Commentary on Harmony of the Law Volume 2 Complete John Calvin (continued)
JOHN CALVIN
10. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
10. Et congregaverunt Moses et Aharon congregationem ante petram, dixitque illis, Audite nunc o rebelles, Nunquid de petra hac educemus vobis aquam?
11. And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice; and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
11. Et elevavit Moses manum suam, percussitque petram virga sua duabus vicibus: tunc egressae sunt aquae multae, et bibit congregatio ac jumenta eorum.
12. And the Lord spoke unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
12. Et dixit Jehova ad Mosen et Aharon, Propterea quod non credidistis mihi, ut sanctificaretis me in oculis filiorum Israel, idcirco non introducetis congregationem istam in terram quam dedi illis.
13. This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
13. Istae sunt aquae jurgii, pro quibus jurgati sunt filii Israel cum Jehova, et sanctificavit se in illis.
1. Then came the children of Israel. In the twenty-third chapter of this book many intermediate stations are mentioned, which are not here referred to: perhaps because, from the time that God compelled them to draw back, they had made no advance for thirty whole years, but had wandered about by circuitous paths. In connecting the history, therefore, in this place he relates that they passed from the desert of Paran to the desert of Sin; because they then began to direct their journey straight towards the land of Canaan, and to advance more closely to it, so as at length to conclude their wanderings. When he tells us that Miriam died here, we may infer from hence that her life was greatly prolonged. It is probable that she was a girl of ten or twelve years of age, when Moses was born, since she was able to provide adroitly for his safety, (Exodus 2:4;) for although her name is not actually given, yet it may be reasonably supposed that she was the person who fetched her mother to nurse the child that had been exposed. She reached the age, then, of about 130 years, 534 an unusual length of life, and especially for a woman.