fords of it: and came to ‘Fofbua the fon of Nun at Shittim, where he ftill continued, and from! whence he fent them, ¥. 1. aud told him all things that befel them, what houfe they went into when come to Fericho, what reception they met with, the report of them to the king of Jericho, How meflengers were fent by him to demand them, and by what means they were preferved and made their elcape. qe y. 24. And they faid unto Fofbua, &c.1 Made a report of what they had got knowledge of, which anfwered the end of their miffion: truly the Lord hath delivered into our bands all the land; which they concluded by the terror the inhabitants of ic were in, and fo in no condition to make refiftance and defend themfelves; and they not only judged of the whole land by the cafe of the inhabitants of Fericho, but were affured by Rabab that all the inhabitants of the land were in the fame plight — and condition, y¥. 9. for even the inhabitants of the country do faint becaufe of us; this was the temper and difpofition they appeared in, and feems to - be what Yo/fbua was chietly defirous of knowing; fince nothing elfe is told by the {pies nor enquired of by him, but immediately upon this report began his march towards Canaan, as in the next chapter 1s related.
30 days of his mourning ended the 7th of Nijfen or March,; two days before they were ended the {pies were fent, who returned on the eighth day of the month; and the morning following Fo/bua rofe from it, ¥. 3, 4. are bid to fanctify themfelves againft the morrow, when wonders would bejproceed betimes, which fhews his readinefs and alacrity to in the expedition he was directed and en- wrought, ¥. 5. and the priefts are ordered to take up theark, ¥. 6. Fofbua is encouraged by the Lord, and inftructed to command the priefts when they come to Fordan to ftand ftill in it, ¥. 7, 8. and he declares to all the people, as a token that God would drive the Canaanites from. before them, that as foon as the feet of the priefts bearing the ark, fhould reft in the waters of Yordan, they fhould be parted, and make way for them to pafs through, y. 3. which accordingly came to pafs, fo that all the //raelites paffed over on dry’ ground, ¥. 1417.
couraged to: and they removed from Shittim and came to Fordan;, from Shittim in the plains of Moab. to the river Fordan: and he and all the children o Yrael, he as their general, and they an army of 600,000 fighting men under him, befides women and children, and others that came along with them: and lodged there before they paffed over, lay there encamped a night before. they paffed over the river Fordan.
¥. 2. And it came to pafs after three days, &c.} At the end of the three days they were bid to pre-— pare food for their expedition, and to go over For-_ field, and village’ as they went and fe)
} dan, ch. i. 11. that the officers went through the
¥. 1. And Fofoua rofe early in the morning, &c. bh morning ca ie ai rae returned and made/as in their report; which, as Kimchi rightly obferves, hoff, the camp of J/rae/, very probably Sg fame ch. i. 10. this-was,.no doubt, by the order of ‘Jofbua, and who was directed to it by the was the 9th of Nifen; for on the morrow, which ate ‘Te Se ae ne was the roth, the people paffed- over Fordan, fee
¥. 3. And they commanded the people, &c.] tie, the name of ‘Fo/bua, by whom they were fent Vas a writers, died on the 7th of dar or February; the ing, when ye fee the ark of the covenant of
Ch. ii. ¥. 4—7-. FOSHU A Lord your God, and the priefts the Levites bearing it; the Targum reads, the priefts and Levites; fo the Septuagint: it was the bufinefs of the Levites, particularly the Kebathites, to bear the ark in journeying, but here the priefts, who alfo were Leites, were to carry it: itis remarked in the Za/- mud®, that there are three places in which the priefts are faid to bear the ark; here, and when they furrounded Fericho, ch. vi. 6. and when it was returned to its place in the times of David, 2 Sam. xv. 2g. and Kimchi and Abarbinel obferve a fourth, when it was brought into So/omon’s temple, 1 Kings viii. 6. then ye foall remove from your place and go after it; their ufual fignal for marching was the cloud, when that was taken up, Numb. ix. 137, &#¢. but now the ark, the clouds of glory having removed at the death of Mo/es, and were feen no more, as Abarbinel and other Fewi/h writers obferve; and therefore it was proper the J/raelites fhould be made acquainted with this fignal; for, as Farchi fays, this journey was different from all the journeys, (though that of the three days journey from Sinai muft be excepted, Numb. x. 33.) for all the time Mo/es was in being, the pillar of cloud marched firft and fhewed them the way, and the ark moved after two of the ftandards (Fudab and Reuben) and now the ark went firft: the cloud was a figure of the dark and cloudy difpenfation of the law, particularly the ceremonial law, the fhadow of good things to come, and which continued only during the former ftate, and difcontinued to be of any ufe when the Mo/aic dilpenfation ceafed, and when Fo/bua or Jefus was come: the ark was a type of Chrift, the forerunner for us entered, and whom we are to follow whitherfoever he goes or directs to, in the exercife of grace and performance of duty; and the ark being carried now by different perfons, may denote that Chrift was held forth in a weaker manner under the legal difpenfation, and by his apoftles and minifters under the gofpel-difpenfation in a clearer and ftronger manner, and who are to be followed no further or longer than as they bear the ark or direct to Chrift.
y. 4. Yet there foall be a fpace between you and it, &c.|. The ark; the Keri or marginal reading is, between you and them; the priefts that bear it: hence fprung a fiction among the Zews, that there were two arks, the ark of the Shekinah or divine majefty, and the ark of Fo/eph, in which his bones were put, which went together’; which archi, Kimchi, and Abarbinel take notice of, but has no foundation in the text: about 2,000 cubits by meafure; by a certain well-known meafure, that of a common cubit; for the Caph we render about isa note of truth, reality, and certainty, and defigns the exact precife meafure here given: this difference was to be obferved, partly in reverence to the ark, the fymbol of the divine prefence; Chrift is to be reverenced by his people, and fo his word and ordinances; and tl:ere is a reverence and re- fpeét due to his minifters and priefts that bear the "ark; as alfo that they might the better fee the ark and go after it, as Bes Gerfom; or the way in which they fhould go, as is fuggefted in the following claufe; and likewife have the better view of the Ls greatnefs of the miracle, as Abarbinel; the dividing of the waters of Yordan as foon as the ark came to it, and while it was in it: the Yews conclude from hence, that this was the meafure of ground they may go on a fabbath-day and no farther, niracle afterwards related; dividing the waters, which was done on this day, and was but the beginning of wonders; for other great and marvellous things were done for him and by him, by which it appeared he was high in the favour of God,
| 128 called a fabbath-day’s journey, 4@s i. 12, come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye muft go, overFordan into Canaan’s land; for being at fome diftance from them they could. better difcern that and the way he direéted them to walk in: Chrift the antitype of the ark is the way to the heavenly Canaan, and his minifters point out the right way of falvation by him, in the miniftration of the word, by attending to which the » way is feen and known, in which men muft go: for ye have not paffed this way heretofore, a path indeed untrodden by any; neither they nor any other ever went into Canaan the way they were now going, through the river Yordan as on dry land: the way to heaven by Chrift is only revealed in the gofpel, and only trodden by believers in him, and efpecially the way to glory through Fordav’s river; or death is an untrodden path, which, though the way of all flefh is a tracklefs path, and gone through but once, and thofe who pais it have never before gone that way.
¥. 5. And Fofoua faid unto the people, &c.] On the 3d day; and the goth day of the mourning for Mofes, Farchi fays, was the firft of the three days, and. that being the 7th day of the month, this muft be the gth, as it is moft clear the morrow was the 10th: /anétify yourfelves; in a ceremonial fenfe, by wafhing their bodies and their clothes, and abftaining from their wives; and in a moral fenfe, by acts of religion and devotion, by prayer and meditation, and the exercife of repentance and good works: it may denote that fanétification is neceflary to our paffage over Fordan, or through death to the heavenly Canaan, for without holinefs no man fhall fee the Lord: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you; in their fight and prefence, and for them, by dividing the waters of Fordan, that they might pafs through it as on dry land; this, as Kimchi fays, was the tenth of. Ni/an, as is plain from ch. iv.
*, 6. And Fofbua {poke unto the priefts, &c.] On the morrow, that is, on the tenth day of the month, the day on which they went over Jordan: take up the ark of the covenant; in which the law. was put, which was the covenant between God and the people, from whence the ark had this name; and in which it was typical of Chrift in whom both the law the covenant of works was fulfilled, and with whom the covenant of grace was made; who is the mediator, furety and meffenger of it, and in whom all the bleffings and promifes of it are, and with whom it is, and will be kept for evermore <. the ark, the priefts were ordered to take up and bear on their fhoulders;. for no other way might they carry it; thefe typified the minifters of Chrift who bear his name, his gofpel in the world, fee Ais ix.15. and pa/s over before the people; over the river Jordan, to direct them in the way through it, and encourage them to follow them: ad they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people; from. the place where they had lodged the night before to the brink of the river.
¥. 7. And the Lord faid unto Fofhua, &c.] Out of the tabernacle: this day will I begin to magnify thee in the fight of all Ifrael; by working the mi- greatly efteemed and honoured by him, and fo would be great and honourable in the account of the people: shat they may know that as I was with Mofes, fo Iwill be with thee; by dividing the waters of ‘Yordan for him, as he had divided the waters of the Red-/ea for Mofes; which, as it was a token of his powerful prefence with him, this would be a like token of it-with Foua, The Targum is, << as my Word was for the help of Mo/es, fo fhall my Word be for thy help.”
y¥. 8. And thou foalt command the priefts that bear the ark of the Lord, &c.] Who were fubject to Fofoua, the chief governor of the nation, and general of the army, as well as the common people; and whofe commands they were to obey, andefpecially when they appeared to be from the Lord: faying, whenye come to the brink of the water of Fordan; not of the bank of it, but of the water, which had now overflowed its bank; that is, the brink or extremity of it, which was neareft’to them, and to which they firft came; though it isa notion of fome Fewi/o coinmentators', and which fome Chriftian interpreters “ have given into, and both of confiderable note, that this was the further extremity, or the brink on the other fide of the river; but according to this notion, they mutt pafs the river to the other fide before the waters were divided, which is not credible; and muft return again into the midftof the river, which is not probable; and befides, it is exprefsly faid, that as foon as their feet dipped in the brim, or extremity of: the water, the waters parted, which muft be the firft brim or