Chapter XXVIII
Ver. 1-6''. The Blessings FOR Obedience. 1. iftlioH slialt lifarkeii diligently iiuto tike voiee of tSie Lord tliy God—In tliis chapter the blessings and curses are enumerated at lengtli, and in various minute details, so that on tlie first entrance of tlie Israelites into the land of promise, their whole destiny was laid before them, as
it was to result from their obedience or tlie contrary. 'Z6. AH tiiese biessiJigs sliall come on tliee—tlieir nalional obedience was to be rewarded by extraordinary and universal prosperity. 7. flee before tliee seven waj-s— /. c, in various directions, as always happens in a rout. 10. calleiJ by tlif name of tUc Lord i. c, are really an(i actually His people (eh. It. 1 ; 26. 18). 11. TSie I,oi-d sUall jnaUe tliee jjienlcons in goods—Beside the natural capabilities of Canaan, its extraordinary fruitlulness was traceable to the special blessing of Heaven, la. TKc Lord shall open imto t5\ee Uis good treasure—The seasonable supply of tiie early and latter rain was one of the principal means by which their land was so uncommonly fruitful, tboii sHnlt lend unto many nations, and stiall not borrow i. e., thou shall be in such aliluent circumBtaiices, as to be capable, out of thy superfluous wealth, to give aid to thy poorer neighbours. 13, 14. tbc liead and not flic tail—an Oriental form of expression, indicating the possession of independent powi>r and great iligtiity and acivtiowledged excellence (Isaiah 9. 1 1 ; 1!). 1.')). l."»-^0. But if tUou wilt not liearken unto the voice of tbe ioi-d—Curses that were to follow them in the event of disobedience ai'e now enumerated, and they ai'e almost exact counterparts to the blessings which were described in the preceiling context, ,as the reward of a faitlilul adherence to the covenant, ai. pestilence—some fatal epidemic; tliere is no reason, liowever, to think that the plague, which is the great modern scourge of the East, is I'eferr(nl to. 'M. a ennsnniplion—a waslingdisorder; but the European plitliisis is almost unknown in Asia, fever . . . tntlamniation . . . extreme burning—(fever is rendered "burning ague" (Leviticus 20. 10), and the others mentioned along with it evidently point to those febrile ad'eclions wliich are of malignant charact(:r and great frequency in the East. tUe sword—rather " dryness,"—the ejfect on the human body of such violent disorders, lilastiuf; ajid mildew—two atmosiiheric inllueiices fatal to grain. ^3. lieuven . . . brass . . . eartli . . . iron—strong Oriental figures used to d( scrilie the effects of long-continued drought; and this want of regular and seasonable rain is allowed by the most intelligent observers to be one great cause of the present sterility of Palest i in;. Si'l. tl«e rain of tliy land powder and dust—An allusion i>robably to the dreaillul ellects of tornadoes in the Kast, which, raising the sand in immense twisted pillars, drive them along with the fury of a tempest. These shifting sands are most destiuctive to cultiv.at,ed Lands; .and in conseqiumee of their encroachments, many once fertile regions of (he I'ast are now barren <ieserts. '^7, tl»e botcii of Kgypt—
is, the case—the very name of Jew being a universally recognized term for extreme degradation and wretchedness. 49. the Lord sliall bring a nation against thee from far—The invasion of the Itomans—"they came from
far." The soldiers of the invading army were taken from France, Spain, and Britain—then considered " the end of the earth." Julius .Severus, the commander, afterwards Vespasian and Hadrian, left Britain for the scene of con-
test. Moreover, the ensign on the standards of the Roman army was^'an eagle;" and the dialects spoken by the soldiers of the different nations that composed that army were altogether unintelligible to tlie Jews. 50. A natlou of fierce countenance — A just description of the Romans, who were not only bold and unyielding, but ruth-
less and implacable. 51. he sltall eat the fruit of thy cattle, Ac—According to tlie Jewish historian, every dis-
trict of the country through which they passed was strewed with the wrecks of their dev.astation. 51. He
sliall besiege tltee until thy Iisgh and fenced walla come down—.Ml the fortified places to which the people betook themselves for safety, were burnt or demolished, and the walls of Jerusalem itself razed to the ground. 53-57. tlioii shalt eat the fruit of tliine own body (See on 2 Kings 6. 29; Lamentations 4.10.) Such were the dreadful extremities to which the inhabitants during the siege were reduced, that many women sustained a wretched existence by eating the ffesh of their own children. Parental affection was extinguished, and tlu' near-
est relatives were jealously avoided, lest they should discover anil demand a share of the revolting viands, ca. ye sliall be few in number—There has been, ever since the destruction of Jerusalem, only an inconsiderable remnant ol Jews existing in that land—aliens in the land of their fathers; and of all classes of the inhabitants they are the most degraded and miserable beings, dependent
for their support on contributions from Europe. C3. ye shall I>e plucked from ofl' tlie land—Hadrian issued a
in'oclaiiiation, Ibibidding any Jews to reside in Jndea, or even to apiiroaeh its contines. 04. The Lord sliall scatter thee among all people—There is, perhaps, not a country In tlie world where .Tews are not to be found. Who that looks on this condition of the Hebrews is not
fllled with awe, when he considers the fulfilment of this prophecy? r>S. The I.ortl shall lining thee into Kgypt again with ships—The accomplishment of tliis jiredtetion took place under Til lis, when, according to JosepluiR, multitudes of .lews were transiiorted In ships to the land oftlK^ Nile, and sol<l as slaves. " Here, then, are InstnncM of i)roi)lieci(-s delivered above lliree thousand years ago; and yet, as we see, being fnltiUed In the world at this very time; and what stronger proofs can we desire of the DU
troublesome eruption, marked by red pimples, to whic^h, at the rising of the Nile, tin; Egyptians are subject, cmerodii—tlstuho or piles, scab—scurvy, itcli—the disease commonly known that name; but It is far more malignant in the East than Is ever witnessed in our jiart of the world. 'ZH. inudiiesfc, bliiidneW) and uatonigliment 138
An Exhortation to Obedience. DEUTERONOMY XXIX, XXX. Mercy to the Penitent.
His threatening. Who can resist tlie eonclusiou that it has been inJlicted " because the iiilialiitaiils had forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their latlieis, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this bdok?" ;49. Tlie secret tilings belong unto tlie Lord—This verse lias no apparent connection with the thread of discourse; and
vine legation of Moses 7 How these instances may affect others I know not; but for myself, I must acknowledge, they not only convince but amaze and astonish me beyond expression; they are truly, as Moses foretold {vs. io,
4i>) tliey would be, 'a sign and a wonder for ever.'" [Bishop
Kewtois".]