Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
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 atlent Riii 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.
CHAPTER V.
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 mahand 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 the Nile; 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 brou Klit 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 on Exodus 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 countries, 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 favourite 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.
CHAPTER VII.
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-
CHAPTER VI.
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., vi Wajrers, 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 into Egypt 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
CHAPTER VIII.
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 Palestine, 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 characteristicfeatures 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; MattlHw 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 FiijhteousneSB: 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 aniotherwise. 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.)
CHAPTER IX.
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 norrd 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.
CHAPTER X.
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 co Amaiided 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 narrayears 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 manifest 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."
CHAPTER XI.
Ver. 1-32. An Exhortation to Obedience. 1. Therefore thou Shalt love the Iord 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