y. 13. Up, fanélify the people, &c.) The word up not only fignifies getting up from the ground on which he lay, but to beftir himfelf, and to be active in what he would now be enjoined and directed to do, and in the firft place to /andify the - people, that is, by giving them orders to do it themfelves: and fay, fantiify yourfelves againft tomorrow; either by fome ceremonial ablutions, or by the performance of moral duties, as prayer, repentance; and good works; or rather, they were to prepare themielves, as the’ Targum and Kimchi interpret it, to get ready again{ft the morrow, and
, thus upon thy face? in this manner, fo diftrefléd and expect to be thoroughly fearched, in order to find out the perfon who had taken the accurfed thing:
for thus faith the Lord God of Ifrael, there is an accurfed thing in the mid? of thee, O Ifrael, an ac+ curfed perfon, who had taken of what was devoted to the Lord for his own ufe, and fo accurfed: thon canft not fland before thine enemies, until ye take away the accurfed thing from among you, by putting him to death.
¥. 14. Inthe morning therefore ye foall be brought according to your tribes, &cc.| One or more of every tribe, according to the number of them, were to be brought the next morning before Yo/bua and the elders of J/rae/, the Sanhedrim and council of the hation, and very probably the tabernacle, where they affembled for this purpofe: and it /hall be that the tribe which the Lord taketh; how a tribe and fo a family or houfhold were taken is differently underftood; what fome of the Fewifh writers fay deferves no regard, as the detention of perfons by the ark, or of the dulnefs of the ftones in the Urim and Thummim: it feems beft to underftand the whole affair as done by cafting lots*; fo Fofe- phusy and Ben Gerfom; and they might in this way be faid to be taken by the Lord, becaufe the difs pofition of the lot is by him, Prov. xvi. 33. now it is faid, that the tribe that fhould be taken, as
Judah was from what follows, /ball come according to the families; that is, the families in that tribe, meaning the heads of them, as Kimchi. well obferves; thefe were to come to the place where the lots were caft: and the family which the Lord fhall take fall come by houfbolds; on whatfoever family in the tribe the lot fhould fall, the heads of houfholds in that family fhould appear and have lots caft on them: and the houfhold which the Lord fhall take, hall come man by man; that houfhold that fhould be taken by lot, the men thereof, the heads of the houfe, fhould come each of them and have lots caft on them, that the particular man that finned might be difcovered.
y¥. 15. And it fhall be, that he that is taken with the accurfed thing, foall he burnt with fire, &c.] He that is taken by lot, and the accurfed thing found with him, this fhould be the death, burning, one of the four capital punifhments with the ews: this was ordered in this cafe, becaufe the city of Fericho, accurfed or devoted, was burnt with fire, ch. v. 24. be and all that he hath; the particulars of which are enumerated, ¥. 24. decaufe be hath tranfgreffed the covenant of the Lord; fee the note on ¥. 11. and becaufe be hath wrought folly in Tfrael; as all fin and every tranfgreffion of the law is, and was the caufe of J/rae/’s turning their backs on their enemies; which, as Abardinel fays, was folly, and made the people of J/rael look foolifh, mean, and contemptible: the word has alfo the fignification of a dead carcafe, and may poffibly have refpeét to the 36 men whofe death he was the occafion of, and therefore juftly ought to die himfelf.
y. 16. So Fofhua rofe up early in the morning, &c.] Which fhewed his readinefs and diligence to obey the command of God; and as there was much work to do, it required that he fhould rife early: and brought. Ifrael by their tribes, before the Lord, at the tabernacle, where he and the highprieft and elders attended; each tribe was thither brought by their reprefentatives: and the tribe of Fudah was taken; either his {tone in the breaftplate of the high-prieft looked dull, as fome fay, was taken for and charged with, he owns was a” true and real fact: end thus and thus have I done; fuch and fuch things have I taken, and in the man-_ or rather. the lor being caft fell on that tribe. ner as follows. os
¥. 17. And he brought the family of Judah, &c. That is, the tribe of Fudab, as Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it*; or rather, the feveral families in that tribe, even the heads of them; avd he took) yw. 24. When I faw among the {pails a goodly Babylonifh garment, &c.\ One, as the Targum adds, for no more was taken; a garment made of Babylonif wool, as Farchi; or a valuable garment made the family of the Zarbites, which défcended from Zerah the fon of Judah; that was taken by lot: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by nan and catt lotson them: and Zabdi was taken, that part of the family of the Zarhites which fprung from Zabdi a fon of Zerah, y. 18. And he brought bis boufhold man by man, &c.] The houthold of Zaddi, the heads of each houfe therein: and Achan the fon of Carmi, the Jon of Zabdi, the fon of Zerah, of the trite of Fudah, was taken; the lot.fell upon him and he was laid hold on, and detained.
y. 19. And Fofoua faid unto. Achan, my fon, &c.] Treating him in a very humane, affectionate, and refpectable manner, though fo great a criminal, being a fubject of his, and of the fame religion, and nation: give, [pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Tirael; by acknowledging his omnifcience, juftice, power, truth, and faithfulnefs, as in his promifes fo in his threatenings: and make confeffion unto him, of the fin he had been guilty of; this Fo/oua might urge, partly for his own good, who might more reafonably expect the forgivenefs of his fin: fo it is faid in the Mi/nabs, whoever confeffes has a part in the world to come, for fo we find concerning chan, Fofb. vil. 19. and partly for the glory of God, this being the inftance in which he is directed to give itto him; and partly on account of others, particularly the tribe, family, and houfhold to whom he belonged, who after all might not be fatisfied thoroughly that he was guilty, unlefs he had confeffed it: according to Maimonides*, this was but a temporary law on which Achan was put to death; for, he fays, our law condemns no man to death on his own confeffion, nor on the prophecy of a prophet, who fays that he committed fuch a fact; and it was not on his confeffion, but by the order of God, determining the affair by lot, that he was put to death: the confeffion ‘Fofoua directs to was not what was made to man but.to God, that is, of the evil of it, and as committed againft God, though the fact itfelf was to be owned before man as follows: and tell me now what thou bajft done, hide it not from me; what were the particular things he had taken; the lot fhewed he had taken fomething, but what that was, as yet was unknown, and where it was; and this Fohua defires him, he would inform him of and fatisfy him about, and without any referve openly declare the truth,
¥. 20. And Achan anfwered Fofhua, and faid, &c.]..He made.a free and open confeffion of his fin: indeed I have finned againft the Lord God of Jrael, againt, him,who had been fo good to Jf vael in many inftances, and particularly in deliver- in Babylon, called Shinar, for that is the word in. the text, fo Kimchi and Abarbinel; and Babylonian garments were in great efteem in other nations:
Pliny fays*, Babylon was famous for garments in= terwoven with pictures of divers colours, and which: gave name to them; and Plutarch® relates, that Cato in his great modefty, and being an enemy to. luxury, having a Babylonifh garment that came to: him by inheritance, ordered it immediately to be fold: the Vulgate Latin verfion calls it a fearlet robe; and in fome Fewi/h writings *, it is interpreted, a garment of Babylonian purple, as if it only refpected the colour; and purple and {earlet are fometimes promifcuoufly ufed and put for the fame, fee Matt. xxvii. 28.’ Mar. xv. 17. and were the colour worn by kings: and Fo/epbus here calls it a royal garment, wholly interwoven with gold and fome have thought it to be the garment of the king of Jericho, which is not unlikely; however, ttis much more probable, than that fericho was fubject to the king of Babylon, and that he had pa= ~ laces in Jericho, and when he came thither was clothed with this robe, fo Farchi; as is elfewhere faid ¢ by others, that he had a deputy who refided in Fericho, who fent dates to the king of Babylon, and the king fent him gifts, among which was a garment of Shinar or Babylon: and 200 fhekels of filver which, if coined money was near 25 pounds:
and a wedge of gold of 50 foekels weight, or a tongue of gold*, a plate of gold in the fhape of a tongue, as. Kimchi and Abarbinel, a piece of unwrought gold which weighed 50 fhekels, and worth of our money about 75 pounds, according to Brererwood': where he faw:thefe, and from whence he took them is not faid; according to fome Fewife writers, thefe belonged to one of their idols; it is faid*, he faw the Teraphim and the filver they offered before it, and the garment which was {pread before it, and the tongue or wedge of gold in its mouth; and he defired them in his heart, and went and took them, and hid them in the midft of his tent; and the Samaritan chronicle ' makes him confefs that he went into a temple in ‘Jericho and found the above things there: and Ma/us conjectures that the wedge of gold was a little golden fword, with which the men of Jericho had armed their god, fince an antient poet ® calls a little fword alittle tongue: then I coveted them, and took them; he is very particular in the account, and gradually proceeds in relating the temptation he was under, and the prevalence of it; it began with his eyes, which were catched with the goodlinefs of the garments, and the riches he faw; thefe affeéted his heart and ftirred up covetous defires, which influenced and direéted his hands to take them: and ing Jericho into their hands in fo extraordinary al debold they are bid in the earth in the midft of my manner; againft a,law of -his, refpecting the fpoil of that city, which fin.was the more aggravated tent; Fofepbus * fays, he dug a deep hole or ditch in his tent, and put them there, that is, the Baby.
thereby 5. and that he had committed the fin he| oni/b garment and the wedge of gold; ee
Apud Hottinger, ut fupra,
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Ben Gerfom gathers from y. 25. was wrapt up and hid within the garment; which is not improbable, fince otherwife no account is given of that: and the filver under it; the 200 fhekels of filver lay under the garment in which was the wedge of gold, and fo, it Jay under them both.:
the tent, either for joy that the iniquity was dif- ‘ent and all that he bad, the tent, he and his family dwelt in, with all the houfhold goods in it: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor; fo called by anticipation here; for it had its name from the trouble Achan gave to I/rael, and with which he __ |.was troubled himfelf: fome render it, they brought them up; and as it is more proper to defcend into a valley, then to go up to it, it is thought there and they ran unto) was a mountain between the camp of J/rael and this valley, fo Kimchi and Ben Melech, {ee Hof, ii.
¥, 22. So Fofbua fent meffengers, &c.] Direétly to Achan’s tent, to fee if it was as he had faid, and to bring the things with them:
covered, as Kimchi, or that none of the tribe of Fudab or of Achan’s family or relations fhould get there.before them, and take them from thence and belie the lot; fo Yarchi, Ben Gerfom, and Abarbinel; but, no doubt, it is remarked, to fhew the readine(fs and diligence of the meffengers to obey the order of Fofbua: and behold, it was bid in bis tent, and the filver under it, as Achan had faid.
y. 23. And they took them out of the midft of the tent, &c.| Out of the place, hole, or pit in which they were hid: and brought them to Fofoua and to the children of Ifrael, to “fofbua as the chief ruler, and to the elders and heads of the tribes affembled together: and laid them out before the Lord; or poured them out°®; the golden wedge, out of the garment in which it was wrapped, and the 200 fhekels of filver found under it:
‘his affes, and his foeep, in which lay his Pee an everlafting falvation; and as it may be hoped from the ingenuous confeffion that he made, that he had true repentance for it, and forgivenefs of it feems as if thefejit: and all Ijrael fioned him with ftones 5 hence fome gather, that only Achan himfelf fuffered deaths and not his fons and daughters: and burnt them with fire after they bad ftoned them with fones; which the ‘fewi/b commentators underftand of his oxen, afles, and fheep; fo Yarchi, Ben Gerfom and Abarbinel, likewife his tent, and houfhold’ goods, the Babylonifo garment, gold and filver were burnt, and he himfelt alfo, for that is the exprefs order, were poured or laid out feparately upon the ground before the tabernacte, where the ark of the Lord was, they belonging to the fpoils which were devoted to him; as well as hereby they were plainly feen by the J/raelites, that thefe were the very things which Achan had confefied.
¥. 24. And Fofhua, and all Ifrael with him, took| Achan the fon of Zerah, 8cc.| Fofoua and all J/- vael are mentioned, to fhew the perfect agreement between ‘Fo/bua and the heads of the people in this affair of Achan, and in the nature and manner of his punifhment: and the filver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold; which, though devoted to facred ufes, yet having been converted to another’s ufe, and made his property, was not to be employed in the fervice of the fanétuary, but to be burnt with him: aud bis fons and bis daughters; who, according to Bes Gerfom, <Abarbinel, and Abendana, were not brought forth to be put to death, only to be fpectators.of the fentence of judgment and the execution of it, that they might keep themfelves from fuch evil things; though, as Acban may be fuppofed to be a man in years, being but the fourth generation from Judah; his fons and daughters were grown up in all probability, and might be acceffaries in this affair; and fo, as fome Fewifh writers remark, were worthy death, becauife they faw and knew what was done, and were filent and did ‘not declare it’; and it| feems by what is faid, ch. xxii. 20.
y. 15. the Fews fay, as particularly Farchi obferves, that he was ftoned becaufe he prophaned the fabbath, it being on the fabbath-day that Fericho was taken, and {toning was the punifhment of the fabbath-breaker, and he was burnt on the account of the accurfed thing; fo Abendana. ¥y. 26. And they raifed over him a great heap of ffones unto this day, &c.] That is, at the place where he fuffered, or where they laid his afhes, they heaped up a pile of {tones over him, as a monumunt whereby it might be known hereafter, where he was executed and was buried; and which pile continued to the writing of this hiftory: fuch fort of funeral monuments were ufual with the heathens * alfo as well as with the Fews, fee ch. viii. 29. 2 Sam. xviii. 17. fo the Lord turned from the tbe fiercene/s of bis anger 5 OF the effects of it ceafed; the outward face of things was altered, the dealofjings of God in his providence with Jrael were changed; though, properly fpeaking, there is no change in God, nor fuch affections and paffions in that they died him as in man: wherefore the name of the place was called the valley of Achor unto this day; trom though it may be the trouble Achan met with, and the people of J/- rae? on his account, fee ¥. 24. and fo it was called in the days of Ifaiah and Hofea, If. xv. 10. Hof, ii. 15. and where it is prophefied of as what fhould be in time to come: according to Bunting *, it was 12 miles from Jerufalem Ferom* fays, it was at and his oxen, and the north of Jericho, but Lamy, following Bonfrerius, places it to the fouth; fee ch. xv. 7.
as well as Achan, fince it is there faid, that man perifbed not alone in his iniquity;
interpreted, of his fubftance, his cattle perifhing with hin; and indeed from y¥. 25. it feems as if - none.were ftoned but himfelf, that is, of his fa- ‘mily; no mention is made of his wife, who, if he had any, as Kimchi obferves, knew nothing of the matter, it being hid from her:
¥. 25. And Fofoua faid, why haft thou troubled us, &c.] Been the occafion of fo much trouble to us, by committing this fin: the Lord fhall trouble thee this day; by the deftruction of him and all that belonged to him: this is faid to fhew that his punifhment was of God, and according to his will: in the Mi/nab* an emphafis is laid on the phrafe this day, and it is obferved, ** this day thou fhalt ‘* be troubled, but thou fhalt not be troubled in “* the world to come;” fuggefting that though temporal punifhment was inflicted on him, yet his iniquity was forgiven, and he would be faved with ©
_as that of the eaftern people generally did: and bis y. 4. And he commanded them, faying, 8c.) At the time he fent them away; Jehbold, ye fhall lie in wait againft the city, even behind the city; that is, on the weft fide of it, ¥. 9. go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready, to enter into it, as foon as the forces are drawn out eaftward to meet the army of J/rael. ® y. 5. And I and all the people that are with me will approach unto the city, &c.] That is, Fofbua with the main body of the army would march up to the city the next morning, in order to draw out the inhabitants of it to ight them: and it fhall come to pafs, when they come out againft us, as at the firft; as they had done before, when the 3,000 were fent againit them, ch. vii. 4, 5. that we will flee before them; as the 3,000 did, which would animate them to purfue them with the greater eagernefs, and to a diftance from their city.
¥. 6. For they will come out after us, &c.| Of which there could be no doubt, when they fhould fee them run from them: ¢i/] we have drawn them rom the city; fome diftance from it, that they could not return foon enough to fave it from the ambufh, or prevent their entrance into it-and firing it: for they will fay, they will flee before us, as at the firft; they run away as they did before, and let us purfue them and fmite them as we did then: therefore we will flee before them; to draw them out of the city and make your way eafy to get into if,
¥. 7. Then ye foall rife up from the ambufh, &c.] When they fhould fee a fignal made, that in y. 18, 19. and when their watch, they might fet in a proper place, fhould fee J/rae/ flee, and the men of 4 at a diftance from their city, purfuing, and give notice of it to the ambufh: and feize upon the city; enter into it, and take pofleffion of it, its fortreffes, and fecure its pafles: for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand, Fofhua exprefies himfelf with great confidence, having the promife of God and relying on it.;
¥. 8. And it foall be when ye have taken the city, &c.] Entered it and become matters of it: that e fall fet the city on fire; not the whole city, only
OS HUA is encouraged to go up and take 4, S 6 and is directed what method to make ufe of, y. 1, 2. accordingly he fet an ambufh on the weft fide of it, and he and the reft of the army went up before it, y. 3—13. which, when the king of Ai faw, he and all his forces came out againft them, and the J/raelites making a feint as if they were beaten, drew on the men of 4 to purfue them, upon which the ambufh arofe and entered the city and fet fire to it, ¥. 14—19. the fmoke of which being obferved by Fo/hua and Irae! they turned back upon the purfuers, and the ambufh fallying out of the city behind them, made an entire deftruction of them, then flew all the inhabitants, took the fpoil, burnt the city, and hanged the king of it, ¥. 20—29. after this Fo/bua built an altar at Eba/, wrote the law on ftones, and read the bleflings and curfes in it before all Jrael, y.
mediately after the execution of Achan, the fiercenefs of his anger being turned away: fear not, netther be thou difmayed, on account of the defeat of his troops he had fent to take 4: take all the people of war with thee; all above 20 years of age, which with the 40,000 of the tribes on the other fide Fordan he brought over with him, muft make an army of 500,000 men; thefe Fe/hua was to take with him, not fo much to animate and encourage him, or to terrify the enemy, nor becaufe {uch a number was neceffary for the reduction of Ai, which was but a fmall city; but that all might have a part in the fpoil and plunder of it, which they were denied at Jericho, and chiefly to draw ‘all the men out of the city, feeing fuch a numerous hoft approaching: aud arife, go up to Ai; which lay high, and 7o/bua being now in the plains of Fericho, fee the note on ch. vii. 2. fee, J have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and bis city, and bis land; this city, though a mall one, had a king over it, as moft cities in the land of Canaan had; the number of his people in it were 12,000, and his land were the fields about it; all which were given to Fohua by the Lord, and were as fure asit he had them already in his hand.
¥. 3. So Fofbua arofe, and all the people of. war, to go up againft Ai, &c.| As the Lord had comananded him: aad Fohua chofe out 30,000 mighty men of valour, out of all the men of war; thefe|du were a felect-company, picked men, not the whole army, as fomeehave thought, for he was ordered to take all the people of war, as he did: and fent them away by night; from the main army, that they might pafs the city and get behind it undifcovered, for they were fent for an ambulh; and of thefe forme were to take the city and be left in it to burn it, and fome to {mite the men of 4, as fome out houfes of it, to make a fmoke which might be feen both by J/rae] and the men of 4, for different purpofes; for the {poil of the city was firft to be taken before it was utterly burnt with \fire: according to the commandment of the Lord foall ye do; plunder the city, deftroy the inhabitants of it, and then burn it: fee I have commanded you; delivered the command of the Lord unto them, queftion jand therefore were left without exqufe, and could not plead ignorance; befides, he was their general, and he expected his orders to be obeyed, as they ought to have been.
y. 2. And thou foalt do to Ai and her king, as thou didft to fericho and ber king, &c.| Burn the one and flay the other: only the fpoil thereof, and the cattle thereof fhall ye take for a prey unto your- Jelves; which they were not allowed to do at Jericho: lay thee an ambufh for the city behind it, at the weft fide of it: fome have called in the lawfulnefs of the ambufh, but as this was appointed by the Lord, there is no room for it.
¥.9. fo/hua therefore fent them forth, &c.) The 30,000 chofen men: and they went to lie in amo, as they were ordered: and abode between Bethel and Ai, om the weft fide of Ai, for as di was jon the eaft of Bethel, ch. vii. 2. Bethel muft be on the weft of 4, as Farchi notes: but Fofbua Io ¢hat night among the people; the main body of army, to direct them in the affair of war, how they fhould behave the next day, when they came to fight, and to infpire them with courage and - confidence, that they might not be afraid, becaufe dbarbinel notes. of their having been {mitten before by this people, I fo fo Ben Gerfom; or rather that he and they might be ready in the morning to march towards Ai, as Yarchi and Kimchz.
¥. 10. And Fofbua rofe up early in the morning and numbered the people, &c.| To fee if there were any wanting, and to put them in proper order for their march: and went up, he and the elders of Ifrael, before the people to Ai; thefe elders were either the feventy elders who went with o/bua as couneil to him; or it may be rather, they were inferior officers who went at the head of their refpective corps under them.
¥. 11. And all the people, even the people of war that were with bim, and went up and drew nigh, &c.] To the city of Ai: and came before the city, as if they intended to befiege it, {torm it, or force an entrance into it: and pitched on the north fide of 4i; which was judged fitteft for the purpof: now there was a valley between them and Ai s which the Radbdbins call the valley of Halacab, as Farchi fays; fo that they were upon an hill, at leaft on rifing ground, and might the more eafily be feen by the inhabitants of 4, whom they wanted to draw out of their city.
¥. 12. And he took about 5000 men, and [et them to lie in ambufo, &c.} This was another ambuth, as both Yarchi.and Kimchi obferve; and the latter adds, perhaps he fet them nearer the city than the former; though fome are of opinion that thefe are the fame ambufh fpoken of, whofe number is here given, being fet on the fame fide of the city; and they fuppofe that 7o/bua had with him but 30,000 men in all, 5,000 of which he fent to lie in ambufh, and the other 25,000 remained with him; but it feems clear, that all the men of war were to be taken and were taken by them, and that out of them 30,000 were fent by him to lie in wait at firft, and now 5,000 more: between Bethel and Ai, on the weft fide of the city; and though they were on the fame fide of the city with the firft and larger ambufh, yet, as Abarbinel obferves, they might be fet nearer the city and to the army; and he fuppofes the firft ambuth was to take the city, beds and accoutred with armour, and put into 4 military otder, they marched out with their king at the head of them, to give I/rael battle: he and all bis people at a time appointed, before the plain, which was before the city, the fame with the valley mentioned, ¥. t1, 13. the city was built on an eminence, and this plain or valley lay at the bottom of it; and on an eminence on the other: fide of the valley, the army of J/rael was pitched; wherefore the king of 47 and all his men of war went out hither to attack J/rael, and this is faid to be at an appointed time: it is difficult to fay what is meant by it, when they feem to have hurried out as faft as they ¢ould, as foon as they perceived the J/raelites were near them: Ben Gerfom and Abarbinel think, it was the fame time of the day they went out at firft, which the king might chufe as lucky, being before fuccefsful, and to encourage the men, that as they conquered then they fhould now; which feems not amifs, though perhaps, it rather defigns an appointed place, as their rendezvous, and where to attack Trael, and where they had been before victorious: gut be wift not that there were hers in ambujh againft bim bebind the city; that he knew nothing of, and therefore took no precaution againft them to prevent their defign.
“y. 15. And Fofoua and all Ifrael made as if they were beaten before them, 8&cc.] Or fmitten, as fome of them might be in the purfuit: and fled by the way of the wilderne/s; not a barren defert, but, according to Kimchi and Ben Melech, a place for the pafture of cattle; though perhaps it is the fame with the wildernefs of Bethaven, ch. xviii, 12. Epiphanius* makes mention of the wildernefs of Bethel and Ephraim as near Fericho.
¥. 16. And all the people that were in Ai, were called together to purfue after them, &c.] Becaufe the hoft of Z/rae/ was very numerous, it was judged proper that all the people in fhould affift in purfuing them, not only to kill the more in the purfuit, but to carry off the fpoil and prifoners they fhould take; or rather, the fenfe is, that all and the fecond little ambuth, as he calls it, was placed, that when the men of the city came out, they might make a nojfe and a ftir, and fkirmifh with them, that fo they might not come upon the the people in 47, which were come out with the king to battle, when they faw Djrae/ flee, cried*, or fhouted, as foldiers do when victorious, iz or while purfuing ¥ after them: and they purfued after camp fuddenly. Jolbua, and were drawn away from the city; at
¥. 13. And when they had fet the people, &c.} In battle array,as in 1 Kingsxx. 12. that is, Fofua and the officers of the army:
was on the north of the city; where Fofhua and the main army were: and the liers in wait on the weft _ of the city; both the firft and fecond ambuth; when all were prepared and got ready by their feveral officers, to act the part they were to do: Fofoua went that night into the midft of the valley; according to Ben Gerfom, to fee whether the guards or centinels which were placed there were awake or afleep, left the men of 4 fhould come fuddenly fome confiderable diftance from it; which was the defign, to be anfwered by feigning a flight. even a// the hoft that) ¥. 17. And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel that went not out after Tfrael, &c.] For as thefe two places were very near to each other, but a mile afunder; they were in confederacy, and ated together, and could eafily be called to the help of each other when required: though there is a difficulty how the men of Bethel could join thofe of Ai, when the ambuth lay between them both, y. 12, they either went another way, or the ambufh purpofely let them pafs, for fear of a difco- upon them and fmite them; but perhaps it might ’ be to pray and meditate.
¥. 14. And it came to pals when the king of Ai fow it, &c.] Not the ambufh on the weft fide, but the hoft or army on the north fide, or however, fome of his people gave him notice of it: that they hafted and rofe up early; or made hatte to very by a fkirmifh with them, and that Bethel as well as 4i might be cleared of its armed inhabitants, and fo fall an eafy prey to them as well as 4i; this muft be underftood only of men of war; for otherwife there were inhabitants left, as old men, and fuch as‘were unfit for war, afterwards flain, ¥. 24, 25. and they left the city open; they rife out of their beds, on the alarm given of Jrael’s. near approach: and the men of the city went out againft Ifrael to battle; being raifed out of their did not ftay to fhut the gates, nor left porters or any guards about, to take care of, protect, and defend the city: and purfued after Irael, with great
Sernefs and vehemence; not. having the leaft ap- Prehenfion of their city being in any danger.
¥. 18. And the Lord faid unto Fofhua, jiretch out the foear that is in thy hand towards Ai, &c.) On which was a flag, as 4barbinel and Ben Melech think; and which is not improbable, and ferved for a fignal for the ambufh to come our and feize the city, as both they and Farchi obferve, as well as a fignal alfo to the army of J/rae/ to prepare, to turn and face about, and engage with the enemy though they did not actually do this until they faw the fmoke of the city, ¥. 21. for J will give it into thine band; of which the ftretching out of his fpear feems alo to be a,¢onfirming fign to him, and which he kept ftretched out until all the inhabitants of 41 were deftroyed, ¥. 26. and Fofhua firetched out the fpear that he had in bis band toward the city; and therefore muft turn himfelf towards it; and it is highly probable, that, at the fame time there was a full ftop of the army, and that they immediately turned or prepared to turn about.
¥. 19. And the ambufh arofe quickly out of their place, &c.|] As foon as the centinels fet in proper places obferved’ the fignal, and. gave them notice of it, which was the ftretching out of the fpear, as we commonly fay, they were between two fires,” the ambufh on one fide, the army of J/rae/ on they other: and they fmote them, fo that they let none of) them remain or efcape; not one was faved alive, excepting their king, as in the next verfe; no quar= ter was given them, nor any fuffered to make their: efcape. eee tee gace y. 23. And the king of Ai. they took alive; &c.),
They fpared him, and referved him for.a more? — fhameful death: and brought him to Fofhua, their general; delivering him into.his hands. as his pri-)
foner, to do with him as feemed good in his fight.
y. 24. And it came-to pals when Ifrael had made an end of flaying all the inhabitants of: Ai, ®c. s
That came out againft them: im tbe fieldj in| the wilderne/s wherein they chafed them; both im the arable lands that were fown with corn, and now clothed with it, the wheat efpecially, not being ga=) thered in as not yet ripe, and in the pafture-ground defigned by the wildernefs, fee ¥. 15. fo Kimche | and Ben Melech interpret it: and when they \ were all fallen on the edge of the fword; and were flain by it: until they were confumed; and not one left:' that all the Ifraelites returned unto Ai, both the» ambufh that came out of it, and the army that came againft it: and fmote it with the édge of the.
as appears by what follows: and they ran ‘as foon fword; thatis, the inhabitants that were left in jit, as he bad firetched out his hand; and the {pear in his hand; from whence it is plain, that though the Lord is faid to bid Fo/bua do this. now, he had orders from him for it before, and the ambufh|&c.. Partly in the city, and partly in: the field, muft have been made acquainted with it before they were fent away; and this was only a renewal unfit for war, as old men, infirm perfons;’ women’. and children, as follows, t aor galing ¥. 25. And fo it was, that all that fell that day.)
both by the ambufh and the army: both) of tmem, and women, were 12,000, even all the men of Ai 3 of. the order from the Lord, and which pointed fo that the city was nota very large one, and the numbers of inhabitants were comparatively buty out the proper time, the very crifis when it fhould be ftretched out: and they entered into the city; without any difficulty, the gates being open: and took it; took poffeffion of it, and the {trong holds in it; and hafted and fet the city on fire; that is, they made hafte to fet fome houfes on fire as the fignal to the army of J/rae/ to return.
y. 20. And when the men of Ai looked behind them, &c.| On fome account or another, perhaps obferving that the army of Jrae/ made a full flop and was gazing at the city: they faw, and bebold, the fmoke of the city afcended up to heaven; from whence they concluded. an enemy was there, and had fet fire to it: and they had no power to fice this vay or that way; for if they turned back to their city there was an enemy, how powerful they knew not, -poffefied of it, and whom they might expect would meet them; and if they pufhed forward, there was the whole army of J/rae/ again{t them, which now turned and faced them, fhewing no fear of them: and the people that fled to the wilderne turned back upon the purfuers; the people of J/rael that fled by the way of the wildernefs, y¥. 15. s have been inhabited by the Fews, after their return” from the Babylonifh captivity, Neb. xi. 31. even y. 26. For Fofbua drew not his hand back where=> with he firetched out his fpear, 8&c:| » But conti-— nued it, and that ftretched out:. uutil be had ut=. terly deftroyed all the inbabitants of di; -jult as ‘they hand. of Mo/es was held up, and kept’ held: up un-" til Amalek was difcomfited by Fo/bua, Exod. xvii. L2o7 4. e of y¥. 27. Only the cattle and the ‘[poil of ‘the city. Tjrael took for a prey unto themfelves, 8c.) Even all their fubftance, as befides their cattle, alfo their® gold, filver, houfhold-goods, merchandize, &e. according unto the word of the Lord which be com=' manded JFofoua, y. 2.:
y. 28. And Fofhua burnt Ai, &c.] The whole’ city, fire being only fet before toa few houfes, to make a fmoke as a fignal; he did with it as he’ had done with Yericho, for fo he was ordered, yn: 2. and made it an heap for ever, that is, for a long: time, for it appears to have been rebuilt, and to- turned about, and fell upon the men of 4 that a defolation unto this day; to the time of the writing of this book; and by what has been juft obferved, - y. 21. And when Fofhua, &c.| Or for Fofhua+: and all Ifrael faw that the ambufh bad taken the it appears that Zzra could not be the writer of it, fince this city was inhabited in his time.
city; which they knew by the fmoke, as follows:
¥. 29. And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree.
and that the fmoke of the city afcended; in large columns, which fufficiently indicated that the whole city was taken and fired by the ambufh: then, or and they turned again and flew the men of Ai; great until even-tide, &c.| By way of terror to other kings in the land of Canaaa, that fhould refufe to” f{ubmit unto him: and as foon as the fun was down, \Fofoua commanded that they foould take his. carca| ar 5 ‘ down from the tree, according to the law in Deut.
y.22. And the other iffued out off the city againft them, &c.] That is, the ambufh, or at leaft aland part of them: fo that they were in the midft of I rael, fome on this fide, and fome on that fide; or, \xxi. 23. and that the land might not be defiled: caf it at the entering of the gate of the city; -|this was done, according to Ben Gerfom and dinel, that it might be publickly known to the reft
Ch.viil.¥.30—35. FOSAU 4 i9¢ of the kings of the nations, that they might be afraid to fight with J/rael: and raife thereon a great beap of ftones that remaineth unto this day; as a fepulchral monument, fhewing that there was a fon lay. interred there; whether there was any in- {cription on the ftone, fhewing who he was, does not appear; it looks as if it was only a rude of ftones; and fuch kind of fepulchral monuments were common in former times in other countries. - ¥. 30. Then Fofhua built an altar unto the Lord God of Ifrael in mount Ebal, &c.] As was commanded, Deut. xxvii. 5. The Saviaritan chronicle fays,’twas built in mount Gerizzim, but thete is a difficulty arifes, when this was done by Yofhua; it fhould feem by inferting the, account here, that it was done immediately after the deftruction of 4; and Mercator endeavours to prove, that Ebal was near to Ai, but what he has, faid does not give fatisfaction.; for certain it is, that Bbal and Gerizzim were near Shechem in Samaria; at a great diftance from di, fee. Fudg. ix, 6, 7,.The ews * generally are of opinion, that this was done as foon as Hfrael, even the very day, they pafted over Fordan, which they think the letter of the command re-| quired, Deut. xi. 29. and xxvii. 4, 5. does not, only that it fhould be done after they were pafled over it; Eda/ being at too great a di- {tance from Jordan forthem to accomplifh it on that day, being, as they themfelves fay °, 60 miles from Forder; fo that they ate obliged to make Ffrael travel that day.120 miles, and as they they did*; and which they muft do, if what they fay was true, it being 60 miles to Edal, and 60 more to return again to Gilgal that night, where| they enéamped; but this is incredible: and as this account Of Foe/bua’s building the altar is too foon after he. had pafled Fordan; what R. has pitched upon is too late, who fays this was done till after 14 years, when the land was conquered, which was feven years doing, and when it was divided, which were feven years more; what Fofephus {ays * is more probable than either, which is, that Yo/bua, five years after he had entered Canaan, when he had placéd the tabernacle at Shilob, went from thence and + built an altar at Ebal; for as for what R. Eliezer fuggefts ', that Eba Gerizzim, here mentioned, are not the Eda/ and Gerizzim of the Samaritans, only two hills were made, and they were called by thefe namés, cannot merit any belief or regard.
¥. 31. AS Mofes the fervant of the Lord commanded the children of Ifrael, as it is written in the book of the law of Mojes, &c.| Deut. xxvii. 5: an altar of whole ftones, on which no man hath lift ap any iron; fee Exod. xx. 25. Deut. xxvii. 5, 6. and the notes there: and they offered thereon were introduced into, and this was what they were per-jordered to do by Mo/es, Deut. xxvii. 6, 7., ¥. 32. And he wrote there upon the ftones a copy of the law of Mofes, &c.] Not upon the ftones heapjof which the altar was made, though fome have fo thought; but upon. other ftones ereéted in the form of a pillar, and plaftered over, Deut. xxvii. 4. which copy of the law was not the whole book of Deuteronomy, as fome,, at leaft only an: abftract of the Jaws in it; but rather the decalogue, as Abardinel; or the bleffings and curfes after read, as Ben Gerfom: which be wrote in the prefence of /e children of I/rael, they being witneftes of it, that he did what was enjoined.
y. 33. And all Ijrael, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, ftood on this fide'the ark, and on that fide, &c.| Some on, Ebal, and fome on Gerizzim: before the priefts and the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord; it being brought out of the tabernacle.on this occafion, and borne by the priefts and Levites: as well the franger, as he that.was born among them; that is, though itjas well the proielytes as the native J/raelites, both appeared and were in the fame fituation: half of them over-againft mount Gerizzim, that is, half of the tribes, and thefe were Simeon, Levi, Judah, [fachar,Fofeph and Benjamin: and half of them overagainft mount Ebal, which were the tribes of Reu-. affert)den, Gad, Afber, Zebulun, Dan and Naptbali; fee the notes on Deut. xxvii. 12, 13. as Mofes the fervant of the Lord had commanded before, that they hould blefs the people of Ifrael, as in Deut. xxvii. 12.° wa és CS epties | y. 34+ And afterwards be read all the words of Ibmael") the law, &c.} Not the whole pentateuch, nor the not whole book of Deuteronomy, but either fome parts of it, the decalogue, or whatfoever he had written on the ftones, and as follows: she blefings and curfings, according to all that was written in the ook of the law; Deut. xxvii. 14-26. and xxviii. 1—6. fee the note on Dewt. xxvii. 11.
y. 35. There was not a word of all that Mofes commanded, which Fofbua read not, &c.] So puncand} tually, ‘precifely, and exactly did he obferve the inftructions and’ commands that were given him by Mo/es; and this he did in the moft public manner: defore all the congregation of Ifrael; who were on this occafion called together, and not before the men only, but with the women, and little ones; who all had a concern in the things that were read to them: yea even and the firangers that were converfant among thems not the profelytes of righteoufnefs only, but the profelytes of the gate, that burnt-'dwelt, walked and converfed with them.
offerings unto the Lord, and Sacrificed peace- offerings; by way of thankfgiving for the good land they
HIS chapter gives an account of the com-|which Tetithass of the feveral kings of Canaan a-| gaint Jrael, y. 1, 2. and of the craftinefs of the - Gibeonites, pretending they were embaffadors from a far country, and defired to enter into a league with J/rael, which they obtained, ¥.
when it was difcovered who they were, it occafioned a murmuring among the people, ¥. 16 —18. the princes quelled by propofing to make them hewers of wood, and drawers of water, y. 19, 20, 21. in order to which Yo/hua fummoned them before: him, and chid them for beguiling them; and after they had made their excufe, he 3—15- butjordered them to the fervice the princes propofed, and fo peace in the congregation of J/rael was preferved, y. 21—27.
y.1. And it came to pafs, when all the kings which were on this fide fordan, &c.] On the fide Tjrael now were, and was that in which the land of Canaan lay, and was now governed by many kings, and all that were now remaining, even all but the kings of Jericho and Ai, who were flain: both thofe ix the bills, and in the vallies; dwelt in the mountainous part of the country, and in the plains of it: and in all the coafts of the great fea, over-againft Lebanon;
governed in that part of the country which lay the coaft of the Mediterranean fea, the country of Phenicia, in which were Tyre, Sidon, and other cities, and were over-againft mount Lebanon, which was on the northern part of the country; ing to the Latin verfion, they dwelt near Lebanon; and according to the Septuagint, near Antilidanus, It feems beft, with Noeldius®, to render the words, even unto Lebanon; for it defigns all the fea coafts reaching to it; for all the maritime coafts did not lie over-againft it: the Hittite, and the the Canaanite, the.Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Febufite beard thereof; what they heard is not faid, but to be underftood; particularly they heard what had been done by 7o/bua, and the people of J/rae to Fericho and Ai, and their kings, ¥. 3. Some think, as Abarbinel, that they had heard of the altar Fo/bua had* made, and of the ftones he fet up, and of his reading the law to the people, by which they were to be governed; all which they underftood, as taking pofféffion of the country, and looking upon it as conquered, and oblialfo, as well as other nations, acted’ a cunning part, but in a different way; they did not enter finto confultations and alliances with others, how to defend themfelves, but made ule of a {tratagem to make peace, and enter into a league with Lrael; or alfo as the I/raelites had done, either as Simeon thatjand Levi had dealt craftily with the Shechemites, who were Hivites, Gen. XXXIV. 2, 13. fo now the Gibeonites, who alfo were Hivites, ¥. 7. wrought who inhabited andJin a wily and crafty manner with them, fo Jarcht; onjor as the J/raelites had lately done in the affair of 4i: and went and made as if they bad been embaffadors; from fome ftates in a foreign country, fent on an embafly to the people of J/rae/, to compliaccord- ment them on their fuccefies, and to enter into alliance with them, which they thought would be pleafing and acceptable to them; the Targum is, ‘* they prepared food,” which they took with them for their journey; and fo the Septuagint, Vulgate Latia, Syriac and Arabic verfions: and took old Amorite, facks upon their affes,; in which they put their provifions: and wine-bottles, old, and rent, and bound ”p; not made of glafs, as ours ufually are, but of the fkins of beafts, as the bottles in the eaftern,{countries commonly were; which in time grew old, and were rent and burft, and they were obliged to mend them, and bind them up, that they might haeijhold together, and retain the liquor put into them, {ee Matt. ix. 17.
-¥. 5. And old fooes, and clouted, upon their feet, &c.] Which being worn out, were patched with various pieces of leather: and old garments upon ging his people to {wear fealty to him. All the nations of Canaan are mentioned, but the Gerga fites;
which, according to the Yewi/h writers, are omitted, becaufe they were but few; the Septuagint verfion has them in fome copies.
¥. 2. That they gathered themfelves together to fight with Fofoua, and with Ifrael, &c.] Not at this time, but they met together to confult what and the bread of their provifion was dry and mouldy; having been kept a long time, and unfit for ule; or like cakes over baked and burnt, as the Targum and Farchi: the word for mouldy fignifies pricked, pointed, fpotted, as mouldy bread has in it fpots of different colours, as white, red, green and black, as Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it; or it figniwas proper to be done in order to fecure themfelves, and their people, and put a ftop to the fuccefles of the arms of J/rael; and for this purpofe entered into alliances with each other to affift one another, or at a convenient time and place to join their forces together, and attack J/rael, as afterwards they did, ch. xi, 1—5. and this they did ‘apith one accord; were unanimous in their councils and refolutions; they all confederated together, and agreed as one man to make a common caufe of it, and oppofe J/rael with their united forces, ‘yt. 3. Andwwhen the inbabitants of Gibeon, 8c.|| A jarge and royal city, a metropolitan one, which had three others belonging to it, and under it, mentioned ¥. 17. fee ch. x. 2, no mention is made of any king over them, perhaps they were governed by elders, y. 11. Though an Arabic writer* fays, the king of Gideon wrote to Fofbua, and defired fecurity, and fent him large gifts, whom having preferved in fafety, Ya/hua placed on his throne: when thefe feard what Fofhua had done to Fericho and Ai; had taken the one in a miraculous way, and the other by a ftratagem, and had burnt them both, dettroyed the inhabitants, plundered their fubftance, and flew both their kings, all which|J ftruck them with terror.
¥. 4. And they did work wilily, &c.] Acted craftily, dealt in much cunning and fubtlety; our verfion leaves out a very emphatic word, a//a; they fies bread. fo dry, as Ben Gerfom notes, that it crumbles into pieces eafily, with which the Vulgate Latin verfion agrees; or rather through being long kept, it'was become dry and hard like crufts,. fo Noldius'; or very hard, like bread twice baked, as Caj/tell *..
. ¥. 6. And they went to Fofbua, unto the camp at Gilga/, &c.] From whence it appears, that after Fericho and 4 were deftroyed, the army of I/rael returned to their encampment at Gilga/, ch v.10. and here they were when the Gibeonites applied to them: and faid unto him, and to the men of Irae; not to the whole body of the people, but either to jthe feventy elders, the great council, who were with Fa/hua, or the princes of the congregation, after mentioned, who are faid to fwear to them; and fo fome render the words, to the chief men of Ifrael'; the word J&, here ufed, fometimes denotes an eminent perfon or perfons, fee J/: ii. 9. we be come from a far country, this lie they told, that they might not be thought to.be inhabitants of Canaan, and be deftroyed as thofe of Yericho and 4i were; and as the reft of the inhabitants would be, of which they had intelligence, as the defign of the rae/ites, and what their orders were; accordin to Ferom™, Gibeon was but four miles from Bethel: unlefs he means Giobab; however it could not be at a much greater diftance; and as Gilgal was a mile and a quarter from Fericho, where the Gide- them; full of holes and rents, ragged and patched:.
enites now were, and Ai but three miles from Feripaflage for the Ifraelitess nor of the dettruction cho, and Bethel a mile from thence, and Gibeon tour miles from Betbe/, they were come but little more than nine miles. Bunting ® makes it 12 miles from
Gilga]l to,.Gibeon: now therefore make ye a league’
with us;, offenfive and defenfive, to help and affift each other againft a.commonenemy..
¥. 7. dnd the men of Ifrael faid unto the Hivites, &c.] Though they did not know them to be fuch, but as they afterwards appeared to be the Livites, as the Grbeonites were, they are here fo called, fee ch. xi. 1g. The name fignifies ferpents; according of Feritho and di, which were recent things, and could not be thought as yet to have reached a far country they pretended to come from; and which; if they mentioned, might have created a ftronger tufpicion ftill of their being Canaanites.
y. 11. Wherefore our elders, and all the inbabitants of our country, fpake unto us, &cc.] They fuggeft, that their fenate, or the ftates of their country, their principal men were convened, and that it was the unanimous voice of them, and of the people, that they fhould go on this embaffy:
to a Derafo, or myftical Expofition, mentioned | aying, take victuals with you for the journey; fufhi- by Kimchi, the Gibeonites are fo called, becaute they did the work of the ferpent; that is to fay, they deceived the J/raelites, as the ferpent deceived Eve: peradveniure ye dwell among us; of which they had fome fufpicion: and how /ball we make a cient for fo long a journey; fer in thof times and countries, inns on the road were not frequent as now: and go to meet them; to prevent their coming in an hoftile manner unto them, and make peace, and enter into an alliance with them: and league with you? which they were forbid to do| ay unto them, we are your fervants; ready to with any of the feven nations, Dew?. vil. 2.
¥. 8. And they faid unto Fofhua, we are thy fervanis, &c.} Not that they meant to be fubjects of his, and tributaries to him; but this they faid in great humility and lowlinefs of mind, being willing to be or do any thing he fhould enjoin them. Abarbinel obferves, that this they propofed to Fofbua fingly, not to be fervants to al] the people, but to him only, and to have him for their head and goverhor: aud Fofbua faid, who are ye? and from whence come ye? by what name are ye called? and from what country do ye come? fufpecting, as it fhould feem, that they were the inhabitants of Canaan; or however he was cautious and upon his guard, left they fhould be fuch, and yet was not enough upon his guard to prevent impofition.
¥..9. And they faid unto him, from a very far country thy fervants are come, &c.) Which they magnified and expreffed in ftronger terms than before, but were careful not to mention any country, left fuch queftions fhould be afked about it, their anfwers to which would betray them, but put it off by faying they were come, Jbecaufe of the name of the Lord thy God; becaufe of what they had heard. of his- name, his power and goodnelis; or unto the name of the Lord thy God°; that is, they were come to profefs it, and to embrace the religion, of the J/raelites, and be profelytes to it; which they knew would be very agreeable to them, and engage them to, fhew them favour; and fo the Samaritaw chronicle? reprefents them, as promifing to do this, faying, ‘¢ we will believe in thy Lord, nor will we contradié& him in what ye fhall mark out for us, be it fmall or great;” which feems to be confirmed by what follows, unlefs it be confidered as an explanation of the preceding claufe: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that be did in Egypt, the miracles wrought there, the plagues he inflicted on the Hgyptiaus, and come into any terms with them, juft and reafonable: therefore now make ye a league with us; that we may live in friendfhip, and mutually affift each other, as occafion fhould require.
¥.12. This our bread we took hot for our provifion out of our boufes, &c.|] Thefe are not the words of the elders to the meffengers they fent, continued, but of the embaffadors to the J/raelites; pointing to the bread they brought with them, which they pretended was newly baked, and took’ hot out of the oven: on the day we came forth ta go unto you, but now bebold, it is dry, and it is inouldy; asin yt. 5. fee the note there; which they gave as a demontitration and proof that they were come from a far country, as they had afferted.
¥.13. And thefe bottles of wine which we filled, were new, &c.|) Thatis, on the day they came out on their journey: aud behold, they be rent, which were owing to the long ufe that had been made of them, as they pretended: aud thee our garments, and our fhoes, are become old by reajon of the very long journey; quite worn out through length of time, and tedious travels. J/dore of Pelufium 4 thinks, thefe Gibeonttes were Cappadocians, of whom he gives a fhocking character, and particularly that they were prone to lying and deceit; but his reafon for it, that they were of the Pdiliftines, will not hold good.
¥.14. And the men took of their vitiuals, &c.] That is, the princes of J/rae/ took thereof, not to eat of them; for it can’t be thought that fuch perfonages would eat of fuch dry and mouldy bread, and efpecially as they were now in a plentiful country, and poflefied of the fruits of it; but te fee whether it was in fuch a plight and condition as they faid, whereby they might judge of the truth of what they faid; and they learned and knew, as R. Yonah obferves, from the drinefs of their food, that it was truth they faid; and fo the Targum, the men hearkened to their words; and the wonderful deliverance of the children of [/rael {o Farchi, they believed what they faid on fight of from their flavery. ‘ — ¥. 106 And all that be did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Fordan, &c.| On the other fide of Fordan from Gilgal: to Sibon king of Hefbbon, and to Og king of Bafoanin Afhtaroth; the hiftory of which fee in Num. xxi. 21—35, they wilely took no notice of the mira ele of dividing, the waters of Jordan, to make a their provifions; but, according to Kimchi and Ben Melech, they eat of them, to confirm the covenant they made with them; but had this been the cafe, as it fometimes was a cu{tom to eat together at making covenants, fee Ge. xxvi. 30. the princes would doubtlefs have provided a better entertainment for fuch a purpole: the margin of our bibles leads to. the other fenfe, ** they Feceivras the men by feafon of their victuals:” and affed not counfel at the mouth of the Lord, as they 8ec.] The inhabitants of the four cities, when they came to them, though they found it to be a might and fhould have done, by defiring the highprieft to enquire of the Lord by Urim and Thummim but this they neglected, which had they attended to, the fraud would have been difcovered; or however, they would have had the mind of God about making peace with the Gibeouites, which in all likelihood he would not have difapproved of, they becoming profelytes, and giving up their poffeffions to J/rae/; but this did not excufe their neglect.
¥. 15. And Fofoua made peace with them, &c.] Upon the report the princes made of having examined what they had faid, and which they found to be true, particularly concerning their victuals: and made a league with them, to let them live; and not deftroy them as he did the Canaanites, and was ordered to do; they being fuppofed not to be- Jong to them by the reprefentation of things they had made: and tke princes of the congregation fware unto them; that they would keep the league and covenant they had made with them inviolable; they tatified it by an oath, which was a facred, folemn thing.
y. 16. And it came to pafs at the end of three days, after they had made a league with them, &c.| The league feems to have been made the fame day they came; the Gibeonites were no doubt in hatte to have it concluded, left they fhould be difcovered; and ‘fofbua, and the princes of J/rael, took no pains, and gave themfelves no great trouble to enquire about them, but made peace with them at once; and it was but three days after, or within three days of its being made, that they beard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them; that is, in their neighbourhood, as the 4rabie verfion; and fo Noldius * renders the words, and that they dwelt near them; for the Gibconites did not dwell among the J/raelites, or in the midft of them, but rear the place where they were; and this they underftood either by fome deferters that came to the camp of J/rae/, or by fome of the Ijraelites who were fent to reconnoitre feveral parts of the country, efpecially fuch as lay neareft, or for the fake of getting provifions for their camp.
true report that was brought them of their being neighbours, and that they were impofed upon by them: because the princes had fworn unto them by the Lord God of Ijrael; by the Word of the Lord God of I/rael, as the Targum, and therefore they re- {trained the people from fmiting and plundering them; for it was not the oath of the princes the people fo much regarded, or had fuch an influence on them as to abftain from feizing on them, but the princes, by reafon of their oath, would not fuffer them to touch them: and all the congregation murmured againft the princes; not only for taking fuch an oath, but chiefly becaufe they reftrained them from {miting the Gideonites, and taking their fubftance for a prey; their eager defire of revenge, and of feizing their goods, and inhabiting their cities, raifed a murmur in them againft the princes. This is to be underftood not of the whole body of the people at Gi/gal, but of all that party that was fent to Gideon, and of the princes that went with them.
y.19. But all the princes faid to all the congregation, &c.] That is, all the princes that went to Gibeon, addrefled all the J/raelites that were there: we have worn unto them by the Lord God of Iirtel; by the Word of the Lord God, as the Targum; an oath is a folemn, facred thing, and not to be broken, and a good man will make confcience of it, and keep it, though he has fworn to his own hurt: and now therefore we may not touch them; neither take away their lives nor their fubftance.
y¥. 20. This we will do to them, &c.] Either this favour we will fhew them, preferving their lives, next mentioned, or this punifhment we will inflict on them, making them hewers of wood, and: drawers of water; which though not mentioned dire&tly, was what was upon their minds, and in their defign to propofe, only they were extremely defirous of fparing their lives, which they repeat: we will even let them live; this by all means mutt be done, their lives mnft not be taken away as the reft of the Canaanites: left wrath come upon — us, because of the cath which we fware unto them; that is, left the wrath of God come upon us y.17. And the children of Ifrael journeyed, &c.] Not the whole camp, for that ftill remained at prinées, and upon the whole community, for perjury, a breach of the third command, a fin highly
Gilgal, and continued there until the Gibeonites in diftrefs fent to them for affiftance in virtue of the league, as appears from the following chapter; but a party of them, who were fent along with fome of the princes, to know the truth whether the Gibeonites were their neighbours or no, as had been reported to them: and came unto their cities on the third day, not on the third day from their fetting out on their journey, for it was but one night’s march from Gilga/ to them, ch. x. g. but on the third day from the making of the league; it is very probable it was early on the third day they heard of their being their neighbours, upon which a party was fent out at once to know the truth of it, who arrived thither the fame day: now their cities were Gibeon and Chephirah, and Beeroth and Kirjath-jearim; Gibeon was the metropolis, and the other three were fubject to it; the three firft fell to the lot of Benjamin, and the laft to the tribe of Judah; we fhall meet with them again in the lots of the feveral tribes, in ch. xv. 60. and xviii. 25, 26.
¥. 18. And the children of Ifrael [mote them not, difpleafing to God; fince an oath is made not only in his prefence, and before him as a witnefs, who is appealed unto, but in his name, and is often feverely threatened, and forely punifhed; and as even the breach of this oath was feveral hundreds of years after, in the times of David, 2 Sam. xxi. 1,2. The Vulgate Latin verfon therefore reads the words, Jeff the wrath of the Lord come upon us 5 but Adarbinel obferves, that it may be underftood of the wrath of J/rael; for the words may be rendered, and there fhall not be wrath upon us, becaufe of the oath; there need be none, there is no occafion for it, fince this was agreed upon on all hands, that the Gidbeonites fhould be let to live; and fince it was an act of kindnefs and goodnefs, and efpecially they would have no reafon to be angry and wrathful with them, when they heard them out, what they had further to propofe to them, to make them their fervants, though they {pared their y.21. And the princes faid to them, let them live, &c.] They were very preffing upon them, and importunate with them, to fave ‘tie becaufe of the oath they had taken: (dut let them be bewers of wood, and drawers of water, unto all the congregation); which wag a very low and mean employment, Deut. xxix.11. as well as wearifome; and this being a yoke of fervitude on the Grdeonites, and a punifhment of them for their fraud, and of jervice, profit and advantage to the people of J/- rael, the princes propofed it in hopes of pacifying them, and that they would yield to fpare the lives of the Gideonites; what they propofed was, not that they fhould hew wood and draw water for all the J/raehtes for their private ufe, but what was neceflary for the fervice of the fanctuary, which the congregation was obliged to furnifh them with; and now thefe men fhould do that work for them, which before was incumbent on them; for Fofhua afterwards impofed this upon them to be hewers ef wood and drawers of water for the houfe of God, y. 23. tho’ Kimchi thinks that while the people of Jfrael were in camp, and before the land was divided, they were hewers of wood and drawers of water to the congregation; but after the land was divided, and they were fettled in their cities and inheritances, then they only hewed wood and drew water for of the reception of the Gentiles into the church of God: and there foall none of you be freed from being bondmen, which the oath taken did not oblige Jofoua, and the princes, to exempt them from, only to let them live, ¥.15: and hewers of waod, and drawers of water for the houfe of my God; which explains what is meant by the congregation, and who might purpofely chufe that phrafe, to make the people more eafy; but their work, ‘as afligned them by o/bua, was not to hew wood and draw water for every one’s private ufe, only for the fervice of the fanctuary, which in fome fenfe was the fervice of the congregation; and a great deal of work there was to be done of this kind, much wood to hew for keeping the fire of the altar continually burning, and for boiling the flefk of the peace-offerings, and the like, and much water to draw for divers ufes, for the wafhing of the priefts and the facrifices, and divers other things. ¥.24. And they anfwered Fofhua and faid, becaufe it was certainly told thy fervants, 8&c.. Or it was told, told‘; not only certainly told, but frequently told them, they had often heard of it by one means or another: how that the Lord thy God the frnctuary at Gilgal, Shiloh, Nob, Gibeon, and the tempic; the Few writers fay +, theNethinim and Gibeonites were the lame, who became profelytes the tm, tee 1 Chron. ix. 2.
princes prov.,2a shent; which is to be connected, not wit. their being hewers of wood and drawers commanded his fervant Mofes to give you all the land; thejall the land of Canaan, no part excepted; they injhad heard much of the Lord God of Jjrael, and as the\of Mo/es, what character he bore, and of the commands of the Lord to him; they feem to have knowledge of God, and faith in him as to his of water, this the princes had faid nothing of before, and which is rightly included in a parenthefis, but with their being let to live; this they had promifed and {worn to, even all the princes, not only all that were now at Gideon, and were perfuading the people to let the Gzbeonites live, but all the princes, even thofe that were not prefent, but in the camp at Gilgal. y¥.22. And Fofbua called for them, &c.] The Gibeonites, who came as embaffadors tor their people, and who were detained at Giga until the children of J/rael returned from Gideon; and upon their return, and having made their report to Fo/bua that they found it to be true that they were near neighbours, Fofhua ordered them to be brought before him: and he {pake unto them, faying, wherefore have ye beguiled us? what is your reafon and motive for fo doing? what has induced you to aét fuch a deceitful part, to tell fuch lies and falfhoods, and im- - pofe upon us after this manner? /aying, we are very far from you, when ye dwell among us, pretending to come from a very far country, when they were inhabitants of the land //rael were come to poffefs. ¥. 23. Now therefore ye are curfed, &c.) Appear to be the pofterity of curfed Canaan, and notwithftanding the artifice ufed, fhould not be exempted from the curfe denounced on Canaan: a fervant of servants foall be be unto bis brethren, as thele Gideonites were; they became the fervants of the Levites, who were fervants to the priefts; and they feemed to be {pared in providence, that that part of the curfe on Canaan might be fulfilled: and Canaan fhall be his fervant, the fervant of Shem, from whom the J/raelites {fprang, Gen. ix. 25, 26. though the curfe was turned into a bleffing to the Gibeonites, fince though their poft and office was mean, yet they had a place in the fanétuary of the Lord, and opportunity of learning the law of God, and underftanding the true religion, worfhip and knowledge of God, and were an emblem and pledge Conftituted and appointed them, ordered and fettled them in the poft and office after mentioned; or gave them’, hence fore think they had the name Nethinim, perfons given to the Levites for promifes and threatenings, believing they would be fulfilled: and to defiroy all the inhabitants of “the land from before you; as the gift of the land of Canaan to Ifrael was often fpoken of by the Lord to Mo/es, and frequently mentioned by him; fo there were inftructions given him from the Lord, and which he delivered to J/rael utterly to deftroy the inhabitants of Canaan, fo that thefe people had right intelligence and information of this matter; fee Deut. vii. 1, 2: therefore we were fore afraid of our lives, becaufe of you, and have done this thing; they anfwer to fofhua’s queftion, wherefore have ye beguiled us? that it was fear of lofing their lives, than which nothing is dearer to a man, and the principle of felf-prefervation that put them upon framing and ufing this device.
y¥. 25. And now behold, we are in thine hand, &c.] In thy power, and at thy difpofal, and are ready to fubmit to whatfoever may be injoined us: as it feemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us; do what is confiftent with the laws of kindnefs, and with the rules of juftice, and particularly with the league made, and oath taken; all which they left with him to confider of, and to do as in his wifdom and goodnefs he fhould fee fit.
y.26. And fo did he unto them, &c.] What was good and right, he fhewed them favour, and did _ them juftice: and delivered them out of the band of the children of Ifrael, that they flew them not; who were fo incenfed againft them for impofing on them in the manner they did, that they were ready many of them to draw their {words and flay them; and would have done it, had it not been for the interpofition of Fofhua, and the orders he gave to the contrary.
y. 27. And Fofoua made them that day, &c. }
400; FOS the fervice of the fanétuary: namely, to be bewers of wood, and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the Lord; fome think they were, employed both for the fervice of the congregation, when they wanted wood and water, and for the altar, and what belonged to it, that needed both. Abarbinel {uppofes, that they ferved the congregation whilit they were engaged in war, which he fhould chufe, to have the tabernacle pitched, and the altar fet up therein, as it was in divers places, before the temple built by Solomon at.
Ferufalem, which was the place the Lord chofe; and this fhows, that the writer of this book lived before the building of the temple, or otherwife it is highly probable he would have exprefSly mentioned it; whereas he ufes only the phrafe that and fubduing the land, but after the divifion of the land they only ferved the fan@uary; fee the Mo/es frequently expreffed it by in his time; fee Deut. xii. 5, 11,14, 18, 21. and Xvi, 2, 6, 7, U1, fart bs chapter treats of the combination of five kings againft the Gibeouites, y. 1—5. and of. the application of the Gibeonites to Fofbua, for affiftance, in virtue of the league between them, which was granted, ¥. 6—g.
the army by the kings of J/rae/, and chiefly by fix miles; according to Bunting ¢, it was but four miles: and what added to their terror was, becaufe Gibeon was a great city; being a metropolitan city,. and having others fubject to it; wherefore the furof the flaughter of render of that to the //raelites might intimidate other cities, and lead them by example to do the hail-ftones from heaven, y. 10, 11. and of the tanding fill of the fun, and of the moon, whilft vengeance was taken on them, y. 12—14. the five kings: being hid in a cave, and of the ufage of them when taken, ¥. 15—27. and of the taking of Mekkadab,; Libnab, Lachifo, Eglon, He, bron and Debir, ¥. 28 — 39.
conqueft of the fouthern part of the land, y¥. 40, like, and fo of bad confequence: as one of the royal cities; the Vulgate Latin verfion omits the and of note of fimilitude, and reads, and one of the royal cities; and fometimes caph or as is not a note of likenefs, but of realicy; yet as we no where read ot a king of Gideon, the fenie may be, that though which finithed the it was not a royal feat, it was equal to thofe that. weres and like one, being a metropolitan city: and
4l, 42, 43. becaufe it was greater than Ai; had more inhabi-, tants in it, and perhaps better fortified: and all y.1. Now it came to pafs, when Adoni zedek king of Ferufalem, &c.]. So called perhaps by anticipation Feru/alem, fince it feems to have had this name given it by the J/raelites, when they had got pofleffion of it: and Ferufalem fignifies the poffe fion of Salem”, and in-memory of. this its ancient name, the Yews fay*, they don’t put jod in Ferufalem between lamed and mem; tho’ fome make the fignification of it, they fhall fee peace ¥, and others, nearer to its old name, and with refpect to it, fear Salem, Oye enemies, Now the king-of this place had beard how Fofbua had taken Ai, and had utterly deftroyed. it, which being nearer to him than Fericho, the more alarmed him: had done to Fericho and her king, fo be had done to the men thereof were mighty; men of ftrength, courage and valour. warlike men, and therefore for fuch a city to yield fo eafily, and in fuel a bafe, mean and cowardly way, was fetting a very bad -|¢xample.
¥- 3. Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Ferufalem, fent to Hobam king of Hebron, &c.| Which, according to Ferom+, was 22 miles from Ferufalem;’ it was an ancient city built feven years before Zoan in Egypt; fee Gen. xiii. 18. Numb, xiii. 22. and the notes there: and unto Piram king of Farmuth; a city which fell to the lot of Judab, as did Hebren, ch, Xv. 35, 54. according to Ferom +, it was as hejfour miles diftant from Lleutberopolis; according to Procopius'14, about the village E/btaol, near.
Ai and ber king; burnt the one, and flew the other; and this terrifed him, left he and his city fhould undergo the fame fate: and bow the inhatants of Gibeon had made peace with Ifrael; which as it weakened the intereft of the kings of Canaan, might fet an example to,other places to do the like. Abdarbinel fuggetts, that the Gibeonites making peace with //rae! fecretly, without the knowledge of their king, as he fuppofes, made Adonizedek fearful, left his fubjeéts fhould do the like; the Fewi/b chronologers fay *, that thefe three articles refpecting Fericho, Ai and Gibeon, were all finifhed within three months.
y.2. That they feared greatly, 8c.] The king of Ferufalem and his people, left they fhould. fall into, the hands of the U/raelites, and be ufed as, Fe- vicho and Ai, and the kings and inhabitants of Odol/am or Adullam, and Ferom, following this v fion, makes Eg/on the fame with Adullam, when it them were, and that they would be the next. that fhould fall a facrifice to them; for Gibeon was fifty ' furlongs from Ferufalem, as Fofepbus fays *; and in another place he fays > but forty, which were but five miles; and.if. fifty, but little more than to which Samfon was buried, Fudg. xvi. 31. but Ferom ® {peaks of a city called Fermus, in the tribe of Fudah, which feems to be the fame with this;
and which he fays in his day was a’village, that.
went by the name of Fermucha, 10 miles fre
Eleutherepolis, as you go to Alia or ‘ferufalemsand as Eleutheropolis lay 20 miles from Ferufalem, this place muft be ro miles from it, lying between’ them both: and unto Fapbia king of Lachilh; which’ the above writer fays » was a city in the tribe of
Judah, and in histime a village, feven miles from.
Eleutheropolis, as you go to Daroma, or the fouth; and, according to Bunting ', it lay between Blen~ theropolis and Hebron, and was 20 miles from Fe-' rufalem towards the fouth-weft: and unto Debir' king of Eglon; which the Septuagint verfion calls is certain they were differegt places, and had di- {tint kings over them, ch. xii. 12,15. and which he fays * in his time wasa very large village, 12 ¢ from Lleuthercpolis tothe eaft, and, ae
Bunting‘, it was 12 miles from Ferufalem fouthward. To thefe four-kings the king of Yerufalem fent: faying; as follows. ftood of the whole camp of J
¥. 5. Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, &c,] For though they were chiefly Hittites that dwelt in Hebron, and Febufites who inhabited Ferufalem yet as the Amorites were the moft, powerful psople in the land, and had difperfed themfelves in the feveral parts of it, and feem to have greateft authority in it, they were all called Amorites, and perhaps the kings of thofe cities were them, and fet over them by them; fo we find that the Gibeonites, who were Hivites, are faid to be of the remnant of the 4morites, 2 Sam. xxi. 2: the hing of Ferufalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Farmuth, the king of Lachifo, the king of Eglon gathered themfelves together, and went up, they, and all their bofts, that is, to ferufalem, the place of their rendezvous, and from thence they marched: and encamped before Gibeon, and made war againjt it; by befieging it, and attacking it in fome of lay low in the plains of Jericho: be and all thé men of war with bim, which muft not be underrae/, which confitted of 500,000 fighting men at leaft; fince fuch a mumber was unneceffary for this expedition, and city,;could not have proceeded with that hafte the cafe required; nor would it have been prudent and advileable to have left the unarmed people, ancient men, women and children defencelefs; but thefe were a felect company of able men, fit-for travel as well as war: and all the mighty men of valour; or even all, as many as were picked out for the purpofe, being men of ftrength, aétivity and courage.
¥. 4. Come up unto me, and help me, that we may fmite Gideon, &c.] For which he thought himfelf not a match, not only becaufe it was a great and full of mighty men, and had other cities fubjet to it, but becaufe he might reafonably judge that Fo/bua would come to their affiftance if poffible, being in league with him; he fends to thefe kings in an authoritative manner, as if they were in fome refpects fubject to him; and he propofes Ferufalem as the place of their rendezvous, and} which it feems lay higher than their cities, though they were in the mountainous part of the country: for it hath made peace with Fofoua, and with the children of Irael, their avowed enemies, and had feparated themfelves from their countrymen, and from their common intereft;
y. 8. And the Lord faid unto Fofbua, 8c. | Either when upon the march, and while. he was proceedfojing on in his journey to the affiftance of the Gi- Sconites, or rather before he fer out; and it is and therefore itjhighly probable he confulted the Lord on this occafion, having, it may be, fome doubt on his mind, whether he fhould go to their affiftance, Gnce the league between them was obtained by fraud; and the words may be rendered, and the Lord bad faid; before he fet forward with his men of war: fear them not; the five kings, and their combined army: for I have delivered them thelito thine hand, had determined to do it, and which was as certain as if it had been actually ofjdone: there fhall not a man of them ftand before ‘dee; but be either cut off, or obliged to flee.
was thought proper to make an example of them, that others might fear to do the fame.
¥. 9. Fofoua therefore came unto them Suddenly, &c.] Which no doubt threw them into confter- \nation and confufion: and went up from Gilgal all night; he chofe the night for fecrefy and furprize, and that he might be the fooner with the enemy, and to the affiftance and relief of Gibeon; and as it was about nine or ten miles from Gilgal to Gibeon, it was eafily performed in a. night’s march; fee the note on ch, ix. 6.
its forts. ¥. 10. And the Lord. difcompted them before If-
¥. 6. And the men of Gibeon fent unto Fofbua to the camp to Gilgal, &c.| Which fome think theyjat did when befieged, and not before, which fhewed| their faith in the power of God, whom they now profefied; but it is not likely that they fhould fer for fending help fo long, fince it is reafonable to fuppofe they might have heard of the defign of the five kings againft them; or that they fhould be able to fend out meffengers when furrounded on all fides; it may be better therefore to render words, bad fent™, which they did as foon as they heard of the preparations made by the five to war with them, and of their rendezvous at erufalem, and efpecially as foon as they had information of their march towards them: faying, /lack not thine bands from thy fervants; they intreat he would. not. neglect. them,..be indifferent to them, and delay. to affift them,, fince they were his jects, and were entitled to his protection: ‘to us quickly, and fave us, and help us; not doubt if he made hafte and helped them, but they fhould be faved by him:
“the other Cities were doubtlefs in a like “¥..7. So Fofoua afcended from Gilgal, &ec.] Which rael, &c.] Difturbed, troubled and affrighted them, the appearance and prefence of the people of /rae/; they were thrown. into terror and confufion upon their approach, being fo fudden and unexpectde-jed: and flew them with a great flaughter at Gi- Jeon; by the J/raelites, who came upon them fuddenly: and chafed them along the way that goeth up to Bethoron; there were two places of this name, the upper and, the nether, both built by the Sherab, the daughter or grand-daughter of Epbraim, t Chron. vii. 24. therefore here fo called by kingsjanticipation., It was about 100 furlongs, or 12 miles.and a half, according to Fofepbus °, from Ferufalem,, which agrees with Eu/ebius and Ferom; and from. Gideon thither, it was 50 furlongs, or fix miles and a quarter; fo far the kings were purfued by o/oua and his army, at leaft unto the fub- afcent of it; for being built on an hill, it had an come upjafcent,on one fide, and a defcent on the other, they didjafter mentioned, and. both were very ftrait paffages; of the former it is faid. in the Talmud’, for all the kings of the) that if two camels go. up. the afcent to Bethoron, gathered' they both fall; upon which the Glofs fays, it isa trait place, and there is no way to turn to the right-hand, or the left.:. and finote them to Azckah, Luke i..39.,and)and unto Makkedab; the former of which is placed fituation, by Ferom * between Eleutheropolis and Ferufalem, and was a village in his days, and the other eight
Amorites that, dwell in the mountains are, together againft us. Jerufalem lay among moun-]| tains, — Hebron was in the hill-country in Fudee, fee Pf. cxxv. 2. Job. xxi. 11.
‘miles from Eleutheropolis, and both in the tribe of Fudab, fee ch. xv. 35, 41. according to Bunting ', they were both eight miles from Feru/alem towards the valley of Gideon, I/. xxviii, 21. and fo muft be near Gideon, and the fun and the moon not far from one another, as they might be if it was now the weft. new moon, as Kimchi and R. J/aiah; or on the y.11. And it came to pafs as they fled before Ifrael, and were in the going down to Bethoron, 8&c. The defcent of it on that fide towards Azekab, and which was alfo a very ftrait paffage, of which Fofephus * makes mention. The Fews fay‘, that the going down of Bethoron was the place where the army of Sennacherib fell: that the Lord ca/t down great ftones from heaven upon them unto Azekab, and they died; the Septuagint verfion calls them hail-ftones; and fo they are called in the next claufe; and that fuch fometimes have fallen as to kill men and cattle, is certain from the plague of hail in Egypt, Exod. ix. 19, 25. and fome in very late times * have been known to fall, was from 8, 9, and 12 inches about, fome bigger than the eggs of turkeys, and fome half a pound weight, fee Rev. xvi. 21. and the note there; but thefe feem to be proper ftones, fuch as did not mielt away as hail-ftones do; though fo called, becaufe they fell from heaven, as they do, but remained, and ftill remain, according to the notion the Fews have of them; for they fay“, whoeverjthe fees thefe great {tones in the going down to Bethoron, is bound to blefs; and frequent mention is| made by hiftorians of fhowers of ftones being rained. Livy * fpeaks of fuch a fhower when king Tullus conquered the Sabines; and of another ’, when Scipio fucceeded at Carthage; and Pomponius Mela relates, that when Hercules fought with the fons of Neptune, and darts failed him, he obtained of Jupiter to rain a fhower of ftones, which lay fpread in great abundance; and fome * think, it| refers to this fact in Yofbua’s time, who is fuppofed to be the fame with the Tyrian Hercules”, from hence alfo called Sexanus*; and in memory of this there are ftoney camps in various places, called by his name‘: there were more which died with bail-ftones, than they whom the children of Tfrael flew with the fword; but what was the number of each of them, is not faid; it was doubtlefs very great, fince there was an utter deftruction and confumption of them, y¥. 20.
c. 4. p.42. 4 Sanford de Defcenf. Chrifti, 1.1.. 290. f See Bayle’s,Didtionary, vol. 4. p, 268. ee Zura) BL seer yig's, Digtionary, vol. 4. decreafe; fome fay feven days before her change: \but Abarbinel is of opinion, that it was near the full of the moon, which was juft rifing in the valley of 4jalon, and the fun near fetting as it feemed over Gideon, and were juft oppofite one to another; and Fofhua fearing he fhould not have time to purfue his enemies, and make the victory entire, fhould the fun fet, prays that both fun and moon might continue in the pofition they were; the fun that he might have the benefit of day-light, which was the chief thing defired; the moon being only mentioned, that the heavenly motions might not be confounded, and the order of the orbs difturbwhichjed; and he obferves, with Farchi and Kimcbi, that Gédeon was in the tribe of Benjamin, and Ajalon in the tribe of Dan, ‘Fofh. xv. 42. and it may be obferved, that there was alfo another in the tribe of Zebulun, Fudg. xii. 12. but that feems to be at too great a diftance; and ftill lefs probable, is what fome late travellers have obferved*, that the plain of Sharon near Foppa, is thought by many to be place where Yo/hua defeated the five kings, when the fun ftood ftill, @c. the opinion of Mas, firft mentioned, feems moft likely.
¥.13. And the fun ftood fiill, and the moon flayed, &c.] The fun that came out of his chamber like a bridegroom, and rejoiced as a ftrong man to © run his courfe, ftopped his courfe at once; and the moon that walks in her brightnefS proceeded not on, but both ftood ftill, motionlefs, and continued in this pofition: until the people bad avenged theme/ves on their enemies, until the nation and people of J/rae/ had taken vengeance on, and deftroyed the five kings and their forces: how this is to be reconciled to the Copernican fyftem, or that with this, I fhall not enquire. It was a moft wonderful and furprizing phenomenon, to fee both luminaries ftanding ftill in the midft of heaven; it is pretended by fome 4iforians', that a like miracle was wrought at the battle of Mulberg, won by the emperor Charles the fifth, on April 24, 1 547+ In the Chinefe hiftory ¢ it is reported, that in the time of their feventh emperor Yao, the fun did not fet for ten days, and that men were afraid the world would be burnt, and there weré great fires alat that time; and though the time of the fun’s ftanding ftill is enlarged beyond the bounds of truth, yet it feems to refer to this fact, and was manifeftly about the fame time; for this miracle was wrought in the year of the world 2554, which fell in the 75th, or, as fome fay, the 67th year of that emperor’s reign, who reigned go years: is not this written in the book of Fajber? about which the Fews are divided; fome fay it is the book of Gene/s, others the book of Deuteronomy, others the book of Judges; the Targum interprets it of the book of the law, and fo Farchi, and Kimchi; and difappointed,) Ben Melech interprets it of the book of the law of Mofes, where they fuppofe this miracle was & dicted. Theformer thinks, in the words of | tob to Fofeph, bis feed fhall fill the nations, Gen. xlviii. 19. which he fuppofes was fulfilled in of the tribe of Ephraim, when the whole world — §. 7,8. t Glof. in T. Bab. Bera fol.
y. 12. Then fpake Fofhia to the Lord, &c.] In prayer, and intreated as follows, that the fun and moon might ftand ftill, until the victory was compleat; though the Few writers interpret ‘it of fong; fo the Targum, then' Fofbua praited, or fung praifé, as in the Targum on Cant. i. 1. and which is approved of by Farchi and Kimchi: in the day aben the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of I/rael, the five kings of the Amorites, and their armies, ¥. 5. and he faid im the fight of Jfrael;’ in their prefence, and in the hearing of great numbers, being under a divine impulfe, and and having ftrong faith in the working of the miracle, after related, and that it would be according ‘to his word; he was bold to fay what he did, being fully perfiiaded he fhould not be ‘and made afhamed: fun, ftand thon fill upon Gibeon, ahd thou moon in the valley of Ajalon; where ‘they now appeared, and’ were feen by all Jrael, the -one as if'over Gideon, and the other as in the valley <of Ajalon, which Mafas thinks is the fame with * Travels, &c. p. 98. * De bello Jud. 1. 2. ¢. 19. Shes thy * Vid. Louthorp, Abridg: Philofoph. vol. $4 bee q) Mats pte he? XL, 30,. cs 30. Origin. Idol. c,1. §. 16.
was filled with the fame of him on account of this miracle; and the latter in the words, Jdefore all thy people I will do miracles, Exod. xxxiv. 10, one was in making the face of Mo/fes to fhine, the other the ftanding ftill of the fun for Fo/bua, as he interprets it, Bolducius, a commentator on the book of Job", fancies, that that book is defigned, and that this miracle is foretold in it, particularly in ch. ix. 7. which commandeth the fun, and it rifeth not; it is moft likely that this book of Fafber, in which this miracle was recorded, was a public regifter, or annals, in which memorable events were written, as they liappened in different ages by different perfons; and Mafus thinks, Fo/ephus' means this by the archives laid up in the temple, to which he appeals for the truth of this miracle: fo the fun flood ftill in the midft of beaven; fomewhere above the horizon, very probably this was about noon, when the fun was in its meridian. Gufftius * thinks about ten or eleven a-clock; it may be fuppofed that early in the morning Fo/hua came up with his troops, and engaged the kings, and it might be noon before the battle was over, and the victory obtained, at leaft before 7o bua had proceeded in his purfuit of them, fo far as he had done, when the miracle was wrought; and the rather, as it would be the more confpicuous in the feveral parts of the.world, for had it been near fun-fetting, it could not have been feen in fome laces, and particularly by the Chine/e, as it feems to five been, by what has been obferved: and bafted not to go down about a whole day; which was gither artificial or natural; if an artificial day, then it ftood ftill but 12 hours, if anatural day, 24 hours; and accordingly the length of the day’ muft be judged of; if it was at noon when it ftood ftill, and continued fo a natural day, or 24 hours, then as it had gone fix hours to noon, and after it. returned to its motion, had fix more to go to its fetting, this day muft be 36 hours long; and fo the Jews commonly fay '; but if an artificial day, or 12 hours, then it was but a day of 24 hours; but if this was, as the Fews fay", on the third of Tammuz, which anfwers to part.of Fume, and was in the fummer-folftice, on the longeft day in the year, when their days confifted of 14 hours, this will make this long day four hours longer. According to the author of Ecclefia/ticus, ch. xlvi. 5. it was a double day, or, as he expreffes it, one day became two; or was as long as two.
¥. 14. And there was no day like that, before it, or after it, &c.| Which muft be underftood as referring not to natural days, or fuch as are according to the natural courfe of things, as thofe in the northern and fouthern poles, which are much longer, but to miraculous and extraordinary ones: never was theré. fuch a day as.this, occafioned by the fun ftanding ftill,; and as, for Hezekiab’s day, which is objected, when. the. fum went ten degrees backward on the dial of.dbaz, it is not. certain whether thofe degrees’ were hours, or half hours, ‘Or quarters of an hour; and if they were hours, as the going backwards was at once, in a moment, it could only make an addition‘ of ten hours im:the as the manner in which it became fo long; and efpecially it regards the following circumftance, being at the intreaty of a man, and that delivered in a very authoritative manner: ¢hat the Lord bearkened unto the voice of a man; exprefied in prayer, and which prayer was a prayer of faith: for the Lord fought for Irael; by cafting hail-ftones upon their enemies, and preferving them from them by the ftopping the courfe of the fun, until they had taken full vengeance on them. The day on which this miracle was wrought, is conjectured to be Wednefday the 11th of April, in the year before Chrift 1454...
¥. 15. And Fofoua returned, and all Ifrael with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.\ That is, he thought to have returned, had determined upon it, and prepared for it, but was prevented by hearing that the five kings had hid themfelves in a cave at Makkedab; which he ordered to be ftopped up till the people had finifhed the purfuit of their enemies, when he deftroyed Makkedah, and which led him on to the conqueft of other places before he returned; or elfe this verfe ftands not in its proper place, or is fuperfluous, fince the fame is exprefied y¥. 43. after all the above mentioned was done; the Septuagint verfion leaves it out,
¥. 16. But thefe five kings fled, &cc.] They were not killed by the hail-ftones, nor flain by the fword of the J/raelites, but made their efcape, being referved by the providence of God for a more fhameful end: and bid themJfelves in a cave at Makkedah; not in the city of Makkedab, which as yet was not in the hands of J/rael, whereas this cave was, as appears by what follows; but it was in fome hill, or mountain, near it; in the border of it, as Kimchi exprefles it, and where a hill is fhewn to this day in which it was, as Drufius fays.
¥. 17. And it was told Fofoua, Sc.) Either by fome of his own people, or by fome of the inhabitants of the land in his intereft, who had obferved it: faying, the five kings are found bid in @ cave at Makkedab; this feems to make it appear that they were others, and not Fo/bua’s foldiers, that found them; for had they, no doubt they would have feized them, and brought them before him, or flain them, unlefs they chofe firft to know his will concerning them, next expreffed.
y. 18. And Fofhua faid, roll great ftones upon the mouth of the cave, &c.| To keep the kings in, that they might not make their efcape, until he had convenient time to have them brought before him, and be treated by him as they deferved; and no doubt there were plenty of ftones about the hill or mountain, in which this cave was, fit for this purpofe: and fet men by it for to keep them; asa guard upon them, to prevent their efcape.
¥. 19. And flay you not, but purfue after your enemies, 8cc.} That is, don’t ftay at the cave, but having placed a fufficient gward there, go in purfuit of the enemy, with as much celerity as pofiible: and. fmite the bhindmoft of them; their rear; or tail them °, as the word is, cut off the tail of them: faffer them not to enter their cities; where they would not only be fafe themfelves for a while, return of them, and fo it muft make. but a day of 22 hours: befides, the wricer of this book only fpeaks of days that had been in|his-time, and not of what might be hereafter;..add..to which, that this refpeéts not fo much. the length of the day, but would be able to hold out againft a fiege for fome time, and give much trouble to conquer them: for the Lord your God bath delivered them into your bends; this he faid to encourage them, and quickem them to the purfuit of them with all