Chapter XXXVI
Ver. 1-13. The Inconvenience of the Inheritance OF Daughters. 1. Tlie chief fathers of the families
THE FIFTH BOOK OF MOSES, CALLED
DEUTERONOMY. CHAPTER I.
mountains where Israel was encamped, was a part of th« great de.sci t plain, little more Inviting than the desert of Arabia. 'I'he locale is indicated by the names of the most prominent r.laces around it. .Some of these places are unknown to us. The llebr(?w word.Suph, red (for.tcw, which our translators have inserted, is not In the original, and
Ver. 1-16. Moses' Speech at the End of the Fortieth Year. 1. These be the words whldi Moses pake unto all Israel—The mental condition of the people generally In that infantine age of the church, and the greater number of them being of young or lender years, rendered it expedient to repeat the laws and coun-
Moses was now farther from the Ucd Sea than ever), probably meant a i;lace noted lor its reikis (Numbers 21. 11). Tophel— '.,':. ul iiied as Talyle or Tal'eilah, lying between
sels which God had given ; and, accordingly to luniisli a recapitulation of the leading branches of their luith and duty was amongst the last public services wliicli Moses rendered to Israel. The scene of their delivery was on the plains of Moab, where the encainpment was pitched "on this side Jordan," or, as the Hebrew word may be rendered, " on the bank of the Jordan." In tlie wilderness. In the plain—the Arabah, a desert plain, or steppe, extended the whole way from the Ued Sea north to the 8ea of Tiberias. While the high table lands of Moab were "cultivated fields," the Jordan valley, at the foot of the 120
l!o7,rah and Kciak. lla/.erotli is a diliercnt place from that at which the Israelites (!ncunipcd alter leaving "the desert of Sinai." !4. There are eleven days' Jnurnry from Iloreb—Distances are computed in the East still by the hours or days occupied by the journey. A day's Journey on fool is about t wenty miles—on camels, at Hie rale of three miles an hour, thirty miles—and by caravans, about twt'iity-fivo miles. But the Israelttes, with children and llocks, would move at a slow rate Tho length of the Ohor from Ezion-geber to Kadush is lOU
Afoses* Speech at the End DEUTEROJsOMY II. of the Fortieth Year
the Arabs El Tih, " the wandering." It is a dreary waste of rock and of calcareous soil covered with black sharp
miles. The days here mentioned were not necessarily
successive days [Robinson], for the journey can be made
flints; all travellers, from a feeling of its complete isolation ffom the world, describe it as a great and terrible wilderness. /J!J-33. ye came and said, we will send men before us and search out the land—The proposal to despatch spies emanated from the people through unbelief; but Moses, believing them sincere, gave his cordia. assent to this measure, and God on being consulted permitted them to follow the suggestion (see on Numbeis
In a mucli shorter period. Cut tliis mention of the time was made to show that the great number of years spent
In travelliiig from Horeb to the plain of Moab was not owing to the length of the way, but to a very different
eause, viz., banishment for their apostasy and frequent
rebellions. Mount Seir—the mountainous country of Edom. 3-8. In tUe fortieth year . . . Moses spake unto the children of Israel, &c.—This Impressive discourse, In which Moses reviewed all that God had done for His people, was delivered about a month before his death, and after peace and tranquillity had been restored by the complete conquest of Sihon and Og. Ashtaroth— tlie royal residence of Og, so called from Astarte (tlie moon)- the tutelary goddess of the Syrians, and he was slain at Edrei—now Edhra, the ruins of which are fourteen miles In circumference [Burckhardt]; its general breadth is about two leagues. 5. on this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law—declare, t. e., explain this law. He follows the same metliod here tliat he elsewhere observes, viz., that of first enumerating the marvellous doings of God in behalf of His people, and reminding them what an unworthy requital they had made for all His kindness—then he rehearses the law and its various precepts. 6. the Lord our God spake unto us In Iloreb, saying, \~e have dwelt long enougli in this mount—Horeb was the general name of a mountainous district lit., "the parched or burnt region," whereas
13. 1, 2). Tlie issue proved disastrous to them', only through their own sin and folly, tlie cities are great, and walled up to heaven—an Oriental metaphor, meaning very high. The Arab marauders roam about on horseback, and hence the walls of St. (latherine's monastery on Sinai are so lofty that travellers are drawn up by a pulley in a basket. Anakims—(see on Numbers 13. 33). The honest and uncompromising language of Moses in reminding the Israelites of their perverse conduct and outrageous rebellion at the report of tlie treacherous and faint-hearted scouts, affords a strong evidence of the truth of this history as well as of the Uiviue authority of his mission. There was great rca.son for his dwelling on this dark passage in their history, as i t was their unbelief that excluded them from the privilege of entering the promised land (Hel)rews 3.19); and that unbelief was a marvellous exliibition of human perversity, considering the miracles which God had wrought in their favour, especially in the daily manil'estalions they had of His presence among them as their leader and protector. 34-36. The Lord heard tl»e voice of your %vor«ls and was wroth—In consequence of this aggravated olJ'ence—unbelief followed by open rebellion, the Israelites were doomed, in" the rigliteous judgment of God, to a life of wandering in that dreary wilderness, till the whole adult generation had disappeared by death. The only exceptions mentioned are Caleb, and Joshua who was to be Moses' successor. 37. Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes—This statement 4ee»uto indicate that it was on this occasion Moses was condemned to sliare the fate of the people. But we know that it was several years afterwards that Moses betrayed an unhappy spirit of distrust at the waters of strife (Psalm 106. 32, 33). This verse must be considered therefore as a parenthesis. 39. Your cliildren
Sin.Ti was the name appropriated to a particular peak.
.4 bout a year had been spent among the recesses of that wild solitude, in laying the foundation, under the immediate direction of God, of a new and peculiar community, as to its social, political, and, above all, religious charac-
ter; and when Ihis purpose had been accomplished, they were ordered to break up their encampment in Horelj. The command given them was to march straight to Canaan, and possess it. 8. tlie land is before you lit., Defore your faces—it is accessible—there is no impediment to your occupation. Theorderof thejourneyas indicated by the places mentioned would have led to a course of invasion, the opposite of what was eventually followed, viz., from the sea-coast eastward—instead of from the Jordan westward (see on Numbers 20. 1). tlie mount of the Amorites—the hilly tract lying next to Kadesh-barnea, in the i^utli of Canaan, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon—!, e., Phcenicia, the country of Sidon, and the coast of the Mediterranean—from the Philistines to Lebanon. The name Canaanite is often used synonymously with tliat of Phoenician. 9-18. I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone—a little before their arrival in Horeb. Moses addresses that new generation as the representatives of their fathers, in whose sight and hearing all the transactions he recounts took place. A reference is here made to the suggestion of Jethro (Exodus 18. 18), and in noticing his practical adoption of a plan by which the administration of justice was committed to a select number of subordinate officers, Moses, by a beautiful allusion to the patriarchal blessing, ascribed the necessity of that memorable change in the government to the vast increase of the population, ye are this day as the stars . . . for multitude—This was neither an Oriental hyperbole, nor a mere empty boast, for Abraham was told (G(Miesis 15. 5, 6) to look to the stars, and though they oppear innumerable, yet those seen by the naked eye amount, in reality, to no more than 8010 in both hemispheres-sothat the Israelites already far exceeded that number, l)eingat the last census above 000,000. It was a seasonable memento, calculated to animate their faith in the accomplishment of other parts of the Divine promise. 19-ai. we went titrougli all that great and terrible wilderness—of I'aiiui, which Included the desert and mountainous space lying between the wilderness of Shur westward, or towards Egypt and mount .Seir, or the land of Edom eastwards; between the land of Canaan northwards, and the Red Sea southwards; and thus it appears to have comprehended really Ibe wilderness of Sin and Sinai [Fisi;.] It is called by
. . . who in that day Iiad no knowledge between good and evil—all ancient versions read "to-day" instead of "that day;" and tlie sense is—"your children who now know," or "who know not as yet good or evil;" as the children had not been partakers of the sinful outbreak, they were spared to obtain the privilege which their unbelieving parents had forfeited. God's ways are not aa man's ways. 40-45. Turn you and take your journey into the wildei-ness by the Red Sea—This command they disregarded, and, determined in spite of the earnest remonstrances of Moses to force an onward passage, they attempted to cross the heights then occupied by the combined forces of the Ainori tes and Anialekites (cf. Numbers
14.43), but were repulsed witli great loss.. People often experience distress even while in the w.ay of duty. But how different their condition who suffer in situations where God is with them from the feelings of those who are conscious that they are in a position directly opposed to the Divine will ! The Israelites were grieved when they found themselves involved in difficulties and perils; but their sorrow arose not from a sense of the guilt, so much as the sad effects of their perverse conduct; and as, "though they wept," they were not true penitents, the Lord would not hearken to their voice, nor give ear unto them. 40. So ye abode at Kadesli many days—That place h.'id been the site of their encampmi nt during the absence of the spies, which lasted forty days, and it is supposed from this verse that they prolonged their stay there after their defeat for a similar period.
CirAPTER 11.
Ver. 1-37. TiiK Stohy is Continued. I. Then we turned and took our journey Into the wilderness by
The Slory is Continued. DEUTERONOMY III. Sihon (he Amoi-ite to be Subdued,
the way of tlic Red Sea. After their unsuccessful attack upon the Canaanites, the Israelities broke up their encampment at Kadesli, and journeying soutliwanl over the west desert of Tih, as well as through the greati valley of the Ghor and Arabah, they extended their removals as for as the gulf of Akaba. we compassed moiiiit Selr many days—lu these few words Moses comprised the whole of that wandering nomadic life which they passed during 38 years, shifting from place to place, and regulating their stations by the prospect of pasturage and water. Within the interval they went northward a second time to Kadesh, but being refused a passage through Edom, and opposed by the Canaanites and Amalekites,
and Moses alluded to these circumstances to encourage his countrymen to believe that God would much more enable them toexpel the wicked and accursed Canaanites. At that time, however, the Moabites, having lost the greater part of their possessions through the usurpations of Sihon, were reduced to the small but fertile regi(m between the Zered and the Arnon. 13. Now rise «ip and get yon over the brook Zered—The southerji border of Moab, .^ercrf. (woody), now W.ady Ahsy, sep.arates the modern district of Kerak from Jebal, and, indeed, forms a natural division of the country between the north and south. Ar, called in later times Rabbah, was the capital of Moab, and situated 25 miles south of the Arnon on the banks of a small but shady stream, the Beni-IIiimed. It
thej' again had no alternative but to traverse once more the great Arabah southwards to the Red Sea, where turning to the left, and crossing the long, lofty mountain chain to the eastward of Ezion-geber (Numbers 21. 4, o), they issued into the great and elevated plains, which are
is here mentioned as representative of the country dependent on it,—a rich and well-cultivated country, as appears from the numerous ruins of cities, as well as from the traces of tillage still visible on the iields. IG. all the men of war are consnmed and dead from among the people—The outbreak at Kadesh on tlie false report of the spies had been the occasion of the fatal decree by which Go<l doomed the whole grown-up population to die in the wilderness; but that outbreak only fille<l up the measure of their iniquities. For that generation, though not universally abandoned to heathenish and idolatrous practices, yet had all along displayed a fearflil amount of ungodliness in the desert, which this history only hints at obscurely , but which is expressly asserted elsewhere. (Ezekiel 20. 25, 26 ; Amos 5. 2.), 27 ; Acts 7. 42, 43.) 19-37. when thon comest nigh unto the children ofAmmon, distress them not, nor medille with them—The Ammonites, being kindred to the Moabites, were, from regard to the memory of their common ancestor, to remain undisturbed by the Israelites. The territory of this people had been directly north of that of Moab, and extended as far as the Jabhok, having been taken by them from a number of small Canaanitish tribes, viz., the Zamzummins, a bullying, presumjituous band of giants, as their mime indicates; and the Avims, the aborigines of the district extending from Hazerim or Il.azeroth (El Hudhera)even u7ito Azzah (Gaza), but of which they had been dispossessed by the Caphtorlm (Philistines), who came out of Cajjhtor (liOwer Egypt), and settled in the western coast of Palestine. The limits of the Ammonites were now compressed; but they still possessed the mountainous region bey<md the Jabbok. (Joshua 11. 2.) What a strange insight does this parenthesis of four verses give'lnto the early history of Palestine 1 How many successive wars of conquest had swept over Its early state—what changes of dynasty amongst the Canaanitish tribes had taken place long prior to the tran.sactions recorded In this history ! 34. Rise ye up and pass over the river Arnon At its mouth, this stream is 82 feet wide and 4-deep—it Hows In a channel banked by perpendicular cliHs of sandstone. At the date of the Israelitlsh migration to the east of the .Jordan, the whole of the line ('ountry lying between the Atnon and the Jabbok, Including the mountainous tract of Ciilead, had lieen seized by the Amorites, wlio, being one of the nations doomed to deslnu'lion (see eh. 7.2; '20. 16), weie utterly exterminated, and their country fell by right of conquest Into the hamls of the Israelites. Moses, however, considering this doom as referring solely to the Amorlte possessions west of Jor^lan,
still traversed by the Syrian pilgrims in their way to Mecca, and appear to have followed northward nearly the same route, which is now taken by the Syrian ha<lji, along the western skirts of this great desert, near the mountains of Edom. [Robinson.] It was on entering these plains they received the command, " Ye have compassed this mountain (this hilly tract, now Jel>el Shera) long enough, turn ye northward." 4:. TUe cUildrtn of Esau wlilcit dwell 111 Seir sliall be afraid of yoii—The same people who had haughtily repelled the approach of the Israelites from the western frontier, were alarmed now that they had come round upon the weak side of their country. 5.. Sleddle not wHU tliem—!. e., " which dwell n Seir" (i: i.)—for there was another branch of Esau's posterity, viz., the Amalekites, who were to be fought against and destroyed (Genesis 36. 12; Exodus 17. 11; Deuteronomy 2o. 17). But the people of Edom were not to be injured, either In their persons or property. .-Vnd although the approach of so vast a nomadic horde as the Israelites naturally created apprehension, they were to take no advantage of the prevailing terror to compel the Edomites to accept whatever terms they imposed. They were merely to pass "through" or along their border, and to buy meat and water of them for money (v. 6). The people, kinder than their king, did sell them bread, meat, fruits, nnd water in their passage along their border (r. 2!)), in the satne manner as the Syrian caravan of Mecca is now Bupplied t)j' the people of the same mountains, who meet the pilgrims as at a fair or market on the hadji route. [RoniN.soN.] Although the Israelites still enjoyed a daily supply of the manna, there was no prohibition against their eating other lood when opportunity allbnled, but only they were not to cherisli an inordinate desire for it. Water is a scarce commoility, and is often paid for by travellers in those parts. It was the more incumbent on the Israelites to do so, as, liy the blessing of God, tliey possessed plenty of means to purchase, and tlie long-continued' experience of llie extraordinary goodness of God to them, should Inspire siich confidence in Jlim as would suppress the smallest thouglit of resorting to fraud or violence in supplyingtheir wants. 8-lS. we passed (liioiij;U the way of tlie plain—The Arabah orgri'at valley. From Elath (trees), (the Ailah of the Greeks and Uomaus); the site of it Is marked by extensive mounds of ruttlnsli. Ezion-geber, now Alcaba, both were within the territory of Edom; and after making a circuit of its .southeastern boundary, the Israelites reached the border of Moat) on the south-east of the Salt Sea. Tliey had been forliidden by Divine command to molest t)ie .Moabitcs in any way; .and this special honour wius conferred on tliat people not on their own account, for they were very wicked, but In virtue of their descent fl'oin Lot. (.See on
.sent a pacific message to Sihon, requesting permission to go thiough his territories, wliich lay on tlie east of that river. It is always customary to send nu'sseiigers before to prepare the way; but the rejection of Moses' request by .Sihon, and his opjiosition to the ad\.\nce of the Israelites (Numbers 21. 2.'!; Judges 11. 26) drcnv down on him-
self, and Ills Amorlte subjects, the predicted doom in the
first iiilched battlelleld with the Canaanites, and secured to Israel not only the possession of a line and pastoral count ly, l)ut, what was of more Importance to them, a free access to the Jordan on the east.
cli.2.'i. 3.) Their territory comprised the fine country on the south, and partly on the north of the Arnon. They had won it by their arms from tlie original Inhabitants, the Emims, a nice, terrible, as their luunc; imports, for physical power and stature ((ii nesis II. rj). In like manner as the Edomites haif obtained their settlement by the overthrow of the original occupiiu's of .Seir, the Ilorlms (Oenesls 11.6), who were lrogIo(lyti:s, or dwellers In caves;
Ver. 1-21). CoNQUKST of On, Kino^op Basiian. 1. turned, and went up the way to UnHhnu—Bashan
Conquat of Og DEUTERONOMY IV, An Exhortation to Oledienet
pastoral tribes of Reuben and Gad. It extended from the nortli l)ank of tlie Anion to the south half of mount Gilead—a small mountain ridge, now called Djelaad, about six or seven miles soutliof the Jabbok, and eight miles in length. The nortliern portion of Gilead, and the rich pasture lands of liashan—a large province, ccmsisting, with tlie exception of a few bleak and rocky spots, of strong and fertile soil—was assigned to tlie half trilieof Manasseli. Jair the sou of Mauasselt toolk all the country of Argob—The original inhabitants of the province north of Bashan, comprising sixty cities it-. 4j, not having been extirpated along witii Og, this people were afterwards brought into subjection by tlie enei'gy of Jair. This chief, of tlie tribe of Manasseli, in accordance with the pastoral habits of his people, called these ncvly-acquired towns by a name wliich signilles "Jair's Bedouin Villages of Tents." unto tiiis day—This remark must evidently have been introduced by E/.ra, or some of the pious men who arranged and collected the books of Moses. 15. I gave Gilead unto Macliir—It was only tlie half of Gilead (vs. 12. 18) which was given to tlie <U scend-
(fruitful or flat), now El-Rottein, lr\y situated to the noi tli
i»f CJilcad, and extended us far aS Ilernioii. It. was a rugged mountainous country, valuable however for its
rich and luxuriant pastures. Og, kliii; of Basliau, came ontagniiistus—Witliout provocation, lie rushed to r.ttaek the Israelites; eitlitr disliking the presence of such dangerouK neighbours, or burning to avenge the overthrow
of his friends and allies. 3. The Loril said, Fear not ; for I avIU deliver Iiiiu, ninl all Ills people, his land, into thy hand— His gigantic appearance, and the formidable array of forces he will bring to the field, need not discourage you ; for, belonging to a doomed race, he is destined to shave the fate of Sihon. 3-8, Argob was the capital of a district in Bashan of the same name, which, together with other 59 cities in the same i)rovince, were con.^plcuous for their lofty and fortified walls. It was a war of extermination—houses and cities were razed to the ground, all classes of people were put to the sword, and nothing was saved but the cattle, of which an immense amount fell as spoil into the hands of the conquerors. Thus, the two Amorite kings and the entire population of their dominions were extirpated, and the whole country east of the .Ionian—fiist upland downs from the torn-nt of the Anion on the south to that of tiie Jabbok on the nort'li ; next the high moi-.ntain tract of Gilead and liashan from the deep ravine of Jal)bok—became the possession of the Israelites. 9. Herimon—now Jebel-Ks-Shelck—the majestic hill on which the long and elevated range of Anti-Lebanon terminates; its summit and the ridges on its sides are almost constantly covered with snow. It is not so much one high mountain as a whole cluster of mountain peaks, the highest in Palestine. According to the survey taken by the English Government Engineers in ISJO, they were about iloTW leet al)ove the sea. Being a mountain chain, it is no wonder tliat it should have received dilt'erent names at dlli'erent points from the different tribes which lay along the base—all of them designating extraordinary height; Hermon, the
aiits of Machir, who was now dead. 16. fromGilead—
i. c, not the mountainous region, but tlie town Kamothgilead—even unto the river Arnon, half tike valleyThe word "valley" signifies a wady, either tilled witli water or dry, as the Anion is in summer, and thus tlie proper rendering of the passage will be—" even to the half or middle of the river Anion" (cf. Joshua 12. 2). This prudent arrangement of the boundaries was evidently made to prevent all disputes between tlie adjacent tribes about the exclusive riglit to the water. ',15. 1 jtray thee, let me go over and see the good land tliat is iieyoud
>]oi'<ii<n, tliat goodly mountain, and Lebanon—The natural and very earnest wish of Moses to lie allowed to cross the Jordan was founded on the idea tliul the Divine threatening might be conditional and revertilile. "Tliat goodly mountain" is supposed by Jewisti writers to have pointed to the hill on which the temple was to be built (chapter 12.5; Exodus 15.2). But biblical scholars now, generally, render tlie words— "that goodly iiKjuntain, even Lebanon," and consider it to be mentioned as typifying the beauty of Palestine, of whicli liillfc and mouu tains were so i)romineiit a feature, as. spealt sio more unto me of this matter i. c, my decree is unalierable. CHAPTER IV.
lofty peak, "Sirion," or in an abbreviated form ".Sion"
(ch. -1. -IS), the upraised "Slienir," the glittering breastplate of ice. 11. only Og king of Baslian remained of the remnant of giants lit., of Kephaim. He was not
tlie last giant, but the only living remnant in the transjordanic country (Josliua 15. 14), of a certain gigantic race, supposed to be the most ancient inhabitants of Palestine, behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron—Although beds in the East are with the common people nothing
Ver. 1-13. An Exhortation TO Obedience. 1. lienrken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto tiie judgments wlnicli I teacli you—By statutes were meant all ordinances respecting religion, and the rites of divine worship; and l3y judgments, all enactments relative to civil matters. The two embraced tiie whole law of God. 3. Ye siiall not add unto tlie word whicli I comitinnd youBy the introduction of any heathen superstition or forms of worship ditterent from those which I have appointed
more than a simple mattrass, bedsteads are not unknown: they are in use amongst the great, who prefer them of. Iron or other metals, not only for strength and durability, but for the prevention of the troublesome insects which in warm climates commonly infest wood. Taking the cul)it at half a yard, tlie bedstead of Og would measure 13i feet, so that as beds are usually a
little larger than the persons who occupy them, the stature of theAmorite king maybe estimated ataljout 11 or 12 feet; or he might have caused his bed to be made much larger than was necessary, as Alexander the Great did for each of his foot soldiers, to impress the Indians with an idea of the extraordinary strength and stature of his men. [Leclerc] But liow did Og's bedstead come to be in Rabbath, of the children of Ammon ? m answer to this question. It has been said, tliat Og had, on the eve of engagement, conveyed It to Ralibath for safety, or tliat Moses, after capturing it, may have sold it to the Ammonites, who had kept it as an antiquarian curiosity, till their capital was sacked in the time of David. This is a most unlikely supposition, and besides renders it necessary to consider the latter clause of this verso as an interpolation inserted long after the time of Moses. To avoid this, some eminent critics take the Hebrew word rendered "bedstead" to mean "coflfln." They think that the king of Bashan having been wounded In battle, fled to Rabbatti, where he died, and was burled ; hence the dimensions of his "coffin" are given. [Dathe, Ros.] lit. Thlg land which we poHseHM'd at that time, from A roer ... . gave I unto the Renbrnites and to the Gadlte»—The whole territory occupied by Sihon was parcelled out among the
(ch. 12. 32; Numbers 15. 39; Matthew 15. 9). ncitlier shall ye diminish auglit from it—by the neglect or omission of any of the observances, however trivial or irksome,
wliicli I have prescribed. The character and provisions of the ancient dispensation were adapted with divine wisdom to the Instruction of that infant state of the church. But it was only a temporary economy ; and although God here authorizes Moses to command that all
its institutions should be honoured with unfailing observance, this did not prevent Him from commissioning
otiier prophets to alter or abrogate them when the end of that dispensation was attained. 3, 4. Your eyes have seen wliat the Lord did because of Baal-peor . , , tlie Liord thy God Iiath destroyed them from among you —It appears tha t the pestilence and the sword of justice overtook only the guilty in that affair (Numbers 25.), while the rest of the people were spared. The allusion to that recent and appalling judgment was seasonably made as a powerful dissuasive against Idolatry, and the fact mentioned was calculated to make a deep impression on people who knew and felt the truth of it. 5, 6. this ia your wisdom and your understanding in the sight
A Particular Dissuasive against Idolatry. DEUTEEONOMY V. Commemoration of the Covenant in Horeb.
of nations whlcH sliall hear all these statutes—Moses predicted that the faithful observance of tlic laws given them would raise their national character lor intelligence aud wisdom : and in point of fact it did do so; for although
Iron. A furnace of tljis kind is round, sometimes 30 feet deep, and requiring the highest intensity of heat. Such
is the tremendous image chosen to represent the bondage and ainiction of the Israelites. [Rosenmuller.] to b« unto him a peoi.'le of Inheritance—His peculiar possession from age to age; and therefore for you to abandon his worship for that of idols, especially the gross and debasing system of idolatry that prevails among the Egyptians, would be the greatest folly—the blackest ingratitude. '.26, I call heaven and earth to witness against you—this solemn form of adjuration has been common in special circumstances amongst all people. It is used here figuratively, or as in other parts of Scripture where inanimate objects are called uj) as witnesses (ch. 32.1; Isaiah 1. 2). 28. there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands—The compulsory measures of their tyrannical conquerors would force them into idolatry, so that their choice would become their punishment. 30. in the latter days, if tliou turn to the Liord thy God—either towards the destined close of their captivities, when they evinced a returning spirit of repentance and faith, or in the age of Messiah, which is commonly called "the latter days," aud when the scattered tribes of Israel shall be converted to the gospel of Christ. The occurrence of this auspicious event will be the most illustrious proof of the truth of the promise made in i'. 31. 41-4:3. Then Moses severed three cities on tikis side Jordan—(See on Joshua 20.7,8.) 44^49. This is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel—This is a preface to the rehearsal of the law, which, with the addition of various explanatory circumstances, the following chapters contain. 46. Beth-peor— i. p., house or temple of I'eor. It
tlie heathen world generally ridiculed the Hebrews for what they considered a foolish and absurd exclusivencss, some of the most eminent philosophers expressed t!ie highest admiration of the fundamental principle in the Jewish religion—the unity of God; and tlieir legislators borrowed some laws from tiie constitution of tlie Hebrews. 7-9. what nation is there so great—Hnre lie represents their privileges and their duty in such signitieant and comprehensive terms, as were peculiarly calculated to arrest their attention and engage their interest. The former, their national advantages, are described (vs.
7, 8), and they were twofold :—1. God's readiness to hear and aid them at all times; and 2. the excellence of tliat religion In which they were instructed, set torth in the "statutes and judgments so righteous" which the law of Moses contained. Their duty corresponding to these pre-eminent advantages as a people, was also twofold :
1. their own faithful obedience to that law; and 2. their obligation to imbue the minds of the young and rising generation with similar sentiments of reverence and respect for it. 10. the day tliou stoodest before the L.ord In Horeb—The delivery of the law from Sinai was an era never to be forgotten in the history of Israel. .Some of those whom Moses was addressing had been present, though very young; while the rest were federally represented by their parents, who in their name and for their interest entered into the national covenant. 1'^. Ye Iieard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude although articulate sounds were heard emanating from the mount, no form or representation of tlie Divine Ucing who spoke was seen to indicate his nature or properties according to the notions of the heathen.
is probable that a temple of this Moabite idol stood in full view of the Hebrew camp, while Moses was urging the exclusive claims of God to their worship, and this allusion would be very signiticant if it were the temple where so many of the Israelites had grievously offended. 49. Tlie springs of Pisgah—more frequently Ashdoth-pisgah
Ver. lt-40. A Particular Dis-suasive agaixst Idolatry. 15. Take good heed for ye saw no iu.-\nner of similitude—The extreme proneness of the Israelites to Idolatry, from their position in the midst of surrounding nations already abandoned to its seductions, accounts for their atlentRiii being repeatedly drawn to the fact that God did not appear on Sinai in any visible form ; hnd an earnest caution, founded on that remarkable circumstance, is given to beware, not only of making representations of false gods, but also any fancied representation of the true God. 16-19. lest ye corrupt yourselves and make a graven image—The tilings are here specitied of which God prohibited any image or representation to be made for the purposes of worship; and, from the variety of details entered into, an idea may be formed of llie extensive prevalence of idolatry in that age. In wliatever way idolatry originated, whether from an intention to worship' the true God through those things which seemed to afford the strongest evidences of his power, or wliether a Divine principle was supposed to reside in the things themselves, there was scarcely an element or object of nature but was deified. This was particularly the case with the Canaanites and Egyptians, against whose superstitious practices the caution, no doubt, was chiefly directed. The former worshipped Baal and Aslarte, the
(ch. 3. 17; Joshua 12. 3; 13. 20), the roots or foot of the mountains east of the Jordan.
Ver. 1-29. A Commemoration of the CovEN.\rtT in IIouEli. 1. Hear, O Israel, the statutes and Judgments —Wlx'llier this rehearsal of the law was made in a solemn assembly, or as some think at a general meeting of the elders as representatives of the people, is of little mo m(>nt ; it was addres.sed either directly or indirectly to the Hebrew people as i)rinciples of their peculiar constitution as a nation; and lience, as has been well observed, "the Jewisli law has no obligation upon Christians, unless so much of it as given or commanded by Jesus Christ; for whatever in this law is conformable to the laws of nature, obliges us, not as given by Moses, but by virtue of an antecedent law common to all rational beings." [Hisiiop WlliSON.] 3. Tlie Lord made not this covenant with our fatliers, but with us—The meaning Is, "not with our fatliers" only, "but with us" also, assuming It to be "a covenant " of grace ; or " not with our fathers " at all,
if the reference is to the peculiar establishment of the (u)venant of Slual ; a law was not given to tliem as to us, nor was the covenant ratified in the same public manner, and by the sninc solemn sanctions. Or, flnally, " not with our fathers" who died in the wilderness. In consequence of their rebellion, and to whom God did not give the rewards promised only to the failhful; but "with us," who alone, strictly speaking, shall enjoy Iho benefits of this covenant by entering on the possession of the promised land. 4. The l<ord talked wi<h yon face to face in the mount—not in a visible and corporeal foi-m, of which there was no trace (I'h. 4. 12, 15), hut freely, familiarly, and In such a ni.mner that no doubt could be entertained of His presence. 5. I stood belweeii llie Lord and you at (hat time—asthe messenger and i iilerpreter of thy lieavenly King, bringing near two ,ol)Jects formerly removed
latter Osiris and Isis, under the llguro of a mah^and a female. It was In Egypt that animal worship most jirevalled, for the natives of that country deified among beasts the ox, the heifer, the sheep, and the goat, the dog, the eat, and the ape; among birds, the ll)ls, the hawk and the crane; among reptiles, the ci-oeodile, the frog and tliebeetle; among fishes, all the fish of theNile; some of these, as Osiris and Isis, were worshlpi>ed overall Egypt, the others only In particular provliK'cs; In addition to which they embraced the Zabian superstition, the adoration of the Egyptians, in common with that of many other people, exl(^ndlng to the whole starry host. The very circumstantial details here given of the Caiiaanltlsh and Egyptian Idolatry were owing to the past and proupeetlve familiarity of the Israelites with It in all these forms, SiO. But the Lord hath taken you, and brouKlit you out of the iron furnace—t. c, a furnace for smelting
from each other at a vast distance, \ \7,.,^oii and the people (Galatlaiis 10. 10). In this character Moses was a type
Itrad to Keep G'lcCs Commandments. DEUTEEONOMY VI, VII. Communion with Nations Forbidden.
of Christ, who is the only mediator between Go^ and men
exhibits (Matthew 22. 37 ; Mark 12. SO ; Luke 10. 27). Moreover, to help in keeping a sense of religion in their minds,
(1 Timothy 11. 5), the Mediator of a better covenant (Hebrews 8. fi; 9. 15; 12. 24). to sliow yon tlie word of tUe Lord—not the ten commandments—for they were proclaimed directly by the Divine Spealier himself, but the Btatntes and judgments which are repeated in the subsequent portion of this book. 6-20. I am the Liord thy God—The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion ; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation, was entitled to exercise supremacy over his people Israel, had a sovereign right to estal)lish laws
it was commanded that its great principles should be carried about with them wlierever they went, as well as meet their eyes every time they entered their homes ; a further provision was made for the earnest inculcation of them on the minds of the young by a system of parental training, which was designed to associ.ite religion with all the most familiar and oft-recurring scenes of domestic life.
It is probable that Moses used the phraseology in the 7th verse, merely in a figurative way, to signify assiduous, earnest, and frequent instruction ; and perhaps he meant the metaphorical language in the 8th verse to be taken in the same sense also. But as the Israelites interpreted
for their government. The commandments wliich follow
are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Exodus 20.), and in some of them there is a distinct reference to that promulgation. 13. Keep the Sahbnth day to sanctify It, as the Lord Iiath commanded thee— i.e., keep it in mind as a sacred institution of former enactment and perpetual obligation, l-t. that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as tlton—This is a different reason for the observance of the Sabbath from what is assigned In Exodus 20., where that day is stated to be an appointed memorial of the creation. But tlie addition of another motive for the observance docs not imply any necessary contrariety to the otlier; and it ha.s been thought probable that, the commemorative design of the institution being well known, the other reason was specially mentioned on this repetition of the law, to secure the privilege of sabbatic rest to servants, of which, in sonie Hebrew families, they had been deprived. In this view, the allusion to the period of Egyptian bondage (i'. 15), when themselves were not permitted to observe the Sabbath either as a day of rest or of public devotion, was peculiarly seasonable and Bigniflcant, well fitted to come home to their business and bosoms. 16. that It may go well Avlth thee—This clause
it literally, many writers suppose tliat a reference was made to a superstitious custom borrowed from the Egyptians, who woie jewels and ornamental trinkets on the forehead and arm, inscribed with certain words and sentences, as amulets to protect them from danger. These, it has been conjectured, Moses intended to supersede by substituting sentences of the law ; and so the Hebrews understood him, for they have always considered the weai'ing of the Tepliilim or frontlets a permanent obligation. The form was as follows : Four pieces of parchment, inscribed, the first with Exodus 13. 2-10; the second with Exodus 13.
11-16; the third with Deuteronomy 6. 1-8; and the fourth with Deuteronomy 11.18-21, were enclosed in a square case or box of tough skin, on the side of which was placed the Hebrew letter {shin), and bound round the forehead with a thong or ribbon. When designed for the arms,
thofie four texts were written on one slip of parchment, which, as well as the ink, was carefully prepared for the purpose. With regard to the other usage supposed to be alluded to, the ancient Egyptians had the lintels and imposts of their doors and gates inscribed witli sentences indicative of a favourable omen [Wilkinson]; and this is
is not in Exodus, but admitted into Ephesians 6. 21. neither ghalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, house, and Held—an alteration is here made in the words (see Exodus 20.), but it so slight (" wife " being put in the first clause, and house in the second) that it would not have Deen worth while noticing it, except that the Interchange proves, conti'arj' to the opinion of some eminent critics, that these two objects are included in one and the same commandment. 22, He added no more—(Exodus 20. 1.) The pre-eminence of these ten commandments was shown in God's announcing them directly : other laws and institutions were communicated to the people through the Instrumentality of Moses. 23-28. And. . . yeramenear unto me—(See onExodus 20. 19.) 29. Oh that there were such an heart In them, that they would fear me—God can bestow such a heart, and has promised to give it, wherever it is asked (Jeremiah 32. 40). But the wish which Is here expressed on the part of God for the piety and steadfast obedience of the Israelites did not relate to them as individuals, so much as a nation, whose religious character and progress would have a mighty influence on the world at large.
still the case, for in Egypt and other Moliammedan coun-
tries, the front doors of houses—in Caiio, for instance—are painted red, white, and green, bearing conspicucmsly inscribed upon them such sentences from the Koran, as "God is the Creator," "God is one, and Mohammed is his prophet." Mosesdesigned to turnthisancient and favour-
ite custom to a better account, and ordered that, instead of the former superstitious inscriptions, sliould be written the words of God, persuading and enjoining the people to hold the laws in perpetual remembrance. 20-25. When thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying The directions given for the instruction of tlieir children form only an extension of the preceding counsels.
Ver. 1-2C. All Communion with the Nations Foabidden. 1. The Hlttites—This people were descended from Heth, the second son of Canaan (Genesis 10. 15), and occupied the mountainous region about Hebron, in the south of Palestine. The Girgnsliltes—sujiposi d by some to be the same as the Gergesenes (Matthew 8. 28), who lay to the east of Lake Gennesareth ; but tliey are jilaced on the west of Jordan (Josliua 24. 11), and others take Ihem for a branch of the large family of tlie Ilivitcs, as tluy are omitted In nine out of ten places wliere tlie tribes of Canaan are enumerated; in the tentli tliey are mentioned, while the Hivites are not. Tlie Amoi-ltes—descended from the fourth son of Canaan, occupied, be.siiles tlieir conquest on the Moabite territory, extensive settlements west of the Dead Sea, in the mountains. The t'nnaan-
Ver. 1-2.5. Moses Exhorteth Israel to Hear God and TO Keep His Commandments. 1. Now these are the commandment* and the statutes and the Judgments which the Lord commanded to teach yon, that ye might do them . . . whither ye go to possess it—The grand design of all the institutions prescribed to Israel was to form a religious people, who.sc national character should be distinguished by that fear of the Lord their God which would ensure their Divine obiservauce of His worship, and their steadfast obedience to His will. The basis of their religion was an acknowledgment of the unity of God with the understanding, and the love of God in the heart (v. 4, 5). Compared with the religious creed of all their contemporaries, how sound in principle, how elevated in character, how unlimited in the extent of its moral influence on the heart and habits of the i)eople! Indeed, It Is precisely the sanle basis on which rests the purer and more spiritual form of It which Christianity
Ites—were located In Phcenicia, particularly about Tyre and Sidon, and being sprung from tlie eldest bianch of the family of Canaan, bore his name. The Perizi.Ues
t. e., viWajrers, a tribe who were dispersed througl.out the country, and lived in unwalled towns. Tlie Illvltes who dwelt about El)al and Geri/.lm, ertending towards Ilermon. Tliey are supposed to be the siu-.c as tlic A vims. The Jebusites—resided about Jerusalem and llie adjacent country, seven nations greater and niightirr than thou—Ten were formerly mentioned (Genesis l"i 19-21). But In the lapse of near five hundred years, It cannot be
Jmages to be Destroyed. DEUTERONOMY VIII. An Exhortation to Obedience.
among them—(See on Joshua 24. 11-13.) 23. lest th« beasts of the field increase upon thee—(See on Exodus
surprising tliat some of them liad been extinguished in the many intestine feuds that prevailed amongst those warlike tribes; and it is more than probable that some, stationed on tlie east of Jordan, liad fallen under the victorious arms of the Israelites. 8-6. Tliou glinit smite
2J. 2S-30.) The omnipotence of their Almighty Ruler could have given them possession of the promised land at once. But, the uuburied corpses of the enemy, and the portions of the country that might have been left desolate for a while, would iiave drawn an influx of dangerous beasts. This evil would be prevented by a progressive conque.st, and by the use of ordinary means, which God would bless.
tlieiti, and utterly destroy tUem ; tUou slialt make no covenant witli tUem—This relentless doom of extermination which God denounced against tliose tribes of Canaan cannot be reconciled with the attributes of the Divine character, except on the assumption that their gross idolatry and enormous wickedness left no reasonable hope of their repentance and amendment. If they were to bes^'ept away like the antediluvians, or the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, as incorrigible sinners who had tilled up the measure of their iniquities, it mattered not to them in what way tliejudgment was inflicted ; and God, as the Sovereign Disposer, liad a right to employ any instruments that pleased Him for executing His judgments. Some think that they were to be exterminated as unprincipled usurpers of acountry which God had assigned to the posterity of Eber, and which had been occupied ages before by wandering shepherds of that race, till, on the migration of Jacob s family intoEgypt through the pressure of famine, the Camianites overspread the whole land, though they had no legitimate claim to it, and endeavoured to retain possession of it by force. In this view their expulsion was just and proper. The strict prohibition against contracting any alliances with sucli infamous idolaters was .a prudential rule, founded on the experience that "evil communications corrupt good manners," and its importance or necessity was attested by thr unliappy examples of Solomon and others in the subseeiuent history of Israel. 5. Titus shall ye deal with tlieni, }°e sUnll destroy their altars, &c.—The removal of the templt s, altars, and everything that had been enlisted in tlie service, or might tend to perpetuate the remcmljrancc, of Canaanite idolatry, was likewise highly expedient for preserving the Israelites from all risk of contamination. It was" imitated by the Scottish Ileformers, and altliouiili many ardent lovers of architecture and the fine arts have anatheiriatized their proceedings as vandalism, yet there
Ver. 1-20. An Exhortation to Obedience. 1. All
tlie commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe, that ye may live—Duty has been made in all the wise arrangements of our Creator inseparably connected with happiness, and the earnest enforcement of the Divine law which Moses was making to the Israelites was in order to secure tlieir being a liappy, because a moral and religious people: a course of prosperity is often called life (Genesis 17.18; Proverbs 3, 2). live and multiply—This reference to the future increase of their population proves that they were too few to occupy the land fully at first. 3. Thou shalt remember
nil the way which the Liord thy God led thee these forty years in the wildeniess—The recapitulation of all their chequered experience during that long period was designed to awaken lively impressions of the goodness of God. First, Moses showed them the object of their protracted wanderings and varied hardships; these were
trials of their obedience as well as chastisements for sin. Indeed, the discovery of their infidelity, inconstancy, and their rebellions and perversenoss which this varied discipline brought to light, was of eminentlj' practical use to the Israelites themselves, as it has been to the church in
all subsequent ages. Next, he enlarged on the goodness of God to them, while reduced to the last extremities of despair, in the miraculous provision which, without anxiety or labour, was made for their daily support (see on Exodus 16. 12), and which, possessing no nutritious properties inherent in It, contributed to their sustenance, as indeed all food does (M.atthew 4. 4) solely through the ordinance and blessing of God. This remark is applicable to the means of spiritual as well as natural life. 4. tliy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did tliy foot swell these forty years—What a striking miracle wa-s this! No doui)t the Israelites might have brought from Egypt more clothes than they wore at their out.set; they might also have obtained supplies of various articles of food and raiment in barter with the neighbouring tribes for the fleeces .and skins of their sheep and goats; and in furnishing them with such opportunities the care of Providence appeared. But the strong and pointed terms which Moses here uses (see also
was prolbund wisdom in the favourite maxim of Knox— "pull down the nest«, and the rooks will disapjiear." 6-10. for tlkoti art an holy people unto the Lord thy God—i. e., set apart to the service of God, or chosen to execute the important purposes of His providence. Their selection to this high destiny was neither on account of their numerical amount, for, till after the deutli of Joseph, they were but a handful of people; nor of their extraordinaiy merits, for they had often pursued a most perverse and unworthy conduct: but It was in consequence of the covenantor promise made with their pious forefathers, and the motives that led to that special act were such a.s tende<l not only to vindicate God's wisdom, but to illustrates His glory in diffiislng tlu; best and most precious blessings to all mankind. ll-;4«. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the Juilgment4a, which I command thee this <lay —In the covenant Into which God entered with Israel, He promised to bestow upon them a variety of blessings so long as they continued obedient to Him as their heavenly King, an<l ple<lged His veracity that His Infinite perfections would be exerted for this purpose, as well as for delivering them from every evil to which, as a people, they would be exposed. That people accordingly were truly happy as a nation, and found every promise which the faithful God ma<le to them amply fullllle<l, so long a.s they adhered to that obedience which was retjulred of them. See a beautiful Illustration of this In Psalm lit.
ch. 29. r>) indicate a special or miraculous interposition of
tlieir loving Guardian in preserving them amid the tear and wear of their nomadic life in the desert. Thirdly, Moses expatiated on the goodness of tlio promised land.
7. For the I>o^-d thy God hringeth thee into a good land—All accounts, ancient and modern, concur in bearing testimony to the natural beauty and fertillly of Pal-
estine, and Its great capabilities if properly cultivated, a land of l)rooks, of water, of fountains, and depths that spring out of valleys and hills—These character-
isticfeatures iins mentioned first, as they would be most striking; and all travellers describe how delightful and cheerful ltls,after passing through the barren and thirsty
de.sert, to be among running brooks and swelling hills and verdant valleys. It Is observable that water is mentioned as the chief source of Its ancient fertility. 8. a laud of wlieat and barley—These cereal fruits were specially proniis(>d t{) the Israelites In the event of their fnithful allegiance to the covenant of God (Psalm 81. 16;
12-15. Tlie evil diseases of Egypt—(.See Kxodus lo. 2fi.) But besides those with which Pharaoh and his subjects were visited, isgypt has always been drea<lfiilly scourged with diseases, and the t^-stimony of Moses Js confirmed
l>y the reports of many modern writers, who tell us that, notwitlistaiull iig Its equal temperature and sereneness, that counliy haH some Indigenous maladies which are very malignant, such as oplithalmla, dysentery, small pox, and the plague. ',40. OoA will send Uie hornet
117. M). The wlieat and barley were so abundant as to yield sixty and often an hundredfolil Kieiiesls 26. 12; MattlH^w i;?. iS). vines, flg tr<ys, and pomegranates—The limestone rocks and abrupt vall(\vs were entirely covered, as traces of them still show, with phintatlohs of Uga,
Moses Oksuadeth them from the DFX'TERONOMY IX, X. Opininri nf Iheir nun F^iijhteousneSB:
vines, and olive trees. Though in a southern latitude, its mouutainous loniiatioiis tempered ihe exc-eswive licat, and lieuce, JIks, pomegranates, iSc, were produi ed in Palestine equally with wheat and barley, the produee of northern regions. Honey—the word honey is used often in a loose, indeterminate sense, very frerinenlly to sigjiify a syrup of dates or of grapes, which under the name of dibaih much used by all classes, wherever vineyards are found, as a condiment to their food. It resembles thin molasses, but is more pleasant to the taste. [Hobin.son.] This Is esteemed a great delicacy in the PJast, and it was produced abundantly In Palestine. 9. a Iniid wliose stoues are ii-ou—The abundance of this metal in Palestine, especially among the mountains of Lebanon, those of Kesraoun, and elsewhere, is attested not only by Josephus, but by Volney, Buckingham, and other travellers. Brass—not the alloy brass, but the ore of copper. Although the mines may now be exhausted or neglected, they yielded plenty of those metals anciently (1 Chronicles 22. 3; 29.2-7; Isaiah 60. 17). 11-20. Beivare tl»a< thow forget not tlie L-ord—After mentioning those instances of the Divine goodness, Moses founded on them an argument for thair future obedience. 15. who ltd tUce througU that great and terrible wilderness wliereln were fiery serpents and scorpions—Large and venomous reptiles are found in great numbers there still, particularly in autumn. Travellers require to use great caution in arranging their tents and beds at night; even during the day the legs not only of men, but of the ani-
otherwise. 12-80. Arise, get fliee «lo-\vn qiilcltly from lieiite : for liie people lt:>ve »«i i%ii,tt(l tliemgelves— Willi a view to luiinhle 1 hvni frlcci u:. i iy, Moses proceeds to particulari/.e some of tiie niosi utiiK ious Instances of • their infidelity; and he begins wil:i ihe impiet.v of tho golden calf—an impiety wliich, wliilc their miraculous emancipation from Egypt, the most sr\ipeudous displays of the Divine Majesty that were exliihited on the adjoining mount, and the recent ratification of the covenant by which they engaged to act as the people of God, were fresh in memory, indicated a degree of inconstancy or deliasement almost incredible. 17. I tooli the two tables and lirolce tlkem before your eyes—not in tlie heat of intemperate passion, but in righteous indignation, from zeal to vindicate the unsullied honour of God, and by the suggestion of His Spirit to intimate that the covenant had been broken, and the people excluded from the Divine favour. 18. I fell down before tl»e Lord—The sudden and painful reaction which this scene of pagan revelry pi-oduced on the mind of the pious and patriotic leader can be more easily imagined than described. Great and public sins call for seasons of extraordinary humiliation, and in his deep affliction for tlie awful apostasy, he seems to have held a miraculous fast as long as before. 20. The Lord was very angry with Aaron to liave destroyed liim—By allowing liimself to be overborne by the tide of popular clamour, he became a partaker in tiie guilt of idolatry, and would have suffered the penalty of his sinful compliance, had not the earnest intercession of Moses on his behalf prevailed. 31. I cast the dust thereof into tine brook tliat descended out of tite mount—i. e., the smitten rock (El Leja) which was probably contiguous to, or a part of Sinai. It is too seldom borne in mind that though the Israelites were supplied with water from this roek when they were stationed at Rephidim (Wady Feiran), tliere is nothing in the Scripture narrative which should lead us to suppose that the rock was in the immediate neighbourliood of that place (sec on Exodus 17. 5, 6). The water on this smitten rock was probably the brook that descended from the mount. The water m-iy have flowed at the distance of many miles from the rock, as the winter torrents do now through the wadys of Arabia Petrtea (Psalm 78. 15, 16). And tlie rock may have been smitten at such a height, and at a spot bearing such a relation to the Sinaitic valleys, as to lurilisli in tliis way supplies of water to the Israelites during the journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir and Kadesh-barnea (ch.
mals they ride, are liable to be bitten, who brouglit thee forth water out of the flinty rock— (See on chap. 9. 21.)
Ver. 1-25. Mo.ses Dissuadeth them fuom the Opinion OF THEIR OWN RiOHTEOUSNESS. 1. this day—means Z/its
time. The Israelites had reached the confines of the promised land, but were obliged, to their great mortification, to return. But now were tliey certainly to enter
tt. No obstacle could prevent their possession ; neither the fortified defences of the towns, nor the resistance of the gigantic inhabitants of whom they had received from the spies so formidable a description, cities g;Teat and fenced up to heaven—Oriental cities generally cover a much greater space than those in Europe; for the houses often stand apart with gardens and fields intervening. They are almost all surrounded with walls built of.burnt or sun-dried bricks, about 40 ft. in height. All classes in the East, but especially the norr^d tribes, in their ignorance of engineering and artillery, would abandon in despair tlie idea of an assault on a walled town, which European soldiers would demolish in a few hours. 4. Spealt not thou in thy heart, saying, For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me to possess it Moses takes special care to guard his countrymen against the vanity of supposing that their own merits liad procured them the distinguished privilege. The Canaanites were a hopelessly corrupt race, and deserved extermination ; but history relates many remarkable instances In which God punished corrupt and guilty nations by the instrumentality of other people as bad as themselves. It was not for the sake of the Israelites, but for His own sake, for the promise made to their pious ancestors, and Jn furtherance of high and comprehensive purposes of good to the world, that God was about to give them a grant of Canaan. 7. Remember and forget not how thou provoliedst tl»e Lord—To dislodge from their minds any presumptuous idea of their own righteousness, Moses rehearses their acts of disobedience and rebellion committed so frequently, and in circumstances of the most awful and impressive solemnity, that they had forfeited all claims to the favour of God. The candour and boldness with which he gave, and the patient submission with which the people bore, his recital of charges so disereditable to their national character, has ofU'.n been appealed to as among the many evidences of the truth of this history. 8. also In Horeii—rather, even in Horeb, where it might have been expected they would have acted
1. 1, 2). On this supposition new light is, perhaps, cast on tlie figurative language of the apostle, when he speaks of "the rock following " the Israelites (1 Corinthians 10.4). [Wilson's Land of the Bible.] 85. Thus l fell down before tlie Lord forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at tlie flrst—After the enumeration of various acts of rebellion, he had mentioned the outbreak at Kadeshr barnea, which, on a superficial reading of this verse, would seem to have led Moses to a third and protracted season of humiliation. But on a comparison of this passage with Numbers 14. 5, the subject and language of this prayer show that only the second act of intercession
(v. 18) is now described in fuller detail.
Ver. 1-22. God's Mercy in Restoring the Two Tables. 1. At that time the Lord said unto me. IIcw thee two tables of stone like unto the tli-st— It was when God had been pacified through tlie intercessions of Moses with the people who had so greatly oflended Him by the worship of the golden calf. The obedient leader executed the orders he had received as to the prepaiation both of the hewn stones, and the ark or chest in wlilch those sacred archives were to be laid. 3. 1 made a«» ark of shittim wood—It appears, however, fi om Kxodus 37,
1, that the ark was not framed till his return from the mount, or most probably, he gave instructions to Bezaleel, the artist employed on the work, before he ascended the mount,—that, on his descent, it might be fin;shedj and ready to receive the precious deposit, l, 5. he wrote on
An Exhortation to Obedience, DEUTERONOMY XI. and Blessings Promised.
the tables according to tlie first writing— i. e., not Moses, who nnder the divine direction acted as amanuensis, but God himself who made this inscription a second time with His own hand, to testify the importance He attached to the ten commandments. Different from otlier stone monuments of antiquity, wliieh were made to stand upriglit and in the open air, tliose on whicli the Divine law was engraven were portable, and designed to be kept as a treasure. Josephus says that each of the tables contained five precepts. But the tradition generally received, both amongst Jewish and Christian writers is, that one table contained four precepts, the other six. 1 put tUem in tlie ark wlilch I had made ; tliere tliey be, as tike Liord coAmaiided me—Here is another minute, but important circumstance, the public mention of which at the time attests the veracity of the sacred historian. 6-9. Tbe children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of JTaakan to Mosera—So sudden a change from a spoken discourse to a historical narra-
years and upward, who were able to go forth to war. No males under 20 years of age, no females, and none of the tribe of Levi, were objects of the denunciation (see Numbers 14.28-30; 16.49). There might, therefore, have been many thousands of the Israelites at that time of whom Moses could say, " Your eyes have seen all the great acta which He did;" and with regard to those the historic review of Moses was well calculated to stir up their minds to the duty and advantages of obedience. 10-1'i. For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out—The physical features of Palestine present a striking contrast to those of the land of bondage. A widely extending plain forms the cultivated portion of Egypt, and on the greater part of this low and level country rain never falls. This natural want is supplied by the annual overflow of the Nile, and by artificial means from the same source, when tlie river has receded within its customary channel. Close by the bank the process of irrigation is very simple. The cultivater opens a small sluice on the edge of the square bed in which seed has been sown, mailing drill after drill; and when a sufficient quantity of water has poured in, he shuts it up with his foc^. Where the bank is high, the water is drawn up bj' hydraulic engines, of which there are three kinds used, of diflerent power, according to the subsidence of the stream. The water is distributed in small channels or earthen conduits, simple in construction, worked by the foot, and formed with a mattock by the gardener who directs their course, and which are banked up or opened, as occasion may require, by pressing in the soil with the foot. Thus was Uie land watered in which the Israelites had dwelt so long. Such vigilance and laborious industry would not be needed in the promised land, for instead of being visited only at one brief season, and left during the rest of the year under a withering blight, every season it would enjoy the benign influences of a genial climate; the hills would attract the frequent clouds, and in tlio refreshing showers the blessing of God would especially rest upon the hind. A land which tl»e Lord tliy God careth for— i. e., watering it, as it were, with His own hands, without human aid or mechanical means. 14. TIic flrst rain and the latter rain—The early rain commenced in autumn, i. e., chiefly during the months of September and October, while the latter rain fell in the spring of the year, i.e., during the months of March and April. It is true tliat occasional showers fell all the winter; but, at tlie autumnal and vernal seasons, they were more frequent, copious, and important for the early rain was necessary, after a hot and protrac#d summer, to prepare the soil for receiving the seed; and the latter rain, whic'h sliortly preceded the harvest, was of the greatest use in Invigorating the languishing powers of vegetation. (Ji-remlah 5.24; Joel 11.23; Amos 4.7; James 5.7.) 15-17. I wiU send grass in thy fields for thy cattle—Undoubtedly the special blessing of the former and the latter rain was one principal cause of the cxtraordinai-y fertility of Canaan in ancient times. That blessing was promised to the Israelites as a temporal reward for their fidelity to the national covenant. It was threatened to be withdrawn on tlieir disobedience or apostasy ; and most signally Is the execution of that threatening seen in the present sterility of Palestine. Mr. Lowthlan, an English farmer, who was struck during his journey from Joppa to Jerusalem by not seeing a blade of grass, where even In the poorest localities of Britain some wild veg(>tatlon is found, directed his attention particularly to tlie suliject, and pursued the Inquiry during a month's residence in Jerusalem, where he learned tliat a miserably small quantity of milk Is dally sold to the inhabitants at a dear rate, and that chiefly asses' milk. "Most dearly," says he, "did I perceive that the barrenness of Jarge portions of the country was owing to the cessation of the early and latter rain, and that the absence of grass and flowers made It no longer the land (v. 9)rtowlnK with milk and honey." lS-a5. lay up tlicse my woi-ds in your heart and In your soul, and bind tliem—(.See on
tive, has greatly puzzled the most eminent biblical scholars, some of whom reject the parenthesis as a mani-
fest interpolation. But it is found in the most ancient Hebrew MSS., and, believing that all contained in this book was given by inspiration, and is entitled to profound respect, we must receive it as it stands, althougli acknowledging our inability to explain the insertion of these encampment details In this place. There is another difficulty in the narrative itself. The stations which the Israelites are said successively to have occupied are enumerated here in a different order from Numbers 33. 31. That the names of the stations in both passages are the same there can be no doubt ; but, in Numbers, they are probably mentioned in reference to the first visit of the Hebrews during the long wandering southwards, before their return to Kadesh the second time; while here they have a reference to the second passage of the Israelites, when they again marched south, in order to compass the land of Edom. It is easy to conceive that Mosera (Hor) and the wells of Jaakan might lie in such a direction that a nomadic horde might. In diflerent years, at one time take the former 7? raZ in their way, and at another time the latter. [Robinson.] 10-aa. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in tlieir history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and .serve Him faithfully. 16. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your hea»-t—Here he teaches them the true and spiritual meaning of that rite, as was afterwards more strongly urged by Paul (Romans 2. 2.5,
29), and sliould be applied by us to our baptism, whidi is "not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God."
Ver. 1-32. An Exhortation to Obedience. 1. Therefore thou Shalt love the I^ord thy God, and keep his charge—The reason of the frequent repetition of the same or similar counsels is to be traced to the infantine character and state of tlie church, which required line npon line and precept upon precept. Besides, the Israelites were a headstrong and perverse people, impatient of control, prone to rebellion, and, from their long stay in Egypt, so violently addicted to idolatry, that tiiey ran imminent risk of Ijelng seduced by the religion of tlie country to wliich they were going, which, in it« characteristic features, bore a strong resemblance to that of the country tliey had left. 3-9. I speak not to your children, whielt have not known . . . Imt your eyes have seen all the great act« of the Lord which he did Moses Is here giving a brief summary of the marvels and miracles of av/fnl Judgment which God liad wrouglit in effecting their release from the tyranny of Plinr.aoh, as well as tliose which Iiad taken place in the wilderness; and he knew that he might dwell upon tliese, for he was addressing many who had been witnesses of those appalling Incidents. For it will be remembered that 1-ho Divine threatening that they should dio In the wlldeiness. ard lt« execution, extended only to males from 2r 12s
cli. U. 8.) every place whereon the soles of your feet
MontimenU of Idolatry to be Destroyed. DEUTERONOMY XII, XIII. Blood Prohihited.