Though it is most my concern, that I be able to give a good account to God and my own conscience, yet, perhaps, it will be expected that I give the world also some account of this bold undertaking; which I shall endeavour to do with all plainness, and as one who believes, that if men must be reckoned with in the great day, for every vain and idle word they speak, much more for every vain and idle line they write. And it may be of use, in the first place, to lay down those great and sacred principles which I go upon, and am governed by, in this endeavour to explain and improve these portions of holy writ; which endeavour I humbly offer to the service of those (and to those only I expect it will be acceptable) who agree with me in these six principles:—
I. That religion is the one thing
useful; and to know, and love, and fear God our Maker, and in
all the instances both of devout affection, and of good
conversation, to keep his commandments, (
II. That divine revelation is necessary
to true religion, to the being and support of it. That faith
without which it is impossible to please God, cannot come to
any perfection by seeing the works of God, but it must come by
hearing the word of God,
III. That divine revelation is not now
to be found nor expected any where but in the scriptures of the Old
and New Testament; and there it is. It is true, there were
religion and divine revelation before there was any written word;
but to argue from thence, that the scriptures are not now
necessary, is as absurd as it would be to argue that the world
might do well enough without the sun, because in the creation the
world had light three days before the sun was made. Divine
revelations, when first given, were confirmed by visions, miracles,
and prophecy; but they were to be transmitted to distant regions
and future ages, with their proofs and evidences, by writing, the
surest way of conveyance, and by which the knowledge of other
memorable things is preserved and propagated. We have reason to
think that even the ten commandments, though spoken with such
solemnity at Mount Sinai, would have been, long before this, lost
and forgotten, if they had been handed down by tradition only, and
never had been put in writing: it is that which is written, that
remains. The scripture indeed is not compiled as a methodical
system or body of divinity, secundum artem—according to the
rules of art, but several ways of writing, (histories, laws,
prophecies, songs, epistles, and even proverbs,) at several times,
and by several hands, as Infinite Wisdom saw fit. The end is
effectually obtained; such things are plainly supposed and taken
for granted, and such things are expressly revealed and made known,
as, being all put together, sufficiently inform us of all the
truths and laws of the holy religion we are to believe, and be
governed by. That all scripture is given by inspiration of
God, (
IV. That the scriptures of the Old and
New Testament were purposely designed for our learning. They
might have been a divine revelation to those into whose hands they
were first put, and yet we, at this distance, have been no way
concerned in them; but it is certain that they were intended to be
of universal and perpetual use and obligation to all persons, in
all places and all ages, that have the knowledge of them, even unto
us upon whom the ends of the world have come. See
V. That the holy scriptures were not
only designed for our learning, but are the settled standing rule
of our faith and practice, by which we must be governed now and
judged shortly: it is not only a book of general use (so the
writings of good and wise men may be), but it is of sovereign and
commanding authority, the statute-book of God's kingdom, which our
oath of allegiance to him, as our supreme Lord, binds us to the
observance of. Whether we will hear or whether we will
forbear, we must be told that this is the oracle we are to
consult and to be determined by, the touchstone we are to appeal to
and try doctrines by, the rule we are to have an eye to, by which
we must in every thing order our affections and conversations, and
from which we must always take our measures. This is the
testimony, this is the law which is bound up and
sealed among the disciples, that word according to which if we do
not speak, it is because there is no light in us,
VI. That therefore it is the duty of all
Christians diligently to search the scriptures, and it is the
office of ministers to guide and assist them therein. How
useful soever this book of books is in itself, it will be of no use
to us if we do not acquaint ourselves with it, by reading it daily,
and meditating upon it, that we may understand the mind of God in
it, and may apply what we understand to ourselves for our
direction, rebuke, and comfort, as there is occasion. It is the
character of the holy and happy man that his delight is in the
law of the Lord; and, as an evidence thereof, he converses with
it as his constant companion, and advises with it as his most wise
and trusty counsellor, for in that law doth he meditate day and
night,
Being fully persuaded therefore of these
things, I conclude that whatever help is offered to good Christians
in searching the scriptures is real service done to the glory of
God, and to the interests of his kingdom among men; and it is this
that hath drawn me into this undertaking, which I have gone about
in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling (
The learned have of late received very
great advantage in their searches into this part of holy writ, and
the books that follow (and still hope for more), by the excellent
and most valuable labours of that great and good man bishop
Patrick, whom, for vast reading, solid judgment, and a most
happy application to these best of studies, even in his advanced
years and honours, succeeding ages no doubt will rank among the
first three of commentators, and bless God for him. Mr.
Pool's English Annotations (which, having had so many
impressions, we may suppose, have got into most hands) are of
admirable use, especially for the explaining of scripture-phrases,
opening the sense, referring to parallel scriptures, and the
clearing of difficulties that occur. I have therefore all along
been brief upon that which is there most largely discussed, and
have industriously declined, as much as I could, what is to be
found there; for I would not actum agere—do what is done;
nor (if I may be allowed to borrow the apostle's words) boast of
things made ready to our hand,
That which I aim at in the exposition is to
give what I thought the genuine sense, and to make it as plain as I
could to ordinary capacities, not troubling my readers with the
different sentiments of expositors, which would have been to
transcribe Mr. Pool's Latin Synopsis, where this is done
abundantly to our satisfaction and advantage. As to the practical
observations, I have not obliged myself to raise doctrines out of
every verse or paragraph, but only have endeavoured to mix with the
exposition such hints or remarks as I thought profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, aiming in all to promote practical godliness,
and carefully avoiding matters of doubtful disputation and strifes
of words. It is only the prevalency of the power of religion in the
hearts and lives of Christians that will redress our grievances,
and turn our wilderness into a fruitful field. And since our Lord
Jesus Christ is the true treasure hidden in the field of the
Old Testament, and was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world, I have been careful to observe what Moses wrote of him,
to which he himself oft appealed. In the writings of the prophets
we meet with more of the plain and express promises of the Messiah,
and the grace of the gospel; but here, in the books of Moses, we
find more of the types, both real and personal figures of him that
was to come—shadows, of which the substance is Christ,
It is the declared purpose of the Eternal
Mind, in all the operations both of providence and grace, to
magnify the law and to make it honourable (
I have now nothing more to add than to recommend myself to the prayers of my friends, and them to the grace of the Lord Jesus; and so rest an unworthy dependent upon that grace, and, through that, an expectant of the glory to be revealed.
| M. H. |
| Chester, October 2, 1706. |
AN
We have now
before us the holy Bible, or book, for so bible
signifies. We call it the book, by way of eminency; for it
is incomparably the best book that ever was written, the book of
books, shining like the sun in the firmament of learning, other
valuable and useful books, like the moon and stars, borrowing their
light from it. We call it the holy book, because it was written by
holy men, and indited by the Holy Ghost; it is perfectly pure from
all falsehood and corrupt intention; and the manifest tendency of
it is to promote holiness among men. The great things of God's law
and gospel are here written to us, that they might be
reduced to a greater certainty, might spread further, remain
longer, and be transmitted to distant places and ages more pure and
entire than possibly they could be by report and tradition: and we
shall have a great deal to answer for if these things which belong
to our peace, being thus committed to us in black and white, be
neglected by us as a strange and foreign thing,
We have before us that part of the Bible
which we call the Old Testament, containing the acts and
monuments of the church from the creation almost to the coming of
Christ in the flesh, which was about four thousand years—the
truths then revealed, the laws then enacted, the devotions then
paid, the prophecies then given, and the events which concerned
that distinguished body, so far as God saw fit to preserve to us
the knowledge of them. This is called a testament, or
covenant (Diatheke), because it was a settled
declaration of the will of God concerning man in a federal
way, and had its force from the designed death of the great
testator, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,
(
We have before us that part of the Old
Testament which we call the Pentateuch, or five books of
Moses, that servant of the Lord who excelled all the other
prophets, and typified the great prophet. In our Saviour's
distribution of the books of the Old Testament into the law,
the prophets, and the psalms, or Hagiographa,
these are the law; for they contain not only the laws given
to Israel, in the last four, but the laws given to Adam, to Noah,
and to Abraham, in the first. These five books were, for aught we
know, the first that ever were written; for we have not the least
mention of any writing in all the book of Genesis, nor till
God bade Moses write (
We have before us the first and longest of
those five books, which we call Genesis, written, some
think, when Moses was in Midian, for the instruction and comfort of
his suffering brethren in Egypt: I rather think he wrote it in the
wilderness, after he had been in the mount with God, where,
probably, he received full and particular instructions for the
writing of it. And, as he framed the tabernacle, so he did the more
excellent and durable fabric of this book, exactly according to the
pattern shown him in the mount, into which it is better to resolve
the certainty of the things herein contained than into any
tradition which possibly might be handed down from Adam to
Methuselah, from him to Shem, from him to Abraham, and so to the
family of Jacob. Genesis is a name borrowed from the Greek.
It signifies the original, or generation: fitly is
this book so called, for it is a history of originals—the creation
of the world, the entrance of sin and death into it, the invention
of arts, the rise of nations, and especially the planting of the
church, and the state of it in its early days. It is also a history
of generations—the generations of Adam, Noah, Abraham, &c.,
not endless, but useful genealogies. The beginning of the New
Testament is called Genesis too (
The foundation of all religion being laid in our
relation to God as our Creator, it was fit that the book of divine
revelations which was intended to be the guide, support, and rule,
of religion in the world, should begin, as it does, with a plain
and full account of the creation of the world—in answer to that
first enquiry of a good conscience, "Where is God my Maker?"
(
We have three things in this chapter:—I. A
general idea given us of the work of creation
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
In these verses we have the work of creation in its epitome and in its embryo.
I. In its epitome,
1. Observe, in this verse, four things:—
(1.) The effect produced—the heaven and
the earth, that is, the world, including the whole frame and
furniture of the universe, the world and all things therein,
(2.) The author and cause of this great
work—GOD. The Hebrew word is Elohim, which bespeaks, [1.]
The power of God the Creator. El signifies the strong
God; and what less than almighty strength could bring all
things out of nothing? [2.] The plurality of persons in the
Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This plural name of God, in
Hebrew, which speaks of him as many though he is one, was to the
Gentiles perhaps a savour of death unto death, hardening them in
their idolatry; but it is to us a savour of life unto life,
confirming our faith in the doctrine of the Trinity, which, though
but darkly intimated in the Old Testament, is clearly revealed in
the New. The Son of God, the eternal Word and Wisdom of the Father,
was with him when he made the world (
(3.) The manner in which this work was
effected: God created it, that is, made it out of nothing.
There was not any pre-existent matter out of which the world was
produced. The fish and fowl were indeed produced out of the waters
and the beasts and man out of the earth; but that earth and those
waters were made out of nothing. By the ordinary power of nature,
it is impossible that any thing should be made out of nothing; no
artificer can work, unless he has something to work on. But by the
almighty power of God it is not only possible that something should
be made of nothing (the God of nature is not subject to the laws of
nature), but in the creation it is impossible it should be
(4.) When this work was produced: In the
beginning, that is, in the beginning of time, when that clock
was first set a going: time began with the production of those
beings that are measured by time. Before the beginning of time
there was none but that Infinite Being that inhabits eternity.
Should we ask why God made the world no sooner, we should but
darken counsel by words without knowledge; for how could there be
sooner or later in eternity? And he did make it in the beginning of
time, according to his eternal counsels before all time. The Jewish
Rabbies have a saying, that there were seven things which God
created before the world, by which they only mean to express the
excellency of these things:—The law, repentance, paradise, hell,
the throne of glory, the house of the sanctuary, and the name of
the Messiah. But to us it is enough to say, In the beginning was
the Word,
2. Let us learn hence, (1.) That atheism is
folly, and atheists are the greatest fools in nature; for they see
there is a world that could not make itself, and yet they will not
own there is a God that made it. Doubtless, they are without
excuse, but the god of this world has blinded their minds. (2.)
That God is sovereign Lord of all by an incontestable right. If he
is the Creator, no doubt he is the owner and possessor of heaven
and earth. (3.) That with God all things are possible, and
therefore happy are the people that have him for their God, and
whose help and hope stand in his name,
II. Here is the work of creation in its
embryo,
1. A chaos was the first matter. It is here
called the earth (though the earth, properly taken, was not made
till the third day
2. The Spirit of God was the first mover:
He moved upon the face of the waters. When we consider the
earth without form and void, methinks it is like the valley full of
dead and dry bones. Can these live? Can this confused mass of
matter be formed into a beautiful world? Yes, if a spirit of life
from God enter into it,
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
We have here a further account of the first
day's work, in which observe, 1. That the first of all visible
beings which God created was light; not that by it he himself might
see to work (for the darkness and light are both alike to him), but
that by it we might see his works and his glory in them, and might
work our works while it is day. The works of Satan and his servants
are works of darkness; but he that doeth truth, and doeth good,
cometh to the light, and coveteth it, that his deeds may be made
manifest,
6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
We have here an account of the second day's
work, the creation of the firmament, in which observe, 1. The
command of God concerning it: Let there be a firmament, an
expansion, so the Hebrew word signifies, like a sheet
spread, or a curtain drawn out. This includes all that is visible
above the earth, between it and the third heavens: the air, its
higher, middle, and lower, regions—the celestial globe, and all
the spheres and orbs of light above: it reaches as high as the
place where the stars are fixed, for that is called here the
firmament of heaven (
9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven
be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land
appear: and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land
Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and
God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, Let the
The third day's work is related in these verses—the forming of the sea and the dry land, and the making of the earth fruitful. Hitherto the power of the Creator had been exerted and employed about the upper part of the visible word; the light of heaven was kindled, and the firmament of heaven fixed: but now he descends to this lower world, the earth, which was designed for the children of men, designed both for their habitation and for their maintenance; and here we have an account of the fitting of it for both, and building of their house and the spreading of their table. Observe,
I. How the earth was prepared to be a
habitation for man, by the gathering of the waters together, and
the making of the dry land to appear. Thus, instead of the
confusion which there was (
II. How the earth was furnished for the
maintenance and support of man,
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
This is the history of the fourth day's
work, the creating of the sun, moon, and stars, which are here
accounted for, not as they are in themselves and in their own
nature, to satisfy the curious, but as they are in relation to this
earth, to which they serve as lights; and this is enough to furnish
us with matter for praise and thanksgiving. Holy Job mentions this
as an instance of the glorious power of God, that by the Spirit
he hath garnished the heavens (
I. In general,
II. In particular,
1. Observe, The lights of heaven are the
sun, moon, and stars; and all these are the work of God's hands.
(1.) The sun is the greatest light of all, more than a million
times greater than the earth, and the most glorious and useful of
all the lamps of heaven, a noble instance of the Creator's wisdom,
power, and goodness, and an invaluable blessing to the creatures of
this lower world. Let us learn from
2. Learn from all this, (1.) The sin and
folly of that ancient idolatry, the worshipping of the sun, moon,
and stars, which, some think, took rise, or countenance at least,
from some broken traditions in the patriarchal age concerning the
rule and dominion of the lights of heaven. But the account here
given of them plainly shows that they are both God's creatures and
man's servants; and therefore it is both a great affront to God and
a great reproach to ourselves to make deities of them and give them
divine honours. See
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Each day, hitherto, has produced very noble
and excellent beings, which we can never sufficiently admire; but
we do not read of the creation of any living creature till the
fifth day, of which these verses give us an account. The work of
creation not only proceeded gradually from one thing to another,
but rose and advanced gradually from that which was less excellent
to that which was more so, teaching us to press towards perfection
and endeavour that our last works may be our best works. It was on
the fifth day that the fish and fowl were created, and both out of
the waters. Though there is one kind of flesh of fishes, and
another of birds, yet they were made together, and both out of the
waters; for the power of the first Cause can produce very different
effects from the same second causes. Observe, 1. The making of the
fish and fowl, at first,
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
We have here the first part of the sixth day's work. The sea was, the day before, replenished with its fish, and the air with its fowl; and this day were made the beasts of the earth, the cattle, and the creeping things that pertain to the earth. Here, as before, 1. The Lord gave the word; he said, Let the earth bring forth, not as if the earth had any such prolific virtue as to produce these animals, or as if God resigned his creating power to it; but, "Let these creatures now come into being upon the earth, and out of it, in their respective kinds, conformable to the ideas of them in the divine counsels concerning their creation." 2. He also did the work; he made them all after their kind, not only of divers shapes, but of divers natures, manners, food, and fashions—some to be tame about the house, others to be wild in the fields—some living upon grass and herbs, others upon flesh—some harmless, and others ravenous—some bold, and others timorous—some for man's service, and not his sustenance, as the horse—others for his sustenance, and not his service, as the sheep—others for both, as the ox—and some for neither, as the wild beasts. In all this appears the manifold wisdom of the Creator.
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
We have here the second part of the sixth day's work, the creation of man, which we are, in a special manner, concerned to take notice of, that we may know ourselves. Observe,
I. That man was made last of all the
creatures, that it might not be suspected that he had been, any
way, a helper to God in the creation of the world: that question
must be for ever humbling and mortifying to him, Where wast
thou, or any of thy kind, when I laid the foundations of the
earth?
II. That man's creation was a more signal
and immediate act of divine wisdom and power than that of the other
creatures. The narrative of it is introduced with something of
solemnity, and a manifest distinction from the rest. Hitherto, it
had been said, "Let there be light," and "Let there be a
firmament," and "Let the earth, or waters, bring forth" such a
thing; but now the word of command is turned into a word of
consultation, "Let us make man, for whose sake the rest of
the creatures were made: this is a work we must take into our own
hands." In the former he speaks as one having authority, in this as
one having affection; for his delights were with the sons of
men,
III. That man was made in God's image and
after his likeness, two words to express the same thing and making
each other the more expressive; image and likeness
denote the likest image, the nearest resemblance of any of the
visible creatures. Man was not made in the likeness of any creature
that went before him, but in the likeness of his Creator; yet still
between God and man there is an infinite distance. Christ only is
the express image of God's person, as the Son of his Father,
having the same nature. It is only some of God's honour that is put
upon man, who is God's image only as the shadow in the glass, or
the king's impress upon the coin. God's image upon man consists in
these three things:—1. In his nature and constitution, not those
of his body (for God has not a body), but those of his soul. This
honour indeed God has put upon the body of man, that the Word was
made flesh, the Son of God was clothed with a body like ours and
will shortly clothe ours with a glory like that of his. And this we
may safely say, That he by whom God made the worlds, not only the
great world, but man the little world, formed the human body, at
the first, according to the platform he designed for himself in the
fulness of time. But it is the soul, the great soul, of man, that
does especially bear God's image. The soul is a spirit, an
intelligent immortal spirit, an influencing active spirit, herein
resembling God, the Father of Spirits, and the soul of the world.
The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord. The soul of
man, considered in its three noble faculties, understanding, will,
and active power, is perhaps the brightest clearest looking-glass
in nature, wherein to see God. 2. In his place and authority:
Let us make man in our image, and let him have dominion. As
he has the government of the inferior creatures, he is, as it were,
God's representative, or viceroy, upon earth; they are not capable
of fearing and serving God, therefore God has appointed them to
fear and serve man. Yet his government of himself by the freedom of
his will has in it more of God's image than his government of the
creatures. 3. In his purity and rectitude. God's image upon man
consists in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness,
IV. That man was made male and female, and
blessed with the blessing of fruitfulness and increase. God said,
Let us make man, and immediately it follows, So God
created man; he performed what he resolved. With us saying and
doing are two things; but they are not so with God. He created him
male and female, Adam and Eve—Adam first, out of earth, and Eve
out of his side,
V. That God gave to man, when he had made
him, a dominion over the inferior creatures, over the fish of
the sea and over the fowl of the air. Though man provides for
neither, he has power over both, much more over every living
thing that moveth upon the earth, which are more under his care
and within his reach. God designed hereby to put an honour upon
man, that he might find himself the more strongly obliged to bring
honour to his Maker. This dominion is very much diminished and lost
by the fall; yet God's providence continues so much of it to the
children of men as is necessary to the safety and support of their
lives, and God's grace has given to the saints a new and better
title to the creature than that which was forfeited by sin; for all
is ours if we are Christ's,
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
We have here the third part of the sixth
day's work, which was not any new creation, but a gracious
provision of food for all flesh,
I. Food provided for man,
II. Food provided for the beasts,
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
We have here the approbation and conclusion of the whole work of creation. As for God, his work is perfect; and if he begin he will also make an end, in providence and grace, as well as here in creation. Observe,
I. The review God took of his work: He
saw every thing that he had made. So he does still; all the
works of his hands are under his eye. He that made all sees all; he
that made us sees us,
II. The complacency God took in his work.
When we come to review our works we find, to our shame, that much
has been very bad; but, when God reviewed his, all was very good.
He did not pronounce it good till he had seen it so, to teach us
not to answer a matter before we hear it. The work of creation was
a very good work. All that God made was well-made, and there was no
flaw nor defect in it. 1. It was good. Good, for it is all
agreeable to the mind of the Creator, just as he would have it to
be; when the transcript came to be compared with the great
original, it was found to be exact, no errata in it, not one
misplaced stroke. Good, for it answers the end of its creation, and
is fit for the purpose for which it was designed. Good, for it is
serviceable to man, whom God had appointed lord of the visible
creation. Good, for it is all for God's glory; there is that in the
whole visible creation which is a demonstration of God's being and
perfections, and which tends to beget, in the soul of man, a
religious regard to him and veneration of him. 2. It was very good.
Of each day's work (except the second) it was said that it was
good, but now, it is very good. For, (1.) Now man was made, who was
the chief of the ways of God, who was designed to be the visible
image of the Creator's glory and the mouth of the creation in his
praises. (2.) Now all was made; every part was good, but all
together very good. The glory and goodness, the beauty and harmony,
of God's works, both of providence and grace, as this of creation,
will best appear when they are perfected. When the top-stone is
brought forth we shall cry, Grace, grace, unto it,
III. The time when this work was concluded:
The evening and the morning were the sixth day; so that in
six days God made the world. We are not to think but that God could
have made the world in an instant. He said that, Let there be
light, and there was light, could have said, "Let there be a
world," and there would have been a world, in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, as at the resurrection,
This chapter is an appendix to the history of the
creation, more particularly explaining and enlarging upon that part
of the history which relates immediately to man, the favourite of
this lower world. We have in it, I. The institution and
sanctification of the sabbath, which was made for man, to further
his holiness and comfort (
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
We have here, I. The settlement of the
kingdom of nature, in God's resting from the work of creation,
II. The commencement of the kingdom of
grace, in the sanctification of the sabbath day,
4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. 6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
In these verses, I. Here is a name given to
the Creator which we have not yet met with, and that is
Jehovah—the LORD, in capital letters, which are constantly
used in our English translation to intimate that in the original it
is Jehovah. All along, in the first chapter, he was called
Elohim—a God of power; but now Jehovah Elohim—a God of
power and perfection, a finishing God. As we find him known by
his name Jehovah when he appeared to perform what he had promised
(
II. Further notice taken of the production
of plants and herbs, because they were made and appointed to be
food for man,
III. A more particular account of the
creation of man,
1. The mean origin, and yet the curious
structure, of the body of man. (1.) The matter was despicable. He
was made of the dust of the ground, a very unlikely thing to
make a man of; but the same infinite power that made the world of
nothing made man, its master-piece, of next to nothing. He was made
of the dust, the small dust, such as is upon the surface of the
earth. Probably, not dry dust, but dust moistened with the mist
that went up,
2. The high origin and the admirable
serviceableness of the soul of man. (1.) It takes its rise from the
breath of heaven, and is produced by it. It was not made of the
earth, as the body was; it is a pity then that it should cleave to
the earth, and mind earthly things. It came immediately from God;
he gave it to be put into the body (
8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. 11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12 And the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium and the onyx stone. 13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. 14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. 15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Man consisting of body and soul, a body made out of the earth and a rational immortal soul the breath of heaven, we have, in these verses, the provision that was made for the happiness of both; he that made him took care to make him happy, if he could but have kept himself so and known when he was well off. That part of man by which he is allied to the world of sense was made happy; for he was put in the paradise of God: that part by which he is allied to the world of spirits was well provided for; for he was taken into covenant with God. Lord, what is man that he should be thus dignified—man that is a worm! Here we have,
I. A description of the garden of Eden,
which was intended for the mansion and demesne of this great lord,
the palace of this prince. The inspired penman, in this history,
writing for the Jews first, and calculating his narratives for the
infant state of the church, describes things by their outward
sensible appearances, and leaves us, by further discoveries of the
divine light, to be led into the understanding of the mysteries
couched under them. Spiritual things were strong meat, which they
could not yet bear; but he writes to them as unto carnal,
1. The place appointed for Adam's residence was a garden; not an ivory house nor a palace overlaid with gold, but a garden, furnished and adorned by nature, not by art. What little reason have men to be proud of stately and magnificent buildings, when it was the happiness of man in innocency that he needed none! As clothes came in with sin, so did houses. The heaven was the roof of Adam's house, and never was any roof so curiously ceiled and painted. The earth was his floor, and never was any floor so richly inlaid. The shadow of the trees was his retirement; under them were his dining-rooms, his lodging-rooms, and never were any rooms so finely hung as these: Solomon's, in all their glory, were not arrayed like them. The better we can accommodate ourselves to plain things, and the less we indulge ourselves with those artificial delights which have been invented to gratify men's pride and luxury, the nearer we approach to a state of innocency. Nature is content with a little and that which is most natural, grace with less, but lust with nothing.
2. The contrivance and furniture of this
garden were the immediate work of God's wisdom and power. The Lord
God planted this garden, that is, he had planted it—upon
the third day, when the fruits of the earth were made. We may well
suppose to have been the most accomplished place for pleasure and
delight that ever the sun saw, when the all-sufficient God himself
designed it to be the present happiness of his beloved creature,
man, in innocency, and a type and a figure of the happiness of the
chosen remnant in glory. No delights can be agreeable nor
satisfying to a soul but those that God himself has provided and
appointed for it; no true paradise, but of God's planting. The
light of our own fires, and the sparks of our own kindling, will
soon leave us in the dark,
3. The situation of this garden was extremely sweet. It was in Eden, which signifies delight and pleasure. The place is here particularly pointed out by such marks and bounds as were sufficient, I suppose, when Moses wrote, to specify the place to those who knew that country; but now, it seems, the curious cannot satisfy themselves concerning it. Let it be our care to make sure a place in the heavenly paradise, and then we need not perplex ourselves with a search after the place of the earthly paradise. It is certain that, wherever it was, it had all desirable conveniences, and (which never any house nor garden on earth was) without any inconvenience. Beautiful for situation, the joy and the glory of the whole earth, was this garden: doubtless it was earth in its highest perfection.
4. The trees with which this garden was
planted. (1.) It had all the best and choicest trees in common with
the rest of the ground. It was beautiful and adorned with every
tree that, for its height or breadth, its make or colour, its leaf
or flower, was pleasant to the sight and charmed the eye; it was
replenished and enriched with every tree that yielded fruit
grateful to the taste and useful to the body, and so good for food.
God, as a tender Father, consulted not only Adam's profit, but his
pleasure; for there is a pleasure consistent with innocency, nay,
there is a true and transcendent pleasure in innocency. God
delights in the prosperity of his servants,
5. The rivers with which this garden was
watered,
II. The placing of man in this paradise of
delight,
1. How God put him in possession of it:
The Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of
Eden; so
2. How God appointed him business and
employment. He put him there, not like Leviathan into the waters,
to play therein, but to dress the garden and to keep it. Paradise
itself was not a place of exemption from work. Note, here, (1.) We
were none of us sent into the world to be idle. He that made us
these souls and bodies has given us something to work with; and he
that gave us this earth for our habitation has made us something to
work on. If a high extraction, or a great estate, or a large
dominion, or perfect innocency, or a genius for pure contemplation,
or a small family, could have given a man a writ of ease, Adam
would not have been set to work; but he that gave us
III. The command which God gave to man in innocency, and the covenant he then took him into. Hitherto we have seen God as man's powerful Creator and his bountiful Benefactor; now he appears as his Ruler and Lawgiver. God put him into the garden of Eden, not to live there as he might list, but to be under government. As we are not allowed to be idle in this world, and to do nothing, so we are not allowed to be wilful, and do what we please. When God had given man a dominion over the creatures, he would let him know that still he himself was under the government of his Creator.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Observe here, I. God's authority over man,
as a creature that had reason and freedom of will. The Lord God
commanded the man, who stood now as a public person, the father and
representative of all mankind, to receive law, as he had lately
received a nature, for himself and all his. God commanded all the
creatures, according to their capacity; the settled course of
nature is a law,
II. The particular act of this authority, in prescribing to him what he should do, and upon what terms he should stand with his Creator. Here is,
1. A confirmation of his present happiness
to him, in that grant, Of every tree in the garden thou mayest
freely eat. This was not only an allowance of liberty to him,
in taking the delicious fruits of paradise, as a recompence for his
care and pains in dressing and keeping it (
2. A trial of his obedience, upon pain of the forfeiture of all his happiness: "But of the other tree which stood very near the tree of life (for they are both said to be in the midst of the garden), and which was called the tree of knowledge, in the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die;" as if he had said, "Know, Adam, that thou art now upon thy good behaviour, thou art put into paradise upon trial; be observant, be obedient, and thou art made for ever; otherwise thou wilt be as miserable as now thou art happy." Here,
(1.) Adam is threatened with death in case
of disobedience: Dying thou shalt die, denoting a sure and
dreadful sentence, as, in the former part of this covenant,
eating thou shalt eat, denotes a free and full grant.
Observe [1.] Even Adam, in innocency, was awed with a threatening;
fear is one of the handles of the soul, by which it is taken hold
of and held. If he then needed this hedge,
(2.) Adam is tried with a positive law, not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Now it was very proper to make trial of his obedience by such a command as this, [1.] Because the reason of it is fetched purely from the will of the Law-maker. Adam had in his nature an aversion to that which was evil in itself, and therefore he is tried in a thing which was evil only because it was forbidden; and, being in a small thing, it was the more fit to prove his obedience by. [2.] Because the restraint of it is laid upon the desires of the flesh and of the mind, which, in the corrupt nature of man, are the two great fountains of sin. This prohibition checked both his appetite towards sensitive delights and his ambitions of curious knowledge, that his body might be ruled by his soul and his soul by his God.
Thus easy, thus happy, was man in a state of innocency, having all that heart could wish to make him so. How good was God to him! How many favours did he load him with! How easy were the laws he gave him! How kind the covenant he made with him! Yet man, being in honour, understood not his own interest, but soon became as the beasts that perish.
18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
Here we have, I. An instance of the
Creator's care of man and his fatherly concern for his comfort,
1. How God graciously pitied his solitude:
It is not good that man, this man, should be alone. Though
there was an upper world of angels and a lower world of brutes, and
he between them, yet there being none of the same nature and rank
of beings with himself, none that he could converse familiarly
with, he might be truly said to be alone. Now he that made
him knew both him and what was good for him, better than he did
himself, and he said, "It is not good that he should continue thus
alone." (1.) It is not for his comfort; for man is a sociable
creature. It is a pleasure to him to exchange knowledge and
affection with those of his own kind, to inform and to be informed,
to love and to be beloved. What God here says of the first man
Solomon says of all men (
2. How God graciously resolved to provide
society for him. The result of this reasoning concerning him was
this kind resolution, I will make a help-meet for him; a
help like him (so some read it), one of the same nature and
the same rank of beings; a help near him (so others), one to
cohabit with him, and to be always at hand; a help before
him (so others), one that he should look upon with pleasure and
delight. Note hence, (1.) In our best state in this world we have
need of one another's help; for we are members one of another, and
the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee,
II. An instance of the creatures'
subjection to man, and his dominion over them (
III. An instance of the creatures' insufficiency to be a happiness for man: But (among them all) for Adam there was not found a help meet for him. Some make these to be the words of Adam himself; observing all the creatures come to him by couples to be named, he thus intimates his desire to his Maker:—"Lord, these have all helps meet for them; but what shall I do? Here is never a one for me." It is rather God's judgment upon the review. He brought them all together, to see if there were ever a suitable match for Adam in any of the numerous families of the inferior creatures; but there was none. Observe here, 1. The dignity and excellency of the human nature. On earth there was not its like, nor its peer to be found among all visible creatures; they were all looked over, but it could not be matched among them all. 2. The vanity of this world and the things of it; put them all together, and they will not make a help-meet for man. They will not suit the nature of his soul, nor supply its needs, nor satisfy its just desires, nor run parallel with its never failing duration. God creates a new thing to be a help-meet for man—not so much the woman as the seed of the woman.
21 And the Lord
God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he
took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman,
and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This
is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be
called Woman, because she was taken out of
Here we have, I. The making of the woman,
to be a help-meet for Adam. This was done upon the sixth day, as
was also the placing of Adam in paradise, though it is here
mentioned after an account of the seventh day's rest; but what was
said in general (
II. The marriage of the woman to Adam.
Marriage is honourable, but this surely was the most honourable
marriage that ever was, in which God himself had all along an
immediate hand. Marriages (they say) are made in heaven: we are
sure this was, for the man, the woman, the match, were all God's
own work; he, by his power, made them both, and now, by his
ordinance, made them one. This was a marriage made in
perfect innocency, and so was never any marriage since, 1. God, as
her Father, brought the woman to the man, as his second
self, and a help-meet for him. When he had made her, he did not
leave her to her own disposal; no, she was his child, and she must
not marry without his consent. Those are likely to settle to their
comfort who by faith and prayer, and a humble dependence upon
providence, put themselves under a divine conduct. That wife that
is of God's making by special grace, and of God's bringing by
special providence, is likely to prove a help-meet for a man. 2.
From God, as his Father, Adam received her (
III. The institution of the ordinance of
marriage, and the settling of the law of it,
IV. An evidence of the purity and innocency
of that state wherein our first parents
The story of this chapter is perhaps as sad a
story (all things considered) as any we have in all the Bible. In
the foregoing chapters we have had the pleasant view of the
holiness and happiness of our first parents, the grace and favour
of God, and the peace and beauty of the whole creation, all good,
very good; but here the scene is altered. We have here an account
of the sin and misery of our first parents, the wrath and curse of
God against them, the peace of the creation disturbed, and its
beauty stained and sullied, all bad, very bad. "How has the gold
become dim, and the most fine gold changed!" O that our hearts were
deeply affected with this record! For we are all nearly concerned
in it; let it not be to us as a tale that is told. The general
contents of this chapter we have (
1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
We have here an account of the temptation with which Satan assaulted our first parents, to draw them into sin, and which proved fatal to them. Here observe,
I. The tempter, and that was the devil, in the shape and likeness of a serpent.
1. It is certain it was the devil that
beguiled Eve. The devil and Satan is the old serpent (
2. It was the devil in the likeness of a
serpent. Whether it was only the visible shape and appearance of a
serpent (as some think those were of which we read,
II. The person tempted was the woman, now
alone, and at a distance from her husband, but near the forbidden
tree. It was the devil's subtlety, 1. To assault the weaker vessel
with his temptations. Though perfect in her kind, yet we may
suppose her
III. The temptation itself, and the
artificial management of it. We are often, in scripture, told of
our danger by the temptations of Satan, his devices
(
1. He questioned whether it was a sin or no to eat of this tree, and whether really the fruit of it was forbidden. Observe,
(1.) He said to the woman, Yea, hath God said, You shall not eat? The first word intimated something said before, introducing this, and with which it is connected, perhaps some discourse Eve had with herself, which Satan took hold of, and grafted this question upon. In the chain of thoughts one thing strangely brings in another, and perhaps something bad at last. Observe here, [1.] He does not discover his design at first, but puts a question which seemed innocent: "I hear a piece of news, pray is it true? has God forbidden you to eat of this tree?" Thus he would begin a discourse, and draw her into a parley. Those that would be safe have need to be suspicious, and shy of talking with the tempter. [2.] He quotes the command fallaciously, as if it were a prohibition, not only of that tree, but of all. God had said, Of every tree you may eat, except one. He, by aggravating the exception, endeavours to invalidate the concession: Hath God said, You shall not eat of every tree? The divine law cannot be reproached unless it be first misrepresented. [3.] He seems to speak it tauntingly, upbraiding the woman with her shyness of meddling with that tree; as if he had said, "You are so nice and cautious, and so very precise, because God has said, You shall not eat." The devil, as he is a liar, so he is a scoffer, from the beginning: and the scoffers of the last days are his children. [4.] That which he aimed at in the first onset was to take off her sense of the obligation of the command. "Surely you are mistaken, it cannot be that God should tie you out from this tree; he would not do so unreasonable a thing." See here, That it is the subtlety of Satan to blemish the reputation of the divine law as uncertain or unreasonable, and so to draw people to sin; and that it is therefore our wisdom to keep up a a firm belief of, and a high respect for, the command of God. Has God said, "You shall not lie, nor take his name in vain, nor be drunk," &c.? "Yes, I am sure he has, and it is well said, and by his grace I will abide by it, whatever the tempter suggests to the contrary."
(2.) In answer to this question the woman
gives him a plain and full account of the law they were under,
2. He denies that there was any danger in
it, insisting that, though it might be the transgressing of a
precept, yet it would not be the incurring of a penalty: You
shall not surely die,
3. He promises them advantage by it,
(1.) He insinuates to them the great
improvements they would make by eating of this fruit. And he suits
the temptation to the pure state they were now in, proposing to
them, not any carnal pleasures or gratifications, but intellectual
delights and satisfactions. These were the baits with which he
covered his hook. [1.] "Your eyes shall be opened; you shall
have much more of the power and pleasure of contemplation than now
you have; you shall fetch a larger compass in your intellectual
views, and see further into things than now you do." He speaks as
if now they were but dim-sighted, and short-sighted, in comparison
of what they would be then. [2.] "You shall be as gods, as
Elohim, mighty gods; not only omniscient, but omnipotent
too;" or, "You shall be as God himself, equal to him, rivals with
him; you shall be sovereigns and no longer subjects,
self-sufficient and no longer dependent." A most absurd suggestion!
As if it were possible for creatures of yesterday to be like their
Creator that was from eternity. [3.] "You shall know good and
evil, that is, every thing that is desirable to be known." To
support this part of the temptation, he abuses the name given to
this tree: it was intended to teach the practical knowledge of good
and evil, that is, of duty and disobedience; and it would prove the
experimental knowledge of good and evil, that is, of happiness and
misery. In these senses, the name of the tree was a warning to them
not to eat of it; but he perverts the sense of it, and wrests it to
their destruction, as if this tree would give them a speculative
notional knowledge of the natures, kinds, and originals, of good
and evil. And, [4.] All this presently: "In the day you eat
thereof you will find a sudden and immediate change for the
better." Now in all these insinuations he aims to beget in them,
First, Discontent with their present state, as if it were
not so good as it might be, and should be. Note, no condition will
of itself bring contentment, unless the mind be brought to it. Adam
was not easy, no, not in paradise, nor the angels in their first
state,
(2.) He insinuates to them that God had no
good design upon them, in forbidding them this fruit: "For God
doth know how much it will advance you; and therefore, in envy
and ill-will to you, he hath forbidden
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
Here we see what Eve's parley with the tempter ended in. Satan, at length, gains his point, and the strong-hold is taken by his wiles. God tried the obedience of our first parents by forbidding them the tree of knowledge, and Satan does, as it were, join issue with God, and in that very thing undertakes to seduce them into a transgression; and here we find how he prevailed, God permitting it for wise and holy ends.
I. We have here the inducements that moved
them to transgress. The woman, being deceived by the tempter's
artful management, was ringleader in the transgression,
II. The steps of the transgression, not
steps upward, but downward towards the pit—steps that take hold on
hell. 1. She saw. She should have turned away her eyes from
beholding vanity; but she enters into temptation, by looking with
pleasure on the forbidden fruit. Observe, A great deal of
III. The ultimate consequences of the transgression. Shame and fear seized the criminals, ipso facto—in the fact itself; these came into the world along with sin, and still attend it.
1. Shame seized them unseen,
(1.) The strong convictions they fell
under, in their own bosoms: The eyes of them both were
opened. It is not meant of the eyes of the body; these were
open before, as appears by this, that the sin came in at them.
Jonathan's eyes were enlightened by eating forbidden fruit
(
(2.) The sorry shift they made to palliate
these convictions, and to arm themselves against them: They
sewed, or platted, fig-leaves together; and to cover, at
least, part of their shame from one another, they made
themselves aprons. See here what is commonly the folly of those
that have sinned. [1.] That they are more solicitous to save their
credit before men than to obtain their pardon from God; they are
backward to confess their sin, and very desirous to conceal it, as
much as may be. I have sinned, yet honour me. [2.] That the
excuses men make, to cover and extenuate their sins, are vain and
frivolous. Like the aprons of fig-leaves, they make the matter
never the better, but the worse; the shame, thus hidden, becomes
the more shameful. Yet thus we are all apt to cover our
transgressions as Adam,
2. Fear seized them immediately upon their
eating the forbidden fruit,
9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
We have here the arraignment of these deserters before the righteous Judge of heaven and earth, who, though he is not tied to observe formalities, yet proceeds against them with all possible fairness, that he may be justified when he speaks. Observe here,
I. The startling question with which God pursued Adam and arrested him: Where art thou? Not as if God did not know where he was; but thus he would enter the process against him. "Come, where is this foolish man?" Some make it a bemoaning question: "Poor Adam, what has become of thee?" "Alas for thee!" (so some read it) "How art thou fallen, Lucifer, son of the morning! Thou that wast my friend and favourite, whom I had done so much for, and would have done so much more for; hast thou now forsaken me, and ruined thyself? Has it come to this?" It is rather an upbraiding question, in order to his conviction and humiliation: Where art thou? Not, In what place? but, In what condition? "Is this all thou hast gotten by eating forbidden fruit? Thou that wouldest vie with me, dost thou now fly from me?" Note, 1. Those who by sin have gone astray from God should seriously consider where they are; they are afar off from all good, in the midst of their enemies, in bondage to Satan, and in the high road to utter ruin. This enquiry after Adam may be looked upon as a gracious pursuit, in kindness to him, and in order to his recovery. If God had not called to him, to reclaim him, his condition would have been as desperate as that of fallen angels; this lost sheep would have wandered endlessly, if the good Shepherd had not sought after him, to bring him back, and, in order to that, reminded him where he was, where he should not be, and where he could not be either happy or easy. Note, 2. If sinners will but consider where they are, they will not rest till they return to God.
II. The trembling answer which Adam gave to
this question: I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was
afraid,
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
We have here the offenders found guilty by their own confession, and yet endeavouring to excuse and extenuate their fault. They could not confess and justify what they had done, but they confess and palliate it. Observe,
I. How their confession was extorted from
II. How their crime was extenuated by them
in their confession. It was to no purpose to plead not
guilty. The show of their countenances testified against them;
therefore they become their own accusers: "I did eat," says
the man, "And so did I," says the woman; for when God judges he
will overcome. But these do not look like penitent confessions; for
instead of aggravating the sin, and taking shame to themselves,
they excuse the sin, and lay the shame and blame on others. 1. Adam
lays all the blame upon his wife. "She gave me of the tree, and
pressed me to eat of it, which I did, only to oblige her"—a
frivolous excuse. He ought to have taught her, not to have been
taught by her; and it was no hard matter to determine which of the
two he must be ruled by, his God or his wife. Learn, hence, never
to be brought to sin by that which will not bring us off in the
judgment; let not that bear us up in the commission which will not
bear us out in the trial; let us therefore never be overcome by
importunity to act against our consciences, nor ever displease God,
to please the best friend we have in the world. But this is not the
worst of it. He not only lays the blame upon his wife, but
expresses it so as tacitly to reflect on God himself: "It is the
woman whom thou gavest me, and gavest to be with me as my
companion, my guide, and my acquaintance; she gave me of the tree,
else I had not eaten of it." Thus he insinuates that God was
accessory to his sin: he gave him the woman, and she gave him the
fruit; so that he seemed to have it at but one remove from God's
own hand. Note, there is a strange proneness in those that are
tempted to say that they are tempted of God, as if our abusing
God's gifts would excuse our violation of God's laws. God gives us
riches, honours, and relations, that we may serve him cheerfully in
the enjoyment of them; but, if we take occasion from them to sin
against him, instead of blaming Providence for putting us into such
a condition, we must blame ourselves for perverting the gracious
designs of Providence therein. 2. Eve lays all the blame upon the
serpent: The serpent beguiled me. Sin is a brat that nobody
is willing to own, a sign that it is a scandalous thing. Those that
are willing enough to take the pleasure and profit of sin are
backward enough to take the blame and shame of it. "The serpent,
that subtle creature of thy making, which thou didst permit to come
into paradise to us, he beguiled me," or made me to err; for
our sins are our errors. Learn hence, (1.) That Satan's temptations
are all beguilings, his arguments are all fallacies, his
allurements are all cheats; when he speaks fair, believe him not.
Sin deceives us, and, by deceiving, cheats us. It is by the
deceitfulness of sin that the heart is hardened. See
14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The prisoners being found guilty by their
own confession, besides the personal and infallible knowledge of
the Judge, and nothing material being offered in arrest of
judgment,
I. The sentence passed upon the tempter may
be considered as lighting upon the serpent, the brute-creature
which Satan made use of which was, as the rest, made for the
service of man, but was now abused to his hurt. Therefore, to
testify a displeasure against sin, and a jealousy for the injured
honour of Adam and Eve, God fastens a curse and reproach upon the
serpent, and makes it to groan, being burdened. See
II. This sentence may be considered as levelled at the devil, who only made use of the serpent as his vehicle in this appearance, but was himself the principal agent. He that spoke through the serpent's mouth is here struck at through the serpent's side, and is principally intended in the sentence, which, like the pillar of cloud and fire, has a dark side towards the devil and a bright side towards our first parents and their seed. Great things are contained in these words.
1. A perpetual reproach is here fastened
upon that great enemy both to God and man. Under the cover of the
serpent, he is here sentenced to be, (1.) Degraded and accursed of
God. It is supposed that the sin which turned angels into devils
was pride, which is here justly punished by a great variety of
mortifications couched under the mean circumstances of a serpent
crawling on his belly and licking the dust. How art thou fallen,
O Lucifer! He that would be above God, and would head a
rebellion
2. A perpetual quarrel is here commenced
between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil among men;
war is proclaimed between the seed of the woman and the seed of the
serpent. That war in heaven between Michael and the dragon began
now,
3. A gracious promise is here made of
Christ, as the deliverer of fallen man from the power of Satan.
Though what was said was addressed to the serpent, yet it was said
in the hearing of our first parents, who, doubtless, took the hints
of grace here given them, and saw a door of hope opened to them,
else the following sentence upon themselves would have overwhelmed
them. Here was the dawning of the gospel day. No sooner was the
wound given than the remedy was provided and revealed. Here, in
the head of the book, as the word is (
16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
We have here the sentence passed upon the woman for her sin. Two things she is condemned to: a state of sorrow, and a state of subjection, proper punishments of a sin in which she had gratified her pleasure and her pride.
I. She is here put into a state of sorrow, one particular of which only is specified, that in bringing forth children; but it includes all those impressions of grief and fear which the mind of that tender sex is most apt to receive, and all the common calamities which they are liable to. Note, sin brought sorrow into the world; it was this that made the world a vale of tears, brought showers of trouble upon our heads, and opened springs of sorrows in our hearts, and so deluged the world: had we known no guilt, we should have known no grief. The pains of child-bearing, which are great to a proverb, a scripture proverb, are the effect of sin; every pang and every groan of the travailing woman speak aloud the fatal consequences of sin: this comes of eating forbidden fruit. Observe, 1. The sorrows are here said to be multiplied, greatly multiplied. All the sorrows of this present time are so; many are the calamities which human life is liable to, of various kinds, and often repeated, the clouds returning after the rain, and no marvel that our sorrows are multiplied when our sins are: both are innumerable evils. The sorrows of child-bearing are multiplied; for they include, not only the travailing throes, but the indispositions before (it is sorrow from the conception), and the nursing toils and vexations after; and after all, if the children prove wicked and foolish, they are, more than ever, the heaviness of her that bore them. Thus are the sorrows multiplied; as one grief is over, another succeeds in this world. 2. It is God that multiplies our sorrows: I will do it. God, as a righteous Judge, does it, which ought to silence us under all our sorrows; as many as they are, we have deserved them all, and more: nay, God, as a tender Father, does it for our necessary correction, that we may be humbled for sin, and weaned from the world by all our sorrows; and the good we get by them, with the comfort we have under them, will abundantly balance our sorrows, how greatly soever they are multiplied.
II. She is here put into a state of
subjection. The whole sex, which by creation was equal with man,
is, for sin, made inferior, and forbidden to usurp
authority,
III. Observe here how mercy is mixed with
wrath in this sentence. The woman shall have sorrow, but it shall
be in bringing forth children, and the sorrow shall be forgotten
for joy that a child is born,
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
We have here the sentence passed upon Adam,
which is prefaced with a recital of his crime: Because thou hast
hearkened to the voice of thy wife,
I. God put marks of his displeasure on Adam in three instances:—
1. His habitation is, by this sentence,
cursed: Cursed is the ground for thy sake; and the effect of
that curse is, Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth unto
thee. It is here intimated that his habitation should be
changed; he should no longer dwell in a distinguished, blessed,
paradise, but should be removed to common ground, and that cursed.
The ground, or earth, is here put for the whole visible creation,
which, by the sin of man, is made subject to vanity, the several
parts of it being not so serviceable to man's comfort and happiness
as they were designed to be when they were made, and would have
been if he had not sinned. God gave the earth to the children of
men, designing it to be a comfortable dwelling to them. But sin has
altered the property of it. It is now cursed for man's sin; that
is, it is a dishonourable habitation, it bespeaks man mean, that
his foundation is in the dust; it is a dry and barren habitation,
its spontaneous productions are now weeds and briers, something
nauseous or noxious; what good fruits it produces must be extorted
from it by the ingenuity and industry of man. Fruitfulness was its
blessing, for man's service (
2. His employments and enjoyments are all embittered to him.
(1.) His business shall henceforth become a
toil to him, and he shall go on with it in the sweat of his
face,
(2.) His food shall henceforth become (in
comparison with what it had been) unpleasant to him. [1.] The
matter of his food is changed; he must now eat the herb of the
field, and must no longer be feasted with the delicacies of the
garden of Eden. Having by sin made himself like the beasts that
perish, he is justly turned to be a fellow-commoner with them, and
to eat grass as oxen, till he know that the heavens do rule.
[2.] There is a change in the manner of his eating it: In
sorrow (
3. His life also is but short. Considering
how full of trouble his days are, it is in favour to him that they
are few; yet death being dreadful to nature (yea, even though life
be unpleasant) that concludes the sentence. "Thou shalt
return to the ground out of which thou wast taken; thy body,
that part of thee which was taken out of the ground, shall return
to it again; for dust thou art." This points either to the
first original of his body; it was made of the dust, nay it
was made dust, and was still so; so that there needed no
more than to recall the grant of immortality, and to withdraw the
power which was put forth to support it, and then he would, of
course, return to dust. Or to the present corruption and
degeneracy of his mind: Dust thou art, that is, "Thy
precious soul is now lost and buried in the dust of the body and
the mire of the flesh; it was made spiritual and heavenly, but it
has become carnal and earthly." His doom is therefore read: "To
dust thou shalt return. Thy body shall be forsaken by thy soul,
and become itself a lump of dust; and then it shall be lodged in
the grave, the proper place for it, and mingle itself with the dust
of the earth," our dust,
II. We must not go off from this sentence upon our first parents, which we are all so nearly concerned in, and feel from, to this day, till we have considered two things:—
1. How fitly the sad consequences of sin
upon the soul of Adam and his sinful race were represented and
figured out by this sentence, and perhaps were more intended in it
than we are aware of. Though that misery only is mentioned which
affected the body, yet that was a pattern of spiritual miseries,
the curse that entered into the soul. (1.) The pains of a woman in
travail represent the terrors and pangs of a guilty conscience,
awakened to a sense of sin; from the conception of lust, these
sorrows are greatly multiplied, and, sooner or later, will come
upon the sinner like pain upon a woman in travail, which cannot be
avoided. (2.) The state of subjection to which the woman was
reduced represents that loss of spiritual liberty and freedom of
will which is the effect of sin. The dominion of sin in the soul is
compared to that of a husband (
2. How admirably the satisfaction our Lord
Jesus made by his death and sufferings answered to the sentence
here passed upon our first parents. (1.) Did travailing pains come
in with sin? We read of the travail of Christ's soul
(
20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
God having named the man, and called him Adam, which signifies red earth, Adam, in further token of dominion, named the woman, and called her Eve, that is, life. Adam bears the name of the dying body, Eve that of the living soul. The reason of the name is here given (some think, by Moses the historian, others, by Adam himself): Because she was (that is, was to be) the mother of all living. He had before called her Ishah—woman, as a wife; here he calls her Evah—life, as a mother. Now, 1. If this was done by divine direction, it was an instance of God's favour, and, like the new naming of Abraham and Sarah, it was a seal of the covenant, and an assurance to them that, notwithstanding their sin and his displeasure against them for it, he had not reversed that blessing wherewith he had blessed them: Be fruitful and multiply. It was likewise a confirmation of the promise now made, that the seed of the woman, of this woman, should break the serpent's head. 2. If Adam did it of himself, it was an instance of his faith in the word of God. Doubtless it was not done, as some have suspected, in contempt or defiance of the curse, but rather in a humble confidence and dependence upon the blessing. (1.) The blessing of a reprieve, admiring the patience of God, that he should spare such sinners to be the parents of all living, and that he did not immediately shut up those fountains of the human life and nature, because they could send forth no other than polluted, poisoned, streams. (2.) The blessing of a Redeemer, the promised seed, to whom Adam had an eye, in calling his wife Eve—life; for he should be the life of all the living, and in him all the families of the earth should be blessed, in hope of which he thus triumphs.
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
We have here a further instance of God's
care concerning our first parents, notwithstanding their sin.
Though he corrects his disobedient children, and put them under the
marks of his displeasure, yet he does not disinherit them, but,
like a tender father, provides the herb of the field for their food
and coats of skins for their clothing. Thus the father
provided for the returning prodigal,
22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Sentence being passed upon the offenders,
I. How they were justly disgraced and
shamed before God and the holy angels, by the ironical upbraiding
of them with the issue of their enterprise: "Behold, the man has
become as one of us, to know good and evil! A goodly god he
makes! Does he not? See what he has got, what preferments, what
advantages, by eating forbidden fruit!" This was said to awaken and
humble them, and to bring them to a sense of their sin and folly,
and to repentance for it, that, seeing themselves thus wretchedly
deceived by following the devil's counsel, they might henceforth
pursue the happiness God should offer in the way he should
prescribe. God thus fills their faces with shame, that they may
seek his name,
II. How they were justly discarded, and shut out of paradise, which was a part of the sentence implied in that, Thou shalt eat the herb of the field. Here we have,
1. The reason God gave why he shut man out of paradise; not only because he had put forth his hand, and taken of the tree of knowledge, which was his sin, but lest he should again put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life (now forbidden him by the divine sentence, as before the tree of knowledge was forbidden by the law), and should dare to eat of that tree, and so profane a divine sacrament and defy a divine sentence, and yet flatter himself with a conceit that thereby he should live forever. Observe, (1.) There is a foolish proneness in those that have rendered themselves unworthy of the substance of Christian privileges to catch at the signs and shadows of them. Many that like not the terms of the covenant, yet, for their reputation's sake, are fond of the seals of it. (2.) It is not only justice, but kindness, to such, to be denied them; for, by usurping that to which they have no title, they affront God and make their sin the more heinous, and by building their hopes upon a wrong foundation they render their conversion the more difficult and their ruin the more deplorable.
2. The method God took, in giving him this bill of divorce, and expelling and excluding him from this garden of pleasure. He turned him out, and kept him out.
(1.) He turned him out, from the garden to
the common. This is twice mentioned: He sent him forth
(2.) He kept him out, and forbade him all
hopes of a re-entry; for he placed at the east of the garden of
Eden a detachment of cherubim, God's hosts, armed with a
dreadful and irresistible power, represented by flaming swords
which turned every way, on that side the garden which lay next to
the place whither Adam was sent, to keep the way that led to the
tree of life, so that he could neither steal nor force an entry;
for who can make a pass against an angel on his guard or gain a
pass made good by such force? Now this intimated to Adam, [1.] That
God was displeased with him. Though he had mercy in store for him,
yet at present he was angry with him, was turned to be his enemy
and fought against him, for here was a sword drawn (
In this chapter we have both the world and the
church in a family, in a little family, in Adam's family, and a
specimen given of the character and state of both in after-ages,
nay, in all ages, to the end of time. As all mankind were
represented in Adam, so that great distinction of mankind into
saints and sinners, godly and wicked, the children of God and the
children of the wicked one, was here represented in Cain and Abel,
and an early instance is given of the enmity which was lately put
between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. We have
here, I. The birth, names, and callings, of Cain and Abel,
1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters,
I. The names of their two sons. 1.
Cain signifies possession; for Eve, when she bore
him, said with joy, and thankfulness, and great expectation, I
have gotten a man from the Lord.
Observe, Children are God's gifts, and he must be acknowledged in
the building up of our families. It doubles and sanctifies our
comfort in them when we see them coming to us from the hand of God,
who will not forsake the works and gifts of his own hand. Though
Eve bore him with the sorrows that were the consequence of sin, yet
she did not lose the sense of the mercy in her pains. Comforts,
though alloyed, are more than we deserve; and therefore our
complaints must not drown our thanksgivings. Many suppose that Eve
had a conceit that this son was the promised seed, and that
therefore she thus triumphed in him, as her words may be read, I
have gotten a man, the Lord,
God-man. If so, she was wretchedly mistaken, as Samuel, when he
said, Surely the Lord's
anointed is before me,
II. The employments of Cain and Abel.
Observe, 1. They both had a calling. Though they were heirs
apparent to the world, their birth noble and their possessions
large, yet they were not brought up in idleness. God gave their
father a calling, even in innocency, and he gave them one. Note, it
is the will of God that we should every one of us have something to
do in this world. Parents ought to bring up their children to
business. "Give them a Bible and a calling (said good Mr. Dod), and
God be with them." 2. Their employments were different, that they
might trade and exchange with one another, as there was occasion.
The members of the body politic have need one of another, and
mutual love is helped by mutual commerce. 3. Their employments
belonged to the husbandman's calling, their father's profession—a
needful calling, for the king himself is served of the
field, but a laborious calling, which required constant care
and attendance. It is now looked upon as a mean calling; the
poor of the land serve for vine-dressers and
husbandmen,
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Here we have, I. The devotions of Cain and
Abel. In process of time, when they had made some
improvement in their respective callings (Heb. At the end of
days, either at the end of the year, when they kept their feast
of in-gathering or perhaps an annual fast in remembrance of the
fall, or at the end of the days of the week, the seventh day, which
was the sabbath)—at some set time, Cain and Abel brought to Adam,
as the priest of the family, each of them an offering to the
Lord, for the doing of which we have reason to think there was
a divine appointment given to Adam, as a token of God's favour to
him and his thoughts of love towards him and his, notwithstanding
their apostasy. God would thus try Adam's faith in the promise and
his obedience to the remedial law; he would thus settle a
correspondence again between heaven and earth, and give shadows
of good things to come. Observe here, 1. That the religious
worship of God is no novel invention, but an ancient institution.
It is that which was from the beginning (
II. The different success of their
devotions. That which is to be aimed at in all acts of religion is
God's acceptance: we speed well if we attain this, but in vain do
we worship if we miss of it,
1. There was a difference in the characters
of the persons offering. Cain was a wicked man, led a bad life,
under the reigning power of the world and the flesh; and therefore
his sacrifice was an abomination to the Lord (
2. There was a difference in the offerings
they brought. It is expressly said (
3. The great difference was this, that Abel offered in faith, and Cain did not. There was a difference in the principle upon which they went. Abel offered with an eye to God's will as his rule, and God's glory as his end, and in dependence upon the promise of a Redeemer; but Cain did what he did only for company's sake, or to save his credit, not in faith, and so it turned into sin to him. Abel was a penitent believer, like the publican that went away justified: Cain was unhumbled; his confidence was within himself; he was like the Pharisee who glorified himself, but was not so much as justified before God.
III. Cain's displeasure at the difference
God made between his sacrifice and Abel's. Cain was very wroth,
which presently appeared in his very looks, for his countenance
fell, which bespeaks not so much his grief and discontent as his
malice and rage. His sullen churlish countenance, and a down-look,
betrayed his passionate resentments: he carried ill-nature in his
face, and the show of his countenance witnessed against him.
This anger bespeaks, 1. His enmity to God, and the indignation he
had conceived against him for making such a difference between his
offering and his brother's. He should have been angry at himself
for his own infidelity and hypocrisy, by which he had forfeited
God's acceptance; and his countenance should have fallen in
repentance and holy shame, as the publican's, who would not lift
up so much as his eyes to heaven,
6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
God is here reasoning with Cain, to
convince him of the sin and folly of his anger and discontent, and
to bring him into a good temper again, that further mischief might
be prevented. It is an instance of God's patience and condescending
goodness that he would deal thus tenderly with so bad a man, in so
bad an affair. He is not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance. Thus the father of the
prodigal argued the case with the elder son (
I. God puts Cain himself upon enquiring into the cause of his discontent, and considering whether it were indeed a just cause: Why is thy countenance fallen? Observe, 1. That God takes notice of all our sinful passions and discontents. There is not an angry look, an envious look, nor a fretful look, that escapes his observing eye. 2. That most of our sinful heats and disquietudes would soon vanish before a strict and impartial enquiry into the cause of them. "Why am I wroth? Is there a real cause, a just cause, a proportionable cause for it? Why am I so soon angry? Why so very angry, and so implacable?"
II. To reduce Cain to his right mind again, it is here made evident to him,
1. That he had no reason to be angry at God, for that he had proceeded according to the settled and invariable rules of government suited to a state of probation. He sets before men life and death, the blessing and the curse, and then renders to them according to their works, and differences them according as they difference themselves—so shall their doom be. The rules are just, and therefore his ways, according to those rules, must needs be equal, and he will be justified when he speaks.
(1.) God sets before Cain life and a blessing: "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? No doubt thou shalt, nay, thou knowest thou shalt;" either, [1.] "If thou hadst done well, as thy brother did, thou shouldst have been accepted, as he was." God is no respecter of persons, hates nothing that he had made, denies his favour to none but those who have forfeited it, and is an enemy to none but those who by sin have made him their enemy: so that if we come short of acceptance with him we must thank ourselves, the fault is wholly our own; if we had done our duty, we should not have missed of his mercy. This will justify God in the destruction of sinners, and will aggravate their ruin; there is not a damned sinner in hell, but, if he had done well, as he might have done, had been a glorious saint in heaven. Every mouth will shortly be stopped with this. Or, [2.] "If now thou do well, if thou repent of thy sin, reform thy heart and life, and bring thy sacrifice in a better manner, if thou not only do that which is good but do it well, thou shalt yet be accepted, thy sin shall be pardoned, thy comfort and honour restored, and all shall be well." See here the effect of a Mediator's interposal between God and man; we do not stand upon the footing of the first covenant, which left no room for repentance, but God had come upon new terms with us. Though we have offended, if we repent and return, we shall find mercy. See how early the gospel was preached, and the benefit of it here offered even to one of the chief of sinners.
(2.) He sets before him death and a curse:
But if not well, that is, "Seeing thou didst not do well,
didst not offer in faith and in a right manner, sin lies at the
door," that is, "sin was imputed to thee, and thou wast frowned
upon and rejected as a sinner. So high a charge had not been laid
at thy door, if thou hadst not brought it upon thyself, by not
doing well." Or, as it is commonly taken, "If now thou wilt not do
well, if thou persist in this wrath, and, instead of humbling
thyself before God, harden thyself against him, sin lies at the
door," that is, [1.] Further sin. "Now that anger is in thy
heart, murder is at the door." The way of sin is down-hill, and men
go from bad to worse. Those who do not sacrifice well, but are
careless and remiss in their devotion to God, expose themselves to
the worst temptations; and perhaps the most scandalous sin lies at
the door. Those who do not keep God's ordinances are in danger of
committing all abominations,
2. That he had no reason to be angry at his
brother: "Unto thee shall be his desire, he shall continue
his respect to thee as an elder brother, and thou, as the
first-born, shalt rule over him as much as ever." God's acceptance
of Abel's offering did not transfer the birth-right to him (which
Cain was jealous of), nor put upon him that excellency of dignity
and of power which is said to belong to it,
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
We have here the progress of Cain's anger, and the issue of it in Abel's murder, which may be considered two ways:—
I. As Cain's sin; and a scarlet, crimson,
sin it was, a sin of the first magnitude, a sin against the light
and law of nature, and which the consciences even of bad men have
startled at. See in it, 1. The sad effects of sin's entrance into
the world and into the
II. As Abel's suffering. Death reigned ever since Adam sinned, but we read not of any taken captive by him till now; and now, 1. The first that dies is a saint, one that was accepted and beloved of God, to show that, though the promised seed was so far to destroy him that had the power of death as to save believers from its sting, yet still they should be exposed to its stroke. The first that went to the grave went to heaven. God would secure to himself the first-fruits, the first-born to the dead, that first opened the womb into another world. Let this take off the terror of death, that it was betimes the lot of God's chosen, which alters the property of it. Nay, 2. The first that dies is a martyr, and dies for his religion; and of such it may more truly be said than of soldiers that they die on the bed of honour. Abel's death has not only no curse in it, but it has a crown in it; so admirably well is the property of death altered that it is not only rendered innocent and inoffensive to those that die in Christ, but honourable and glorious to those that die for him. Let us not think it strange concerning the fiery trial, nor shrink if we be called to resist unto blood; for we know there is a crown of life for all that are faithful unto death.
9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
We have here a full account of the trial
and condemnation of the first murderer. Civil courts of judicature
not being yet erected for this purpose, as they were afterwards
(
I. The arraignment of Cain: The Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? Some think Cain was thus examined the next sabbath after the murder was committed, when the sons of God came, as usual, to present themselves before the Lord, in a religious assembly, and Abel was missing, whose place did not use to be empty; for the God of heaven takes notice who is present at and who is absent from public ordinances. Cain is asked, not only because there is just cause to suspect him, he having discovered a malice against Abel and having been last with him, but because God knew him to be guilty; yet he asks him, that he may draw from him a confession of his crime, for those who would be justified before God must accuse themselves, and the penitent will do so.
II. Cain's plea: he pleads not
guilty, and adds rebellion to his sin. For, 1. He endeavours to
cover a deliberate murder with a deliberate lie: I know not.
He knew well enough what had become of Abel, and yet had the
impudence to deny it. Thus, in Cain, the devil was both a murderer
and a liar from the beginning. See how sinners' minds are blinded,
and their hearts hardened by the deceitfulness of sin: those are
strangely blind that think it possible to conceal their sins from a
God that sees all, and those are strangely hard that think it
desirable to conceal them from a God who pardons those only that
confess. 2. He impudently charges his Judge with folly and
injustice, in putting this question to him: Am I my brother's
keeper? He should have humbled himself, and have said, Am
not I my brother's murderer? But he flies in the face of God
himself, as if he had asked him an impertinent question, to which
he was no way obliged to give an answer: "Am I my brother's
keeper? Surely he is old enough to take care of himself, nor
did I ever take any charge of him." Some think he reflects on God
and his providence, as if he had said, "Art not thou his keeper? If
he be missing, on thee be the blame, and not on me, who never
undertook to keep him." Note, a charitable concern for our
brethren, as their keepers, is a great duty, which is strictly
required of us, but is generally neglected by us. Those who are
unconcerned in the affairs of their brethren, and take no care,
when they have opportunity, to prevent their hurt in their bodies,
goods, or good name, especially in their souls, do, in effect,
speak Cain's language. See
III. The conviction of Cain,
IV. The sentence passed upon Cain: And
now art thou cursed from the earth,
1. He is cursed, separated to all evil,
laid under the wrath of God, as it is revealed from heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
2. He is cursed from the earth. Thence the
cry came up to God, thence the curse
This was the sentence passed upon Cain; and even in this there was mercy mixed, inasmuch as he was not immediately cut off, but had space given him to repent; for God is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish.
13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. 15 And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
We have here a further account of the proceedings against Cain.
I. Here is Cain's complaint of the sentence
passed upon him, as hard and severe. Some make him to speak the
language of despair, and read it, My iniquity is greater than
that it may be forgiven; and so what he says is a reproach and
affront to the mercy of God, which those only shall have the
benefit of that hope in it. There is forgiveness with the God of
pardons for the greatest sins and sinners; but those forfeit it who
despair of it. Just now Cain made nothing of his sin, but now he is
in the other extreme: Satan drives his vassals from presumption to
despair. We cannot think too ill of sin, provided we do not think
it unpardonable. But Cain seems rather to speak the language of
indignation: My punishment is greater than I can bear; and
so what he says is a reproach and affront to the justice of God,
and a complaint, not of the greatness of his sin, but of the
extremity of his punishment, as if this were disproportionable to
his merits. Instead of justifying God in the sentence, he condemns
him, not accepting the punishment of his iniquity, but quarrelling
with it. Note, impenitent unhumbled hearts are therefore not
reclaimed by God's rebukes because they think themselves wronged by
them; and it is an evidence of great hardness to be more concerned
about our sufferings than about our sins. Pharaoh's care was
concerning this death only, not this sin (
II. Here is God's confirmation of the
sentence; for when he judges he will overcome,
16 And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
We have here a further account of Cain, and what became of him after he was rejected of God.
I. He tamely submitted to that part of his
sentence by which he was hidden from God's face; for (
II. He endeavoured to confront that part of the sentence by which he was made a fugitive and a vagabond; for,
1. He chose his land. He went and dwelt
on the east of Eden, somewhere distant from the place where
Adam and his religious family resided, distinguishing himself and
his accursed generation from the holy seed, his camp from the
camp of the saints and the beloved city,
2. He built a city for a habitation,
3. His family also was built up. Here is an
account of his posterity, at least the heirs of his family, for
seven generations. His son was Enoch, of the same name, but
not of the same character, with that holy man that walked with
God,
19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. 21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. 22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
We have here some particulars concerning Lamech, the seventh from Adam in the line of Cain. Observe,
I. His marrying two wives. It was one of
the degenerate race of Cain who first transgressed that original
law of marriage that two only should be one flesh. Hitherto one man
had but one wife at a time; but Lamech took two. From the
beginning it was not so.
II. His happiness in his children,
notwithstanding this. Though he sinned, in marrying two wives, yet
he was blessed with children by both, and those such as lived to be
famous in their generation, not for their piety, no mention is made
of this (for aught that appears they were the heathen of that age),
but for their ingenuity. They were not only themselves men of
business, but men that were serviceable to the world, and eminent
for the invention, or at least the improvement, of some useful
arts. 1. Jabal was a famous shepherd; he delighted much in keeping
cattle himself, and was so happy in devising methods of doing it to
the best advantage, and instructing others in them, that the
shepherds of those times, nay, the shepherds of after-times, called
him father; or perhaps, his children after him being brought
up to the same employment, the family was a family of shepherds. 2.
Jubal was a famous musician, and particularly an organist, and the
first that gave rules for the noble art or science of music. When
Jabal had set them in a way to be rich, Jubal put them in a way to
be merry. Those that spend their days in wealth will not be without
the timbrel and harp,
23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
By this speech of Lamech, which is here
recorded, and probably was much talked of in those times, he
further appears to have been a wicked man, as Cain's accursed race
generally were. Observe, 1. How haughtily and imperiously he speaks
to his wives, as one that expected a mighty regard and observance:
Hear my voice, you wives of Lamech. No marvel that he who
had broken one law of marriage, by taking two wives, broke another,
which obliged him to be kind and tender to those he had taken, and
to give honour to the wife as to the weaker vessel. Those are not
always the most careful to do their own duty that are highest in
their demands of respect from others, and most frequent in calling
upon their relations to know their place and do their duty. 2. How
bloody and barbarous he was to all about him: I have slain,
or (as it is in the margin) I would slay a man in my wound, and
a young man in my hurt. He owns himself a man of a fierce and
cruel disposition, that would lay about him without mercy, and kill
all that stood in his way; be it a man, or a young man, nay, though
he himself were in danger to be wounded and hurt in the conflict.
Some think, because (
Now this is all we have upon record in scripture concerning the family and posterity of cursed Cain, till we find them all cut off and perishing in the universal deluge.
25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.
This is the first mention of Adam in the
story of this chapter. No question, the murder of Abel, and the
impenitence and apostasy of Cain, were a very great grief to him
and Eve, and the more because their own wickedness did now correct
them and their backslidings did reprove them. Their folly had given
sin and death entrance into the world; and now they smarted by it,
being, by means thereof, deprived of both their sons in one
day,
I. God gave them to see the re-building of
their family, which was sorely shaken and weakened by that sad
event. For, 1. They saw their seed, another seed instead of
Abel,
II. God gave them to see the reviving of
religion in their family: Then began men to call upon the name
of the Lord,
This chapter is the only authentic history extant
of the first age of the world from the creation to the flood,
containing (according to the verity of the Hebrew text) 1656 years,
as may easily be computed by the ages of the patriarchs, before
they begat that son through whom the line went down to Noah. This
is one of those which the apostle calls "endless genealogies"
(
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; 2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. 3 And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: 4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
The first words of the chapter are the
title or argument of the whole chapter: it is the book of the
generations of Adam; it is the list or catalogue of the
posterity of Adam, not of all, but only of the holy seed who
were the substance thereof (
I. His creation,
II. The birth of his son Seth,
III. His age and death. He lived, in all, nine hundred and thirty years, and then he died, according to the sentence passed upon him, To dust thou shalt return. Though he did not die in the day he ate forbidden fruit, yet in that very day he became mortal. Then he began to die; his whole life afterwards was but a reprieve, a forfeited condemned life; nay, it was a wasting dying life: he was not only like a criminal sentenced, but as one already crucified, that dies slowly and by degrees.
6 And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and
begat Enos: 7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight
hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: 8 And
all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he
died. 9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and
fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: 11 And all the
days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
12 And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel: 13
And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty
years, and begat sons and daughters: 14 And all the days of
Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. 15 And
Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: 16
And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty
years, and begat sons and daughters: 17 And all the days of
Mahalaleel were eight hundred
We have here all that the Holy Ghost thought fit to leave upon record concerning five of the patriarchs before the flood, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, and Jared. There is nothing observable concerning any of these particularly, though we have reason to think they were men of eminence, both for prudence and piety, in their day: but in general,
I. Observe how largely and expressly their
generations are recorded. This matter, one would think, might have
been delivered in fewer words; but it is certain that there is not
one idle word in God's books, whatever there is in men's. It is
thus plainly set down, 1. To make it easy and intelligible to the
meanest capacity. When we are informed how old they were when they
begat such a son, and how many years they lived afterwards, a very
little skill in arithmetic will enable a man to tell how long they
lived in all; yet the Holy Ghost sets down the sum total, for the
sake of those that have not even so much skill as this. 2. To show
the pleasure God takes in the names of his people. We found Cain's
generation numbered in haste (
II. Their life is reckoned by days
(
III. Concerning each of them, except Enoch, it is said, and he died. It is implied in the numbering of the years of their life that their life, when those years were numbered and finished, came to an end; and yet it is still repeated, and he died, to show that death passed upon all men without exception, and that it is good for us particularly to observe and improve the deaths of others for our own edification. Such a one was a strong healthful man, but he died; such a one was a great and rich man, but he died; such a one was a wise politic man, but he died; such a one was a very good man, perhaps a very useful man, but he died, &c.
IV. That which is especially observable is
that they all lived very long; not one of them died till he had
seen the revolution of almost eight hundred years, and some of them
lived much longer, a great while for an immortal soul to be
imprisoned in a house of clay. The present life surely was not to
them such a burden as commonly it is now, else they would have been
weary of it; nor was the future life so clearly revealed then as it
is now under the gospel, else they would have been impatient to
remove to it: long life to the pious patriarchs was a blessing and
made them blessings. 1. Some natural causes may be assigned for
their long life in those first ages of the world. It is very
probable that the earth was more fruitful, that the productions of
it were more strengthening, that the air was more healthful, and
that the influences of the heavenly bodies were more benign, before
the flood, than afterwards. Though man was driven out of paradise,
yet the earth itself was then paradisiacal—a garden in comparison
with its present wilderness-state: and some think that their great
knowledge of the creatures, and of their usefulness both for food
and medicine, together with their sobriety and temperance,
contributed much to it; yet we do not find that those who were
intemperate, as many were (
21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
The accounts here run on for several
generations without any thing remarkable, or any variation but of
the names and numbers; but at length there comes in one that must
not
I. His gracious conversation in this world,
which is twice spoken of: Enoch walked with God after he begat
Methuselah (
1. The nature of his religion and the scope
and tenour of his conversation: he walked with God, which
denotes, (1.) True religion; what is godliness, but walking with
God? The ungodly and profane are without God in the world, they
walk contrary to him: but the godly walk with God, which
presupposes reconciliation to God, for two cannot walk together
except they be agreed (
2. The date of his religion. It is said
(
3. The continuance of his religion: he
walked with God three hundred years, as long as he continued
in this world. The hypocrite will not pray always; but the real
saint that acts from a principle, and makes religion his choice,
will persevere to the end, and walk with God while he lives, as one
that hopes to live for ever with him,
II. His glorious removal to a better world.
As he did not live like the rest, so he did not die like the rest
(
1. When he was thus translated. (1.) What time of his life. It was when he had lived but three hundred and sixty-five years (a year of years), which, as men's ages went then, was in the midst of his days; for there was none of the patriarchs before the flood that did not more than double that age. But why did God take him so soon? Surely, because the world, which had now grown corrupt, was not worthy of him, or because he was so much above the world, and so weary of it, as to desire a speedy removal out of it, or because his work was done, and done the sooner for his minding it so closely. Note, God often takes those soonest whom he loves best, and the time they lose on earth is gained in heaven, to their unspeakable advantage. (2.) What time of the world. It was when all the patriarchs mentioned in this chapter were living, except Adam, who died fifty-seven years before, and Noah, who was born sixty-nine years after; those two had sensible confirmations to their faith other ways, but to all the rest, who were or might have been witnesses of Enoch's translation, it was a sensible encouragement to their faith and hope concerning a future state.
2. How his removal is expressed: He was
not, for God took him. (1.) He was not any longer in this
world; it was not the period of his being, but of his being here:
he was not found, so the apostle explains it from the LXX.;
not found by his friends, who sought him as the sons of the
prophets sought Elijah (
25 And Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: 26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: 27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
Concerning Methuselah observe, 1. The
signification of his name, which some think was prophetical, his
father Enoch being a prophet. Methuselah signifies, he
dies, or there is a dart, or, a sending forth,
namely, of the deluge, which came the very year that Methuselah
died. If indeed his name was so intended and so explained, it was
fair warning to a careless world, a long time before the judgment
came. However, this is observable, that the longest liver that ever
was carried death in his name, that he might be reminded of its
coming surely, though it came slowly. 2. His age: he lived nine
hundred and sixty-nine years, the longest we read of that ever any
man lived on earth; and yet he died. The longest liver must die at
last. Neither youth nor age will discharge from that war, for that
is the end of all men: none can challenge life by long
prescription, nor make that a plea against the arrests of death. It
is commonly supposed that Methuselah died a little before the
flood; the Jewish writers say, "seven days before," referring to
28 And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. 30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: 31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. 32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Here we have the first mention of Noah, of whom we shall read much in the following chapters. Observe,
I. His name, with the reason of it:
Noah signifies rest; his parents gave him that name,
with a prospect of his being a more than ordinary blessing to his
generation: This same shall comfort us concerning our work and
toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath
cursed. Here is, 1. Lamech's complaint of the calamitous state
of human life. By the entrance of sin, and the entail of the curse
for sin, our condition has become very miserable: our whole life is
spent in labour, and our time filled up with continual toil. God
having cursed the ground, it is as much as some can do, with the
utmost care and pains, to fetch a hard livelihood out of it. He
speaks as one fatigued with the business of this life, and grudging
that so many thoughts and precious minutes, which otherwise might
have been much better employed, are unavoidably spent for the
support of the body. 2. His comfortable hopes of some relief by the
birth of this son: This same shall comfort us, which denotes
not only the desire and expectation which parents generally have
concerning their children (that, when they grow up, they will be
comforts to them and helpers in their business, though they often
prove otherwise), but an apprehension and prospect of something
more. Very probably there were some prophecies that went before of
him, as a person that should be wonderfully serviceable to his
generation, which they so understood as to conclude that he was the
promised seed, the Messiah that should come; and then it intimates
that a covenant-interest in Christ as ours, and the believing
expectation of his coming, furnish us with the best and surest
II. His children, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
These Noah begat (the eldest of these) when he was 500 years old.
It should seem that Japheth was the eldest (
The most remarkable thing we have upon record
concerning the old world is the destruction of it by the universal
deluge, the account of which commences in this chapter, wherein we
have, I. The abounding iniquity of that wicked world,
1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
For the glory of God's justice, and for
warning to a wicked world, before the history of the ruin of the
old world, we have a full account of its degeneracy, its apostasy
from God and rebellion against him. The destroying of it was an
act, not of an absolute sovereignty, but of necessary justice, for
the maintaining of the honour of God's government. Now here we have
an account of two things which occasioned the wickedness of the old
world:—1. The increase of mankind: Men began to multiply upon
the face of the earth. This was the effect of the blessing
(
3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.
This comes in here as a token of God's displeasure at those who married strange wives; he threatens to withdraw from them his Spirit, whom they had grieved by such marriages, contrary to their convictions: fleshly lusts are often punished with spiritual judgments, the sorest of all judgments. Or as another occasion of the great wickedness of the old world; the Spirit of the Lord, being provoked by their resistance of his motions, ceased to strive with them, and then all religion was soon lost among them. This he warns them of before, that they might not further vex his Holy Spirit, but by their prayers might stay him with them. Observe in this verse,
I. God's resolution not always to strive
with man by his Spirit. The Spirit then strove by Noah's preaching
(
II. The reason of this resolution: For that he also is flesh, that is, incurably corrupt, and carnal, and sensual, so that it is labour lost to strive with him. Can the Ethiopian change his skin? He also, that is, All, one as well as another, they have all sunk into the mire of flesh. Note, 1. It is the corrupt nature, and the inclination of the soul towards the flesh, that oppose the Spirit's strivings and render them ineffectual. 2. When a sinner has long adhered to that interest, and sided with the flesh against the Spirit, the Spirit justly withdraws his agency, and strives no more. None lose the Spirit's strivings but those that have first forfeited them.
III. A reprieve granted, notwithstanding: Yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years; so long I will defer the judgment they deserve, and give them space to prevent it by their repentance and reformation. Justice said, Cut them down; but mercy interceded, Lord, let them alone this year also; and so far mercy prevailed, that a reprieve was obtained for six-score years. Note, the time of God's patience and forbearance towards provoking sinners is sometimes long, but always limited: reprieves are not pardons; though God bear a great while, he will not bear always.
4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
We have here a further account of the corruption of the old world. When the sons of God had matched with the daughters of men, though it was very displeasing to God, yet he did not immediately cut them off, but waited to see what would be the issue of these marriages, and which side the children would take after; and it proved (as usually it does), that they took after the worst side. Here is,
I. The temptation they were under to
oppress and do violence. They were giants, and they were
men of renown; they became too hard for all about them, and
carried all before them, 1. With their great bulk, as the sons of
Anak,
II. The charge exhibited and proved against
them,
6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
Here is, I. God's resentment of man's
wickedness. He did not see it as an unconcerned spectator, but as
one injured and affronted by it; he saw it as a tender father sees
the folly and stubbornness of a rebellious and disobedient child,
which not only angers him, but grieves him, and makes him wish he
had been written childless. The expressions here used are very
strange: It repented the Lord that he had made man upon the
earth, that he had made a creature of such noble powers and
faculties, and had put him on this earth, which he built and
furnished on purpose to be a convenient, comfortable, habitation
for him; and it grieved him at his heart. These are
expressions after the manner of men, and must be understood so as
not to reflect upon the honour of God's immutability or felicity.
1. This language does not imply any passion or uneasiness in God
(nothing can create disturbance to the Eternal Mind), but it
expresses his just and holy displeasure against sin and sinners,
against sin as odious to his holiness and against sinners as
obnoxious to his justice. He is pressed by the sins of his
creatures (
II. God's resolution to destroy man for his
wickedness,
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
We have here Noah distinguished from the
rest of the world, and a peculiar mark of honour put upon him. 1.
When God was displeased with the rest of the world, he favoured
Noah: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord,
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
The wickedness of that generation is here
again spoken of, either as a foil to Noah's piety—he was just and
perfect, when all the earth was corrupt; or as a further
justification of God's resolution to destroy the world, which he
was now about to communicate to his servant Noah. 1. All kinds of
sin was found among them, for it is said (
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. 15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. 17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. 18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
Here it appears indeed that Noah found
grace in the eyes of the Lord. God's favour to him was plainly
intimated in what he said of him,
I. God here makes Noah the man of his
counsel, communicating to him his purpose to destroy this
wicked world by water. As, afterwards, he told Abraham his
resolution concerning Sodom (
1. God told Noah, in general, that he would
destroy the world (
2. He told him, particularly, that he would
destroy the world by a flood of waters: And behold, I, even I,
do bring a flood of waters upon the earth,
II. God here makes Noah the man of his
covenant, another Hebrew periphrasis of a friend (
III. God here makes Noah a monument of
sparing mercy, by putting him in a way to secure himself in the
approaching deluge, that he might not perish with the rest of the
world: I will destroy them, says God, with the earth,
1. God directs Noah to make an ark,
2. God promises Noah that he and his shall
be preserved alive in the ark (
IV. God here makes Noah a great blessing to
the world, and herein makes him an eminent type of the Messiah,
though not the Messiah himself, as his parents expected,
22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
Noah's care and diligence in building the
ark may be considered, 1. As an effect of his faith in the word of
God. God had told him he would shortly drown the world; he believed
it, feared the threatened deluge, and, in that fear, prepared the
ark. Note, we ought to mix faith with the revelation God has made
of his wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men;
the threatenings of the word are not false alarms. Much might have
been objected against the credibility of this warning given to
Noah. "Who could believe that the wise God, who made the world,
should so soon unmake it again, that he who had drawn the waters
off the dry land (
In this chapter we have the performance of what
was foretold in the foregoing chapter, both concerning the
destruction of the old world and the salvation of Noah; for we may
be sure that no
1 And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. 3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
Here is, I. A gracious invitation of Noah
and his family into a place of safety, now that the flood of waters
was coming,
1. The call itself is very kind, like that of a tender father to his children, to come in doors, when he sees night or a storm coming: Come thou, and all thy house, that small family that thou hast, into the ark. Observe, (1.) Noah did not go into the ark till God bade him; though he knew it was designed for his place of refuge, yet he waited for a renewed command, and had it. It is very comfortable to follow the calls of Providence, and to see God going before us in every step we take. (2.) God does not bid him go into the ark, but come into it, implying that God would go with him, would lead him into it, accompany him in it, and in due time bring him safely out of it. Note, wherever we are, it is very desirable to have the presence of God with us, for this is all in all to the comfort of every condition. It was this that made Noah's ark, which was a prison, to be to him not only a refuge, but a palace. (3.) Noah had taken a great deal of pains to build the ark, and now he was himself preserved alive in it. Note, what we do in obedience to the command of God, and in faith, we ourselves shall certainly have the comfort of, first or last. (4.) Not he only, but his house also, his wife and children, are called with him into the ark. Note, It is good to belong to the family of a godly man; it is safe and comfortable to dwell under such a shadow. One of Noah's sons was Ham, who proved afterwards a bad man, yet he was saved in the ark, which intimates, [1.] That wicked children often fare the better for the sake of their godly parents. [2.] That there is a mixture of bad with good in the best societies on earth, and we are not to think it strange. In Noah's family there was a Ham, and in Christ's family there was a Judas. There is no perfect purity on this side heaven. (5.) This call to Noah was a type of the call which the gospel gives to poor sinners. Christ is an ark already prepared, in whom alone we can be safe when death and judgment come. Now the burden of the song is, "Come, come;" the word says, "Come;" ministers say, "Come;" the Spirit says, "Come, come into the ark."
2. The reason for this invitation is a very honourable testimony to Noah's integrity: For thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Observe, (1.) Those are righteous indeed that are righteous before God, that have not only the form of godliness by which they appear righteous before men, who may easily be imposed upon, but the power of it by which they approve themselves to God, who searches the heart, and cannot be deceived in men's characters. (2.) God takes notice of and is pleased with those that are righteous before him: Thee have I seen. In a world of wicked people God could see one righteous Noah; that single grain of wheat could not be lost, no, not in so great a heap of chaff. The Lord knows those that are his. (3.) God, that is a witness to, will shortly be a witness for, his people's integrity; he that sees it will proclaim it before angels and men, to their immortal honour. Those that obtain mercy to be righteous shall obtain witness that they are righteous. (4.) God is, in a special manner, pleased with those that are good in bad times and places. Noah was therefore illustriously righteous, because he was so in that wicked and adulterous generation. (5.) Those that keep themselves pure in times of common iniquity God will keep safe in times of common calamity; those that partake not with others in their sins shall not partake with them in their plagues; those that are better than others are, even in this life, safer than others, and it is better with them.
II. Here are necessary orders given
concerning the brute-creatures that were to be preserved alive with
Noah in the ark,
III. Here is notice given of the now
imminent approach of the flood: Yet seven days, and I will cause
it to rain,
5 And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him. 6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. 7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, 9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
Here is Noah's ready obedience to the
commands that God gave him. Observe, 1. He went into the ark, upon
notice that the flood would come after seven days, though probably
as yet there appeared no visible sign of its approach, no cloud
arising that threatened it, nothing done towards it, but all
continued serene and clear; for, as he prepared the ark by faith in
the warning given that the flood would come, so he went into it by
faith in this warning that it would come quickly, though he did not
see that the second causes had yet begun to work. In every step he
took, he walked by faith, and not by sense. During these seven
days, it is likely, he was settling himself and his family in the
ark, and distributing the creatures into their several apartments.
This was the conclusion of that visible sermon which he had long
been preaching to his careless neighbours, and which, one would
think, might have awakened them; but, not obtaining that desired
end, it left their blood upon their own heads. 2. He took all his
family along with him, his wife, to be his companion and comfort
(though it should seem that, after this, he had no children by
her), his sons, and his sons' wives, that by them not only his
family, but the world of mankind, might be built up. Observe,
Though men were to be reduced to so small a number, and it would be
very desirable to have the world speedily repeopled, yet Noah's
sons were each of them to have but one wife, which strengthens the
argument against having many wives; for from the beginning of this
new world it was not so: as, at first, God made, so now he kept
alive, but one woman for one man. See
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
Here is, I. The date of this great event; this is carefully recorded, for the greater certainty of the story.
1. It was in the 600th year of Noah's life,
which, by computation, appears to be 1656 years from the creation.
The years of the old world are reckoned, not by the reigns of the
giants, but the lives of the patriarchs; saints are of more account
with God than princes. The righteous shall be had in everlasting
remembrance. Noah was now a very old man, even as men's years
went then. Note, (1.) The longer we live in this world the more we
see of the miseries and calamities of it; it is therefore spoken of
as the privilege of those that die young that their eyes shall
not see the evil which is coming,
2. We are told that it was in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, which is reckoned to be about the beginning of November; so that Noah had had a harvest just before, from which to victual his ark.
II. The second causes that concurred to this deluge. Observe,
1. In the self-same day that Noah was fixed
in the ark, the inundation began. Note, (1.) Desolating judgments
come not till God has provided for the security of his own people;
see
2. See what was done on that day, that
fatal day to the world of the ungodly. (1.) The fountains of the
great deep were broken up. Perhaps there needed no new creation
of waters; what were already made to be, in the common course of
providence, blessings to the earth, were now, by an extraordinary
act of divine power, made the ruin of it. God has laid up the deep
in storehouses (
3. Now learn from this, (1.) That all the
creatures are at God's disposal, and that he makes what use he
pleases of them, whether for correction, or for his land, or for
mercy, as Elihu speaks of the rain,
13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; 14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.
Here is repeated what was related before of Noah's entrance into the ark, with his family and creatures that were marked for preservation. Now,
I. It is thus repeated for the honour of Noah, whose faith and obedience herein shone so brightly, by which he obtained a good report, and who herein appeared so great a favourite of Heaven and so great a blessing to this earth.
II. Notice is here taken of the beasts
going in each after his kind, according to the phrase used
in the history of the creation (
III. Though all enmities and hostilities
between the creatures ceased for the present, and ravenous
creatures were not only so mild and manageable as that the wolf
and the lamb lay down together, but so strangely altered as
that the lion did eat straw like an ox (
IV. It is added (and the circumstance
deserves our notice), The Lord shut him in,
V. There is much of our gospel duty and
privilege to be seen in Noah's preservation in the ark. The apostle
makes it a type of our baptism, that is, our Christianity,
17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. 18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
We are here told,
I. How long the flood was
increasing—forty days,
II. To what degree they increased: they
rose so high that not only the low flat countries were deluged, but
to make sure work, and that none might escape, the tops of the
highest mountains were overflowed—fifteen cubits, that is,
seven yards and a half; so that in vain was salvation hoped for
from hills or mountains,
III. What became of Noah's ark when the
waters thus increased: It was lifted up above the earth
(
21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.
Here is, I. The general destruction of all
flesh by the waters of the flood. Come, and see the desolations
which God makes in the earth (
1. All the cattle, fowl, and creeping
things, died, except the few that were in the ark. Observe how this
is repeated: All flesh died,
2. All the men, women, and children, that
were in the world (except that were in the ark) died. Every
man (
Let us now pause awhile and consider this
tremendous judgment! Let our hearts meditate terror, the terror of
this destruction. Let us see, and say, It is a fearful thing to
fall into the hands of the living God; who can stand before him
when he is angry? Let us see and say, It is an evil thing,
and a bitter, to depart from God. The sin of sinners will,
without repentance, be their ruin, first or last; if God be true,
it will. Though hand join in hand, yet the wicked shall not go
unpunished. The righteous God knows how to bring a flood upon
the world of the ungodly,
II. The special preservation of Noah and
his family: Noah only remained alive, and those that were with
him in the ark,
In the close of the foregoing chapter we left the
world in ruins and the church in straits; but in this chapter we
have the repair of the one and the enlargement of the other. Now
the scene alters, and another face of things begins to be presented
to us, and the brighter side of that cloud which there appeared so
black and dark; for, though God contend long, he will not contend
for ever, nor be always wrath. We have here, I. The earth made
anew, by the recess of the waters, and the appearing of the dry
land, now a second time, and both gradual. 1. The increase of the
waters is stayed,
1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged; 2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; 3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
Here is, I. An act of God's grace: God
remembered Noah and every living thing. This is an expression
after the manner of men; for not any of his creatures (
II. An act of God's power over wind and water, both of which are at his beck, though neither of them is under man's control. Observe,
1. He commanded the wind, and said to that,
Go, and it went, in order to the carrying off of the flood:
God made a wind to pass over the earth. See here, (1.) What
was God's remembrance of Noah: it was his relieving him. Note,
Those whom God remembers he remembers effectually, for good; he
remembers us to save us, that we may remember him to serve him.
(2.) What a sovereign dominion God has over the winds. He has them
in his fist (
2. He remanded the waters, and said to
them, Come, and they came. (1.) He took away the cause. He
sealed up the springs of those waters, the fountains of the
great deep, and the windows of heaven. Note, [1.] As God has a
key to open, so he has a key to shut up again, and to stay the
progress of judgments by stopping the causes of them: and the same
hand that brings the desolation must bring the deliverance; to that
hand therefore our eye must ever be. He that wounds is alone able
to heal. See
4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
Here we have the effects and evidences of
the ebbing of the waters. 1. The ark rested. This was some
satisfaction to Noah, to feel the house he was in upon firm ground,
and no longer movable. It rested upon a mountain, whither it was
directed, not by Noah's prudence (he did not steer it), but by the
wise and gracious providence of God, that it might rest the sooner.
Note, God has times and places of rest for his people after their
tossings; and many a time he provides for their seasonable and
comfortable settlement without their own contrivance and quite
beyond their own foresight. The ark of the church, though sometimes
tossed with tempests, and not comforted (
6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: 7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. 8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; 9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. 10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; 11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. 12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
We have here an account of the spies which Noah sent forth to bring him intelligence from abroad, a raven and a dove. Observe here,
I. That though God had told Noah
particularly when the flood would come, even to a day (
II. That though Noah by faith expected his
enlargement, and by patience waited for it, yet he was inquisitive
concerning it, as one that thought it long to be thus confined.
Note, Desires of release out of trouble, earnest expectations of
it, and enquiries concerning its advances towards us, will very
well consist with the sincerity of faith and patience. He that
believes does not make haste to run before God, but he does
make haste to go forth to meet him,
13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.
Here is, 1. The ground dry (
15 And God spake unto Noah, saying, 16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. 17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. 18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.
Here is, I. Noah's dismission out of the
ark,
II. Noah's departure when he had his dismission. As he would not go out without leave, so he would not, out of fear or humour, stay in when he had leave, but was in all points observant of the heavenly vision. Though he had been now a full year and ten days a prisoner in the ark, yet when he found himself preserved there, not only for a new life, but for a new world, he saw no reason to complain of his long confinement. Now observe, 1. Noah and his family came out alive, though one of them was a wicked Ham, whom, though he escaped the flood, God's justice could have taken away by some other stroke. But they are all alive. Note, When families have been long continued together, and no breaches made among them, it must be looked upon as a distinguishing favour, and attributed to the Lord's mercies. 2. Noah brought out all the creatures that went in with him, except the raven and the dove, which, probably, were ready to meet their mates at their coming out. Noah was able to give a very good account of his charge; for of all that were given to him he had lost none, but was faithful to him that appointed him, pro hac vice—on this occasion, high steward of his household.
20 And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Here is, I. Noah's thankful acknowledgment
of God's favour to him, in completing the mercy of his deliverance,
II. God's gracious acceptance of Noah's thankfulness. It was a settled rule in the patriarchal age: If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? Noah was so. For,
1. God was well pleased with the
2. Hereupon, he took up a resolution never
to drown the world again. Herein he had an eye, not so much to
Noah's sacrifice as to Christ's sacrifice of himself, which was
typified and represented by it, and which was indeed an offering
of a sweet-smelling savour,
(1.) That this judgment should never be
repeated. Noah might think, "To what purpose should the world be
repaired, when, in all probability, for the wickedness of it, it
will quickly be in like manner ruined again?" "No," says God, "it
never shall." It was said (
(2.) That the course of nature should never
be discontinued (
Both the world and the church were now again
reduced to a family, the family of Noah, of the affairs of which
this chapter gives us an account, of which we are the more
concerned to take cognizance because from this family we are all
descendants. Here is, I. The covenant of providence settled with
Noah and his sons,
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. 3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. 4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. 6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. 7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
We read, in the close of the foregoing
chapter, the very kind things which God said in his heart,
concerning the remnant of mankind which was now left to be the seed
of a new world. Now here we have these kind things spoken to
them. In general, God blessed Noah and his sons
(
Now here we have the Magna Charta—the great charter of this new kingdom of nature which was now to be erected, and incorporated, the former charter having been forfeited and seized.
I. The grants of this charter are kind and gracious to men. Here is,
1. A grant of lands of vast extent, and a
promise of a great increase of men to occupy and enjoy them. The
first blessing is here renewed: Be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth (
2. A grant of power over the inferior
creatures,
3. A grant of maintenance and subsistence:
Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you,
II. The precepts and provisos of this character are no less kind and gracious, and instances of God's good-will to man. The Jewish doctors speak so often of the seven precepts of Noah, or of the sons of Noah, which they say were to be observed by all nations, that it may not be amiss to set them down. The first against the worship of idols. The second against blasphemy, and requiring to bless the name of God. The third against murder. The fourth against incest and all uncleanness. The fifth against theft and rapine. The sixth requiring the administration of justice. The seventh against eating of flesh with the life. These the Jews required the observance of from the proselytes of the gate. But the precepts here given all concern the life of man.
1. Man must not prejudice his own life by
eating that food which is unwholesome and prejudicial to his health
(
2. Man must not take away his own life:
Your blood of your lives will I require,
3. The beasts must not be suffered to hurt
the life of man: At the hand of every beast will I require
it. To show how tender God was of the life of man, though he
had lately made such destruction of lives, he will have the beast
put to death that kills a man. This was confirmed by the law of
Moses (
4. Wilful murderers must be put to death.
This is the sin which is here designed to be restrained by the
terror of punishment (1.) God will punish murderers: At the hand
of every man's brother will I require the life of man, that is,
"I will avenge the blood of the murdered upon the murderer."
8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
Here is, I. The general establishment of
God's covenant with this new world, and the extent of that
covenant,
II. The particular intention of this
covenant. It was designed to secure the world from another deluge:
There shall not any more be a flood. God had drowned the
world once, and still it was as filthy and provoking as ever, and
God foresaw the wickedness of it, and yet promised he would never
drown it any more; for he deals not with us according to our sins.
It is owing to God's goodness and faithfulness, not to any
reformation of the world, that it has not often been deluged and
that it is not deluged now. As the old world was ruined to be a
monument of justice, so this world remains to this day, a monument
of mercy, according to the oath of God, that the waters of Noah
should no more return to cover the earth,
12 And God said, This is the token of the
covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature
that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I do
set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant
between me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when
I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the
cloud: 15 And I will remember my covenant, which is
between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the
waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16
And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I
may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living
creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17 And
God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which
I have established
Articles of agreement among men are usually
sealed, that the covenants may be the more solemn, and the
performances of the covenants the more sure, to mutual
satisfaction. God therefore, being willing more abundantly to
show to the heirs of promise the immutability of his councils,
has confirmed his covenant by a seal (
18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. 19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. 20 And Noah began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
Here is, I. Noah's family and employment.
The names of his sons are again mentioned (
II. Noah's sin and shame: He planted a
vineyard; and, when he had gathered his vintage, probably he
appointed a day of mirth and feasting in his family, and had his
sons and their children with him, to rejoice with him in the
increase of his house as well as in the increase of his vineyard;
and we may suppose he prefaced his feast with a sacrifice to the
honour of God. If this was omitted, it was just with God to leave
him to himself, that he who did not begin with God might end with
the beasts; but we charitably hope that it was not: and perhaps he
appointed this feast with a design, at the close of it, to bless
his sons, as Isaac,
III. Ham's impudence and impiety: He saw
the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren,
IV. The pious care of Shem and Japheth to
cover their poor father's shame,
24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 26 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
Here, I. Noah comes to himself: He awoke
from his wine. Sleep cured him, and, we may suppose, so cured
him that he never relapsed into that sin afterwards. Those that
sleep as Noah did should awake as he did, and not as that drunkard
(
II. The spirit of prophecy comes upon him,
and, like dying Jacob, he tells his sons what shall befal them,
1. He pronounces a curse on Canaan the son
of Ham (
2. He entails a blessing upon Shem and Japheth.
(1.) He blesses Shem, or rather blesses God
for him, yet so that it entitles him to the greatest honour and
happiness imaginable,
(2.) He blesses Japheth, and, in him,
the isles of the Gentiles, which were peopled by his seed:
God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of
Shem,
28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.
Here see, 1. How God prolonged the life of Noah; he lived 950 years, twenty more than Adam and but nineteen less than Methuselah: this long life was a further reward of his signal piety, and a great blessing to the world, to which no doubt he continued a preacher of righteousness, with this advantage, that now all he preached to were his own children. 2. How God put a period to his life at last. Though he lived long, yet he died, having probably first seen many that descended from him dead before him. Noah lived to see two worlds, but, being an heir of the righteousness which is by faith, when he died he went to see a better than either.
This chapter shows more particularly what was said
in general (
1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. 2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. 3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
Moses begins with Japheth's family, either
because he was the eldest, or because his family lay remotest from
Israel and had least concern with them at the time when Moses
wrote, and therefore he mentions that race very briefly, hastening
to give an account of the posterity of Ham, who were Israel's
enemies and of Shem, who were Israel's ancestors; for it is the
church that the scripture is designed to be the history of, and of
the nations of the world only as they were some way or other
related to Israel and interested in the affairs of Israel. Observe,
1. Notice is taken that the sons of Noah had sons born to them
after the flood, to repair and rebuild the world of mankind which
the flood had ruined. He that had killed now makes alive. 2. The
posterity of Japheth were allotted to the isles of the Gentiles
(
6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and
Phut, and Canaan. 7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah,
and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of
That which is observable and improvable in
these verses is the account here given of Nimrod,
I. Nimrod was a great hunter; with this he
began, and for this became famous to a proverb. Every great hunter
is, in remembrance of him, called a Nimrod. 1. Some think he
did good with his hunting, served his country by ridding it of the
wild beasts which infested it, and so insinuated himself into the
affections of his neighbours, and got to be their prince. Those
that exercise authority either are, or at least would be called,
benefactors,
II. Nimrod was a great ruler: The
beginning of his kingdom was Babel,
III. Nimrod was a great builder. Probably
he was architect in the building of Babel, and there he began his
kingdom; but, when his project to rule all the sons of Noah was
baffled by the confusion of tongues, out of that land he went
forth into Assyria (so the margin reads it,
15 And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, 16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, 17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, 18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. 19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha. 20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.
Observe here, 1. The account of the
posterity of Canaan, of the families and nations that descended
from him, and of the land they possessed, is more particular than
of any other in this chapter, because these were the nations that
were to be subdued before Israel, and their land was in process of
time to become the holy land, Immanuel's land; and this God
had an eye to when, in the meantime, he cast the lot of that
accursed devoted race in that spot of ground which he had selected
for his own people; this Moses takes notice of,
21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born. 22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. 23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. 24 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. 25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. 26 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, 27 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, 28 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, 29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. 32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
Two things especially are observable in this account of the posterity of Shem:—
I. The description of Shem, v. 21. We have not only his name, Shem, which signifies a name, but two titles to distinguish him by:—
1. He was the father of all the children
of Eber. Eber was his great grandson; but why should he be
called the father of all his children, rather than of all
Arphaxad's, or Salah's, &c.? Probably because Abraham and his
seed, God's covenant-people, not only descended from Heber, but
from him were called Hebrews;
2. He was the brother of Japheth the elder, by which it appears that, though Shem is commonly put first, he was not Noah's first-born, but Japheth was older. But why should this also be put as part of Shem's title and description, that he was the brother of Japheth, since it had been, in effect, said often before? And was he not as much brother to Ham? Probably this was intended to signify the union of the Gentiles with the Jews in the church. The sacred historian had mentioned it as Shem's honour that he was the father of the Hebrews; but, lest Japheth's seed should therefore be looked upon as for ever shut out from the church, he here reminds us that he was the brother of Japheth, not in birth only, but in blessing; for Japheth was to dwell in the tents of Shem. Note, (1.) Those are brethren in the best manner that are so by grace, and that meet in the covenant of God and in the communion of saints. (2.) God, in dispensing his grace, does not go by seniority, but the younger sometimes gets the start of the elder in coming into the church; so the last shall be first and the first last.
II. The reason of the name of Peleg
(
The old distinction between the sons of God and
the sons of men (professors and profane) survived the flood, and
now appeared again, when men began to multiply: according to this
distinction we have, in this chapter, I. The dispersion of the sons
of men at Babel (
1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
The close of the foregoing chapter tells us
that by the sons of Noah, or among the sons of Noah,
the nations were divided in the earth after the flood, that
is, were distinguished into several tribes or colonies; and, the
places having grown too strait for them, it was either appointed by
Noah, or agreed upon among his sons, which way each several tribe
or colony should steer its course, beginning with the countries
that were next to them, and designing to proceed farther and farther,
and to remove to a greater distance from each other, as the
increase of their several companies should require. Thus was the
matter well settled, one hundred years after the flood, about the
time of Peleg's birth; but the sons of men, it should seem, were
loth to disperse into distant places; they thought the more the
merrier and the safer, and therefore they contrived to keep
together, and were slack to go to possess the land which the
Lord God of their fathers had given them (
I. The advantages which befriended their
design of keeping together, 1. They were all of one
language,
II. The method they took to bind themselves
to one another, and to settle together in one body. Instead of
coveting to enlarge their borders by a peaceful departure under the
divine protection, they contrived to fortify them, and, as those
that were resolved to wage war with Heaven, they put themselves
into a posture of defence. Their unanimous resolution is, Let us
build ourselves a city
1. How they excited and encouraged one
another to set about this work. They said, Go to, let us make
brick (
2. What materials they used in their
building. The country, being plain, yielded neither stone nor
mortar, yet this did not discourage them from their undertaking,
but they made brick to serve instead of stone, and slime or pitch
instead of mortar. See here, (1.) What shift those will make that
are resolute in their purposes: were we but zealously affected in a
good thing, we should not stop our work so often as we do, under
pretence that we want conveniences for carrying it on. (2.) What a
difference there is between men's building and God's; when men
build their Babel, brick and slime are their best materials; but,
when God builds his Jerusalem, he lays even the foundations of
it with sapphires, and all its borders with pleasant stones,
3. For what ends they built. Some think they intended hereby to secure themselves against the waters of another flood. God had told them indeed that he would not again drown the world; but they would trust to a tower of their own making, rather than to a promise of God's making or an ark of his appointing. If, however, they had had this in their eye, they would have chosen to build their tower upon a mountain rather than upon a plain, but three things, it seems, they aimed at in building this tower:—
(1.) It seems designed for an affront to God himself; for they would build a tower whose top might reach to heaven, which bespeaks a defiance of God, or at least a rivalship with him. They would be like the Most High, or would come as near him as they could, not in holiness but in height. They forgot their place, and, scorning to creep on the earth, resolved to climb to heaven, not by the door or ladder, but some other way.
(2.) They hoped hereby to make themselves a name; they would do something to be talked of now, and to give posterity to know that there had been such men as they in the world. Rather than die and leave no memorandum behind them, they would leave this monument of their pride, and ambition, and folly. Note, [1.] Affectation of honour and a name among men commonly inspires with a strange ardour for great and difficult undertakings, and often betrays to that which is evil and offensive to God. [2.] It is just with God to bury those names in the dust which are raised by sin. These Babel-builders put themselves to a great deal of foolish expense to make themselves a name; but they could not gain even this point, for we do not find in any history the name of so much as one of these Babel-builders. Philo Judæus says, They engraved every one his name upon a brick, in perpetuam rei memoriam—as a perpetual memorial; yet neither did this serve their purpose.
(3.) They did it to prevent their
dispersion: Lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the
earth. "It was done" (says Josephus) "in disobedience to that
command (
5 And the Lord
came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men
builded. 6 And the Lord said,
Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language;
and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from
them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go
down, and there confound their language, that they may not
understand one another's speech. 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the
face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because
We have here the quashing of the project of the Babel-builders, and the turning of the counsel of those froward men headlong, that God's counsel might stand in spite of them. Here is,
I. The cognizance God took of the design
that was on foot: The Lord came down to see the city,
II. The counsels and resolves of the
Eternal God concerning this matter; he did not come down merely as
a spectator, but as a judge, as a prince, to look upon these
proud men, and abase them,
1. He suffered them to proceed a good way in their enterprise before he put a stop to it, that they might have space to repent, and, if they had so much consideration left, might be ashamed of it and weary of it themselves; and if not that their disappointment might be the more shameful, and every one that passed by might laugh at them, saying, These men began to build, and were not able to finish, that so the works of their hands, from which they promised themselves immortal honour, might turn to their perpetual reproach. Note, God has wise and holy ends in permitting the enemies of his glory to carry on their impious projects a great way, and to prosper long in their enterprises.
2. When they had, with much care and toil, made some considerable progress in their building, then God determined to break their measures and disperse them. Observe,
(1.) The righteousness of God, which
appears in the considerations upon which he proceeded in this
resolution,
(2.) The wisdom and mercy of God in the
methods that were taken for the defeating of this enterprise
(
III. The execution of these counsels of
God, to the blasting and defeating of the counsels of men,
1. Their language was confounded. God, who,
when he made man, taught him to speak, and put words into his mouth
fit to express the conceptions of his mind by, now caused these
builders to forget their former language, and to speak and
understand a new one, which yet was common to those of the same
tribe or family, but not to others: those of one colony could
converse together, but not with those of another. Now, (1.) This
was a great miracle, and a proof of the power which God has upon
the minds and tongues of men, which he turns as the rivers of
water. (2.) This was a great judgment upon these builders; for,
being thus deprived of the knowledge of the ancient and holy
tongue, they had become incapable of communicating with the true
church, in which it was retained, and probably it contributed much
to their loss of the knowledge of the true God. (3.) We all suffer
by it, to this day. In all the inconveniences we sustain by the
diversity of languages, and all the pains and trouble we are at to
learn the languages we have occasion for, we smart for the
rebellion of our ancestors at Babel. Nay, and those unhappy
controversies which are strifes of words, and arise from our
misunderstanding one another's language, for aught I know are owing
to this confusion of tongues. (4.) The project of some to frame a
universal character, in order to a universal language, how
desirable soever it may seem, is yet, I think, but a vain thing to
attempt; for it is to strive against a divine sentence, by which
the languages of the nations will be divided while the world
stands. (5.) We may here lament the loss of the universal use of
the Hebrew tongue, which from this time was the vulgar language of
the Hebrews only, and continued so till the captivity in Babylon,
where, even among them, it was exchanged for the Syriac. (6.) As
the confounding of tongues divided the children of men and
scattered them abroad, so the gift of tongues, bestowed upon the
apostles (
2. Their building was stopped: They left
off to build the city. This was the effect of the confusion of
their tongues; for it not only incapacitated them for helping one
another, but probably struck such a damp upon their spirits that
they could not proceed, since they saw, in this, the hand of the
Lord gone out against them. Note, (1.) It is wisdom to leave off
that which we see God fights against. (2.) God is able to blast and
bring to nought all the devices and designs of Babel-builders. He
sits in heaven, and laughs at the counsels of the kings of the
earth against him and his anointed; and will force them to confess
that there is no wisdom nor counsel against the Lord,
3. The builders were scattered abroad upon
the face of the whole earth,
10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was a hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. 20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah a hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
We have here a genealogy, not an endless
genealogy, for here it ends in Abram, the friend of God, and leads
further to Christ, the promised seed, who was the son of Abram, and
from Abram the genealogy of Christ is reckoned (
27 Now these are the generations of
Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.
28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his
nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29 And Abram and Nahor took
them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name
of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of
Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30 But Sarai was barren;
she had no child. 31 And Terah took Abram his son,
and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in
law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur,
Here begins the story of Abram, whose name is famous, henceforward, in both Testaments. We have here,
I. His country: Ur of the Chaldees. This was the land of his nativity, an idolatrous country, where even the children of Eber themselves had degenerated. Note, Those who are, through grace, heirs of the land of promise, ought to remember what was the land of their nativity, what was their corrupt and sinful state by nature, the rock out of which they were hewn.
II. His relations, mentioned for his sake,
and because of their interest in the following story. 1. His father
was Terah, of whom it is said (
III. His departure out of Ur of the
Chaldees, with his father Terah, his nephew Lot, and the rest of
his family, in obedience to the call of God, of which we shall read
more,
The pedigree and family of Abram we had an account
of in the foregoing chapter; here the Holy Ghost enters upon his
story, and henceforward Abram and his seed are almost the only
subject of the sacred history. In this chapter we have, I. God's
call of Abram to the land of Canaan,
1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
We have here the call by which Abram was
removed out of the land of his nativity into the land of promise,
which was designed both to try his faith and obedience and also to
separate him and set him apart for God, and for special services
and favours which were further designed. The circumstances of this
call we may be somewhat helped to the knowledge of from Stephen's
speech,
I. A trying precept: Get thee out of thy
country,
1. By this precept he was tried whether he
loved his native soil and dearest friends, and whether he could
willingly leave all, to go along with God. His country had become
idolatrous, his kindred and his father's house were a constant
temptation to him, and he could not continue with them without
danger of being infected by them; therefore Get thee out,
lk-lk—Vade tibi, Get thee gone, with all
speed, escape for thy life, look not behind thee,
2. By this precept he was tried whether he
could trust God further than he saw him; for he must leave his own
country, to go to a land that God would show him. He does
not say, "It is a land that I will give thee," but merely, "a land
that I will show thee." Nor does he tell him what land it was, nor
what kind of land; but he must follow God with an implicit faith,
and take God's word for it, in the general, though he had no
particular securities given him that he should be no loser by
leaving his country, to follow God. Note, Those that will deal with
God must deal upon trust; we must quit the things that are seen for
things that are not seen, and submit to the sufferings of this
present time in hopes of a glory that is yet to be revealed
(
II. Here is an encouraging promise, nay, it is a complication of promises, many, and exceedingly great and precious. Note, All God's precepts are attended with promises to the obedient. When he makes himself known also as a rewarder: if we obey the command, God will not fail to perform the promise. Here are six promises:—
1. I will make of thee a great
nation. When God took him from his own people, he promised to
make him the head of another; he cut him off from being the branch
of a wild olive, to make him the root of a good olive. This promise
was, (1.) A great relief to Abram's burden; for he had now no
child. Note, God knows how to suit his favours to the wants and
necessities of his children. He that has a plaster for every sore
will provide one for that first which is most painful. (2.) A great
trial to Abram's faith; for his wife had been long barren, so that,
if he believe, it must be against hope, and his faith must build
purely upon that power which can out of stones raise up children
unto Abraham, and make them a great nation. Note, [1.] God
makes nations: by him they are born at once (
2. I will bless thee, either particularly with the blessing of fruitfulness and increase, as he had blessed Adam and Noah, or, in general, "I will bless thee with all manner of blessings, both of the upper and the nether springs. Leave thy father's house, and I will give thee a father's blessing, better than that of they progenitors." Note, Obedient believers will be sure to inherit the blessing.
3. I will make thy name great. By
deserting his country, he lost his name there. "Care not for that,"
says God, "but trust me, and I will make thee a greater name than
ever thou couldst have had there." Having no child, he feared he
should have no name; but God will make him a great nation, and so
make him a great name. Note, (1.) God is the fountain of honour,
and from him promotion comes,
4. Thou shalt be a blessing; that
is, (1.) "Thy happiness shall be a sample of happiness, so that
those who would bless their
5. I will bless those that bless thee
and curse him that curseth thee. This made it a kind of a
league, offensive and defensive, between God and Abram. Abram
heartily espoused God's cause, and here God promises to interest
himself in his. (1.) He promises to be a friend to his friends, to
take kindnesses shown to him as done to himself, and to recompense
them accordingly. God will take care that none be losers, in the
long run, by any service done for his people; even a cup of cold
water shall be rewarded. (2.) He promises to appear against his
enemies. There were those that hated and cursed even Abram himself;
but, while their causeless curses could not hurt Abram, God's
righteous curse would certainly overtake and ruin them,
6. In thee shall all the families of the
earth be blessed. This was the promise that crowned all the
rest; for it points at the Messiah, in whom all the promises are
yea and amen. Note, (1.) Jesus Christ is the great blessing of
the world, the greatest that ever the world was blessed with. He is
a family blessing, by him salvation is brought to the house
(
4 So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
Here is, I. Abraham's removal out of his
country, out of Ur first and afterwards out of Haran, in compliance
with the call of God: So Abram departed; he was not
disobedient to the heavenly vision, but did as he was bidden, not
conferring with flesh and blood,
II. His age when he removed: he was seventy-five years old, an age when he should rather have had rest and settlement; but, if God will have him to begin the world again now in his old age, he will submit. Here is an instance of an old convert.
III. The company and cargo that he took with him.
1. He took his wife, and his nephew Lot,
with him; not by force and against their wills, but by persuasion.
Sarai, his wife, would be sure to go with him; God had joined them
together, and nothing should put them asunder. If Abram leave all,
to follow God, Sarai will leave all, to follow Abram, though
neither of them knew whither. And it was a mercy to Abram to have
such a companion in his travels, a help meet for him. Note, It is
very comfortable when husband and wife agree to go together in the
way to heaven. Lot also, his kinsman, was influenced by Abram's
good example, who was perhaps his guardian after the death of his
father, and he was willing to go along with him too. Note, Those
that go to Canaan need not go alone; for, though few find the
strait gate, blessed be God, some do; and it is our wisdom to go
with those with whom God is (
2. They took all their effects with them—all their substance and movable goods, that they had gathered. For, (1.) With themselves they would give up their all, to be at God's disposal, would keep back no part of the price, but venture all in one bottom, knowing it was a good bottom. (2.) They would furnish themselves with that which was requisite, both for the service of God and the supply of their family, in the country whither they were going. To have thrown away his substance, because God had promised to bless him, would have been to tempt God, not to trust him. (3.) They would not be under any temptation to return; therefore they leave not a hoof behind, lest that should make them mindful of the country from which they came out.
3. They took with them the souls that they had gotten, that is, (1.) The servants they had bought, which were part of their substance, but are called souls, to remind masters that their poor servants have souls, precious souls, which they ought to take care of and provide food convenient for. (2.) The proselytes they had made, and persuaded to attend the worship of the true God, and to go with them to Canaan: the souls which (as one of the rabbin expresses it) they had gathered under the wings of the divine Majesty. Note, Those who serve and follow God themselves should do all they can to bring others to serve and follow him too. These souls they are said to have gained. We must reckon ourselves true gainers if we can but win souls to Christ.
IV. Here is their happy arrival at their
journey's end: They went forth to go into the land of
Canaan; so they did before (
6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him. 8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
One would have expected that Abram having had such an extraordinary call to Canaan some great event should have followed upon his arrival there, that he should have been introduced with all possible marks of honour and respect, and that the kings of Canaan should immediately have surrendered their crowns to him, and done him homage. But no; he comes not with observation, little notice is taken of him, for still God will have him to live by faith, and to look upon Canaan, even when he was in it, as a land of promise; therefore observe here,
I. How little comfort he had in the land he
came to; for, 1. He had it not to himself: The Canaanite was
then in the land. He found the country peopled and possessed by
Canaanites, who were likely to be but bad neighbours and worse
landlords; and, for aught that appears, he could not have ground to
pitch his tent on but by their permission. Thus the accursed
Canaanites seemed to be in better circumstances than blessed Abram.
Note, The children of this world have commonly more of it than
God's children. 2. He had not a settlement in it. He passed
through the land,
II. How much comfort he had in the God he followed; when he could have little satisfaction in converse with the Canaanites whom he found there, he had abundance of pleasure in communion with that God who brought him thither, and did not leave him. Communion with God is kept up by the word and by prayer, and by these, according to the methods of that dispensation, Abram's communion with God was kept up in the land of his pilgrimage.
1. God appeared to Abram, probably in a
vision, and spoke to him good words and comfortable words: Unto
thy seed will I give this land. Note, (1.) No place nor
condition of life can shut us out from the comfort of God's
gracious visits. Abram is a sojourner, unsettled among Canaanites;
and yet here also he meets with him that lives and sees him.
Enemies may part us and our tents, us and our altars, but not us
and our God. Nay, (2.) With respect to those that faithfully follow
God in a way of duty, though he lead them from their friends, he
will himself make up that loss by his gracious appearances to them.
(3.) God's promises are sure and satisfying to all those who
conscientiously observe and obey his precepts; and those who, in
compliance with God's call, leave or lose any thing that is dear to
them, shall be sure of something else abundantly better in lieu of
it. Abram had left
2. Abram attended on God in his instituted
ordinances. He built an altar unto the Lord who appeared to him,
and called on the name of the Lord,
10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
Here is, I. A famine in the land of Canaan,
a grievous famine. That fruitful land was turned into
barrenness, not only to punish the iniquity of the Canaanites who
dwelt therein, but to exercise the faith of Abram who sojourned
therein; and a very sore trial it was; it tried what he would
think, 1. Of God that brought him thither, whether he would not be
ready to say with his murmuring seed that he was brought forth to
be killed with hunger,
II. Abram's removal into Egypt, upon
occasion of this famine. See how wisely God provides that there
should be plenty in one place when there was scarcity in another,
that, as members of the great body, we may not say to one another,
I have no need of you. God's providence took care there
should be a supply in Egypt, and Abram's prudence made use of the
opportunity; for we tempt God, and do not trust him, if, in the
time of distress, we use not the means he has graciously provided
for our
III. A great fault which Abram was guilty
of, in denying his wife, and pretending that she was his sister.
The scripture is impartial in relating the misdeeds of the most
celebrated saints, which are recorded, not for our imitation, but
for our admonition, that he who thinks he stands may take heed
lest he fall. 1. His fault was dissembling his relation to
Sarai, equivocating concerning it, and teaching his wife, and
probably all his attendants, to do so too. What he said was, in a
sense, true (
14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. 17 And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.
Here is, I. The danger Sarai was in of
having her chastity violated by the king of Egypt: and without
doubt the peril of sin is the greatest peril we can be in.
Pharaoh's princes (his pimps rather) saw her, and,
observing what a comely woman she was, they commended her before
Pharaoh, not for that which was really her praise—her virtue
and modesty, her faith and piety (these were no excellencies in
their eyes), but for her beauty, which they thought too good for
the embraces of a subject. They recommended her to the king, and
she was presently taken into Pharaoh's house, as Esther into the
seraglio of Ahasuerus (
II. The deliverance of Sarai from this danger. For if God did not deliver us, many a time, by prerogative, out of those straits and distresses which we bring ourselves into by our own sin and folly, and which therefore we could not expect any deliverance from by promise, we should soon be ruined, nay, we should have been ruined long before this. He deals not with us according to our deserts.
1. God chastised Pharaoh, and so prevented
the progress of his sin. Note, Those are happy chastisements that
hinder us in a sinful way, and effectually bring us to our duty,
and particularly to the duty of restoring that
2. Pharaoh reproved Abram, and then dismissed him with respect.
(1.) The reproof was calm, but very just:
What is this that thou hast done? What an improper thing!
How unbecoming a wise and good man! Note, If those that profess
religion do that which is unfair and disingenuous, especially if
they say that which borders upon a lie, they must expect to hear of
it, and have reason to thank those that will tell them of it. We
find a prophet of the Lord justly reproved and upbraided by a
heathen ship-master,
(2.) The dismission was kind and very
generous. He restored him his wife without offering any injury to
her honour: Behold thy wife, take her,
Lastly, Observe a resemblance between this deliverance of Abram out of Egypt and the deliverance of his seed thence: 430 years after Abram went into Egypt on occasion of a famine they went thither on occasion of a famine also; he was fetched out with great plagues on Pharaoh, so were they; as Abram was dismissed by Pharaoh, and enriched with the spoil of the Egyptians, so were they. For God's care of his people is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.
In this chapter we have a further account
concerning Abram. I. In general, of his condition and behaviour in
the land of promise, which was now the land of his pilgrimage. 1.
His removes,
1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Hai; 4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
I. Here is Abram's return out of Egypt,
II. His wealth: He was very rich,
III. His removal to Beth-el,
IV. His devotion there. His altar was gone,
so that he could not offer sacrifice; but he called on the name
of the Lord, as he had done,
5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. 8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
We have here an unhappy falling out between
Abram and Lot, who had hitherto been inseparable companions (see
I. The occasion of their quarrel was their
riches. We read (
II. The immediate instruments of the
quarrel were their servants. The strife began between the
herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle,
III. The aggravation of the quarrel was that the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land; this made the quarrel, 1. Very dangerous. If Abram and Lot cannot agree to feed their flocks together, it is well if the common enemy do not come upon them and plunder them both. Note, The division of families and churches often proves the ruin of them. 2. Very scandalous. No doubt the eyes of all the neighbours were upon them, especially because of the singularity of their religion, and the extraordinary sanctity they professed; and notice would soon be taken of this quarrel, and improvement made of it, to their reproach, by the Canaanites and Perizzites. Note, The quarrels of professors are the reproach of profession, and give occasion, as much as any thing, to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.
IV. The making up of this quarrel was very
happy. It is best to preserve the peace, that it be not broken; but
the next best is, if differences do happen, with all speed to
accommodate them, and quench the fire that has broken out. The
motion for staying this strife was made by Abram, though he was the
senior and superior relation,
1. His petition for peace was very affectionate: Let there be not strife, I pray thee. Abram here shows himself to be a man, (1.) Of a cool spirit, that had the command of his passion, and knew how to turn away wrath with a soft answer. Those that would keep the peace must never render railing for railing. (2.) Of a condescending spirit; he was willing to beseech even his inferior to be at peace, and made the first overture of reconciliation. Conquerors reckon it their glory to give peace by power; and it is no less so to give peace by the meekness of wisdom. Note, The people of God should always approve themselves a peaceable people; whatever others are for, they must be for peace.
2. His plea for peace was very cogent. (1.)
"Let there be no strife between me and thee. Let the
Canaanites and Perizzites contend about trifles; but let not thee
and me fall out, who know better things, and look for a better
country." Note, Professors of religion should, of all others, be
careful to avoid contention. You shall not be so,
3. His proposal for peace was very fair.
Many who profess to be for peace yet will do nothing towards it;
but Abram hereby approved himself a real friend to peace that he
proposed an unexceptionable expedient for the preserving of it:
Is not the whole land before thee?
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
We have here the choice that Lot made when he parted from Abram. Upon this occasion, one would have expected, 1. That he should have expressed an unwillingness to part from Abram, and that, at least, he should have done it with reluctancy. 2. That he should have been so civil as to have remitted the choice back again to Abram. But we find not any instance of deference or respect to his uncle in the whole management. Abram having offered him the choice, without compliment he accepted it, and made his election. Passion and selfishness make men rude. Now, in the choice which Lot made, we may observe,
I. How much he had an eye to the goodness
of the land. He beheld all the plain of Jordan, the flat
country in which Sodom stood, that it was admirably well watered
everywhere (and perhaps the strife had been about water, which
made him particularly fond of that convenience), and so Lot
chose all that plain,
II. How little he considered the wickedness
of the inhabitants: But the men of Sodom were wicked,
14 And the Lord
said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now
thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and
southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land
which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so
that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall
thy seed also be numbered. 17 Arise,
We have here an account of a gracious visit which God paid to Abram, to confirm the promise to him and his. Observe,
I. When it was that God renewed and
ratified the promise: After that Lot was separated from him,
that is, 1. After the quarrel was over; for those are best prepared
for the visits of divine grace whose spirits are calm and sedate,
and not ruffled with any passion. 2. After Abram's humble
self-denying condescensions to Lot for the preserving of peace. It
was then that God came to him with this token of his favour. Note,
God will abundantly make up in spiritual peace what we lose for the
preservation of neighbourly peace. When Abram had willingly offered
Lot one-half of his right, God came, and confirmed the whole to
him. 3. After he had lost the comfortable society of his kinsman,
by whose departure his hands were weakened and his heart was
saddened, then God came to him with these good words and
comfortable words. Note, Communion with God may, at any time, serve
to make up the want of conversation with our friends; when our
relations are separated from us, yet God is not. 4. After Lot had
chosen that pleasant fruitful vale, and had gone to take possession
of it, lest Abram should be tempted to envy him and to repent that
he had given him the choice, God comes to him, and assures him that
what he had should remain to him and his heirs for ever; so
that, though Lot perhaps had the better land, yet Abram had the
better title. Lot had the paradise, such as it was, but
Abram had the promise; and the event soon made it appear that,
however it seemed now, Abram had really the better part. See
II. The promises themselves with which God now comforted and enriched Abram. Two things he assures him of—a good land, and a numerous issue to enjoy it.
1. Here is the grant of a good land, a land
famous above all lands, for it was to be the holy land, and
Immanuel's land; this is the land here spoken of. (1.) God here
shows Abram the land, as he had promised (
2. Here is the promise of a numerous issue
to replenish this good land, so that it should never be lost for
want of heirs (
Lastly, We are told what Abram did
when God had thus confirmed the promise to him,
We have four things in the story of this chapter.
I. A war with the king of Sodom and his allies,
1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; 2 That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. 3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea. 4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness. 7 And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar. 8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim; 9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five. 10 And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. 11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. 12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
We have here an account of the first war that ever we read of in scripture, which (though the wars of the nations make the greatest figure in history) we should not have had the history of if Abram and Lot had not been concerned in it. Now, concerning this war, we may observe,
I. The parties engaged in it. The invaders were four kings, two of them no less than kings of Shinar and Elam (that is, Chaldea and Persia), yet probably not the sovereign princes of those great kingdoms in their own persons, but either officers under them, or rather the heads and leaders of some colonies which came out of those great nations, and settled themselves near Sodom, but retained the names of the countries from which they had their origin. The invaded were the kings of five cities that lay near together in the plain of Jordan, namely, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar. Four of them are named, but not the fifth, the king of Zoar or Bela, either because he was much more mean and inconsiderable or because he was much more wicked and inglorious than the rest, and worthy to be forgotten.
II. The occasion of this war was the revolt of the five kings from under the government of Chedorlaomer. Twelve years they served him. Small joy they had of their fruitful land, while thus they were tributaries to a foreign power, and could not call what they had their own. Rich countries are a desirable prey, and idle luxurious countries are an easy prey, to growing greatness. The Sodomites were the posterity of Canaan whom Noah had pronounced a servant to Shem, from whom Elam descended; thus soon did that prophecy begin to be fulfilled. In the thirteenth year, beginning to be weary of their subjection, they rebelled, denied their tribute, and attempted to shake off the yoke and retrieve their ancient liberties. In the fourteenth year, after some pause and preparation, Chedorlaomer, in conjunction with his allies, set himself to chastise and reduce the rebels, and, since he could not have it otherwise, to fetch his tribute from them on the point of his sword. Note, Pride, covetousness, and ambition, are the lusts from which wars and fightings come. To these insatiable idols the blood of thousands has been sacrificed.
III. The progress and success of the war.
The four kings laid the neighbouring countries waste and enriched
themselves with the spoil of them (
13 And there came one that had escaped, and told
Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite,
brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were
confederate with Abram. 14 And when Abram heard that his
brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants,
born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued
them unto
We have here an account of the only military action we ever find Abram engaged in, and this he was prompted to, not by his avarice or ambition, but purely by a principle of charity; it was not to enrich himself, but to help his friend. Never was any military expedition undertaken, prosecuted, and finished, more honourably than this of Abram's. Here we have,
I. The tidings brought him of his kinsman's distress. Providence so ordered it that he now sojourned not far off, that he might be a very present help. 1. He is here called Abram the Hebrew, that is, the son and follower of Heber, in whose family the profession of the true religion was kept up in that degenerate age. Abram herein acted like a Hebrew—in a manner not unworthy of the name and character of a religious professor. 2. The tidings were brought by one that had escaped with his life for a prey. Probably he was a Sodomite, and as bad as the worst of them; yet knowing Abram's relation to Lot, and concern for him, he implores his help, and hopes to speed for Lot's sake. Note, The worst of men, in the day of their trouble, will be glad to claim acquaintance with those that are wise and good, and so get an interest in them. The rich man in hell called Abram Father; and the foolish virgins made court to the wise for a share of their oil.
II. The preparations he made for this
expedition. The cause was plainly good, his call to engage in it
was clear, and therefore, with all speed, he armed his trained
servants, born in his house, to the number of three hundred
and eighteen—a great family, but a small army, about as many
as Gideon's that routed the Midianites,
III. His allies and confederates in this expedition. He prevailed with his neighbours, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre (with whom he kept up a fair correspondence) to go along with him. It was his prudence thus to strengthen his own troops with their auxiliary forces; and probably they saw themselves concerned, in interest, to act, as they could, against this formidable power, lest their own turn should be next. Note, 1. It is our wisdom and duty to behave ourselves so respectfully and obligingly towards all men as that, whenever there is occasion, they may be willing and ready to do us a kindness. 2. Those who depend on God's help, yet, in times of distress, ought to make use of men's help, as Providence offers it; else they tempt God.
IV. His courage and conduct were very
remarkable. 1. There was a great deal of bravery in the enterprise
itself, considering the disadvantages he lay under. What could one
family of husbandmen and shepherds do against the armies of four
princes, who now came fresh from blood and victory? It was not a
vanquished, but a victorious army, that he was to pursue; nor was
he constrained by necessity to this daring attempt, but moved to it
by generosity; so that, all things considered, it was, for aught I
know, as great an instance of true courage as ever Alexander or
Caesar was celebrated for. Note, Religion tends to make men, not
cowardly, but truly valiant. The righteous is bold as a lion. The
true Christian is the true hero. 2. There was a great deal of
policy in the management of it. Abram was no stranger to the
stratagems of war: He divided himself, as Gideon did his
little army (
V. His success was very considerable,
1. He rescued his kinsman; twice here he is
called his brother Lot. The remembrance of the relation that
was between them, both by nature and grace, made him forget the
little quarrel that had been between them, in which Lot had by no
means acted well towards Abram. Justly might Abram have upbraided
Lot with his folly in quarrelling with him and removing from him,
and have told him that he was well enough served, he might have
known when he was well off; but, in the charitable breast of pious
Abram, it is all forgiven and forgotten, and he takes this
opportunity to give a real proof of the sincerity of his
reconciliation. Note, (1.) We ought to be ready, whenever it is in
the power of our hands, to succour and relieve those that are in
distress, especially our relations and friends. A brother is
born for adversity,
2. He rescued the rest of the captives, for
Lot's sake, though they were strangers to him and such as he was
under no obligation to at all; nay, though they were Sodomites,
sinners before the Lord exceedingly, and though, probably, he might
have recovered Lot alone by ransom, yet he brought back all the
women, and the people, and their goods,
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
This paragraph begins with the mention of
the respect which the king of Sodom paid to
I. Who he was. He was king of Salem
and priest of the most high God; and other glorious things
are said of him,
II. What he did. 1. He brought forth
bread and wine, for the refreshment of Abram and his soldiers,
and in congratulation of their victory. This he did as a king,
teaching us to do good and to communicate, and to be given to
hospitality, according to our ability; and representing the
spiritual provisions of strength and comfort which Christ has laid
up for us in the covenant of grace for our refreshment, when we are
wearied with our spiritual conflicts. 2. As priest of the most high
God, he blessed Abram, which we may suppose a greater refreshment
to Abram than his bread and wine were. Thus God, having raised up
his Son Jesus, has sent him to bless us, as one having authority;
and those whom he blesses are blessed indeed. Christ went to heaven
when he was blessing his disciples (
III. What he said,
IV. What was done to him: Abram gave him
tithes of all, that is, of the spoils,
21 And the king of Sodom said unto
We have here an account of what passed
between Abram and the king of Sodom, who succeeded him that fell in
the battle (
I. The king of Sodom's grateful offer to
Abram (
II. Abram's generous refusal of this offer.
He not only resigned the persons to him, who, being delivered out
of the hand of their enemies, ought to have served Abram, but he
restored all the goods too. He would not take from a thread to a
shoe-latchet, not the least thing that had ever belonged to the
king of Sodom or any of his. Note, A lively faith enables a man to
look upon the wealth of this world with a holy contempt,
1. Abram ratifies this resolution with a
solemn oath: I have lifted up my hand to the Lord that I will
not take any thing,
2. He backs his refusal with a good reason: Lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich, which would reflect reproach, (1.) Upon the promise and covenant of God, as if they would not have enriched Abram without the spoils of Sodom. And, (2.) Upon the piety and charity of Abram, as if all he had in his eye, when he undertook that hazardous expedition, was to enrich himself. Note, [1.] We must be very careful that we give no occasion to others to say things which they ought not. [2.] The people of God must, for their credit's sake, take heed of doing any thing that looks mean or mercenary, or that savours of covetousness and self-seeking. Probably Abram knew the king of Sodom to be a proud and scornful man, and one that would be apt to turn such a thing as this to his reproach afterwards, though most unreasonably. When we have to do with such men, we have need to act with particular caution.
3. He limits his refusal with a double
proviso,
In this chapter we have a solemn treaty between
God and Abram concerning a covenant that was to be established
between them. In the former chapter we had Abram in the field with
kings; here we find him in the mount with God; and, though there he
looked great, yet, methinks, here he looks much greater: that
honour have the great men of the world, but "this honour have all
the saints." The covenant to be settled between God and Abram was a
covenant of promises; accordingly, here is, I. A general assurance
of God's kindness and good-will to Abram,
1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
Observe here, I. The time when God made this treaty with Abram: After these things. 1. After that famous act of generous charity which Abram had done, in rescuing his friends and neighbours out of distress, and that, not for price nor reward. After this, God made him this gracious visit. Note, Those that show favour to men shall find favour with God. 2. After that victory which he had obtained over four kings. Lest Abram should be too much elevated and pleased with that, God comes to him, to tell him he had better things in store for him. Note, A believing converse with spiritual blessings is an excellent means to keep us from being too much taken up with temporal enjoyments. The gifts of common providence are not comparable to those of covenant love.
II. The manner in which God conversed with Abram: The word of the Lord came unto Abram (that is, God manifested himself and his will to Abram) in a vision, which supposes Abram awake, and some visible appearances of the Shechinah, or some sensible token of the presence of the divine glory. Note, The methods of divine revelation are adapted to our state in a world of sense.
III. The gracious assurance God gave him of his favour to him.
1. He called him by name—Abram,
which was a great honour to him, and made his name great, and was
also a great encouragement and assistance to his faith. Note, God's
good word does us good when it is spoken by his Spirit to us in
particular, and brought to our hearts. The word says, Ho, every
one (
2. He cautioned him against being
disquieted and confounded: Fear not, Abram. Abram might fear
lest the four kings he had routed should rally again, and fall upon
him to his ruin: "No," says God, "Fear not. Fear not their
revenges, nor thy neighbour's envy; I will take care of thee."
Note, (1.) Where there is great faith, yet there may be many fears,
3. He assured him of safety and happiness,
that he should for ever be, (1.) As safe as God himself could keep
him: I am thy shield, or, somewhat more emphatically, I
am a shield to thee, present with thee, actually caring for
thee. See
2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go
childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of
Damascus? 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no
seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 4 And,
behold, the word of the Lord
came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he
that shall come
We have here the assurance given to Abram of a numerous offspring which should descend from him, in which observe,
I. Abram's repeated complaint,
II. God's gracious answer to this
complaint. To the first part of the complaint (
III. Abram's firm belief of the promise God
now made him, and God's favourable acceptance of his faith,
7 And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 8 And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
We have here the assurance given to Abram of the land of Canaan for an inheritance.
I. God declares his purpose concerning it,
1. What God is in himself: I am the Lord Jehovah; and therefore, (1.) "I may give it to thee, for I am sovereign Lord of all, and have a right to dispose of the whole earth." (2.) "I can give it to thee, whatever opposition may be made, though by the sons of Anak." God never promises more than he is able to perform, as men often do. (3.) "I will make good my promise to thee." Jehovah is not a man that he should lie.
2. What he had done for Abram. He had
brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, out of the fire of the
Chaldees, so some, that is, either from their idolatries (for
the Chaldeans worshipped the fire), or from their persecutions. The
Jewish writers have a tradition that Abram was cast into a fiery
furnace for refusing to worship idols, and was miraculously
delivered. It is rather a place of that name. Thence God brought
him by an effectual call, brought him with a gracious violence,
snatched him as a brand out of the burning. This was, (1.) A
special mercy: "I brought thee, and left others, thousands, to
perish there." God called him alone,
3. What he intended to do yet further for
him: "I brought thee hither, on purpose to give thee this
land to inherit it, not only to possess it, but to possess it
as an inheritance, which is the sweetest and surest title." Note,
(1.) The providence of God has secret but gracious designs in all
its various dispensations towards good people; we cannot conceive
the projects of Providence, till the event shows them in all their
mercy and glory. (2.) The great thing God designs in all his
dealings with his people is to bring them safely to heaven. They
are chosen to salvation (
II. Abram desires a sign: Whereby shall
I know that I shall inherit it?
III. God directs Abram to make preparations
for a sacrifice, intending by that to give him a sign, and Abram
makes preparation accordingly (
12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
We have here a full and particular discovery made to Abram of God's purposes concerning his seed. Observe,
I. The time when God came to him with this
discovery: When the sun was going down, or declining,
about the time of the evening oblation,
II. The preparatives for this discovery. 1.
A deep sleep fell upon Abram, not a common sleep through
weariness or carelessness, but a divine ecstasy, like that which
the Lord God caused to fall upon Adam (
III. The prediction itself. Several things are here foretold.
1. The suffering state of Abram's seed for
a long time,
(1.) The particulars of their sufferings.
[1.] They shall be strangers; so they were, first in Canaan
(
(2.) The continuance of their
sufferings—four hundred years. This persecution began with
mocking, when Ishmael, the son of an Egyptian, persecuted Isaac,
who was born after the Spirit,
2. The judgment of the enemies of Abram's
seed: That nation whom they shall serve, even the Egyptians,
will I judge,
3. The deliverance of Abram's seed out of
Egypt. That great event is here foretold: Afterwards shall they
come out with great substance. It is here promised, (1.) That
they should be enlarged: Afterwards they shall come out;
that is, either after they have been afflicted 400 years, when the
days of their servitude are fulfilled, or after the Egyptians are
judged and plagued, then they may expect deliverance. Note, The
destruction of oppressors is the redemption of the oppressed; they
will not let God's people go till they are forced to it. (2.) That
they should be enriched: They shall come out with great
substance; this was fulfilled,
4. Their happy settlement in Canaan,
5. Abram's peaceful quiet death and burial,
before these things should come to pass,
(1.) He shall go to his fathers in
peace. Note, [1.] Even the friends and favourites of Heaven are
not exempted from the stroke of death. Are we greater than our
father Abram, who is dead?
(2.) He shall be buried in a good old
age. Perhaps mention is made of his burial here, where the land
of Canaan is promised him, because a burying place was the first
possession he had in it. He shall not only die in peace, but die in
honour, die, and be buried decently; not only die in peace, but die
in season,
17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
Here is, I. The covenant ratified
(
1. The smoking furnace signified the
affliction of his seed in Egypt. They were there in the iron
furnace (
2. The burning lamp denotes comfort
in this affliction; and this God showed to Abram, at the same time
that he showed him the smoking furnace. (1.) Light denotes
deliverance out of the furnace; their salvation was as a lamp
that burneth,
3. The passing of these between the pieces
was the confirming of the covenant God now made with him, that he
might have strong consolation, being fully persuaded that what God
promised he would certainly perform. It is probable that the
furnace and lamp, which passed between the pieces, burnt and
consumed them, and so completed the sacrifice, and testified God's
acceptance of it, as of Gideon's (
II. The covenant repeated and explained:
In that same day, that day never to be forgotten, the
Lord made a covenant with Abram, that is, gave a promise to
Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land,
1. A rehearsal of the grant. He had said
before, To thy seed will I give this land,
2. A recital of the particulars granted,
such as is usual in the grants of lands. He specifies the
boundaries of the land intended hereby to be granted,
Hagar is the person mostly concerned in the story
of this chapter, an obscure Egyptian woman, whose name and story we
never should have heard of if Providence had not brought her into
the family of Abram. Probably she was one of those maid-servants
whom the king of Egypt, among other gifts, bestowed upon Abram,
1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
We have here the marriage of Abram to Hagar, who was his secondary wife. Herein, though some excuse may be made for him, he cannot be justified, for from the beginning it was not so; and, when it was so, it seems to have proceeded from an irregular desire to build up families for the speedier peopling of the world and the church. Certainly it must not be so now. Christ has reduced this matter to the first institution, and makes the marriage union to be between one man and one woman only. Now,
I. The maker of this match (would one think
it?) was Sarai herself: she said to Abram, I pray thee, go in
unto my maid,
II. The inducement to it was Sarai's barrenness.
1. Sarai bare Abram no children. She
was very fair (
2. She owned God's providence in this
affliction: The Lord hath restrained me from bearing. Note,
(1.) As, where children are, it is God that gives them (
3. She used this as an argument with Abram to marry his maid; and he was prevailed upon by this argument to do it. Note, (1.) When our hearts are too much set upon any creature-comfort, we are easily put upon the use of indirect methods for the obtaining of it. Inordinate desires commonly produce irregular endeavours. If our wishes be not kept in a submission to God's providence, our pursuits will scarcely be kept under the restraints of his precepts. (2.) It is for want of a firm dependence upon God's promise, and a patient waiting for God's time, that we go out of the way of our duty to catch at expected mercy. He that believes does not make haste.
4. Abram's compliance with Sarai's proposal, we have reason to think, was from an earnest desire of the promised seed, on whom the covenant should be entailed. God had told him that his heir should be a son of his body, but had not yet told him that it should be a son by Sarai; therefore he thought, "Why not by Hagar, since Sarai herself proposed it?" Note, (1.) Foul temptations may have very fair pretences, and be coloured with that which is very plausible. (2.) Fleshly wisdom, as it anticipates God's time of mercy, so it puts us out of God's way. (3.) This would be happily prevented if we would ask counsel of God by the word and by prayer, before we attempt that which is important and suspicious. Herein Abram was wanting; he married without God's consent. This persuasion came not of him that called him.
4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. 5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee. 6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
We have here the immediate bad consequences of Abram's unhappy marriage to Hagar. A great deal of mischief it made quickly. When we do not well both sin and trouble lie at the door; and we may thank ourselves for the guilt and grief that follow us when we go out of the way of our duty. See it in this story.
I. Sarai is despised, and thereby provoked
and put into a passion,
II. Abram is clamoured upon, and cannot be
easy while Sarai is out of humour; she upbraids him vehemently, and
very unjustly charges him with the injury (
III. Hagar is afflicted, and driven from
the house,
7 And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. 9 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
Here is the first mention we have in
scripture of an angel's appearance. Hagar was a type of the law,
which was given by the disposition of angels; but the world to
come is not put in subjection to them,
I. How the angel arrested her in her
flight,
II. How he examined her,
1. He called her Hagar, Sarai's
maid, (1.) As a check to her pride. Though she was Abram's
wife, and, as such, was obliged to return, yet he calls her
Sarai's maid, to humble her. Note, Though civility teaches
us to call others by their highest titles, yet humility and wisdom
teach us to call ourselves by the lowest. (2.) As a rebuke to her
flight. Sarai's maid ought to be in Sarai's tent, and not wandering
in the wilderness and sauntering by a fountain of water. Note, It
is good for us often to call to mind what our place and relation
are. See
2. The questions the angel put to her were
proper and very pertinent. (1.) "Whence comest thou?
Consider that thou art running away both from the duty thou wast
bound to and the privileges thou wast blessed with in Abram's
tent." Note, It is a great advantage to live in a religious family,
which those ought to consider who have that advantage, yet upon
every slight inducement are
3. Her answer was honest, and a fair confession: I flee from the face of my mistress. In this, (1.) She acknowledges her fault in fleeing from her mistress, and yet, (2.) Excuses it, that it was from the face, of displeasure, of her mistress. Note, Children and servants must be treated with mildness and gentleness, lest we provoke them to take any irregular courses and so become accessory to their sins, which will condemn us, though it will not justify them.
4. How he sent her back, with suitable and
compassionate counsel: "Return to thy mistress, and submit
thyself under her hand,
10 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. 12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. 13 And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? 14 Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
We may suppose that the angel having given
Hagar that good counsel (
I. A prediction concerning her posterity
given her for her comfort in her present distress. Notice is taken
of her condition: Behold, thou art with child; and therefore
this is not a fit place for thee to be in. Note, It is a great
comfort to women with child to think that they are under the
particular cognizance and care of the divine Providence. God
graciously considers their case and suits supports to it. Now, 1.
The angel assures her of a safe delivery, and that of a son,
which Abram desired. This fright and ramble of hers might have
destroyed her hope of an offspring; but God dealt not with her
according to her folly: Thou shalt bear a son. She was saved
in child-bearing, not only by providence, but by promise. 2. He
names her child, which was an honour both to her and it: Call him
Ishmael, God will hear; and the reason is, because the Lord
has heard; he has, and therefore he will. Note, The experience we
have had of God's seasonable kindness to us in distress would
encourage us to hope for similar help in similar exigencies,
II. Hagar's pious reflection upon this
gracious appearance of God to her,
1. Her awful adoration of God's omniscience
and providence, with application of it to herself: She called
the name of the Lord that spoke unto her, that is, thus she
made confession of his name, this she said to his praise, Thou
God seest me: this should be, with her, his name for ever, and
this his memorial, by which she will know him and remember him
while she lives, Thou God seest me. Note, (1.) The God with
whom we have to do is a seeing God, and all-seeing God. God
is (as the ancients express it) all eye. (2.) We ought
to acknowledge this with application to ourselves. He that sees all
sees me, as David (
2. Her humble admiration of God's favour to
her: "Have I here also looked after him that seeth me? Have
I here seen the back parts of him that seeth me?" so it
might be read, for the word is much the same with that,
III. The name which this gave to the place:
Beer-lahai-roi, The well of him that liveth and seeth me,
15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. 16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
It is here taken for granted, though not
expressly recorded, that Hagar did as the angel commanded her,
returning to her mistress and submitting herself; and then, in the
fulness of time, she brought forth her son. Note, Those who obey
divine precepts shall have the comfort of divine promises. This was
the son of the bond-woman that was born after the flesh
(
This chapter contains articles of agreement
covenanted and concluded upon between the great Jehovah, the Father
of mercies, on the one part, and pious Abram, the father of the
faithful, on the other part. Abram is therefore called "the friend
of God," not only because he was the man of his counsel, but
because he was the man of his covenant; both these secrets were
with him. Mention was made of this covenant (
1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
Here is, I. The time when God made Abram
this gracious visit: When he was ninety-nine years old, full
thirteen years after the birth of Ishmael. 1. So long, it should
seem, God's extraordinary appearances to Abram were intermitted;
and all the communion he had with God was only in the usual ways of
ordinances and providences. Note, There are some special comforts
which are not the daily bread, no, not of the best saints, but they
are favoured with them now and then. On this side heaven they have
convenient food, but not a continual feast. 2. So long the promise
of Isaac was deferred. (1.) Perhaps to correct Abram's over-hasty
marrying of Hagar. Note, The comforts we sinfully anticipate are
justly delayed. (2.) That Abram and Sarai being so far stricken in
age God's power, in this matter, might be the more magnified, and
their faith the more tried. See
II. The way in which God made this covenant with him: The Lord appeared to Abram, in the shechinah, some visible display of God's immediate glorious presence with him. Note, God first makes himself known to us, and gives us a sight of him by faith, and then takes us into his covenant.
III. The posture Abram put himself into
upon this occasion: He fell on his face while God talked with
him,
IV. The general scope and summary of the
covenant laid down as the foundation on which all the rest was
built; it is no other than the covenant of grace still made with
all believers in Jesus Christ,
1. What we may expect to find God to us:
I am the Almighty God. By this name he chose to make himself
known to Abram rather than by his name Jehovah,
2. What God requires that we should be to
him. The covenant is mutual: Walk
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
The promise here is introduced with
solemnity: "As for me," says the great God, "behold, behold
and admire it, behold and be assured of it, my covenant is with
thee;" as before (
I. It is promised to Abraham that he should
be a father of many nations; that is, 1. That his seed after
the flesh should be very numerous, both in Isaac and Ishmael, as
well as in the sons of Keturah: something extraordinary is
doubtless included in this promise, and we may suppose that the
event answered to it, and that there have been, and are, more of
the children of men descended from Abraham than from any one man at
an equal distance with him from Noah, the common root. 2. That all
believers in every age should be looked upon as his spiritual seed,
and that he should be called, not only the friend of God,
but the father of the faithful. In this sense the apostle
directs us to understand this promise,
II. In token of this his name was changed
from Abram, a high father, to Abraham, the father of a
multitude. This was, 1. To put an honour upon him. It is spoken
of as the glory of the church that she shall be called by a new
name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name,
7 And I will establish my covenant between me
and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an
everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after
thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after
thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan,
for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9
And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore,
thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10 This
is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and
thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be
circumcised. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your
foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and
you. 12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised
among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in
the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is
not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house, and he
that is bought with thy money, must needs
Here is, I. The continuance of the covenant, intimated in three things:—1. It is established; not to be altered nor revoked. It is fixed, it is ratified, it is made as firm as the divine power and truth can make it. 2. It is entailed; it is a covenant, not with Abraham only (then it would die with him), but with his seed after him, not only his seed after the flesh, but his spiritual seed. 3. It is everlasting in the evangelical sense and meaning of it. The covenant of grace is everlasting. It is from everlasting in the counsels of it, and to everlasting in the consequences of it; and the external administration of it is transmitted with the seal of it to the seed of believers, and the internal administration of it by the Spirit of Christ's seed in every age.
II. The contents of the covenant: it is a
covenant of promises, exceedingly great and precious promises. Here
are two which indeed are all-sufficient:—1. That God would be
their God,
III. The token of the covenant, and that is
circumcision, for the sake of which the covenant is itself called
the covenant of circumcision,
15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
Here is, I. The promise made to Abraham of
a son by Sarai, that son in whom the promise made to him
should be fulfilled, that he should be the father of many nations;
for she also shall be a mother of nations, and kings of people
shall be of her,
II. The ratification of this promise was
the change of Sarai's name into Sarah (
III. Abraham's joyful, thankful,
entertainment of this gracious promise,
IV. Abraham's prayer for Ishmael: O that
Ishmael might live before thee!
V. God's answer to his prayer; and it is an answer of peace. Abraham could not say that he sought God's face in vain.
1. Common blessings are secured to Ishmael
(
2. Covenant blessings are reserved for
Isaac, and appropriated to him,
23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him. 24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. 27 And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.
We have here Abraham's obedience to the law
of circumcision. He himself and all his family were circumcised, so
receiving the token of the covenant and distinguishing themselves
from other families, that had no part nor lot in the matter. 1. It
was an implicit obedience: He did as God had said to him,
and did not ask why or wherefore. God's will was not only a law to
him, but a reason; he did it because God told him. 2. It was a
speedy obedience: In the self-same day,
We have an account in this chapter of another
interview between God and Abraham, probably within a few days after
the former, as the reward of his cheerful obedience to the law of
circumcision. Here is, I. The kind visit which God made him, and
the kind entertainment which he gave to that visit,
1 And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent-door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. 7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. 8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
The appearance of God to Abraham seems to have had in it more of freedom and familiarity, and less of grandeur and majesty, than those we have hitherto read of; and therefore more resembles that great visit which, in the fullness of time, the Son of God was to make to the world, when the Word would be flesh, and appear as one of us. Observe here,
I. How Abraham expected strangers, and how
richly his expectations were answered (
II. How Abraham entertained those
strangers, and how kindly his entertainment was accepted. The Holy
Ghost takes particular notice of the very free and affectionate
welcome Abraham gave to the strangers. 1. He was very complaisant
and respectful to them. Forgetting his age and gravity, he ran
to meet them in the most obliging manner, and with all due
courtesy bowed himself towards the ground, though as yet he
knew nothing of them but that they appeared graceful respectable
men. Note, Religion does not destroy, but improve, good manners,
and teaches us to honour all men. Decent civility is a great
ornament to piety. 2. He was very earnest and importunate for their
stay, and took it as a great favour,
9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent-door, which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14 Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
These heavenly guests (being sent to
confirm the promise lately made to Abraham, that he should have a
son by Sarah), while they are receiving Abraham's kind
entertainment, they return his kindness. He receives angels, and
has angels' rewards, a gracious message from heaven,
I. Care is taken that Sarah should be
within hearing. She must conceive by faith, and therefore the
promise must be made to her,
II. The promise is then renewed and
ratified, that she should have a son (
III. Sarah thinks this too good news to be
true, and therefore cannot as yet find in her heart to believe it:
Sarah laughed within herself,
IV. The angel reproves the indecent
expressions of her distrust,
V. Sarah foolishly endeavours to conceal
her fault (
16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. 20 And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.
The messengers from heaven had now
despatched one part of their business, which was an errand of grace
to Abraham and Sarah, and which they delivered first; but now they
have before them work of another nature. Sodom is to be destroyed,
and they must do it,
I. The honour Abraham did to his guests:
He went with them to bring them on the way, as one that was
loth to part with such good company, and was desirous to pay his
utmost respects to them. This is a piece of civility proper to be
shown to our friends; but it must be done as the apostle directs
(
II. The honour they did to him; for those
that honour God he will honour. God communicated to Abraham his
purpose to destroy Sodom, and not only so, but entered into a free
conference with him about it. Having taken him, more closely than
before, into covenant with himself (
1. God's friendly thoughts concerning
Abraham,
(1.) Abraham must know, for he is a friend
and a favourite, and one that God has a particular kindness for and
great things in store for. He is to become a great nation; and not
only so, but in the Messiah, who is to come from his loins, All
nations of the earth shall be blessed. Note, The secret of
the Lord is with those that fear him,
(2.) Abraham must know, for he will teach
his household: I know Abraham very well, that he will
command his children and his household after him,
2. God's friendly talk with Abraham, in
which he makes known to him purpose concerning Sodom, and allows
him a liberty of application to him about the matter. (1.) He tells
him of the evidence there was against Sodom: The cry of Sodom is
great,
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26 And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. 33 And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
Communion with God is kept up by the word and by prayer. In the word God speaks to us; in prayer we speak to him. God had revealed to Abraham his purposes concerning Sodom; now from this Abraham takes occasion to speak to God on Sodom's behalf. Note, God's word then does us good when it furnishes us with matter for prayer and excites us to it. When God has spoken to us, we must consider what we have to say to him upon it. Observe,
I. The solemnity of Abraham's address to
God on this occasion: Abraham drew near,
II. The general scope of this prayer. It is
the first solemn prayer we have upon record in the Bible; and it is
a prayer for the sparing of Sodom. Abraham, no doubt, greatly
abhorred the wickedness of the Sodomites; he would not have lived
among them, as Lot did, if they would have given him the best
estate in their country; and yet he prayed earnestly for them.
Note, Though sin is to be hated, sinners are to be pitied and
prayed for. God delights not in their death, nor should we desire,
but deprecate, the woeful day. 1. He begins with a prayer that the
righteous among them might be spared, and not involved in the
common calamity, having an eye particularly to just Lot, whose
disingenuous carriage towards him he had long since forgiven and
forgotten, witness his friendly zeal to rescue him before by his
sword and now by his prayers. 2. He improves this into a petition
that all might be spared for the sake of the righteous that were
among them, God himself countenancing this request, and in effect
putting him upon it by his answer to his first address,
III. The particular graces eminent in this prayer.
1. Here is great faith; and it is the prayer of faith that is the prevailing prayer. His faith pleads with God, orders the cause, and fills his mouth with arguments. He acts faith especially upon the righteousness of God, and is very confident.
(1.) That God will not destroy the
righteous with the wicked,
(2.) That the righteous shall not be as
the wicked,
(3.) That the Judge of all the earth
will do right; undoubtedly he will, because he is the Judge of
all the earth; it is the apostle's argument,
2. Here is great humility.
(1.) A deep sense of his own unworthiness
(
(2.) An awful dread of God's displeasure:
O let not the Lord be angry (
3. Here is great charity. (1.) A charitable opinion of Sodom's character: as bad as it was, he thought there were several good people in it. It becomes us to hope the best of the worst places. Of the two it is better to err in that extreme. (2.) A charitable desire of Sodom's welfare: he used all his interest at the throne of grace for mercy for them. We never find him thus earnest in pleading with God for himself and his family, as here for Sodom.
4. Here are great boldness and believing
confidence. (1.) He took the liberty to pitch upon a certain number
of righteous ones which he supposed might be in Sodom. Suppose
there be fifty,
IV. The success of the prayer. He that thus
wrestled prevailed wonderfully; as a prince he had power with God:
it was but ask and have. 1. God's general good-will appears in
this, that he consented to spare the wicked for the sake of the
righteous. See how swift God is to show mercy; he even seeks a
reason for it. See what great blessings good people are to any
place, and how little those befriend themselves that hate and
persecute them. 2. His particular favour to Abraham appeared in
this, that he did not leave off granting till Abraham left off
asking. Such is the power of prayer. Why then did Abraham leave off
asking, when he had prevailed so far as to get the place spared it
there were but ten righteous in it? Either, (1.) Because he owned
that it deserved to be destroyed if there were not so many; as
the dresser of the vineyard, who consented that the barren tree
should be cut down if one year's trial more did not make it
fruitful,
V. Here is the breaking up of the
conference,
The contents of this chapter we have,
1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; 2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. 3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
These angels, it is likely, were two of the
three that had just before been with Abraham, the two created
angels that were sent to execute God's purpose concerning Sodom.
Observe here, 1. There was but one good man in Sodom, and these
heavenly messengers soon found him out. Wherever we are, we should
enquire out those of the place that live in the fear of God, and
should choose to associate ourselves with them.
4 But before they lay down, the men of the city,
even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old
and young, all the people from every quarter: 5 And they
called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which
came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may
know them. 6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and
shut the door after him, 7 And said, I pray you, brethren,
do not so wickedly. 8 Behold now, I have two daughters which
have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you,
and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these
men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my
roof. 9 And they said, Stand back. And they said
again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he
will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with
them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came
near to break the door. 10 But the men put forth their hand,
and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11 And they smote the men that were at the
Now it appeared, beyond contradiction, that the cry of Sodom was no louder than there was cause for. This night's work was enough to fill the measure. For we find here,
I. That they were all wicked,
II. That they had arrived at the highest
pitch of wickedness; they were sinners before the Lord
exceedingly (
III. That nothing less than the power of an
angel could save a good man out of their wicked hands. It was now
past dispute what Sodom's character was and what course must be
taken with it, and therefore the angels immediately give a specimen
of what they further intended. 1. They rescue Lot,
12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: 13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it. 14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
We have here the preparation for Lot's deliverance.
I. Notice is given him of the approach of
Sodom's ruin: We will destroy this place,
II. He is directed to give notice to his
friends and relations, that they, it they would, might be saved
with him (
III. He applies himself accordingly to his
sons-in-law,
15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. 18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: 19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: 20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. 21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. 22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
Here is, I. The rescue of Lot out of Sodom.
Though there were not ten righteous men in Sodom, for whose sakes
it might be spared, yet that one righteous man that was among them
delivered his own soul,
1. With what a gracious violence Lot was
brought out of Sodom,
2. With what a gracious vehemence he was
urged to make the best of his way, when he was brought
forth,
II. The fixing of a place of refuge for
him. The mountain was first appointed for him to flee to, but, 1.
He begged for a city of refuge, one of the five that lay together,
called Bela,
III. It is taken notice of that the sun had risen when Lot entered into Zoar; for when a good man comes into a place he brings light along with him, or should do.
24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
Then, when Lot had got safely into
Zoar, then this ruin came; for good men are taken away from the
evil to come. Then, when the sun had risen bright and clear,
promising a fair day, then this storm arose, to show that it was
not from natural causes. Concerning this destruction observe, 1.
God was the immediate author of it. It was destruction from the
Almighty: The Lord rained—from the Lord (
26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
This also is written for our admonition.
Our Saviour refers to it (
I. The sin of Lot's wife: She looked
back from behind him. This seemed a small thing, but we are
sure, by the punishment of it, that it was a great sin, and
exceedingly sinful. 1. She disobeyed an express command, and so
sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, which ruined
us all. 2. Unbelief was at the bottom of it; she questioned whether
Sodom would be destroyed, and thought she might still have been
safe in it. 3. She looked back upon her neighbours whom she had
left behind with more concern than was fit, now that their day of
grace was over, and divine justice was glorifying itself in their
ruin. See
II. The punishment of Lot's wife for this
sin. She was struck dead in the place; yet her body did not fall
down, but stood fixed and erect like a pillar, or monument, not
liable to waste nor decay, as human bodies exposed to the air are,
but metamorphosed into a metallic substance which would last
perpetually. Come, behold the goodness and severity of God
(
27 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord: 28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. 29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.
Our communion with God consists in our gracious regard to him and his gracious regard to us; we have here therefore the communion that was between God and Abraham, in the event concerning Sodom, as before in the consultation concerning it, for communion with God is to be kept up in providences as well as in ordinances.
I. Here is Abraham's pious regard to God in
this event, in two things:—1. A careful expectation of the event,
II. Here is God's favourable regard to
Abraham,
30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. 31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. 37 And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. 38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben-ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
Here is, I. The great trouble and distress
that Lot was brought into after his deliverance,
II. The great sin that Lot and his daughters were guilty of, when they were in this desolate place. It is a sad story.
1. His daughters laid a very wicked plot to
bring him to sin; and theirs was, doubtless, the greater guilt.
They contrived, under pretence of cheering up the spirits of
2. Lot himself, by his own folly and
unwariness, was wretchedly overcome, and suffered himself so far to
be imposed upon by his own children as, two nights together, to be
drunk, and to commit incest,
A man may do that without reluctance, when he is drunk, which, when he is sober, he could not think of without horror. (3.) The peril of temptation from our dearest relations and friends, whom we love, and esteem, and expect kindness from. Lot, whose temperance and chastity were impregnable against the batteries of foreign force, was surprised into sin and shame by the base treachery of his own daughters: we must dread a snare wherever we are, and be always upon our guard.
3. In the close we have an account of the
birth of the two sons, or grandsons (call them which you will), of
Lot, Moab and Ammon, the fathers of two nations, neighbours to
Israel, and which we often read of in the Old Testament; both
together are called the children of Lot,
Lastly, Observe that, after this, we never read any more of Lot, nor what became of him: no doubt he repented of his sin, and was pardoned; but from the silence of the scripture concerning him henceforward we may learn that drunkenness, as it makes men forgetful, so it makes them forgotten; and many a name, which otherwise might have been remembered with respect, is buried by it in contempt and oblivion.
We are here returning to the story of Abraham; yet
that part of it which is here recorded is not to his honour. The
fairest marbles have their flaws, and, while there are spots in the
sun, we must not expect any thing spotless under it. The scripture,
it should be remarked, is impartial in relating the blemishes even
of its most celebrated characters. We have here, I. Abraham's sin
in denying his wife, and Abimelech's sin thereupon in taking her,
1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
Here is, 1. Abraham's removal from Mamre,
where he had lived nearly twenty years, into the country of the
Philistines: He sojourned in Gerar,
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife. 4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? 5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. 6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
It appears by this that God revealed
himself by dreams (which evidenced themselves to be divine and
supernatural) not only to his servants the prophets, but even to
those who were out of the pale of the church and covenant; but
then, usually, it was with some regard to God's own people as in
Pharaoh's dream, to Joseph, in Nebuchadnezzar's, to Daniel, and
here, in Abimelech's, to Abraham and Sarah, for he reproved this
king for their sake,
I. God gives him notice of his danger
(
II. He pleads ignorance that Abraham and
Sarah had agreed to impose upon him, and not to let him know that
they were any more than brother and sister,
III. God gives a very full answer to what he had said.
1. He allows his plea, and admits that what
he did he did in the integrity of his heart: Yea, I know it,
2. He lets him know that he was kept from
proceeding in the sin merely by the good hand of God upon him: I
withheld thee from sinning against me. Abimelech was hereby
kept from doing wrong, Abraham from suffering wrong, and Sarah from
both. Note, (1.) There is a great deal of sin devised and designed
that is never executed. As bad as things are in the world, they are
not so bad as the devil and wicked men would have them. (2.) It is
God that restrains men from doing the ill they would do. It is not
from him that there is sin, but it is from him that there is not
more sin, either by his influence upon men's minds, checking their
inclination to sin, or by his providence, taking away the
opportunity to sin. (3.) It is a great mercy to be hindered from
committing sin; of this God must have the glory, whoever is the
instrument,
3. He charges him to make restitution:
Now therefore, not that thou art better informed, restore
the man his wife,
8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. 10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? 11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake. 12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
Abimelech, being thus warned of God in a dream, takes the warning, and, as one truly afraid of sin and its consequences, he rises early to obey the directions given him.
I. He has a caution for his servants,
II. He has a chiding for Abraham. Observe,
1. The serious reproof which Abimelech gave
to Abraham,
2. The poor excuse that Abraham made for himself.
(1.) He pleaded the bad opinion he had of
the place,
(2.) He excused it from the guilt of a
downright lie by making it out that, in a sense, she was his
sister,
(3.) He clears himself from the imputation
of an affront designed to Abimelech in it by alleging that it had
been his practice before, according to an agreement between him and
his wife, when they first became sojourners (
14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. 16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved. 17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. 18 For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.
Here is, I. The kindness of a prince which
Abimelech showed to Abraham. See how unjust Abraham's jealousies
were. He fancied that if they knew that Sarah was his wife they
would kill him; but, when they did know it, instead of killing him
they were kind to him, frightened at least to be so by the divine
rebukes they were under. 1. He gives him his royal licence to dwell
where he pleased in his country, courting his stay because he gives
him his royal gifts (
II. The kindness of a prophet which Abraham
showed to Abimelech: he prayed for him,
In this chapter we have, I. Isaac, the child of
promise born into Abraham's family,
1 And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. 7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have borne him a son in his old age. 8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
Long-looked-for comes at last. The vision concerning the promised seed is for an appointed time, and now, at the end, it speaks, and does not lie; few under the Old Testament were brought into the world with such expectation as Isaac was, not for the sake of any great person eminence at which he was to arrive, but because he was to be, in this very thing, a type of Christ, that seed which the holy God had so long promised and holy men so long expected. In this account of the first days of Isaac we may observe,
I. The fulfilling of God's promise in the
conception and birth of Isaac,
II. Abraham's obedience to God's precept concerning Isaac.
1. He named him, as God commanded him,
2. He circumcised him,
III. The impressions which this mercy made upon Sarah.
1. It filled her with joy (
2. It filled her with wonder,
IV. A short account of Isaac's infancy:
The child grew,
9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had borne unto Abraham, mocking. 10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. 11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. 12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
The casting out of Ishmael is here considered of, and resolved on.
I. Ishmael himself gave the occasion by
some affronts he gave to Isaac his little brother, some think on
the day that Abraham made the feast for joy that Isaac was safely
weaned, which the Jews say was not till he was three years old,
others say five. Sarah herself was an eye-witness of the abuse: she
saw the son of the Egyptian mocking (
II. Sarah made the motion: Cast out this
bond-woman,
III. Abraham was averse to it: The thing
was very grievous in Abraham's sight,
IV. God determined it,
14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. 15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. 16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. 19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. 20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
Here is, I. The casting out of the
II. Their wandering in the wilderness, missing their way to the place Abraham designed them for a settlement.
1. They were reduced to great distress
there. Their provisions were spent, and Ishmael was sick. He that
used to be full fed in Abraham's house, where he waxed fat and
kicked, now fainted and sunk, when he was brought to short
allowance. Hagar is in tears, and sufficiently mortified. Now she
wishes for the crumbs she had wasted and made light of at her
master's table. Like one under the power of the spirit of bondage,
she despairs of relief, counts upon nothing but the death of the
child (
2. In this distress, God graciously
appeared for their relief: he heard the voice of the lad,
III. The settlement of Ishmael, at last, in
the wilderness of Paran (
22 And it came to pass at that time, that
Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto
Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:
23 Now therefore swear unto me here by God that
We have here an account of the treaty
between Abimelech and Abraham, in which appears the accomplishment
of that promise (
I. The league is proposed by Abimelech, and Phichol his prime-minister of state and general of his army.
1. The inducement to it was God's favour to
Abraham (
2. The tenour of it was, in general, that
there should be a firm and constant friendship between the two
families, which should not upon any account be violated. This bond
of friendship must be strengthened by the bond of an oath, in which
the true God was appealed to, both as a witness of their sincerity
and an avenger in case either side were treacherous,
II. It is consented to by Abraham, with a particular clause inserted about a well. In Abraham's part of this transaction observe,
1. He was ready to enter into this league
with Abimelech, finding him to be a man of honour and conscience,
and that had the fear of God before his eyes: I will swear,
2. He prudently settled the matter
concerning a well, about which Abimelech's servants had quarrelled
with him. Wells of water, it seems, were choice goods in that
country: thanks be to God, that they are not so scarce in ours.
(1.) Abraham mildly told Abimelech of it,
3. He made a very handsome present to
Abimelech,
4. He ratified the covenant by an oath, and
registered it by giving a new name to the place (
33 And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.
Observe, 1. Abraham, having got into a good
neighbourhood, knew when he was well off, and continued a great
while there. There he planted a grove for a shade to his tent, or
perhaps an orchard of fruit-trees; and there, though we cannot say
he settled, for God would have him, while he lived, to be a
stranger and a pilgrim, yet he sojourned many days, as many as
would consist with his character, as Abraham the Hebrew, or
passenger. 2. There he made, not only a constant practice,
but an open profession, of his religion: There he called on the
name of the Lord, the everlasting God, probably in the grove he
planted, which was his oratory or house of prayer. Christ prayed in
a garden, on a mountain. (1.) Abraham kept up public worship, to
which, probably, his neighbours resorted, that they might join with
him. Note, Good men should not only retain their goodness wherever
they go, but do all they can to propagate it, and make others good.
(2.) In calling on the Lord, we must eye him as the everlasting
God, the God of the world, so some. Though God had made himself
known to Abraham as his God in particular, and in covenant with
him, yet he forgets not to give glory to him as the Lord of all:
The everlasting God, who was, before all worlds, and will
be, when time and days shall be no more. See
We have here the famous story of Abraham's
offering up his son Isaac, that is, his offering to offer him,
which is justly looked upon as one of the wonders of the church.
Here is, I. The strange command which God gave to Abraham
concerning it,
1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
Here is the trial of Abraham's faith, whether it continued so strong, so vigorous, so victorious, after a long settlement in communion with God, as it was at first, when by it he left his country: then it was made to appear that he loved God better than his father; now that he loved him better than his son. Observe here,
I. The time when Abraham was thus tried
(
II. The author of the trial: God
tempted him, not to draw him to sin, so Satan tempts (if Abraham
had sacrificed Isaac, he would not have sinned, his orders would
have justified him, and borne him out), but to discover his graces,
how strong they were, that they might be found to praise, and
honour, and glory,
III. The trial itself. God appeared to him
as he had formerly done, called him by name, Abraham, that
name which had been given him in ratification of the promise.
Abraham, like a good servant, readily answered, "Here am I;
what says my Lord unto his servant?" Probably he expected some
renewed promise like those,
1. The person to be offered. (1.) "Take
thy son, not thy bullocks and thy lambs;" how willingly would
Abraham have parted with them by thousands to redeem Isaac!
2. The place: In the land of Moriah, three days' journey off; so that he might have time to consider it, and, if he did it, must do it deliberately, that it might be a service the more reasonable and the more honourable.
3. The manner: Offer him for a burnt-offering. He must not only kill his son, but kill him as a sacrifice, kill him devoutly, kill him by rule, kill him with all that pomp and ceremony, with all that sedateness and composure of mind, with which he used to offer his burnt-offerings.
3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
We have here Abraham's obedience to this
severe command. Being tried, he offered up Isaac,
I. The difficulties which he broke through
in this act of obedience. Much might have been objected against it;
as, 1. It seemed directly against an antecedent law of God, which
forbids murder, under a severe penalty,
II. The several steps of obedience, all which help to magnify it, and to show that he was guided by prudence, and governed by faith, in the whole transaction.
1. He rises early,
2. He gets things ready for a sacrifice, and, as if he himself had been a Gibeonite, it should seem, with his own hands he cleaves the wood for the burnt-offering, that it might not be to seek when the sacrifice was to be offered. Spiritual sacrifices must thus be prepared for.
3. It is very probable that he said nothing about it to Sarah. This is a journey which she must know nothing of, lest she prevent it. There is so much in our own hearts to hinder our progress in duty that we have need, as much as may be, to keep out of the way of other hindrances.
4. He carefully looked about him, to
discover the place appointed for this sacrifice, to which God had
promised by some sign to direct him. Probably the direction was
given by an appearance of the divine glory in the place, some
pillar of fire reaching from heaven to earth, visible at a
distance, and to which he pointed when he said (
5. He left his servants at some distance
off (
6. He obliged Isaac to carry the wood (both
to try his obedience in a smaller matter first, and that he might
typify Christ, who carried his own cross,
7. Without any ruffle or disorder, he talks
it over with Isaac, as if it had been but a common sacrifice that
he was going to offer,
(1.) It was a very affecting question that
Isaac asked him, as they were going together: My father,
said Isaac; it was a melting word, which, one would think, would
strike deeper into the breast of Abraham than his knife could into
the breast of Isaac. He might have said, or thought, at least,
"Call me not thy father who am now to be thy murderer; can a father
be so barbarous, so perfectly lost to all the tenderness of a
father?" Yet he keeps his temper, and keeps his countenance, to
admiration; he calmly waits for his son's question, and this is it:
Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb? See how
expert Isaac was in the law and custom of sacrifices. This it is to
be well-catechised: this is, [1.] A trying question to Abraham. How
could he endure to think that Isaac was himself the lamb? So it is,
but Abraham, as yet, dares not tell him so. Where God knows the
faith to be armour of proof, he will laugh at the trial of the
innocent,
(2.) It was a very prudent answer which
Abraham gave him: My son, God will provide himself a lamb.
This was the language, either, [1.] Of his obedience. "We must
offer the lamb which God has appointed now to be offered;" thus
giving him this general rule of submission to the divine will, to
prepare him for the application of it to himself very quickly. Or,
[2.] Of his faith. Whether he meant it so or not, this proved to be
the meaning of it; a sacrifice was provided instead of Isaac. Thus,
First, Christ, the great sacrifice of atonement, was of
God's providing; when none in heaven or earth could have found a
lamb for that burnt-offering, God himself found the ransom,
8. With the same resolution and
composedness of mind, after many thoughts of heart, he applies
himself to the completing
11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
Hitherto this story has been very melancholy, and seemed to hasten towards a most tragical period; but here the sky suddenly clears up, the sun breaks out, and a bright and pleasant scene opens. The same hand that had wounded and cast down here heals and lifts up; for, though he cause grief, he will have compassion. The angel of the Lord, that is, God himself, the eternal Word, the angel of the covenant, who was to be the great Redeemer and comforter, he interposed, and gave a happy issue to this trial.
I. Isaac is rescued,
II. Abraham is not only approved, but
applauded. He obtains an honourable testimony that he is righteous:
Now know I that thou fearest God. God knew it before, but
now Abraham had given a most memorable evidence of it. He needed do
no more; what he had done was sufficient to prove the religious
regard he had to God and his authority. Note, 1. When God, by his
providence, hinders the performance of our sincere intentions in
his services, he graciously
III. Another sacrifice is provided instead
of Isaac,
IV. A new name is given to the place, to
the honour of God, and for the encouragement of all believers, to
the end of the world, cheerfully to trust in God in the way of
obedience: Jehovah-jireh, The Lord will provide (
15 And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.
Abraham's obedience was graciously
accepted; but this was not all: here we have it recompensed,
abundantly recompensed, before he stirred from the place; probably
while the ram he had sacrificed was yet burning God sent him this
gracious message, renewed and ratified his covenant with him. All
covenants were made by sacrifice, so was this by the typical
sacrifices of Isaac and the ram. Very high expressions of God's
favour to Abraham are employed in this confirmation of the covenant
with him, expressions exceeding any he had yet been blessed with.
Note, Extraordinary services shall be crowned with extraordinary
honours and comforts; and favours in the promise, though not yet
performed, ought to be accounted real and valuable recompences.
Observe, 1. God is pleased to make mention of Abraham's obedience
as the consideration of the covenant; and he speaks of it with an
encomium: Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not
withheld thy son, thine only son,
20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor; 21 Huz his first born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. 23 And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother. 24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.
This is recorded here, 1. To show that though Abraham saw his own family highly dignified with peculiar privileges, admitted into covenant, and blessed with the entail of the promise, yet he did not look with contempt and disdain upon his relations, but was glad to hear of the increase and prosperity of their families. 2. To make way for the following story of the marriage of Isaac to Rebekah, a daughter of this family.
Here is, I. Abraham a mourner for the death of
Sarah,
1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
We have here, 1. Sarah's age,
3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and
spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, 4 I am a
stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a
buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
5 And the children of Heth
Here is, I. The humble request which
Abraham made to his neighbours, the Hittites, for a burying-place
among them,
II. The generous offer which the children
of Heth made to him,
III. The particular proposal which Abraham
made to them,
IV. The present which Ephron made to
Abraham of his field: The field give I thee,
V. Abraham's modest and sincere refusal of
Ephron's kind offer,
VI. The price of the land fixed by Ephron
but not insisted on: The land is worth four hundred shekels of
silver (about fifty pounds of our money), but what is that
between me and thee?
16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. 17 And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure 18 Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. 19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. 20 And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.
We have here the conclusion of the treaty
between Abraham and Ephron about the burying-place. The bargain was
publicly made before all the neighbours, in the presence and
audience of the sons of Heth,
Marriages and funerals are the changes of
families, and the common news among the inhabitants of the
villages. In the foregoing chapter we had Abraham burying his wife,
here we have him marrying his son. These stories concerning his
family, with their minute circumstances, are largely related, while
the histories of the kingdoms of the world then in being, with
their revolutions, are buried in silence; for the Lord knows those
that are his. The subjoining of Isaac's marriage to Sarah's funeral
(with a particular reference to it,
1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: 3 And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: 4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. 5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? 6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. 7 The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. 8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again. 9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
Three things we may observe here concerning Abraham:—
I. The care he took of a good son, to get
him married, well married. It was high time to think of it now, for
Isaac was about forty years old, and it had been customary with his
ancestors to marry at thirty, or sooner,
II. The charge he gave to a good servant,
probably Eliezer of Damascus, one of whose conduct, fidelity, and
affection to him and his family, he had had long experience. He
trusted him with this great affair, and not Isaac himself, because
he would not have Isaac go at all into that country, but marry
there by proxy; and no proxy so fit as this steward of his
house. This matter is settled between the master and the
servant with a great deal of care and solemnity. 1. The servant
must be bound by an oath to do his utmost to get a wife for Isaac
from among his relations,
III. The confidence he put in a good God,
who, he doubts not, will give his servant success in this
undertaking,
10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels
of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master
were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia,
unto the city of Nahor. 11 And he made his camels to kneel
down without the city by a well of water at the time of the
evening, even the time that women go out to draw
water. 12 And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send
me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham.
13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the
daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: 14
And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let
down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say,
Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same
be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant
Abraham's servant now begins to make a
figure in this story; and, though he is not named, yet much is here
recorded to his honour, and for an example to all servants, who
shall be honoured if, by faithfully serving God and their masters,
they adorn the doctrine of Christ (compare
I. How faithful Abraham's servant approved
himself to his master. Having received his charge, he with all
expedition set out on his journey, with an equipage suitable to the
object of his negotiation (
II. How devoutly he acknowledged God in
this affair, like one of that happy household which Abraham had
commanded to keep the way of the Lord, &c.,
1. He acknowledges God by a particular
prayer (
2. God owns him by a particular providence.
He decreed the thing, and it was established to him,
3. He acknowledges God in a particular
thanksgiving. He first paid his respects to Rebekah, in gratitude
for her civility (
29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name
was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.
30 And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and
bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of
Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he
came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.
31 And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; wherefore standest thou without? for I
have prepared the house, and room for the camels. 32 And the
man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw
and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the
men's feet that were with him. 33 And there was set
meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I
have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on. 34 And he
said, I am Abraham's servant. 35 And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly; and he is
become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver,
and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
36 And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when
she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath. 37
And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to
my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
38 But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my
kindred, and take a wife unto my son. 39 And I said unto my
master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me. 40 And he
said unto me, The Lord, before whom
I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and
thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's
house: 41 Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath,
when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee
one, thou shalt be clear from my oath. 42 And I came
this day unto the well, and said, O
Lord God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way
which I go: 43 Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it
shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw
water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little
water of thy pitcher to drink; 44 And she say to me, Both
drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the
same be the woman whom the Lord hath appointed out for my master's son.
45 And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold,
Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went
down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let
me drink, I pray thee. 46 And she made haste, and let down
her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will
give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels
drink also. 47 And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter
art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's
son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her
face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
We have here the making up of the marriage
between Isaac and Rebekah. It is related very largely and
particularly, even to the minute circumstances, which, we should
think, might have been spared, while other things of great moment
and mystery (as the story of Melchizedek) are related in few words.
Thus God conceals that which is curious from the wise and prudent,
reveals to babes that which is common and level to their capacity
(
I. The very kind reception given to
Abraham's servant by Rebekah's relations. Her brother Laban went to
invite and conduct him in, but not till he saw the ear-rings and
the bracelets upon his sister's hands,
II. The full account which he gave them of his errand, and the court he made to them for their consent respecting Rebekah. Observe,
1. How intent he was upon his business;
though he had come off a journey, and come to a good house, he
would not eat, till he had told his errand,
2. How ingenious he was in the management of it; he approved himself, in this matter, both a prudent man and a man of integrity, faithful to his master by whom he was trusted, and just to those with whom he now treated.
(1.) He gives a short account of the state
of his master's family,
(2.) He tells them the charge his master
had given him, to fetch a wife for his son from among his kindred,
with the reason of it,
(3.) He relates to them the wonderful
concurrence of providences, to countenance and further the
proposal, plainly showing the finger of God in it. [1.] He tells
them how he had prayed for direction by a sign,
(4.) He fairly refers the matter to their
consideration, and waits their decision (
(5.) They freely and cheerfully close with
the proposal upon a very good principle (
(6.) Abraham's servant makes a thankful
acknowledgment of the good success he had met with, [1.] To God:
He worshipped the Lord,
54 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master. 55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go. 56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master. 57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth. 58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. 59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them. 61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
Rebekah is here taking leave of her
father's house; and 1. Abraham's servant presses for a dismission.
Though he and his company were very welcome, and very cheerful
there, yet he said, Send me away (
62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahai-roi; for he dwelt in the south country. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. 65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a veil, and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. 67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
Isaac and Rebekah are, at length, happily brought together. Observe,
I. Isaac was well employed when he met
Rebekah: He went out to meditate, or pray, in the field,
at the even-tide,
II. Rebekah behaved herself very
becomingly, when she met Isaac: understanding who he was, she
alighted off her camel (
III. They were brought together (probably
after some further acquaintance), to their mutual comfort,
The sacred historian, in this chapter, I. Takes
his leave of Abraham, with an account, 1. Of his children by
another wife,
1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. 4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. 6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. 7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. 8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. 9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; 10 The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
Abraham lived, after the marriage of Isaac, thirty-five years, and all that is recorded concerning him during the time lies here in a very few verses. We hear no more of God's extraordinary appearances to him or trials of him; for all the days, even of the best and greatest saints, are not eminent days, some slide on silently, and neither come nor go with observation; such were these last days of Abraham. We have here,
I. An account of his children by Keturah,
another wife whom he married after the death of Sarah. He had
buried Sarah and married Isaac, the two dear companions of his
life, and was now solitary. He wanted a nurse, his family wanted a
governess, and it was not good for him to be thus alone. He
therefore marries Keturah, probably the chief of his maid-servants,
born in his house or bought with money. Marriage is not forbidden
to old age. By her he had six sons, in whom
II. The disposition which Abraham made of
his estate,
III. The age and death of Abraham,
IV. His burial,
11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi. 12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham: 13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, 14 And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, 15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah: 16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations. 17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people. 18 And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.
Immediately after the account of Abraham's
death, Moses begins the story of Isaac
19 And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac: 20 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. 21 And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. 24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. 26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. 27 And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
We have here an account of the birth of Jacob and Esau, the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah: their entrance into the world was (which is not usual) one of the most considerable parts of their story; nor is much related concerning Isaac but what had reference to his father while he lived and to his sons afterwards. For Isaac seems not to have been a man of action, nor much tried, but to have spent his days in quietness and silence. Now concerning Jacob and Esau we are here told,
I. That they were prayed for. Their
parents, after they had been long childless, obtained them by
prayer,
II. That they were prophesied of before
they were born, and great mysteries were wrapped up in the
prophecies which went before of them,
1. How she was perplexed in her mind
concerning her present case: The children struggled together
within her. The commotion she felt was altogether extraordinary
and made her very uneasy. Whether she was apprehensive that the
birth would be her death, or whether she was weary of the intestine
tumult, or whether she suspected it to be an ill omen, it seems she
was ready to wish that either she had not been with child or that
she might die immediately, and not bring forth such a struggling
brood: If it be so, or, since it is so, Why am I
thus? Before, the want of children was her trouble, now, the
struggle of the children is no less so. Note, (1.) The comforts we
are most desirous of are sometimes found to bring along with them
more occasion of trouble and uneasiness that we thought of; vanity
being written upon all things under the sun, God thus teaches us to
read it. (2.) We are too apt to be discontented with our comforts,
because of the uneasiness that attends them. We know not when we
are pleased; we know neither how to want nor how to abound. This
struggle between Jacob and Esau in the womb represents the struggle
that is maintained between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of
Satan, [1.] In the world. The seed of the woman and the seed of the
serpent have been contending ever since the enmity was put between
them (
2. What course she took for her relief:
She went to enquire of the Lord. Some think Melchizedek was
now consulted as an oracle, or perhaps some Urim or
Teraphim were now used to enquire of God by, as afterwards
in the breast-plate of judgment. Note, The word and prayer, by both
which we now enquire of the Lord, give great relief to those that
are upon any account perplexed. It is a great relief to the mind to
spread our case before the Lord, and ask counsel at his mouth.
Go into the sanctuary,
3. The information given her, upon her
enquiry, which expounded the mystery: Two nations are in thy
womb,
III. That when they were born there was a
great difference between them, which served to confirm what had
been foretold (
1. There was a great difference in their
bodies,
2. There was a manifest contest in their
births. Esau, the stronger, came forth first; but Jacob's hand
took hold of his heel,
3. They were very unlike in the temper of
their minds, and the way of living they chose,
4. Their interest in the affections of
their parents was likewise different. They had but these two
children, and, it seems, one was the father's darling and the other
the mother's,
29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. 32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
We have here a bargain made between Jacob
and Esau about the birthright, which was Esau's by providence but
Jacob's by promise. It was a spiritual privilege, including the
excellency of dignity and the excellency of power, as well as the
double portion,
I. Jacob's pious desire of the birthright,
which yet he sought to obtain by indirect courses, not agreeable to
his character as a plain man. It was not out of pride or ambition
that he coveted the birthright, but with an eye to spiritual
blessings, which he had got well acquainted with in his tents,
while Esau had lost the scent of them in the field. For this he is
to be commended, that he coveted earnestly the best gifts; yet in
this he cannot be justified, that he took advantage of his
brother's necessity to make him a very hard bargain (
II. Esau's profane contempt of the
birthright, and the foolish sale he made of it. He is called
profane Esau for it (
1. His appetite was very strong,
2. His reasoning was very weak (
3. Repentance was hidden from his eyes
(
In this chapter we have, I. Isaac in adversity, by
reason of a famine in the land, which, 1. Obliges him to change his
quarters,
1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. 2 And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Here, I. God tried Isaac by his providence.
Isaac had been trained up in a believing dependence upon the divine
grant of the land of Canaan to him and his heirs; yet now there is
a famine in the land,
II. He directed him under this trial by his
word. Isaac finds himself straitened by the scarcity of provisions.
Somewhere he must go for supply; it should seem, he set out for
Egypt, whither his father went in the like strait, but he takes
Gerar in his way, full of thoughts, no doubt, which way he had best
steer his course, till God graciously appeared to him, and
determined him, abundantly to his satisfaction. 1. God bade him
stay where he was, and not go down into Egypt: Sojourn in this
land,
6 And Isaac dwelt in Gerar: 7 And the men
of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She
is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife;
lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for
Rebekah;
Isaac had now laid aside all thoughts of
going to Egypt, and, in obedience to the heavenly vision, sets up
his staff in Gerar, the country in which he was born (
I. How he sinned,
II. How he was detected, and the cheat
discovered, by the king himself. Abimelech (not the same that was
in Abraham's days,
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received
in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him: 13 And the man waxed
great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:
14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds,
and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
15 For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the
days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and
filled them with earth. 16 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go
from us; for thou art much mightier than we. 17 And Isaac
departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and
dwelt there. 18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water,
which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the
Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he
called their names after the names by which his father had called
them. 19 And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and
found there a well of springing water. 20 And the herdmen of
Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is
ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove
with him. 21 And they digged another well, and strove for
that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. 22 And he
removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they
strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For
now
Here we have,
I. The tokens of God's good-will to Isaac.
He blessed him, and prospered him, and made all that he had
to thrive under his hands. 1. His corn multiplied strangely,
II. The tokens of the Philistines' ill-will
to him. They envied him,
III. His constancy and continuance in his business still.
1. He kept up his husbandry, and continued
industrious to find wells of water, and to fit them for his use,
(1.) He opened the wells that his father
had digged (
(2.) His servants dug new wells,
(3.) In digging his wells he met with much
opposition,
(4.) At length he removed to a quiet
settlement, cleaving to his peaceable principle, rather to fly than
fight, and unwilling to dwell with those that hated peace,
2. He continued firm to his religion, and
kept up his communion with God. (1.) God graciously appeared to
him,
26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army. 27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you? 28 And they said, We saw certainly that the Lord was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; 29 That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the Lord. 30 And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. 31 And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 32 And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water. 33 And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day.
We have here the contests that had been between Isaac and the Philistines issuing in a happy peace and reconciliation.
I. Abimelech pays a friendly visit to
Isaac, in token of the respect he had for him,
II. Isaac prudently and cautiously
questions his sincerity in this visit,
III. Abimelech professes his sincerity, in
this address to Isaac, and earnestly courts his friendship,
IV. Isaac entertains him and his company,
and enters into a league of friendship with him,
V. Providence smiled upon what Isaac did;
for the same day that he made this covenant with Abimelech his
servants brought him the tidings of a well of water they had found,
34 And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: 35 Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
Here is, 1. Esau's foolish
marriage—foolish, some think, in marrying two wives together, for
which perhaps he is called a fornicator (
In this chapter we return to the typical story of
the struggle between Esau and Jacob. Esau had profanely sold the
birthright to Jacob; but Esau hopes he shall be never the poorer,
nor Jacob the richer, for that bargain, while he preserves his
interest in his father's affections, and so secures the blessing.
Here therefore we find how he was justly punished for his contempt
of the birthright (of which he foolishly deprived himself) with the
loss of the blessing, of which Jacob fraudulently deprives him.
Thus this story is explained,
1 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. 2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: 3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; 4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. 5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
Here is, I. Isaac's design to make his
will, and to declare Esau his heir. The promise of the Messiah and
the land of Canaan was a great trust, first committed to Abraham,
inclusive and typical of spiritual and eternal blessings; this, by
divine direction, he transmitted to Isaac. Isaac, being now old,
and
II. The directions he gave to Esau,
pursuant to this design. He calls him to him,
1. He tells him upon what considerations he
resolved to do this now (
2. He bids him to get things ready for the
solemnity of executing his last will and testament, by which he
designed to make him his heir,
6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death. 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. 9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: 10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. 11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man: 12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. 13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them. 14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. 15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: 16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: 17 And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
Rebekah is here contriving to procure for Jacob the blessing which was designed for Esau; and here,
I. The end was good, for she was directed
in this intention by the oracle of God, by
II. The means were bad, and no way
justifiable. If it was not a wrong to Esau to deprive him of the
blessing (he himself having forfeited it by selling the
birthright), yet it was a wrong to Isaac, taking advantage of his
infirmity, to impose upon him; it was a wrong to Jacob too, whom
she taught to deceive, by putting a lie into his mouth, or at least
by putting one into his right hand. It would likewise expose him to
endless scruples about the blessing, if he should obtain it thus
fraudulently, whether it would stand him or his in any stead,
especially if his father should revoke it, upon the discovery of
the cheat, and plead, as he might, that it was nulled by an
error personæ—a mistake of the person. He himself also was
aware of the danger, lest (
18 And he came unto his father, and said, My
father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?
19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy
firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray
thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast
found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me.
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I
may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or
not. 22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he
felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the
hands are the hands of Esau. 23 And he discerned him
not,
Observe here, I. The art and assurance with
which Jacob managed this intrigue. Who would have thought that this
plain man could have played his part so well in a design of this
nature? His mother having put him in the way of it, and encouraged
him in it, he dexterously applied himself to those methods which he
had never accustomed himself to, but had always conceived an
abhorrence of. Note, Lying is soon learnt. The psalmist speaks of
those who, as soon as they are born, speak lies,
II. The success of this management. Jacob with some difficulty gained his point, and obtained the blessing.
1. Isaac was at first dissatisfied, and
would have discovered the fraud if he could have trusted his own
ears; for the voice was Jacob's voice,
2. At length he yielded to the power of the
cheat, because the hands were hairy (
30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me. 32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. 33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed. 34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. 35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtlety, and hath taken away thy blessing. 36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? 37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? 38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. 39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; 40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
Here is, I. The covenant-blessing denied to
Esau. He that made so light of the birthright would now have
inherited the blessing, but he was rejected, and found no place of
repentance in his father, though he sought it carefully with
tears,
II. Here is a common blessing bestowed upon Esau.
1. This he desired: Bless me also,
2. This he had; and let him make his best
of it,
(1.) It was a good thing, and better than
he deserved. It was promised him, [1.] That he should have a
competent livelihood—the fatness of the earth, and the dew of
heaven. Note, Those that come short of the blessings of the
covenant may yet have a very good share of outward blessings. God
gives good ground and good weather to many that reject his
covenant, and have no part nor lot in it. [2.] That by degrees he
should recover his liberty. If Jacob must rule (
(2.) Yet it was far short of Jacob's
blessing. For him God had reserved some better thing. [1.] In
Jacob's blessing the dew of heaven is put first, as that
which he most valued, and desired, and depended upon; in Esau's
the fatness of the earth is put first, for it was this that
he had the first and principal regard to. [2.] Esau has these, but
Jacob has them from God's hand: God give thee the dew of
heaven,
41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. 42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; 44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away; 45 Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day? 46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?
Here is, I. The malice Esau bore to Jacob
upon account of the blessing which he had obtained,
II. The method Rebekah took to prevent the mischief.
1. She gave Jacob warning of his danger,
and advised him to withdraw for a while, and shift for his own
safety. She tells him what she heard of Esau's design, that he
comforted himself with the hope of an opportunity to kill his
brother,
2. She impressed Isaac with an apprehension
of the necessity of Jacob's going among her relations upon another
account, which was to take a wife,
We have here, I. Jacob parting with his parents,
to go to Padan-aram; the charge his father gave him (
1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 2 Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother. 3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; 4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. 5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
Jacob had no sooner obtained the blessing
than immediately he was forced to flee from his country; and, as it
if were not enough that he was a stranger and sojourner there, he
must go to be more so, and no better than an exile, in another
country. Now Jacob fled into Syria,
I. With a solemn charge: He blessed him,
and charged him,
II. With a solemn blessing,
1. The promise of heirs: God make thee
fruitful, and multiply thee,
2. The promise of an inheritance for those
heirs: That thou mayest inherit the land of thy sojournings,
Jacob, having taken leave of his father,
was hastened away with all speed, lest his brother should find an
opportunity to do him a mischief, and away he went to Padan-aram,
6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padan-aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan; 7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padan-aram; 8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; 9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
This passage concerning Esau comes in in
the midst of Jacob's story, either, 1. To show the influence of a
good example. Esau, though the greater man, now begins to think
Jacob the better man, and disdains not to take him for his pattern
in this particular instance of marrying with a daughter of Abraham.
The elder children should give to the younger an example of
tractableness and obedience; it is bad if they do not: but it is
some alleviation if they take the example of it from them, as Esau
here did from Jacob. Or, 2. To show the folly of an after-wit. Esau
did well, but he did it when it was too late, He saw that the
daughters of Canaan pleased not his father, and he might have
seen that long ago if he had consulted his father's judgment as
much as he did his palate. And how did he now mend the matter? Why,
truly, so as to make bad worse. (1.) He married a daughter of
Ishmael, the son of the bond-woman, who was cast out, and was not
to inherit with Isaac and his seed, thus joining with a family
which God had rejected, and seeking to strengthen his own
pretensions by the aid of another pretender. (2.) He took a third
wife, while, for aught that appears, his other two were neither
dead nor divorced. (3.) He did it only to please his father, not to
please God. Now that Jacob was sent into a far country Esau would
be all in all at home, and he hoped so to humour his father as to
prevail with him to make a new will, and entail the promise upon
him, revoking the settlement lately made upon Jacob. And thus, [1.]
He was wise when it was too late, like Israel that would venture
when the decree had gone forth against them (
10 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
We have here Jacob upon his journey towards
Syria, in a very desolate condition, like one that was sent to seek
his fortune; but we find that, though he was alone, yet he was not
alone, for the Father was with him,
I. A hard lodging (
II. In his hard lodging he had a pleasant dream. Any Israelite indeed would be willing to take up with Jacob's pillow, provided he might but have Jacob's dream. Then, and there, he heard the words of God, and saw the visions of the Almighty. It was the best night's sleep he ever had in his life. Note, God's time to visit his people with his comforts is when they are most destitute of other comforts, and other comforters; when afflictions in the way of duty (as these were) do abound, then shall consolations so much the more abound. Now observe here,
1. The encouraging vision Jacob saw,
2. The encouraging words Jacob heard. God now brought him into the wilderness, and spoke comfortably to him, spoke from the head of the ladder; for all the glad tidings we receive from heaven come through Jesus Christ.
(1.) The former promises made to his father
were repeated and ratified to him,
(2.) Fresh promises were made him,
accommodated to his present condition,
16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. 18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. 20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: 22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
God manifested himself and his favour to
Jacob when he was asleep and purely passive; for the spirit, like
the wind, blows when and where he listeth, and God's grace, like
the dew, tarrieth not for the sons of men,
I. He expressed a great surprise at the
tokens he had of God's special presence with him in that place:
Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not,
II. It struck an awe upon him (
III. He took care to preserve the memorial
of it two ways: 1. He set up the stone for a pillar (
IV. He made a solemn vow upon this
occasion,
This chapter gives us an account of God's
providences concerning Jacob, pursuant to the promises made to him
in the foregoing chapter. I. How he was brought in safety to his
journey's end, and directed to his relations there, who bade him
welcome,
1 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east. 2 And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well's mouth. 3 And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place. 4 And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. 5 And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him. 6 And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep. 7 And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them. 8 And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep.
All the stages Israel's march to Canaan are
distinctly noticed, but no particular journal is kept of Jacob's
expedition further than Beth-el; no, he had no more such happy
nights as he had at Beth-el, no more such visions of the Almighty.
That was intended for a feast; he must not expect it to be his
daily bread. But, 1. We are here told how cheerfully he proceeded
in his journey after the sweet communion he had with God at
Beth-el: Then Jacob lifted up his feet; so the margin reads
it,
9 And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep: for she kept them. 10 And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. 11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son: and she ran and told her father. 13 And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month.
Here we see, 1. Rachel's humility and
industry: She kept her father's sheep (
15 And Laban said unto Jacob,
Here is, I. The fair contract made between
Laban and Jacob, during the month that Jacob spent there as a
guest,
II. Jacob's honest performance of his part
of the bargain,
III. The base cheat which Laban put upon
him when he was out of his time: he put Leah into his arms instead
of Rachel,
IV. The excuse and atonement Laban made for
the cheat. 1. The excuse was frivolous: It must not be so done
in our country,
31 And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me. 33 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon. 34 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi. 35 And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the Lord: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.
We have here the birth of four of Jacob's
sons, all by Leah. Observe, 1. That Leah, who was less beloved, was
blessed with children, when Rachel was denied that blessing,
In this chapter we have an account of the
increase, I. Of Jacob's family. Eight children more we find
registered in this chapter; Dan and Naphtali by Bilhah, Rachel's
maid,
1 And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no
children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me
children, or else I die. 2 And Jacob's anger was kindled
against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath
withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? 3 And she said,
Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my
knees, that I may also have children by her. 4 And she gave
him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.
5 And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. 6 And Rachel
said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath
given me a son: therefore called she his name
We have here the bad consequences of that strange marriage which Jacob made with the two sisters. Here is,
I. An unhappy disagreement between him and
Rachel (
1. Rachel frets. She envied her
sister,
2. Jacob chides, and most justly. He loved
Rachel, and therefore reproved her for what she said amiss,
II. An unhappy agreement between him and the two handmaids.
1. At the persuasion of Rachel, he took
Bilhah her handmaid to wife, that, according to the usage of those
times, his children by her might be adopted and owned as her
mistress's children,
2. At the persuasion of Leah, he took
Zilpah her handmaid to wife also,
14 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes. 15 And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes. 16 And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. 17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son. 18 And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar. 19 And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son. 20 And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun. 21 And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah. 22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: 24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, The Lord shall add to me another son.
Here is, I. Leah fruitful again, after she
had, for some time, left off bearing. Jacob, it should seem,
associated more with Rachel than with Leah. The law of Moses
supposes it a common case that, if a man had two wives, one would
be beloved and the other hated,
II. Rachel fruitful at last (
25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. 26 Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee. 27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake. 28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. 29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. 30 For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also? 31 And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me anything: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock: 32 I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire. 33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. 34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. 35 And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36 And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.
We have here,
I. Jacob's thoughts of home. He faithfully
served his time out with Laban, even his second apprenticeship,
though he was an old man, had a large family to provide for, and it
was high time for him to set up for himself. Though Laban's service
was hard, and he had cheated him in the first bargain he had made,
yet Jacob honestly performs his engagements. Note, A good man,
though he swear to his own hurt, will not change. And though others
have deceived us this will not justify us in deceiving them. Our
rule is to do as we would be done by, not as we are
done by. Jacob's term having expired, he begs leave to be gone,
II. Laban's desire of his stay,
III. The new bargain they came upon.
Laban's craft and covetousness took advantage of Jacob's plainness,
honesty, and good-nature; and, perceiving that Jacob began to be
won upon by his fair speeches, instead of making him a generous
offer and bidding high, as he ought to have done, all things
considered, he puts it upon him to make his demands (
1. He shows what reason he had to insist
upon so much, considering, (1.) That Laban was bound in gratitude
to do well for him, because he had served him not only faithfully,
but very successfully,
2. He is willing to refer himself to the
providence of God, which, he knew, extends itself to the smallest
things, even the colour of the cattle; and he will be content to
have for his wages the sheep and goats of such and such a colour,
speckled, spotted, and brown, which should hereafter be brought
forth,
37 And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. 38 And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. 39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle. 41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. 42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. 43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
Here is Jacob's honest policy to make his
bargain more advantageous to himself than it was likely to be. If
he had not taken some course to help himself, it would have been a
bad bargain indeed, which he knew Laban would never consider, or
rather would be well pleased to see him a loser by, so little did
Laban consult any one's interest but his own. Now Jacob's
contrivances were, 1. To set peeled sticks before the cattle where
they were watered, that, looking much at those unusual
party-coloured sticks, by the power of imagination they might bring
forth young ones in like manner party-coloured,
Jacob was a very honest good man, a man of great
devotion and integrity, yet he had more trouble and vexation than
any of the patriarchs. He left his father's house in a fright, went
to his uncle's in distress, very hard usage he met with there, and
now is going back surrounded with fears. Here is, I. His resolution
to return,
1 And he heard the words of Laban's sons,
saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and
of that which was our father's hath he gotten all
this glory. 2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban,
and, behold, it was not toward him as before. 3 And
the Lord said unto Jacob, Return
unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be
with thee. 4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to
Jacob is here taking up a resolution immediately to quit his uncle's service, to take what he had and go back to Canaan. This resolution he took up upon a just provocation, by divine direction, and with the advice and consent of his wives.
I. Upon a just provocation; for Laban and his sons had become very cross and ill-natured towards him, so that he could not stay among them with safety or satisfaction.
1. Laban's sons showed their ill-will in
what they said,
2. Laban himself said little, but his
countenance was not towards Jacob as it used to be; and Jacob could
not but take notice of it,
II. By divine direction and under the
convoy of a promise: The Lord said unto Jacob, Return, and I
will be with thee,
III. With the knowledge and consent of his wives. Observe,
1. He sent for Rachel and Leah to him to
the field (
2. His wives cheerfully consented to his
resolution. They also brought forward their grievances, complaining
that their father had been not only unkind, but unjust, to them
(
17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his
wives upon camels;
Here is, I. Jacob's flight from Laban. We
may suppose he had been long considering of it, and casting about
in his mind respecting it; but when now, at last, God had given him
positive orders to go, he made no delay, nor was he disobedient to
the heavenly vision. The first opportunity that offered itself he
laid hold of, when Laban was shearing his sheep (
II. Laban's pursuit of Jacob. Tidings were
brought him, on the third day, that Jacob had fled; he immediately
raises the whole clan, takes his brethren, that is, the relations
of his family, that were all in his interests, and pursues Jacob
(as Pharaoh and his Egyptians afterwards pursued the seed of
Jacob), to bring him back into bondage again, or with design to
strip him of what he had. Seven days' journey he marched in pursuit
of him,
25 Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had
pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his brethren pitched
in the mount of Gilead. 26 And Laban said to Jacob, What
hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and
carried away my daughters, as captives taken with the
We have here the reasoning, not to say the
rallying, that took place between Laban and Jacob at their meeting,
in that mountain which was afterwards called Gilead,
I. The high charge which Laban exhibited against him. He accuses him,
1. As a renegade that had unjustly deserted
his service. To represent Jacob as a criminal, he will have it
thought that he intended kindness to his daughters (
2. As a thief,
II. Jacob's apology for himself. Those that
commit their cause to God, yet are not forbidden to plead it
themselves with meekness and fear. 1. As to the charge of stealing
away his own wives he clears himself by giving the true reason why
he went away unknown to Laban,
III. The diligent search Laban made for his
gods (
36 And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me? 37 Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both. 38 This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. 39 That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. 40 Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes. 41 Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times. 42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.
See in these verses,
I. The power of provocation. Jacob's
natural temper was mild and calm, and grace had improved it; he was
a smooth man, and a plain man; and yet Laban's unreasonable
carriage towards him put him into a heat that transported him into
a heat that transported him into some vehemence,
II. The comfort of a good conscience. This
was Jacob's rejoicing, that when Laban accused him his own
conscience acquitted him, and witnessed for him that he had been in
all things willing and careful to live honestly,
III. The character of a good servant, and
particularly of a faithful shepherd. Jacob had approved himself
such a one,
IV. The character of a hard master. Laban
had been such a one to Jacob. Those are bad masters, 1. Who exact
from their servants that which is unjust, by obliging them to make
good that which is not damaged by any default of theirs. This Laban
did,
V. The care of providence for the
protection of injured innocence,
43 And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born? 44 Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee. 45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. 46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap. 47 And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed. 48 And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed; 49 And Mizpah; for he said, The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another. 50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee. 51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee; 52 This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm. 53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac. 54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount. 55 And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place.
We have here the compromising of the matter
between Laban and Jacob. Laban had nothing to say in reply to
Jacob's remonstrance: he could neither justify himself nor condemn
Jacob, but was convicted by his own conscience of the wrong he had
done him; and therefore desires to hear no more of the matter He is
not willing to own himself in a fault, nor to ask Jacob's
forgiveness,
I. He turns it off with a profession of
kindness for Jacob's wives and children (
II. He proposes a covenant of friendship between them, to which Jacob readily agrees, without insisting upon Laban's submission, much less his restitution. Note, When quarrels happen, we should be willing to be friends again upon any terms: peace and love are such valuable jewels that we can scarcely buy them too dearly. Better sit down losers than go on in strife. Now observe here,
1. The substance of this covenant. Jacob
left it wholly to Laban to settle it. The tenour of it was, (1.)
That Jacob should be a good husband to his wives, that he should
not afflict them, nor marry other wives besides them,
2. The ceremony of this covenant. It was
made and ratified with great solemnity, according to the usages of
those times. (1.) A pillar was erected (
Lastly, After all this angry parley,
they part friends,
We have here Jacob still upon his journey towards
Canaan. Never did so many memorable things occur in any march as in
this of Jacob's little family. By the way he meets, I. With good
tidings from his God,
1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
Jacob, having got clear of Laban, pursues
his journey homewards towards Canaan: when God has helped us
through difficulties we should go on our way heaven-ward with so
much the more cheerfulness and resolution. Now, 1. Here is Jacob's
convoy in his journey (
3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: 5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight. 6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. 7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands; 8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
Now that Jacob was re-entering Canaan God, by the vision of angels, reminded him of the friends he had when he left it, and thence he takes occasion to remind himself of the enemies he had, particularly Esau. It is probable that Rebekah had sent him word of Esau's settlement in Seir, and of the continuance of his enmity to him. What shall poor Jacob do? He longs to see his father, and yet he dreads to see his brother. He rejoices to see Canaan again, and yet cannot but rejoice with trembling because of Esau.
I. He sends a very kind and humble
II. He receives a very formidable account
of Esau's warlike preparations against him (
III. He puts himself into the best posture
of defence that his present circumstances will admit. It was absurd
to think of making resistance, all his contrivance is to make an
escape,
9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. 11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. 12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
Our rule is to call upon God in the time of
I. The request itself is one, and very
express: Deliver me from the hand of my brother,
II. The pleas are many, and very powerful;
never was cause better ordered,
1. He addresses himself to God as the God
of his fathers,
2. He produces his warrant: Thou saidst unto me, Return unto thy country. He did not rashly leave his place with Laban, nor undertake this journey out of a fickle humour, or a foolish fondness for his native country, but in obedience to God's command. Note, (1.) We may be in the way of our duty, and yet may meet with trouble and distress in that way. As prosperity will not prove us in the right, so cross events will not prove us in the wrong; we may be going whither God calls us, and yet may think our way hedged up with thorns. (2.) We may comfortably trust God with our safety, while we carefully keep to our duty. If God be our guide, he will be our guard.
3. He humbly acknowledges his own
unworthiness to receive any favour from God (
4. He thankfully owns God's goodness to him
in his banishment, and how much it had outdone his expectations:
"With my staff I passed over this Jordan, poor and desolate,
like a forlorn and despised pilgrim;" he had no guides, no
companions, no attendants, no conveniences for travel, but his
staff only, nothing else to stay himself upon; "and now I have
become two bands, now I am surrounded with a numerous and
comfortable retinue of
5. He urges the extremity of the peril he
was in: Lord, deliver me from Esau, for I fear him,
6. He insists especially upon the promise
God had made him (
13 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; 14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, 15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals. 16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. 17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? 18 Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us. 19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. 20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me. 21 So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company. 22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. 23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
Jacob, having piously made God his friend by a prayer, is here prudently endeavouring to make Esau his friend by a present. He had prayed to God to deliver him from the hand of Esau, for he feared him; but neither did his fear sink into such a despair as dispirits for the use of means, nor did his prayer make him presume upon God's mercy, without the use of means. Note, When we have prayed to God for any mercy, we must second our prayers with our endeavours; else, instead of trusting god, we tempt him; we must so depend upon God's providence as to make use of our own prudence. "Help thyself, and God will help thee;" God answers our prayers by teaching us to order our affairs with discretion. To pacify Esau,
I. Jacob sent him a very noble present, not
of jewels or fine garments (he had them not), but of cattle, to the
number of 580 in all,
II. He sent him a very humble message,
which he ordered his servants to deliver in the best manner,
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. 31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. 32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.
We have here the remarkable story of
Jacob's wrestling with the angel and prevailing, which is referred
to,
I. How Jacob and this angel engaged,
II. What was the success of the engagement.
1. Jacob kept his ground; though the struggle continued long, the
angel, prevailed not against him (
We read, in the former chapter, how Jacob had
power with God, and prevailed; here we find what power he had with
men too, and how his brother Esau was mollified, and, on a sudden,
reconciled to him; for so it is written,
1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. 2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 3 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
Here, I. Jacob discovered Esau's approach,
II. He put his family into the best order
he could to receive him, whether he should come as a friend or as
an enemy, consulting their decency if he came as a friend and their
safety if he came as an enemy,
III. At their meeting, the expressions of kindness were interchanged in the best manner that could be between them.
1. Jacob bowed to Esau,
2. Esau embraced Jacob (
3. They both wept. Jacob wept for joy, to be thus kindly received by his brother whom he had feared; and Esau perhaps wept for grief and shame, to think of the bad design he had conceived against his brother, which he found himself strangely and unaccountably prevented from executing.
5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant. 6 Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. 7 And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves. 8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord. 9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself. 10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. 11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it. 12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee. 13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. 14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. 15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord.
We have here the discourse between the two brothers at their meeting, which is very free and friendly, without the least intimation of the old quarrel. It was the best way to say nothing of it. They converse,
I. About Jacob's retinue,
II. About the present he had sent him.
1. Esau modestly refused it because he had
enough, and did not need it,
2. Jacob affectionately urges him to accept
it, and prevails,
III. About the progress of their journey.
1. Esau offers himself to be his guide and companion, in token of
sincere reconciliation,
16 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. 17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. 18 And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram; and pitched his tent before the city. 19 And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money. 20 And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel.
Here, 1. Jacob comes to Succoth. Having in
a friendly manner parted with Esau, who had gone to his own country
(
At this chapter begins the story of Jacob's
afflictions in his children, which were very great, and are
recorded to show, 1. The vanity of this world. That which is
dearest to us may prove our greatest vexation, and we may meet with
the greatest crosses in those things of which we said, "This same
shall comfort us." 2. The common griefs of good people. Jacob's
children were circumcised, were well taught, and prayed for, and
had very good examples set them; yet some of them proved very
untoward. "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the
strong." Grace does not run in the blood, and yet the interrupting
of the entail of grace does not cut off the entail of profession
and visible church-privileges: nay, Jacob's sons, though they were
his grief in some things, yet were all taken into covenant with
God. In this chapter we have, I. Dinah debauched,
1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her. 3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. 4 And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. 5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
Dinah was, for aught that appears, Jacob's
only daughter, and we may suppose her
6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him. 7 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done. 8 And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife. 9 And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. 10 And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein. 11 And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give. 12 Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife. 13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister: 14 And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us: 15 But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised; 16 Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. 17 But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.
Jacob's sons, when they heard of the
Hamor came to treat with Jacob himself, but he turns him over to his sons; and here we have a particular account of the treaty, in which, it is a shame to say, the Canaanites were more honest than the Israelites.
I. Hamor and Shechem fairly propose this
match, in order to a coalition in trade. Shechem is deeply in love
with Dinah; he will have her upon any terms,
II. Jacob's sons basely pretend to insist
upon a coalition in religion, when really they designed nothing
less. If Jacob had taken the management of this affair into his own
hands, it is probable that he and Hamor would soon have concluded
it; but Jacob's sons meditate only revenge, and a strange project
they have for the compassing of it—the Shechemites must be
circumcised; not to make them holy (they never intended that), but
to make them sore, that they might become an easier prey to their
sword. 1. The pretence was specious. "It is the honour of Jacob's
family that they carry about with them the token of God's covenant
with them; and it will be a reproach to those that are thus
dignified and distinguished to enter into such a strict alliance
with those that are uncircumcised (
18 And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem
Hamor's son. 19 And the young man deferred not to do the
thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he
was more honourable than all the house of his father.
20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city,
and communed with the men of their city, saying, 21 These
men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the
land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large
enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and
let us give them our daughters. 22 Only herein will the men
consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every
male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.
23 Shall not their cattle and their substance and
every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto
them, and they will dwell with us. 24 And unto Hamor and
unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his
city;
Here, 1. Hamor and Shechem gave consent
themselves to be circumcised,
25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. 26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28 They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field, 29 And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house. 30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. 31 And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?
Here, we have Simeon and Levi, two of Jacob's sons, young men not much above twenty years old, cutting the throats of the Shechemites, and thereby breaking the heart of their good father.
I. Here is the barbarous murder of the Shechemites. Jacob himself was used to the sheep-hook, but his sons had got swords by their sides, as if they had been the seed of Esau, who was to live by his sword; we have them here,
1. Slaying the inhabitants of
Shechem—all the males, Hamor and Shechem particularly, with
whom they had been treating in a friendly manner but the other day,
yet with a design upon their lives. Some think that all Jacob's
sons, when they wheedled the Shechemites to be circumcised,
designed to take advantage of their soreness, and to rescue Dinah
from among them; but that Simeon and Levi, not content with that,
would themselves avenge the injury—and they did it with a witness.
Now, (1.) It cannot be denied but that God was righteous in it. Had
the Shechemites been circumcised in obedience to any command of
God, their circumcision would have been their protection; but when
they submitted to that sacred rite only to serve a turn, to please
their prince and to enrich themselves, it was just with God to
bring this upon them. Note, As nothing secures us better than true
religion, so nothing exposes us more than religion only pretended
to. (2.) But Simeon and Levi were most unrighteous. [1.] It was
true that Shechem had wrought folly against Israel, in
defiling Dinah; but it ought to have been considered how far Dinah
herself had been accessory to it. Had Shechem abused her in her own
mother's tent, it would have been another matter; but she went upon
his ground, and perhaps by her indecent carriage had struck the
spark which began the fire: when we are severe upon the sinner we
ought to consider
2. Seizing the prey of Shechem, and
plundering the town. They rescued Dinah (
II. Here is Jacob's resentment of this
bloody deed of Simeon and Levi,
In this chapter we have three communions and three
funerals. I. Three communions between God and Jacob. 1. God ordered
Jacob to Beth-el; and, in obedience to that order, he purged his
house of idols, and prepared for that journey,
1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to
Beth-el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that
appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy
brother. 2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all
that were with
Here, I. God reminds Jacob of his vow at
Beth-el, and sends him thither to perform it,
II. Jacob commands his household to prepare
for this solemnity; not only for the journey and remove, but for
the religious services that were to be performed,
III. His family surrendered all they had
that was idolatrous or superstitious,
IV. He removes without molestation from
Shechem to Bethel,
6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Beth-el, he and all the people that were with him. 7 And he built there an altar, and called the place El-Beth-el: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. 8 But Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Beth-el under an oak: and the name of it was called Allon-bachuth. 9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. 11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; 12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. 13 And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. 15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Beth-el.
Jacob and his retinue having safely arrived at Beth-el, we are here told what passed there.
I. There he built an altar (
II. There he buried Deborah, Rebekah's
nurse,
III. There God appeared to him (
IV. There Jacob erected a memorial of this,
16 And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. 17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. 18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin. 19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Beth-lehem. 20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.
We have here the story of the death of
Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob. 1. She fell in travail by the
way, not able to reach to Bethlehem, the next town, though they
were near it; so suddenly does pain sometimes come upon a woman in
travail, which she cannot escape, or put off. We may suppose Jacob
had soon a tent up, convenient enough for her reception. 2. Her
pains were violent. She had hard labour, harder than usual: this
was the effect of sin,
21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar. 22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: 23 The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: 24 The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin: 25 And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali: 26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padan-aram. 27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. 28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. 29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Here is, 1. Jacob's removal,
In this chapter we have an account of the
posterity of Esau, who, from him, were called Edomites, that Esau
who sold his birthright, and lost his blessing, and was not loved
of God as Jacob was. Here is a brief register kept of his family
for some generations. 1. Because he was the son of Isaac, for whose
sake this honour is put upon him. 2. Because the Edomites were
neighbours to Israel, and their genealogy would be of use to give
light to the following stories of what passed between them. 3. It
is to show the performance of the promise to Abraham, that he
should be "the father of many nations," and of that answer which
Rebekah had from the oracle she consulted, "Two nations are in thy
womb," and of the blessing of Isaac, "Thy dwelling shall be the
fatness of the earth." We have here, I. Esau's wives,
1 Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom. 2 Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; 3 And Bashemath Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth. 4 And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Bashemath bare Reuel; 5 And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these are the sons of Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan. 6 And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob. 7 For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle. 8 Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.
Observe here, 1. Concerning Esau himself,
9 And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir: 10 These are the names of Esau's sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau. 11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz. 12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau's wife. 13 And these are the sons of Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife. 14 And these were the sons of Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: and she bare to Esau Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah. 15 These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz, 16 Duke Korah, duke Gatam, and duke Amalek: these are the dukes that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons of Adah. 17 And these are the sons of Reuel Esau's son; duke Nahath, duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke Mizzah: these are the dukes that came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife. 18 And these are the sons of Aholibamah Esau's wife; duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah: these were the dukes that came of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife. 19 These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes.
Observe here, 1. That only the names of
Esau's sons and grandsons are recorded, only their names, not their
history; for it is the church that Moses preserves the records of,
not the record of those that are without. Those elders that lived
by faith alone obtained a good report. It is Sion that produces the
men of renown, not Seir,
20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite,
who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,
21 And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan: these are the
dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.
22 And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and
Lotan's sister was Timna. 23 And the children of
Shobal were these; Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho,
and Onam. 24 And these are the children of Zibeon;
both Ajah, and Anah: this was that Anah that found the mules
in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.
25 And the children of Anah were these; Dishon, and
Aholibamah the daughter of Anah. 26 And these are the
children of Dishon; Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.
27 The children of Ezer are these; Bilhan, and
Zaavan, and Akan. 28 The children of Dishan are
these; Uz, and Aran. 29 These are the dukes that
came of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke
Anah, 30 Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan: these
are the dukes that came of
In the midst of this genealogy of the
Edomites here is inserted the genealogy of the Horites, those
Canaanites, or Hittites (compare
31 And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel. 32 And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom: and the name of his city was Dinhabah. 33 And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead. 34 And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of Temani reigned in his stead. 35 And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith. 36 And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead. 37 And Samlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead. 38 And Saul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead. 39 And Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pau; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. 40 And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names; duke Timnah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth, 41 Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon, 42 Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar, 43 Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he is Esau the father of the Edomites.
By degrees, it seems, the Edomites wormed
out the Horites, obtained full possession of the country, and had a
government of their own. 1. They were ruled by kings, who governed
the whole country, and seem to have come to the throne by election,
and not by lineal descent; so bishop Patrick observes. These kings
reigned in Edom before there reigned any king over the children
of Israel, that is, before Moses's time, for he was king in
Jeshurun,
At this chapter begins the story of Joseph, who,
in every subsequent chapter but one to the end of this book, makes
the greatest figure. He was Jacob's eldest son by his beloved wife
Rachel, born, as many eminent men were, of a mother that had been
long barren. His story is so remarkably divided between his
humiliation and his exaltation that we cannot avoid seeing
something of Christ in it, who was first humbled and then exalted,
and, in many instances, so as to answer the type of Joseph. It also
shows the lot of Christians, who must through many tribulations
enter into the kingdom. In this chapter we have, I. The malice his
brethren bore against him. They hated him, 1. Because he informed
his father of their wickedness,
1 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. 4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
Moses has no more to say of the Edomites,
unless as they happen to fall in Israel's way; but now applies
himself closely to the story of Jacob's family: These are the
generations of Jacob. His is not a bare barren genealogy as
that of Esau (
5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told
it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6
And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have
dreamed: 7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in
the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and,
behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my
sheaf. 8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed
reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they
hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. 9
And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and
said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and
the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10 And
he told it to his father, and
Here, I. Joseph relates the prophetical
dreams he had,
II. His brethren take it very ill, and are
more and more enraged against him (
III. His father gives him a gentle rebuke
for it, yet observes the saying,
12 And his brethren went to feed their father's
flock in Shechem. 13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy
brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send
thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. 14 And
he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy
brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he
sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
15 And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was
wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest
thou? 16 And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray
thee, where they feed their flocks. 17 And the man
said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to
Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in
Dothan. 18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he
came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him
into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him:
and we shall see what will become of his dreams. 21 And
Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands;
and said, Let us not kill him. 22 And Reuben said unto them,
Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit
Here is, I. The kind visit which Joseph, in
obedience to his father's command, made to his brethren, who were
feeding the flock at Shechem, many miles off. Some suggest that
they went thither on purpose, expecting that Joseph would be sent
to see them, and that then they should have an opportunity to do
him a mischief. However, Joseph and his father had both of them
more of the innocence of the dove than of the wisdom of the
serpent, else he had never come thus into the hands of those that
hated him: but God designed it all for good. See in Joseph an
instance, 1. Of dutifulness to his father. Though he was his
father's darling, yet he was made, and was willing to be, his
father's servant. How readily does he wait his father's orders!
Here I am,
II. The bloody and malicious plot of his
brethren against him, who rendered good for evil, and, for his
love, were his adversaries. Observe, 1. How deliberate they were in
the contrivance of this mischief: when they saw him afar off,
they conspired against him,
III. Reuben's project to deliver him,
23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; 24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. 25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. 26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? 27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. 28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt. 29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. 30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?
We have here the execution of their plot
against Joseph. 1. They stripped him, each striving to seize the
envied coat of many colours,
31 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; 32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no. 33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. 34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. 36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.
I. Joseph would soon be missed, great
enquiry would be made for him, and therefore his brethren have a
further design, to make the world believe that Joseph was torn in
pieces by a wild beast; and this they did, 1. To clear themselves,
that they might not be suspected to have done him any mischief.
Note, We have all learned of Adam to cover our transgression,
II. The Ishmaelites and Midianites having
bought Joseph only to make their market of him, here we have him
sold again (with gain enough to the merchants, no doubt) to
Potiphar,
This chapter gives us an account of Judah and his
family, and such an account it is that one would wonder that, of
all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah,
1 And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her. 3 And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er. 4 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan. 5 And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him. 6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. 7 And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him. 8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. 9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. 10 And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also. 11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.
Here is, 1. Judah's foolish friendship with
a Canaanite-man. He went down from his brethren, and withdrew for a
time from their society and his father's family, and got to be
intimately acquainted with one Hirah, an Adullamite,
12 And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep. 14 And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face. 16 And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me? 17 And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it? 18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. 19 And she arose, and went away, and laid by her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. 20 And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand: but he found her not. 21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place. 22 And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her, and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place. 23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
It is a very ill-favoured story that is here told concerning Judah; one would not have expected such folly in Israel. Judah had buried his wife; and widowers have need to stand upon their guard with the utmost caution and resolution against all fleshly lusts. He was unjust to his daughter-in-law, either through negligence or design, in not giving her his surviving son, and this exposed her to temptation.
I. Tamar wickedly prostituted herself as a
harlot to Judah, that, if the son might not, the father might raise
up seed to the deceased. Some excuse this by suggesting that,
though she was a Canaanite, yet she had embraced the true religion,
and believed the promise made to Abraham and his seed, particularly
that of the Messiah, who was to descend from the loins of Judah,
and that she was therefore thus earnestly desirous to have a child
by one of that family that she might have the honour, or at least
stand fair for the honour, of being the mother of the Messiah. And,
if this was indeed her desire, it had its success; she is one of
the four women particularly named in the genealogy of Christ,
II. Judah was taken in the snare, and
though it was ignorantly that he was guilty of incest with his
daughter-in-law (not knowing who she was), yet he was willfully
guilty of fornication: whoever she was, he knew she was not his
wife, and therefore not to be touched. Nor was his sin capable, in
the least, of such a charitable excuse as some make for Tamar, that
though the action was bad the intention possibly might be good.
Observe, 1. Judah's sin began in the eye (
III. He lost his jewels by the bargain; he
sent the kid, according to this promise, to redeem his pawn, but
the supposed harlot could not be found. He sent it by his friend
(who was indeed his back-friend, because he was aiding and
abetting in his evil deeds) the Adullamite, who came back without
the pledge. It is a good account (if it be but true) of any place
which they here gave, there is no harlot in this place; for
such sinners are the scandals and plagues of any place. Judah sits
down content to lose his signet and his bracelets, and forbids his
friend to make any further enquiry after them, giving this reason,
lest we be shamed,
24 And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. 25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff. 26 And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more. 27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb. 28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. 29 And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez. 30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.
Here is, I. Judah's rigour against Tamar,
when he heard she was an adulteress. She was, in the eye of the
law, Shelah's wife, and therefore her being with child by another
was looked upon as an injury and reproach to Judah's family:
Bring her forth therefore, says Judah, the master of the
family, and let her be burnt; not burnt to death, but burnt
in the cheek or forehead, stigmatized for a harlot. This seems
probable,
II. Judah's shame, when it was made to
appear that he was the adulterer. She produced the ring and the
bracelets in court, which justified the fathering of the child
upon Judah,
III. The building up of Judah's family
hereby, notwithstanding, in the birth of Pharez and Zarah, from
whom descended the most considerable families of the illustrious
tribe of Judah. It should seem, the birth was hard to the mother,
by which she was corrected for her sin. The children also, like
Jacob and Esau, struggled for the birthright, and Pharez obtained
it, who is ever named first, and from him Christ descended. He had
his name from his breaking forth before his brother: This breach
be upon thee, which is applicable to those that sow discord,
and create distance, between brethren. The Jews, as Zarah, bade
fair for the birthright, and were marked with a scarlet thread, as
those that came out first; but the Gentiles, like Pharez, as a son
of violence, got the start of them, by that violence which the
kingdom of heaven suffers, and attained to the righteousness of
which the Jews came short. Yet, when the fulness of time is come,
all Israel shall be saved. Both these sons are named in the
genealogy of our Saviour (
At this chapter we return to the story of Joseph.
We have him here, I. A servant, a slave in Potiphar's house
(
1 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. 2 And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. 4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. 5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. 6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.
Here is, I. Joseph bought (
II. Joseph blessed, wonderfully blessed, even in the house of his servitude.
1. God prospered him,
2. His master preferred him, by degrees
made him steward of his household,
3. God favoured his master for his sake
(
7 And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 8 But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? 10 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. 11 And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within. 12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
Here is, I. A most shameful instance of impudence and immodesty in Joseph's mistress, the shame and scandal of her sex, perfectly lost to all virtue and honour, and not to be mentioned, nor thought of, without the utmost indignation. It was well that she was an Egyptian; for we must have shared in the confusion if such folly had been found in Israel. Observe,
I. Her sin began in the eye: She cast
her eyes upon Joseph (
2. She was daring and shameless in the
II. Here is a most illustrious instance of virtue and resolved chastity in Joseph, who, by the grace of God, was enabled to resist and overcome this temptation; and, all things considered, his escape was, for aught I know, as great an instance of the divine power as the deliverance of the three children out of the fiery furnace.
1. The temptation he was assaulted with was
very strong. Never was a more violent onset made upon the fort of
chastity than this recorded here. (1.) The sin he was tempted to
was uncleanness, which considering his youth, his beauty, his
single state, and his plentiful living at the table of a ruler, was
a sin which, one would think, might most easily beset him and
betray him. (2.) The tempter was his mistress, a person of quality,
whom it was his place to obey and his interest to oblige, whose
favour would contribute more than any thing to his preferment, and
by whose means he might arrive at the highest honours of the court.
On the other hand, it was at his utmost peril if he slighted her,
and made her his enemy. (3.) Opportunity makes a thief, makes an
adulterer, and that favoured the temptation. The tempter was in the
house with him; his business led him to be, without any suspicion,
where she was; none of the family were within (
2. His resistance of the temptation was very brave, and the victory truly honourable. The almighty grace of God enabled him to overcome this assault of the enemy,
(1.) By strength of reason; and wherever
right reason may be heard, religion no doubt will carry the day. He
argues from the respect he owed both to God and his master,
(2.) By stedfastness of resolution. The
grace of God enabled him to overcome the temptation by avoiding the
tempter. [1.] He hearkened not to her, so much as to be with
her,
13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, 14 That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: 15 And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out. 16 And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home. 17 And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: 18 And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.
Joseph's mistress, having tried in vain to
make him a criminal, now endeavours to represent him as one; so to
be revenged on him for his virtue. Now was her love turned into the
utmost rage and malice, and she pretends she cannot endure the
sight of him whom awhile ago she could not endure out of her sight.
Chaste and holy love will continue, though slighted; but sinful
love, like Amnon's to Tamar, is easily changed into sinful hatred.
1. She accused him to his fellow servants (
19 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. 20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. 23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.
Here is, 1. Joseph wronged by his master.
He believed the accusation, and either Joseph durst not make his
defence by telling the truth, as it would reflect too much upon his
mistress, or his master would not hear it, or would not believe it,
and there is no remedy, he is condemned to perpetual imprisonment,
In this chapter things are working, though slowly,
towards Joseph's advancement. I. Two of Pharaoh's servants are
committed to prison, and there to Joseph's care, and so become
witnesses of his extraordinary conduct,
1 And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. 3 And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. 4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.
We should not have had this story of
Pharaoh's butler and baker recorded in scripture if it had not been
serviceable to Joseph's preferment. The world stands for the sake
of the church, and is governed for its good. Observe, 1. Two of the
great officers of Pharaoh's court, having offended the king, are
committed to prison. Note, High places are slippery places; nothing
more uncertain than the favour of princes. Those that make God's
favour their happiness, and his service their business, will find
him a better Master than Pharaoh was, and not so extreme to mark
what they do amiss. Many conjectures there are concerning the
offence of these servants of Pharaoh; some make it no less than an
attempt to take away his life, others no more than the casual
lighting of a fly into his cup and a little sand into his bread.
Whatever it was, Providence by this means brought them into the
prison where Joseph was. 2. The captain of the guard
himself, who was Potiphar, charged Joseph with them (
5 And they dreamed a dream both of them, each
man his dream in one night, each man according to the
interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king
of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. 6 And
Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and,
behold, they were sad. 7 And he asked Pharaoh's
officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house,
saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? 8 And they
said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no
interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not
interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray
you. 9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and
said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;
10 And in the vine were three branches: and it
was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth;
and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: 11 And
Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and
Observe, I. The special providence of God,
which filled the heads of these two prisoners with unusual dreams,
such as made extraordinary impressions upon them, and carried with
them evidences of a divine origin, both in one night. Note, God has
immediate access to the spirits of men, which he can make
serviceable to his own purposes whenever he pleases, quite beyond
the intention of those concerned. To him all hearts are open, and
anciently he spoke not only to his own people, but to others, in
dreams,
II. The impression which was made upon
these prisoners by their dreams (
III. Joseph's great tenderness and
compassion towards them. He enquired with concern, Wherefore
look you so sadly to-day?
IV. The dreams themselves, and the
interpretation of them. That which troubled these prisoners was
that being confined they could not have recourse to the diviners of
Egypt who pretended to interpret dreams: There is no
interpreter here in the prison,
V. The improvement Joseph made of this
opportunity to get a friend at court,
20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: 22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.
Here is, 1. The verifying of Joseph's
interpretation of the dreams, on the very day prefixed. The chief
butler and baker were both advanced, one to his office, the other
to the gallows, and both at the three days' end. Note, Very great
changes, both for the better and for the worse, often happen in a
very little time, so sudden are the revolutions of the wheel of
nature. The occasion of giving judgment severally upon their case
was the solemnizing of Pharaoh's birth-day, on which, all his
servants being obliged by custom to attend him, these two came to
be enquired after, and the cause of their commitment looked into.
The solemnizing of the birth-day of princes has been an ancient
piece of respect done them; and if it be not abused, as Jeroboam's
was (
Some observe the resemblance between Joseph and Christ in this story. Joseph's fellow-sufferers were like the two thieves that were crucified with Christ—the one saved, the other condemned. (It is Dr. Lightfoot's remark, from Mr. Broughton.) One of these, when Joseph said to him, Remember me when it shall be well with thee, forget him; but one of those, when he said to Christ, Remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom, was not forgotten. We justly blame the chief butler's ingratitude to Joseph, yet we conduct ourselves much more disingenuously towards the Lord Jesus. Joseph had but foretold the chief butler's enlargement, but Christ wrought out ours, mediated with the King of kings for us; yet we forget him, though often reminded of him, though we have promised never to forget him: thus ill do we requite him, like foolish people and unwise.
Two things Providence is here bringing about:—I.
The advancement of Joseph. II. The maintenance of Jacob and his
family in a time of famine; for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro
through the earth, and direct the affairs of the children of men
for the benefit of those few whose hearts are upright with him. In
order to these, we have here, 1. Pharaoh's dreams,
1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. 2 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow. 3 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. 4 And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. 6 And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. 7 And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. 8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dreams; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.
Observe, 1. The delay of Joseph's
enlargement. It was not till the end of two full years
(
9 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh,
saying, I do remember my faults this day: 10 Pharaoh was
wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the
guard's house, both me and the chief baker: 11 And we
dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man
according to the interpretation of his dream. 12 And
there was there with us a young man, a Hebrew, servant to
the captain of the guard; and we told
Here is, 1. The recommending of Joseph to
Pharaoh for an interpreter. The chief butler did it more in
compliment to Pharaoh, to oblige him, than in gratitude to Joseph,
or in compassion for his case. He makes a fair confession
(
17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream,
behold, I stood upon the bank of the river: 18 And, behold,
there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well
favoured; and they fed in a meadow: 19 And, behold, seven
other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and
leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for
badness: 20 And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat
up the first seven fat kine: 21 And when they had eaten them
up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they
were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.
22 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in
one stalk, full and good: 23 And, behold, seven ears,
withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up
after them: 24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good
ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there
was none that could declare it to me. 25 And
Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God
hath showed Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The
seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears
are seven years: the dream is one. 27 And the
seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are
seven years; and the seven empty ears
Here, I. Pharaoh relates his dream. He
dreamt that he stood upon the bank of the river Nile, and saw the
kine, both the fat ones and the lean ones, come out of the river.
For the kingdom of Egypt had no rain, as appears,
II. Joseph interprets his dream, and tells
him that it signified seven years of plenty now immediately to
ensue, which should be succeeded by as many years of famine.
Observe, 1. The two dreams signified the same thing, but the
repetition was to denote the certainty, the nearness, and the
importance, of the event,
33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man
discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34
Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the
land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven
plenteous years. 35 And let them gather all the food of
those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of
Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36 And that
food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of
famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish
not through the famine. 37 And the thing was good in the
eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And
Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as
this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?
39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee
all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou
Here is, I. The good advice that Joseph
gave to Pharaoh, which was, 1. That in the years of plenty he
should lay up for the years of famine, buy up corn when it was
cheap, that he might both enrich himself and supply the country
when it would be dear and scarce. Note, Fair warning should always
be followed with good counsel. Therefore the prudent man foresees
the evil, that he may hide himself. God has in his word told us of
a day of trial and exigence before us, when we shall need all the
grace we can get, and all little enough, "Now, therefore, provide
accordingly." Note, further, Times of gathering must be diligently
improved, because there will come a time of spending. Let us go to
the ant, and learn of her this wisdom,
II. The great honour that Pharaoh did to
Joseph. 1. He gave him an honourable testimony: He is a man in
whom the Spirit of God is; and this puts a great excellency
upon any man; such men ought to be valued,
46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. 48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. 49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number. 50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him. 51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. 52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction. 53 And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. 54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. 56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. 57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.
Observe here, I. The building of Joseph's
family in the birth of two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim,
II. The accomplishment of Joseph's
predictions. Pharaoh had great confidence in the truth of them,
perhaps finding in his own mind, beyond what another person could,
an exact correspondence between them and his dreams, as between the
key and the lock; and the event showed that he was not deceived.
The seven plenteous years came (
III. The performance of Joseph's trust. He
was found faithful to it, as a steward ought to be. 1. He was
diligent in laying up, while the plenty lasted,
We had, in the foregoing chapter, the fulfilling
of the dreams which Joseph had interpreted: in this and the
following chapters we have the fulfilling of the dreams which
Joseph himself had dreamed, that his father's family should do
homage to him. The story is very largely and particularly related
of what passed between Joseph and his brethren, not only because it
is an entertaining story, and probably was much talked of, both
among the Israelites and among the Egyptians, but because it is
very instructive, and it gave occasion for the removal of Jacob's
family into Egypt, on which so many great events afterwards
depended. We have, in this chapter, I. The humble application of
Jacob's sons to Joseph to buy corn,
1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. 3 And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. 4 But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befal him. 5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
Though Jacob's sons were all married, and had families of their own, yet, it should seem, they were still incorporated in one society, under the conduct and presidency of their father Jacob. We have here,
I. The orders he gave them to go and buy
corn in Egypt,
II. Their obedience to these orders,
7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. 8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. 11 We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies. 12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 13 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. 14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies: 15 Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. 16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. 17 And he put them all together into ward three days. 18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: 19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: 20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
We may well wonder that Joseph, during the
twenty years that he had now been in Egypt, especially during the
last seven years that he had been in power there, never sent to his
father to acquaint him with his circumstances; nay, it is strange
that he who so often went throughout all the land of Egypt
(
I. He showed himself very rigorous and
harsh with them. The very manner of his speaking, considering the
post he was in, was enough to frighten them; for he spoke
roughly to them,
II. They, hereupon, were very submissive.
They spoke to him with all the respect imaginable: Nay, my
lord (
III. He clapped them all up in prison for
three days,
IV. He concluded with them, at last, that
one of them should be left as a hostage, and the rest should go
home and fetch Benjamin. It was a very encouraging word he said to
them (
21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. 23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. 24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes. 25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them. 26 And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth. 28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?
Here is, I. The penitent reflection
Joseph's brethren made upon the wrong they had formerly done to
him,
1. They remembered with regret the
barbarous cruelty wherewith they persecuted him: We are verily
guilty concerning our brother. We do not read that they said
this during their three days' imprisonment; but now, when the
matter had come to some issue and they saw themselves still
embarrassed, now they began to relent. Perhaps Joseph's mention of
the fear of God (
2. Reuben alone remembered, with comfort,
that he had been an advocate for his
II. Joseph's tenderness towards them upon
this occasion. He retired from them to weep,
III. The imprisonment of Simeon,
IV. The dismission of the rest of them.
They came for corn, and corn they had; and not only so, but every
man had his money restored in his sack's mouth. Thus Christ, our
Joseph, gives out supplies without money and without price.
Therefore the poor are invited to buy,
1. It was really a merciful event; for I
hope they had no wrong done to them when they had their money given
them back, but a kindness; yet they were thus terrified by it.
Note, (1.) Guilty consciences are apt to take good providences in a
bad sense, and to put wrong constructions even upon those things
that make for them. They flee when none pursues. (2.) Wealth
sometimes brings as much care along with it as want does, and more
too. If they had been robbed of their money, they could not have
been worse frightened than they were now when they found their
money in their sacks. Thus he whose ground brought forth
plentifully said, What shall I do?
2. Yet in their circumstances it was very
amazing. They knew that the Egyptians abhorred a Hebrew (
29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying, 30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies: 32 We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 33 And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: 34 And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land. 35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. 37 And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. 38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befal him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
Here is, 1. The report which Jacob's sons
made to their father of the great distress they had been in in
Egypt; how they had been suspected, and threatened, and obliged
Here the story of Joseph's brethren is carried on,
and very particularly related. I. Their melancholy parting with
their father Jacob in Canaan,
1 And the famine was sore in the land. 2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. 3 And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. 4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: 5 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. 6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? 7 And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down? 8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. 9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: 10 For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.
Here, 1. Jacob urges his sons to go and buy
more corn in Egypt,
11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: 12 And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: 13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man: 14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
Observe here, I. Jacob's persuasibleness.
He would be ruled by reason, though they were his inferiors that
urged it. He saw the necessity of the case; and, since there was no
remedy, he consented to yield to the necessity (
II. Jacob's prudence and justice, which
appeared in three things:—1. He sent back the money which they had
found in the sacks' mouths, with this discreet construction of it,
Peradventure it was an oversight. Note, Honesty obliges us
to make restitution, not only of that which comes to us by our own
fault, but of that which comes to us by the mistakes of others.
Though we get it by oversight, if we keep it when the oversight is
discovered, it is kept by deceit. In the stating of accounts,
errors must be excepted, even those that make for us as well as
those that make against us. Jacob's words furnish us with a
favourable construction to put upon that which we are tempted to
resent as an injury and affront; pass it by, and say,
Peradventure it was an oversight. 2. He sent double money,
as much again as they took the time before, upon supposition that
the price of corn might have risen,—or that if it should be
insisted upon they might pay a ransom for Simeon, or his
prison-fees,—or to show a generous spirit, that they might be the
more likely to find generous treatment with the man, the lord of
the land. 3. He sent a present of such things as the land
afforded, and as were scarce in Egypt—balm and honey,
&c. (
III. Jacob's piety appearing in his prayer:
God Almighty give you mercy before the man!
IV. Jacob's patience. He concludes all with
this: "If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved; If I
must part with them thus one after another, I must acquiesce, and
say, The will of the Lord be done." Note, It is our wisdom
to reconcile ourselves to the sorest afflictions, and make the best
of
15 And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon. 17 And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. 18 And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. 19 And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house, 20 And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food: 21 And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand. 22 And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks. 23 And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. 24 And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender. 25 And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.
Jacob's sons, having got leave to take
Benjamin with them, were observant of the orders their father had
given them, and went down the second time into Egypt to buy corn.
If we should ever know what a famine of the word means, let us not
think it much to travel as far for spiritual food as they did for
corporal food. Now here we have an account of what passed between
them and Joseph's steward, who, some conjecture, was in the secret,
and knew them to be Joseph's brethren, and helped to humour the
thing; I rather think not, because no man was permitted to be
present when Joseph afterwards made himself known to them,
26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. 27 And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? 28 And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance. 29 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. 30 And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. 31 And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. 32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another. 34 And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.
Here is, I. The great respect that Joseph's
brethren paid to him. When they brought him the present, they
bowed themselves before him (
II. The great kindness that Joseph showed to them, while they little thought it was a brotherly kindness. Here is,
1. His kind enquiry concerning Jacob: Is he yet alive?—a very fit question to be asked concerning any, especially concerning old people; for we are dying daily: it is strange that we are yet alive. Jacob had said many years before, I will go to the grave to my son; but he is yet alive: we must not die when we will.
2. The kind notice he took of Benjamin, his
own brother. (1.) He put up a prayer for him: God be gracious
unto thee, my son,
3. His kind entertainment of them all. When his weeping had subsided so that he could refrain himself, he sat down to dinner with them, treated them nobly, and yet contrived every thing to amuse them.
(1.) He ordered three tables to be spread, one for his brethren, another for the Egyptians that dined with him (for so different were their customs that they did not care to eat together), another for himself, who durst not own himself a Hebrew, and yet would not sit with the Egyptians. See here an instance, [1.] Of hospitality and good house-keeping, which are very commendable, according as the ability is. [2.] Of compliance with people's humours, even whimsical ones, as bishop Patrick calls this of the Egyptians not eating with the Hebrews. Though Joseph was the lord of the land, and orders were given that all people should obey him, yet he would not force the Egyptians to eat with the Hebrews, against their minds, but let them enjoy their humours. Spirits truly generous hate to impose. [3.] Of the early distance between Jews and Gentiles; one table would not hold them.
(2.) He placed his brethren according to
their seniority (
(3.) He gave them a very plentiful
Joseph, having entertained his brethren, dismissed
them; but here we have them brought back in a greater fright than
any they had been in yet. Observe, I. What method he took both to
humble them further and also to try their affection to his brother
Benjamin, by which he would be able to judge of the sincerity of
their repentance for what they had done against himself, of which
he was desirous to be satisfied before he manifested his
reconciliation to them. This he contrived to do by bringing
Benjamin into distress,
1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. 2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. 4 And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? 5 Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing. 6 And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words. 7 And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing: 8 Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? 9 With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen. 10 And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless. 11 Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. 12 And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13 Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city. 14 And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground. 15 And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine? 16 And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found. 17 And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.
Joseph heaps further kindnesses upon his
brethren, fills their sacks, returns their money, and sends them
away full of gladness; but he also exercises them with further
trials. Our God thus humbles those whom he loves and loads with
benefits. Joseph ordered his steward to put a fine silver cup which
he had (and which, it is likely, was used at his table when they
dined with him) into Benjamin's sack's mouth, that it might seem as
if he had stolen it from the table, and put it here himself, after
his corn was delivered to him. If Benjamin had stolen it, it had
been the basest piece of dishonesty and ingratitude that could be
I. How the pretended criminals were pursued
and arrested, on suspicion of having stolen a silver cup. The
steward charged them with ingratitude—rewarding evil for good; and
with folly, in taking away a cup of daily use, and which therefore
would soon be missed, and diligent search made for it; for so it
may be read: Is not this it in which my lord drinketh (as
having a particular fondness for it), and for which he would
search thoroughly?
II. How they pleaded for themselves. They
solemnly protested their innocence, and detestation of so base a
thing (
III. How the theft was fastened upon Benjamin. In his sack the cup was found to whom Joseph had been particularly kind. Benjamin, no doubt, was ready to deny, upon oath, the taking of the cup, and we may suppose him as little liable to suspicion as any of them; but it is in vain to confront such notorious evidence: the cup is found in his custody; they dare not arraign Joseph's justice, nor so much as suggest that perhaps he that had put their money in their sacks' mouths had put the cup there; but they throw themselves upon Joseph's mercy. And,
IV. Here is their humble submission,
V. Joseph, with an air of justice, gives sentence that Benjamin only should be kept in bondage, and the rest should be dismissed; for why should any suffer but the guilty? Perhaps Joseph intended hereby to try Benjamin's temper, whether he could bear such a hardship as this with the calmness and composure of mind that became a wise and good man: in short, whether he was indeed his own brother, in spirit as well as blood; for Joseph himself had been falsely accused, and had suffered hard things in consequence, and yet kept possession of his own soul. However, it is plain he intended hereby to try the affection of his brethren to Benjamin and to their father. If they had gone away contentedly, and left Benjamin in bonds, no doubt Joseph would soon have released and promoted him, and sent notice to Jacob, and would have left the rest of his brethren justly to suffer for their hard-heartedness; but they proved to be better affected to Benjamin than he feared. Note, We cannot judge what men are by what they have been formerly, nor what they will do by what they have done: age and experience may make men wiser and better. Those that had sold Joseph would not now abandon Benjamin. The worst may mend in time.
18 Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh
my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's
ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou
art even as Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked his servants,
saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? 20 And we said unto
my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age,
a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his
mother, and his father loveth him. 21 And thou saidst unto
thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon
him. 22 And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his
father: for if he should leave his father, his father
would die. 23 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your
youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.
24 And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my
father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And our father
said, Go again, and buy us a little food. 26 And we
said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then
will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our
youngest brother be with us. 27 And thy servant my
father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:
28 And the one went
We have here a most ingenious and pathetic speech which Judah made to Joseph on Benjamin's behalf, to obtain his discharge from the sentence passed upon him. Perhaps Judah was a better friend to Benjamin than the rest were, and more solicitous to bring him off; or he thought himself under greater obligations to attempt it than the rest, because he had passed his word to his father for his safe return; or the rest chose him for their spokesman, because he was a man of better sense, and better spirit, and had a greater command of language than any of them. His address, as it is here recorded, is so very natural and so expressive of his present feelings that we cannot but suppose Moses, who wrote it so long after, to have written it under the special direction of him that made man's mouth.
I. A great deal of unaffected art, and
unstudied unforced rhetoric, there is in this speech. 1. He
addresses himself to Joseph with a great deal of respect and
deference, calls him his lord, himself and his brethren his
servants, begs his patient hearing, and ascribes sovereign
authority to him: "Thou art even as Pharaoh, one whose
favour we desire and whose wrath we dread as we do Pharaoh's."
Religion does not destroy good manners, and it is prudence to speak
respectfully to those at whose mercy we lie: titles of honour to
those that are entitled to them are not flattering titles. 2. He
represented Benjamin as one well worthy of his compassionate
consideration (
Now, had Joseph been, as Judah supposed him, an utter stranger to the family, yet even common humanity could not but be wrought upon by such powerful reasonings as these; for nothing could be said more moving, more tender; it was enough to melt a heart of stone. But to Joseph, who was nearer akin to Benjamin than Judah himself was, and who, at this time, felt a greater affection both for him and his aged father than Judah did, nothing could be more pleasingly nor more happily said. Neither Jacob nor Benjamin needed an intercessor with Joseph; for he himself loved them.
II. Upon the whole matter let us take
notice, 1. How prudently Judah suppressed all mention of the crime
that was charged upon Benjamin. Had he said any thing by way of
acknowledgment of it, he would have reflected on Benjamin's
honesty, and seemed too forward to suspect that; had he said any
thing by way of denial of it, he would have reflected on Joseph's
justice, and the sentence he had passed: therefore he wholly waives
that head, and appeals to Joseph's pity. Compare with this that of
Job, in humbling himself before God (
It is a pity that this chapter and the foregoing
should be parted, and read asunder. There we had Judah's
intercession for Benjamin, with which, we may suppose, the rest of
his brethren signified their concurrence; Joseph let him go on
without interruption, heard all he had to say, and then answered it
all in one word, "I am Joseph." Now he found his brethren humbled
for their sins, mindful of himself (for Judah had mentioned him
twice in his speech), respectful to their father, and very tender
of their brother Benjamin; now they were ripe for the comfort he
designed them, by making himself known to them, the story of which
we have in this chapter. It was to Joseph's brethren as clear
shining after rain, nay, it was to them as life from the dead. Here
is, I. Joseph's discovery of himself to his brethren, and his
discourse with them upon that occasion,
1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before
all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out
from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself
known unto his brethren. 2 And he wept aloud: and the
Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. 3 And Joseph said
unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And
his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his
presence. 4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to
me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph
your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5 Now therefore be
not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for
God did send me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two
years hath the famine been in the land: and yet
there are five years, in the which there shall
neither be earing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me
before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save
your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was
not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a
father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler
throughout all the land of Egypt. 9 Haste ye, and go up to
my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath
made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: 10
And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near
unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and
thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: 11 And
there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of
famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come
to poverty. 12 And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of
my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto
you. 13 And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in
Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring
Judah and his brethren were waiting for an answer, and could not but be amazed to discover, instead of the gravity of a judge, the natural affection of a father or brother.
I. Joseph ordered all his attendants to
withdraw,
II. Tears were the preface or introduction
to his discourse,
III. He very abruptly (as one uneasy till
it was out) tells them who he was: I am Joseph. They knew
him only by his Egyptian name, Zaphnath-paaneah, his Hebrew
name being lost and forgotten in Egypt; but now he teaches them to
call him by that: I am Joseph; nay, that they might not
suspect it was another of the same name, he explains himself
(
IV. He endeavours to assuage their grief
for the injuries they had done him, by showing them that whatever
they designed God meant it for good, and had brought much good out
of it (
V. He promises to take care of his father
and all the family during the rest of the years of famine. 1. He
desires that his father may speedily be made glad with the tidings
of his life and dignity. His brethren must hasten to Canaan, and
must inform Jacob that his son Joseph was lord of all Egypt;
(
VI. Endearments were interchanged between
him and his brethren. He began with the youngest, his own brother
Benjamin, who was but about a year old when Joseph was separated
from his brethren; they wept on each other's neck (
16 And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. 17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; 18 And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. 19 Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 20 Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. 21 And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. 22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. 23 And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way. 24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.
Here is, 1. The kindness of Pharaoh to
Joseph, and to his relations for his sake: he bade his brethren
welcome (
II. The kindness of Joseph to his father
and brethren. Pharaoh was respectful to Joseph, in gratitude,
because he had been an instrument of much good to him and his
kingdom, not only preserving it from the common calamity, but
helping to make it considerable among the nations; for all their
neighbours would say, "Surely the Egyptians are a wise and an
understanding people, that are so well stocked in a time of
scarcity." For this reason Pharaoh never thought any thing too much
that he could do for Joseph. Note, There is a gratitude owing even
to inferiors; and when any have shown us kindness we should study
to requite it, not only to them, but to their relations. And Joseph
likewise was respectful to his father and brethren in duty, because
they were his near relations, though his brethren had been his
enemies, and his father long a stranger. 1. He furnished them for
necessity,
25 And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, 26 And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not. 27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: 28 And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.
We have here the good news brought to
Jacob. 1. The relation of it, at first, sunk his spirits. When,
without any preamble, his sons came in, crying, Joseph is yet
alive, each striving which should first proclaim it, perhaps he
thought they bantered him, and the affront grieved him; or the very
mention of Joseph's name revived his sorrow, so that his heart
fainted,
Jacob is here removing to Egypt in his old age,
forced thither by a famine, and invited thither by a son. Here, I.
God sends him thither,
1 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. 3 And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: 4 I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.
The divine precept is, In all thy ways acknowledge God; and the promise annexed to it is, He shall direct thy paths. Jacob has here a very great concern before him, not only a journey, but a removal, to settle in another country, a change which was very surprising to him (for he never had any other thoughts than to live and die in Canaan), and which would be of great consequence to his family for a long time to come. Now here we are told,
I. How he acknowledged God in this way. He
came to Beersheba, from Hebron, where he now dwelt; and
there he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac,
II. How God directed his paths: In the
visions of the night (probably the very next night after he had
offered his sacrifices, as
1. He renews the covenant with him: I am
God, the God of thy father (
2. He encourages him to make this removal
of his family: Fear not to go down into Egypt. It seems,
though Jacob, upon the first intelligence of Joseph's life and
glory in Egypt, resolved, without any hesitation, I will go and
see him; yet, upon second thoughts, he saw some difficulties in
it, which
3. He promises him comfort in the removal.
(1.) That he should multiply in Egypt: "I will there, where
thou fearest that thy family will sink and be lost, make it a
great nation. That is the place Infinite Wisdom has chosen for
the accomplishment of that promise." (2.) That he should have God's
presence with him: I will go down with thee into Egypt.
Note, Those that go whither God sends them shall certainly have God
with them, and that is enough to secure them wherever they are and
to silence their fears; we may safely venture even into Egypt if
God go down with us. (3.) That neither he nor his should be lost in
Egypt: I will surely bring thee up again. Though Jacob died
in Egypt, yet this promise was fulfilled, [1.] In the bringing up
of his body, to be buried in Canaan, about which, it appears, he
was very solicitous,
5 And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: and the
sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones,
and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
6 And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they
had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and
all his seed with him: 7 His sons, and his sons' sons with
him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed
brought he with him into Egypt. 8 And these are the
names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and
his sons: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn. 9 And the sons of
Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. 10 And
the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and
Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. 11 And the
sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 And the sons
of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zerah: but Er
and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were
Hezron and Hamul. 13 And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and
Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron. 14 And the sons of Zebulun;
Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These be the sons of
Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padan-aram, with his daughter
Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were
thirty and three. 16 And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and
Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. 17 And
the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and
Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.
18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to
Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even
sixteen souls. 19 The sons of Rachel Jacob's wife; Joseph,
and Benjamin. 20 And unto Joseph in
Old Jacob is here flitting. Little did he
think of ever leaving Canaan; he expected, no doubt, to die in
his nest, and to leave his seed in actual possession of the
promised land: but Providence orders it otherwise. Note, Those that
think themselves well settled may yet be unsettled in a little
time. Even old people, who think of no other removal than that to
the grave (which Jacob had much upon his heart,
28 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to
direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.
29 And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet
Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and
he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. 30
And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy
face, because thou art yet alive. 31 And Joseph said
unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and
show Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house,
which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;
32 And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to
feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds,
and all that they have. 33 And it shall come to pass, when
Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your
occupation? 34 That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath
been
We have here, I. The joyful meeting between Jacob and his son Joseph, in which observe,
1. Jacob's prudence in sending Judah before
him to Joseph, to give him notice of his arrival in Goshen. This
was a piece of respect owing to the government, under the
protection of which these strangers had come to put themselves,
2. Joseph's filial respect to him. He went in his chariot to met him, and, in the interview, showed, (1.) How much he honoured him: He presented himself unto him. Note, It is the duty of children to reverence their parents, yea, though Providence, as to outward condition, has advanced them above their parents. (2.) How much he loved him. Time did not wear out the sense of his obligations, but his tears which he shed abundantly upon his father's neck, for joy to see him, were real indications of the sincere and strong affection he had for him. See how near sorrow and joy are to each other in this world, when tears serve for the expression of both. In the other world weeping will be restrained to sorrow only; in heaven there is perfect joy, but no tears of joy: all tears, even those, shall there be wiped away, because the joys there are, as no joys are here, without any alloy. When Joseph embraced Benjamin he wept upon his neck, but when he embraced his father he wept upon his neck a good while; his brother Benjamin was dear, but his father Jacob must be dearer.
3. Jacob's great satisfaction in this
meeting: Now let me die,
II. Joseph's prudent care concerning his
brethren's settlement. It was justice to Pharaoh to let him know
that such a colony had come to settle in his dominions. Note, If
others repose a confidence in us, we must not be so base and
disingenuous as to abuse it by imposing upon them. If Jacob and his
family should come to be a charge to the Egyptians, yet it should
never be said that they came among them clandestinely and by
stealth. Thus Joseph took care to pay his respects to Pharaoh,
In this chapter we have instances, I. Of Joseph's
kindness and affection to his relations, presenting his brethren
first and then his father to Pharaoh (
1 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said,
My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and
all that they have,
Here is, I. The respect which Joseph, as a
subject, showed to his prince. Though he was his favourite, and
prime-minister of state, and had had particular orders from him to
send for his father down to Egypt, yet he would not suffer him to
settle till he had given notice of it to Pharaoh,
II. The respect which Joseph, as a brother, showed to his brethren, notwithstanding all the unkindness he had formerly received from them.
1. Though he was a great man, and they were comparatively mean and despicable, especially in Egypt, yet he owned them. Let those that are rich and great in the world learn hence not to overlook nor despise their poor relations. Every branch of the tree is not a top branch; but, because it is a lower branch, is it therefore not of the tree? Our Lord Jesus, like Joseph here, is not ashamed to call us brethren.
2. They being strangers and no courtiers,
he introduced some of them to Pharaoh, to kiss his hand, as
we say, intending thereby to put an honour upon them among the
Egyptians. Thus Christ presents his brethren in the court of
heaven, and improves his interest for them, though in themselves
unworthy and an abomination to the Egyptians. Being
presented to Pharaoh, according to the instructions which Joseph
had given them, they tell him, (1.) What was their business—that
they were shepherds,
3. He obtained for them a grant of a
settlement in the land of Goshen,
III. The respect Joseph, as a son, showed to his father.
1. He presented him to Pharaoh,
(1.) Pharaoh asks Jacob a common question:
How old art thou?
(2.) Jacob gives Pharaoh an uncommon
answer,
(3.) Jacob both addresses himself to
Pharaoh and takes leave of him with a blessing (
2. He provided well for him and his,
placed him in Goshen (
13 And there was no bread in all the
land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of
Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the
famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was
found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn
which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's
house. 15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in
the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said,
Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money
faileth. 16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will
give you for your cattle, if money fail. 17 And they brought
their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in
exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of
the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all
their cattle for that year. 18 When that year was ended,
they came
Care being taken of Jacob and his family, the preservation of which was especially designed by Providence in Joseph's advancement, an account is now given of the saving of the kingdom of Egypt too from ruin; for God is King of nations as well as King of saints, and provideth food for all flesh. Joseph now returns to the management of that great trust which Pharaoh had lodged in his hand. It would have been pleasing enough to him to have gone and lived with his father and brethren in Goshen; but his employment would not permit it. When he had seen his father, and seen him well settled, he applied himself as closely as ever to the execution of his office. Note, Even natural affection must give way to necessary business. Parents and children must be content to be absent one from another, when it is necessary, on either side, for the service of God or their generation. In Joseph's transactions with the Egyptians observe,
I. The great extremity that Egypt, and the
parts adjacent, were reduced to by the famine. There was no bread,
and they fainted (
II. The price they had come up to, for
their supply, in this exigency. 1. They parted with all their money
which they had hoarded up,
III. The method which Joseph took to
accommodate the matter between prince and people, so that the
prince might have his just advantage, and yet the people not be
quite ruined. 1. For their lands, he needed not come to any bargain
with them while the years of famine lasted; but when these were
over (for God will not contend for ever, nor will he be always
wroth) he came to an agreement, which it seems both sides were
pleased with, that the people should occupy and enjoy the lands, as
he thought fit to assign them, and should have seed to sow them
with out of the king's stores, for their own proper use and behoof,
yielding and paying only a fifth part of the yearly profits as a
chief rent to the crown. This became a standing law,
IV. The reservation he made in favour of
the priests. They were maintained on free cost, so that they needed
not to sell their lands,
27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was a hundred forty and seven years. 29 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: 30 But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. 31 And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.
Observe, 1. The comfort Jacob lived in
(
The time drawing nigh that Israel must die,
having, in the former chapter, given order about his burial, in
this he takes leave of his grand-children by Joseph, and in the
next of all his children. Thus Jacob's dying words are recorded,
because he then spoke by a spirit of prophecy; Abraham's and
Isaac's are not. God's gifts and graces shine forth much more in
some saints than in others upon their death-beds. The Spirit, like
the wind, blows where it listeth. In this chapter, I. Joseph,
hearing of his father's sickness, goes to visit him, and takes his
two sons with him,
1 And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. 3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession. 5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance. 7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Beth-lehem.
Here, I. Joseph, upon notice of his
father's illness, goes to see him; though a man of honour and
business, yet he will not fail to show this due respect to his aged
father,
II. Jacob, upon notice of his son's visit,
prepared himself as well as he could to entertain him,
III. In recompence to Joseph for all his
attentions to him, he adopted his two sons. In this charter of
adoption there is, 1. A particular recital of God's promise to him,
to which this had reference: "God blessed me (
8 And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who
are these? 9 And Joseph said unto his father, They
are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place.
And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless
them. 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so
that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and
he kissed them, and embraced them. 11 And Israel said unto
Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath showed
me also thy seed. 12 And Joseph brought them out from
between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his
Here is, I. The blessing with which Jacob
blessed the two sons of Joseph, which is the more remarkable
because the apostle makes such particular mention of it (
1. Jacob was blind for age,
2. Jacob was very fond of Joseph's sons:
He kissed them and embraced them,
3. Before he entails his blessing, he
recounts his experiences of God's goodness to him. He had spoken
(
4. When he confers the blessing and name of
Abraham and Isaac upon them he recommends the pattern and example
of Abraham and Isaac to them,
5. In blessing them, he crossed
hands. Joseph placed them so as that Jacob's right hand should
be put on the head of Manasseh the elder,
II. The particular tokens of his favour to
Joseph. 1. He left with him the promise of their return out of
Egypt, as a sacred trust: I die, but God shall be with you, and
bring you again,
This chapter is a prophecy; the likest to it we
have yet met with was that of Noah,
1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said,
Gather yourselves
Here is, I. The preface to the prophecy, in
which, 1. The congregation is called together (
II. The prophecy concerning Reuben. He
begins with him (
5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. 6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
These were next in age to Reuben, and they
also had been a grief and shame to Jacob, when they treacherously
and barbarously destroyed the Shechemites, which he here remembers
against them. Children should be afraid of incurring their parents'
just displeasure, lest they fare the worse for it long afterwards,
and, when they would inherit the blessing, be rejected. Observe, 1.
The character of Simeon and Levi: they were brethren in
disposition; but, unlike their father, they were passionate and
revengeful, fierce and uncontrollable; their swords, which should
have been only weapons of defence, were (as the margin reads it,
8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. 9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. 11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: 12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
Glorious things are here said of Judah. The
mention of the crimes of the three elder
13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea;
and he shall be for a haven of ships; and his border
shall be unto Zidon. 14 Issachar is a strong
ass couching down between two burdens: 15 And he saw that
rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant;
Here we have Jacob's prophecy concerning six of his sons.
I. Concerning Zebulun (
II. Concerning Issachar,
III. Concerning Dan,
Thus was Jacob going on with his discourse;
but now, being almost spent with speaking, and ready to faint and
die away, he relieves himself with those words which come in as a
parenthesis (
IV. Concerning Gad,
V. Concerning Asher (
VI. Concerning Naphtali (
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: 23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: 24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) 25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: 26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. 27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
He closes with the blessings of his best beloved sons, Joseph and Benjamin; with these he will breathe his last.
I. The blessing of Joseph, which is very
large and full. He is compared (
1. The providences of God concerning
Joseph,
2. The promises of God to Joseph. See how
these are connected with the former: Even by the God of thy
father Jacob, who shall help thee,
II. The blessing of Benjamin (
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them. 29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. 32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth. 33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.
Here is, I. The summing up of the blessings
of Jacob's sons,
II. The solemn charge Jacob gave them
concerning his burial, which is a repetition of what he had before
given to Joseph. See how he speaks of death, now that he is dying:
I am to be gathered unto my people,
III. The death of Jacob,
Here is, I. The preparation for Jacob's funeral,
1 And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days. 4 And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 5 My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. 6 And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.
Joseph is here paying his last respects to
his deceased father. 1. With tears and kisses, and all the tender
expressions of a filial affection, he takes leave of the deserted
body,
7 And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company. 10 And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days. 11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abel-mizraim, which is beyond Jordan. 12 And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them: 13 For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre. 14 And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.
We have here an account of Jacob's funeral.
Of the funerals of the kings of Judah, usually, no more is said
than this, They were buried with their fathers in the city of
David: but the funeral of the patriarch Jacob is more largely
and fully described, to show how much better God was to him than he
expected (he had spoken more than once of dying for grief, and
going to the grave bereaved of his children, but, behold, he dies
in honour, and is followed to the grave by all his children), and
also because his orders concerning his burial were given and
observed in faith, and in expectation both of the earthly and of
the heavenly Canaan. Now, 1. It was a stately funeral. He was
attended to the grave, not only by his own family, but by the
courtiers, and all the great men of the kingdom, who, in token of
their gratitude to Joseph, showed this respect to his father for
his sake, and did him honour at his death. Though the Egyptians had
had an antipathy to the Hebrews, and had looked upon them with
disdain (
15 And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. 16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. 18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. 19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
We have here the settling of a good
correspondence between Joseph and his brethren, now that their
father was dead. Joseph was at court, in the royal city; his
brethren were in Goshen, remote in the
I. Joseph's brethren humbly make their
court to him for his favour. 1. They began to be jealous of Joseph,
not that he had given them any cause to be so, but the
consciousness of guilt, and of their own inability in such a case
to forgive and forget, made them suspicious of the sincerity and
constancy of Joseph's favour (
II. Joseph, with a great deal of
compassion, confirms his reconciliation and affection to them; his
compassion appears,
22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years. 23 And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's knees. 24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. 26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
Here is, I. The prolonging of Joseph's life
in Egypt: he lived to be a hundred and ten years old,
II. The building up of Joseph's family: he
lived to see his great-grand-children by both his sons (
III. The last will and testament of Joseph
published in the presence of his brethren, when he saw his death
approaching. Those that were properly his brethren perhaps were
some of them dead before him, as several of them were older than
he; but to those of them who yet survived, and to the sons of those
who were gone, who stood up in their fathers' stead, he said this.
1. He comforted them with the assurance of their return to Canaan
in due time: I die, but God will surely visit you,
IV. The death of Joseph, and the
reservation of his body for a burial in Canaan,
AN
Moses (the
servant of the Lord in writing for him as well as in acting
for him—with the pen of God as well as with the rod of God in his
hand) having, in the first book of his history, preserved and
transmitted the records of the church, while it existed in private
families, comes, in this second book, to give us an account of its
growth into a great nation; and, as the former furnishes us with
the best economics, so this with the best politics. The beginning
of the former book shows us how God formed the world for himself;
the beginning of this shows us how he formed Israel for himself,
and both to show forth his praise,
We have here, I. God's kindness to Israel, in
multiplying them exceedingly, (
1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob. 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. 6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. 7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
In these verses we have, 1. A recital of
the names of the twelve patriarchs, as they are called,
8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. 9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. 11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. 13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.
The land of Egypt here, at length, becomes to Israel a house of bondage, though hitherto it had been a happy shelter and settlement for them. Note, The place of our satisfaction may soon become the place of our affliction, and that may prove the greatest cross to us of which we said, This same shall comfort us. Those may prove our sworn enemies whose parents were our faithful friends; nay, the same persons that loved us may possibly turn to hate us: therefore cease from man, and say not concerning any place on this side heaven, This is my rest for ever. Observe here,
I. The obligations they lay under to Israel
upon Joseph's account were forgotten: There arose a new
king, after several successions in Joseph's time, who knew
not Joseph,
II. Reasons of state were suggested for
their dealing hardly with Israel,
III. The method they took to suppress them,
and check their growth,
IV. The wonderful increase of the
Israelites, notwithstanding the oppressions they groaned under
(
15 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew
midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the
name of the other Puah: 16 And he said, When ye do the
office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon
the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if
it be a daughter, then she shall live. 17 But the
midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded
them, but saved the men children alive. 18 And the king of
Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done
this thing, and have saved the men children alive? 19 And
the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are
not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are
delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. 20 Therefore
God dealt well with the midwives:
The Egyptians' indignation at Israel's
increase, notwithstanding the many hardships they put upon them,
drove them at length to the most barbarous and inhuman methods of
suppressing them, by the murder of their children. It was strange
that they did not rather pick quarrels with the grown men, against
whom they might perhaps find some occasion: to be thus bloody
towards the infants, whom all must own to be innocents, was a sin
which they had to cloak for. Note, 1. There is more cruelty in the
corrupt heart of man than one would imagine,
I. The midwives were commanded to murder
them. Observe, 1. The orders given them,
II. When this project did not take effect,
Pharaoh gave public orders to all his people to drown all the male
children of the Hebrews,
This chapter begins the story of Moses, that man
of renown, famed for his intimate acquaintance with Heaven and his
eminent usefulness on earth, and the most remarkable type of
Christ, as a prophet, saviour, lawgiver, and mediator, in all the
Old Testament. The Jews have a book among them of the life of
Moses, which tells a great many stories concerning him, which we
have reason to think are mere fictions; what he has recorded
concerning himself is what we may rely upon, for we know that his
record is true; and it is what we may be satisfied with, for it is
what Infinite Wisdom thought fit to preserve and transmit to us. In
this chapter we have, I. The perils of his birth and infancy,
1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
Moses was a Levite, both by father and
mother. Jacob left Levi under marks of disgrace (
I. How he was hidden. It seems to have been
just at the time of his birth that the cruel law was made for the
murder of all the male children of the Hebrews; and many, no doubt,
perished by the execution of it. The parents of Moses had Miriam
and Aaron, both older than he, born to them before this edict came
out, and had nursed them without that peril: but those that begin
the world in peace know not what troubles they may meet with before
they have got through it. Probably the mother of Moses was full of
anxiety in the expectation of his birth, now that this edict was in
force, and was ready to say, Blessed are the barren that never
bore,
II. How he was exposed. At three months'
end, probably when the searchers came about to look for concealed
children, so that they could not hide him any longer (their faith
perhaps beginning now to fail), they put him in an ark of bulrushes
by the river's brink (
5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. 7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. 9 And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
Here is, I. Moses saved from perishing.
Come see the place where that great man lay when he was a little
child; he lay in a bulrush-basket by the river's side. Had he been
left to lie there, he must have perished in a little time with
hunger, if he had not been sooner washed into the river or devoured
by a crocodile. Had he fallen into any other hands than those he
did fall into, either they would not, or durst not, have done
otherwise than have thrown him straightway into the river; but
Providence brings no less a person thither than Pharaoh's daughter,
just at that juncture, guides her to the place where this poor
forlorn infant lay, and inclines her heart to pity it, which she
dares do when none else durst. Never did poor child cry so
seasonably, so happily, as this did: The babe wept, which
moved the compassion of the princess, as no doubt his beauty did,
II. Moses well provided with a good nurse,
no worse than his own dear mother,
III. Moses preferred to be the son of
Pharaoh's daughter (
IV. Moses named. The Jews tell us that his
father, at his circumcision, called him Joachim, but
Pharaoh's daughter called him Moses, Drawn out of the water,
so it signifies in the Egyptian language. The calling of the Jewish
lawgiver by an Egyptian name is a happy omen to the Gentile world,
and gives hopes of that day when it shall be said, Blessed be
Egypt my people,
11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? 14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. 15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
Moses had now passed the first forty years of his life in the court of Pharaoh, preparing himself for business; and now it was time for him to enter upon action, and,
I. He boldly owns and espouses the cause of
God's people: When Moses was grown he went out unto his
brethren, and looked on their burdens,
II. He gives a specimen of the great things
he was afterwards to do for God and his Israel in two little
instances, related particularly by Stephen (
1. Moses was afterwards to be employed in
plaguing the Egyptians for the wrongs they had done to God's
Israel; and, as a specimen of that, he killed the Egyptian who
smote the Hebrew (
2. Moses was afterwards to be employed in governing Israel, and as a specimen of this, we have him here trying to end a controversy between two Hebrews, in which he is forced (as he did afterwards for forty years) to suffer their manners. Observe here,
(1.) The unhappy quarrel which Moses
observed between two Hebrews,
(2.) The way he took of dealing with them;
he marked him that caused the division, that did the wrong, and
mildly reasoned with him: Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
The injurious Egyptian was killed, the injurious Hebrew was only
reprimanded; for what the former did was from a rooted malice, what
the latter did we may suppose was only upon a sudden provocation.
The wise God makes, and, according to his example, all wise
governors make, a difference between one offender and another,
according to the several qualities of the same offence. Moses
endeavoured to make them friends, a good office; thus we find
Christ often reproving his disciples' strifes (
(3.) The ill success of his attempt
(
(4.) The flight of Moses to Midian, in
consequence. The affront given him thus far proved a kindness to
him; it gave him to understand that his killing the Egyptian was
discovered, and so he had time to make his escape, otherwise the
wrath of Pharaoh might have surprised him and taken him off. Note,
God can overrule even the strife of tongues, so as, one way or
other, to bring good to his people out of it. Information was
brought to Pharaoh (and it is well if it was not brought by the
Hebrew himself whom Moses reproved) of his killing the Egyptian;
warrants are presently out for the apprehending of Moses, which
obliged him to shift for his own safety, by flying into the land of
Midian,
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. 17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day? 19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. 20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread. 21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. 22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.
Moses here gains a settlement in Midian,
just as his father Jacob had gained one in Syria,
I. Concerning the seven daughters of Reuel
the priest or prince of Midian. 1. They were humble, and very
industrious, according as the employment of the country was: they
drew water for their father's flock,
II. Concerning Moses. He was taken for an
Egyptian (
23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
Here is, 1. The continuance of the
Israelites' bondage in Egypt,
As prophecy had ceased for many ages before the
coming of Christ, that the revival and perfection of it in that
great prophet might be the more remarkable, so vision had ceased
(for aught that appears) among the patriarchs for some ages before
the coming of Moses, that God's appearances to him for Israel's
salvation might be the more welcome; and in this chapter we have
God's first appearance to him in the bush and the conference
between God and Moses in that vision. Here is, I. The discovery God
was pleased to make of his glory to Moses at the bush, to which
Moses was forbidden to approach too near,
1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
The years of the life of Moses are remarkably divided into three forties: the first forty he spent as a prince in Pharaoh's court, the second a shepherd in Midian, the third a king in Jeshurun; so changeable is the life of men, especially the life of good men. He had now finished his second forty, when he received his commission to bring Israel out of Egypt. Note, Sometimes it is long before God calls his servants out of that work which of old he designed them for, and has been graciously preparing them for. Moses was born to be Israel's deliverer, and yet not a word is said of it to him till he is eighty years of age. Now observe,
I. How this appearance of God to him found
him employed. He was keeping the flock (tending sheep) near mount
Horeb,
II. What the appearance was. To his great
surprise he saw a bush burning, when he perceived no fire either
from earth or heaven to kindle it, and, which was more strange, it
did not consume,
III. The curiosity Moses had to enquire
into this extraordinary sight: I will turn aside and see,
IV. The invitation he had to draw near, yet with a caution not to come too near, nor rashly.
1. God gave him a gracious call, to which
he returned a ready answer,
2. God gave him a needful caution against
rashness and irreverence in his approach, (1.) He must keep his
distance; draw near, but not too near; so near as to hear, but not
so near as to pry. His conscience must be satisfied, but not his
curiosity; and care must be taken that familiarity do not breed
contempt. Note, In all our approaches to God, we ought to be deeply
affected with the infinite distance there is between us and God,
V. The solemn declaration God made of his
name, by which he would be known to Moses: I am the God of thy
father,
VI. The solemn impression this made upon Moses: He hid his face, as one both ashamed and afraid to look upon God. Now that he knew it was a divine light his eyes were dazzled with it; he was not afraid of a burning bush till he perceived that God was in it. Yea, though God called himself the God of his father, and a God in covenant with him, yet he was afraid. Note, 1. The more we see of God the more cause we shall see to worship him with reverence and godly fear. 2. Even the manifestations of God's grace and covenant-love should increase our humble reverence of him.
7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
Now that Moses had put off his shoes (for,
no doubt, he observed the orders given him,
Here is, I. The notice God takes of the
afflictions of Israel (
II. The promise God makes of their speedy
deliverance and enlargement: I have come down to deliver
them,
III. The commission he gives to Moses in
order hereunto,
11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? 12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. 13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
God, having spoken to Moses, allows him also a liberty of speech, which he here improves; and,
I. He objects his own insufficiency for the
service he was called to (
II. God answers this objection,
III. He begs instructions for the executing
of his commission, and has them, thoroughly to furnish him. He
desires to know by what name God would at this time make himself
known,
1. He supposes the children of Israel would ask him, What is his name? This they would ask either, (1.) To perplex Moses: he foresaw difficulty, not only in dealing with Pharaoh, to make him willing to part with them, but in dealing with them, to make them willing to remove. They would be scrupulous and apt to cavil, would bid him produce his commission, and probably this would be the trial: "Does he know the name of God? Has he the watch-word?" Once he was asked, Who made thee a judge? Then he had not his answer ready, and he would not be nonplussed so again, but would be able to tell in whose name he came. Or, (2.) For their own information. It is to be feared that they had grown very ignorant in Egypt, by reason of their hard bondage, want of teachers, and loss of the sabbath, so that they needed to be told the first principles of the oracles of God. Or this question, What is his name? amounted to an enquiry into the nature of the dispensation they were now to expect: "How will God in it be known to us, and what may we depend upon from him?"
2. He desires instructions what answer to
give them: "What shall I say to them? What name shall I
vouch to them for the proof of my authority? I must have something
great and extraordinary to say to them; what must it be? If I must
go, let me have full instructions, that I may not run in vain."
Note, (1.) It highly concerns those who speak to people in the name
of God to be well prepared beforehand. (2.) Those who would know
what to say must go to God, to the word of his grace and to the
throne of his grace, for instructions,
IV. God readily gives him full instructions in this matter. Two names God would now be known by:—
1. A name that denotes what he is in
himself (
2. A name that denotes what he is to his
people. Lest that name I AM should amuse and puzzle them, he
is further directed to make use of another name of God more
familiar and intelligible: The Lord God of your fathers hath
sent me unto you (
16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: 17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. 18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. 20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: 22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.
Moses is here more particularly instructed
in his work, and informed beforehand of his success. 1. He must
deal with the elders of Israel, and raise their expectation of a
speedy removal to Canaan,
This chapter, I. Continues and concludes God's
discourse with Moses at the bush concerning this great affair of
bringing Israel out of Egypt. 1. Moses objects the people's
unbelief (
1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. 2 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: 5 That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. 6 And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. 7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. 8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
It was a very great honour that Moses was called to when God commissioned him to bring Israel out of Egypt; yet he is with difficulty persuaded to accept the commission, and does it at last with great reluctance, which we should rather impute to a humble diffidence of himself and his own sufficiency than to any unbelieving distrust of God and his word and power. Note, Those whom God designs for preferment he clothes with humility; the most fit for service are the least forward.
I. Moses objects that in all probability
the people would not hearken to his voice (
II. God empowers him to work miracles,
directs him to three particularly, two of which were now
immediately wrought for his own satisfaction. Note, True miracles
are the most convincing external proofs of a divine mission
attested by them. Therefore our Saviour often appealed to his works
(as
1. The rod in his hand is made the subject
of a miracle, a double miracle: it is but thrown out of his hand
and it becomes a serpent; he resumes it and it becomes a rod again,
2. His hand itself is next made the subject
of a miracle. He puts it once into his bosom, and takes it out
leprous; he puts it again into the same place, and takes it out
well,
3. He is directed, when he shall come to
Egypt, to turn some of the water of the river into blood,
10 And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. 11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. 13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. 14 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. 15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. 16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. 17 And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.
Moses still continues backward to the service for which God had designed him, even to a fault; for now we can no longer impute it to his humility and modesty, but must own that here was too much of cowardice, slothfulness, and unbelief in it. Observe here,
I. How Moses endeavours to excuse himself from the work.
1. He pleads that he was no good spokesman:
O my Lord! I am not eloquent,
2. When this plea was overruled, and all
his excuses were answered, he begged that God would send somebody
else on this errand and leave him to keep sheep in Midian
(
II. How God condescends to answer all his
excuses. Though the anger of the Lord was kindled against
him (
1. To balance the weakness of Moses, he
here reminds him of his own power,
2. To encourage him in this great
undertaking, he repeats the promise of his presence, not only in
general, I will be with thee (
3. He joins Aaron in commission with him.
He promises that Aaron shall meet him opportunely, and that he will
be glad to see him, they having not seen one another (it is likely)
for many years,
4. He bids him take the rod with him in his
hand (
18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. 19 And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. 20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. 21 And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. 22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
Here, I. Moses obtains leave of his
father-in-law to return into Egypt,
II. He receives from God further
encouragements and directions in his work. After God had appeared
to him in the bush to settle a correspondence, it should seem, he
often spoke to him, as there was occasion, with less overwhelming
solemnity. And, 1. He assures Moses that the coasts were clear.
Whatever new enemies he might make by his undertaking, his old
enemies were all dead, all that sought his life,
III. Moses addresses himself to this
expedition. When God had assured him (
24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. 26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. 27 And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him. 28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him. 29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: 30 And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Moses is here going to Egypt, and we are told,
I. How God met him in anger,
1. The sin of Moses, which was neglecting
to circumcise his son. This was probably the effect of his being
unequally yoked with a Midianite, who was too indulgent of her
child, while Moses was too indulgent of her. Note, (1.) We have
need to watch carefully over our own hearts, lest fondness for any
relation prevail above our love to God, and take us off from our
duty to him. It is charged upon Eli that he honoured his sons
more than God (
2. God's displeasure against him. He met him, and, probably by a sword in an angel's hand, sought to kill him. This was a great change; very lately God was conversing with him, and lodging a trust in him, as a friend; and now he is coming forth against him as an enemy. Note, (1.) Omissions are sins, and must come into judgment, and particularly the contempt and neglect of the seals of the covenant; for it is a sign that we undervalue the promises of the covenant, and are displeased with the conditions of it. He that has made a bargain, and is not willing to seal and ratify it, one may justly suspect, neither likes it nor designs to stand to it. (2.) God takes notice of, and is much displeased with, the sins of his own people. If they neglect their duty, let them expect to hear of it by their consciences, and perhaps to feel from it by cross providences: for this cause many are sick and weak, as some think Moses was here.
3. The speedy performance of the duty for the neglect of which God had now a controversy with him. His son must be circumcised; Moses is unable to circumcise him; therefore, in this case of necessity, Zipporah does it, whether with passionate words (expressing her dislike of the ordinance itself, or at least the administration of it to so young a child, and in a journey), as to me it seems, or with proper words—solemnly expressing the espousal of the child to God by the covenant of circumcision (as some read it) or her thankfulness to God for sparing her husband, giving him a new life, and thereby giving her, as it were, a new marriage to him, upon her circumcising her son (as others read it)—I cannot determine: but we learn, (1.) That when God discovers to us what is amiss in our lives we must give all diligence to amend it speedily, and particularly return to the duties we have neglected. (2.) The putting away of our sins is indispensably necessary to the removal of God's judgements. This is the voice of every rod, it calls to us to return to him that smites us.
4. The release of Moses thereupon: So he let him go; the distemper went off, the destroying angel withdrew, and all was well: only Zipporah cannot forget the fright she was in, but will unreasonably call Moses a bloody husband, because he obliged her to circumcise the child; and, upon this occasion (it is probable), he sent them back to his father-in-law, that they might not create him any further uneasiness. Note, (1.) When we return to God in a way of duty he will return to us in a way of mercy; take away the cause, and the effect will cease. (2.) We must resolve to bear it patiently, if our zeal for God and his institutions be misinterpreted and discouraged by some that should understand themselves, and us, and their duty, better, as David's zeal was misinterpreted by Michal; but if this be to be vile, if this be to be bloody, we must be yet more so. (3.) When we have any special service to do for God we should remove as far from us as we can that which is likely to be our hindrance. Let the dead bury their dead, but follow thou me.
II. How Aaron met him in love,
III. How the elders of Israel met him in
faith and obedience. When Moses and Aaron first opened their
commission in Egypt, said what they were ordered to say, and, to
confirm it, did what they were ordered to do, they met with a
better reception than they promised themselves,
Moses and Aaron are here dealing with Pharaoh, to
get leave of him to go and worship in the wilderness. I. They
demand leave in the name of God (
1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. 2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.
Moses and Aaron, having delivered their message to the elders of Israel, with whom they found good acceptance, are now to deal with Pharaoh, to whom they come in peril of their lives—Moses particularly, who perhaps was out-lawed for killing the Egyptian forty years before, so that if any of the old courtiers should happen to remember that against him now it might cost him his head. Their message itself was displeasing, and touch Pharaoh both in his honour and in his profit, two tender points; yet these faithful ambassadors boldly deliver it, whether he will hear or whether he will forbear.
I. Their demand is piously bold: Thus
saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go,
II. Pharaoh's answer is impiously bold:
Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?
3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. 4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. 5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. 6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, 7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. 9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.
Finding that Pharaoh had no veneration at all for God, Moses and Aaron next try whether he had any compassion for Israel, and become humble suitors to him for leave to go and sacrifice, but in vain.
I. Their request is very humble and modest,
II. Pharaoh's denial of their request is
very barbarous and unreasonable,
1. His suggestions were very unreasonable.
(1.) That the people were idle, and that therefore they talked of
going to sacrifice. The cities they built for Pharaoh, and the
other fruit of their labours, were witnesses for them that they
were not idle; yet he thus basely misrepresents them, that he might
have a pretence to increase their burdens. (2.) That Moses and
Aaron made them idle with vain words,
2. His resolutions hereupon were most
barbarous. (1.) Moses and Aaron themselves must get to their
burdens (
10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. 11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. 14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?
Pharaoh's orders are here put in execution;
straw is denied, and yet the work not diminished. 1. The Egyptian
task-masters were very severe. Pharaoh having decreed unrighteous
decrees, the task-masters were ready to write the grievousness that
he had prescribed,
15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? 16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. 17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord. 18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. 19 And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task. 20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: 21 And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. 22 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.
It was a great strait that the head-workmen
were in, when they must either abuse those that were under them or
be abused by those that were over them; yet, it should seem, rather
than they would tyrannize, they would be tyrannized over; and they
were so. In this evil case (
I. How justly they complained to Pharaoh:
They came and cried unto Pharaoh,
II. How unjustly they complained of Moses
and Aaron: The Lord look upon you, and judge,
Much ado there was to bring Moses to his work, and
when the ice was broken, some difficulty having occurred in
carrying it on, there was no less ado to put him forward in it.
Witness this chapter, in which, I. God satisfies Moses himself in
an answer to his complaints in the close of the foregoing chapter,
1 Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. 2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: 3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. 4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: 7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the Lord. 9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
Here, I. God silences Moses's complaints
with the assurance of success in this negotiation, repeating the
promise made him in
II. He gives him further instructions, that both he and the people of Israel might be encouraged to hope for a glorious issue of this affair. Take comfort,
1. From God's name, Jehovah,
2. From his covenant: I have established
my covenant,
3. From his compassions (
4. From his present resolutions,
5. From his gracious intentions in all
these, which were great, and worthy of him,
10 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 11 Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 12 And Moses spake before the Lord, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips? 13 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
Here, I. God sends Moses the second time to
Pharaoh (
II. Moses makes objections, as one
discouraged, and willing to give up the cause,
III. God again joins Aaron in commission
with Moses, and puts an end to the dispute by interposing his own
authority, and giving them both a solemn charge, upon their
allegiance to their great Lord, to execute it with all possible
expedition and fidelity. When Moses repeats his baffled arguments,
he shall be argued with no longer, but God gives him a charge, and
Aaron with him, both to the children of Israel and to Pharaoh,
14 These be the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel; Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuben. 15 And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon. 16 And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years. 17 The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families. 18 And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years. 19 And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations. 20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years. 21 And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri. 23 And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24 And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites. 25 And Eleazar Aaron's son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families. 26 These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the Lord said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies. 27 These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron. 28 And it came to pass on the day when the Lord spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 That the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I am the Lord: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee. 30 And Moses said before the Lord, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?
I. We have here a genealogy, not an endless
one, such as the apostle condemns (
II. In the close of the chapter Moses
returns to his narrative, from which he had broken off somewhat
abruptly (
In this chapter, I. The dispute between God and
Moses finishes, and Moses applies himself to the execution of his
commission, in obedience to God's command,
1 And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 2 Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. 3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. 6 And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them, so did they. 7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.
Here, I. God encourages Moses to go to
Pharaoh, and at last silences all his discouragements. 1. He
clothes him with great power and authority (
II. Moses and Aaron apply themselves to
their work without further objection: They did as the Lord
commanded them,
8 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. 10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. 13 And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.
The first time that Moses made his
application to Pharaoh, he produced his instructions only; now he
is directed to produce his credentials, and does accordingly. 1. It
is taken for granted that Pharaoh would challenge these demandants
to work a miracle, that, by a performance evidently above the power
of nature, they might prove their commission from the God of
nature. Pharaoh will say, Show a miracle; not with any
desire to be convinced, but with the hope that none will be
wrought, and then he would have some colour for his infidelity. 2.
Orders are therefore given to turn the rod into a serpent,
according to the instructions,
14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. 15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. 16 And thou shalt say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear. 17 Thus saith the Lord, In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. 18 And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river. 19 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone. 20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the Lord had said. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also. 24 And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. 25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that the Lord had smitten the river.
Here is the first of the ten plagues, the
turning of the water into blood, which was, 1. A dreadful plague,
and very grievous. The very sight of such vast rolling streams of
blood, pure blood no doubt, florid and high-colored, could not but
strike a horror upon people: much more afflictive were the
consequences of it. Nothing more common than water: so wisely has
Providence ordered it, and so kindly, that that which is so needful
and serviceable to the comfort of human life should be cheap, and
almost everywhere to be had; but now the Egyptians must either
drink blood, or die for thirst. Fish was much of their food
(
I. Moses is directed to give Pharaoh
warning of this plague. "Pharaoh's heart is hardened (
II. Aaron (who carried the mace) is
directed to summon the plague by smiting the river with his rod,
III. Pharaoh endeavours to confront the
miracle, because he resolves not to humble himself under the
plague. He sends for the magicians, and, by God's permission, they
ape the miracle with their enchantments (
IV. The Egyptians, in the meantime, are
seeking for relief against the plague, digging round about the
river for water to drink,
V. The plague continued seven days
(
Three more of the plagues of Egypt are related in
this chapter, I. That of the frogs, which is, 1. Threatened,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs: 3 And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs: 4 And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants. 5 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. 6 And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. 7 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. 8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the Lord, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord. 9 And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? 10 And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the Lord our God. 11 And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only. 12 And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the Lord because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields. 14 And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.
Pharaoh is here first threatened and then plagued with frogs, as afterwards, in this chapter, with lice and flies, little despicable inconsiderable animals, and yet by their vast numbers rendered sore plagues to the Egyptians. God could have plagued them with lions, or bears, or wolves, or with vultures or other birds of prey; but he chose to do it by these contemptible instruments. 1. That he might magnify his own power. He is Lord of the hosts of the whole creation, has them all at his beck, and makes what use he pleases of them. Some have thought that the power of God is shown as much in the making of an ant as in the making of an elephant; so is his providence in serving his own purposes by the least creatures as effectually as by the strongest, that the excellency of the power, in judgment as well as mercy, may be of God, and not of the creature. See what reason we have to stand in awe of this God, who, when he pleases, can arm the smallest parts of the creation against us. If God be our enemy, all the creatures are at war with us. 2. That he might humble Pharaoh's pride, and chastise his insolence. What a mortification must it needs be to this haughty monarch to see himself brought to his knees, and forced to submit, by such despicable means! Every child is, ordinarily, able to deal with those invaders, and can triumph over them; yet now so numerous were their troops, and so vigorous their assaults, that Pharaoh, with all his chariots and horsemen, could make no head against them. Thus he poureth contempt upon princes that offer contempt to him and his sovereignty, and makes those who will not own him above them to know that, when he pleases, he can make the meanest creature to insult them and trample upon them. As to the plague of frogs we may observe,
I. How it was threatened. Moses, no doubt,
attended the divine Majesty daily for fresh instructions, and
(perhaps while the river was yet blood) he is here directed to give
notice to Pharaoh of another judgment coming upon him, in case he
continue obstinate: If thou refuse to let them go, it is at
thy peril,
II. How it was inflicted. Pharaoh not
regarding the alarm, nor being at all inclined to yield to the
summons, Aaron is ordered to draw out the forces, and with his
outstretched arm and rod to give the signal of battle. Dictum
factum—No sooner said then done; the host is mustered, and,
under the direction and command of an invisible power, shoals of
frogs invade the land, and the Egyptians, with all their art and
all their might, cannot check their progress, nor so much as give
them a diversion. Compare this with that prophecy of an army of
locusts and caterpillars,
III. How the magicians were permitted to
imitate it,
IV. How Pharaoh relented under this plague:
it was the first time he did so,
V. How Moses fixes the time with Pharaoh,
and then prevails with God by prayer for the removal of the frogs.
Moses, to show that his performances had no dependence upon the
conjunctions or oppositions of the planets, or the luckiness of any
one hour more than another, bids Pharaoh name his time. Nellum
occurrit tempus regi—No time fixed on by the king shall be
objected to,
VI. What was the issue of this plague
(
16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. 17 And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. 18 And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast. 19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.
Here is a short account of the plague of lice. It does not appear that any warning was given of it before. Pharaoh's abuse of the respite granted to him might have been a sufficient warning to him to expect another plague: for if the removal of an affliction harden us, and so we lose the benefit of it, we may conclude it goes away with a purpose to return or to make room for a worse. Observe,
I. How this plague of lice was inflicted on
the Egyptians,
II. How the magicians were baffled by it,
III. How Pharaoh, notwithstanding this, was
made more and more obstinate (
20 And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 21 Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are. 22 And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. 23 And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be. 24 And the Lord did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies. 25 And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. 26 And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? 27 We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the Lord our God, as he shall command us. 28 And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me. 29 And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will intreat the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord. 30 And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the Lord. 31 And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one. 32 And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.
Here is the story of the plague of flies, in which we are told,
I. How it was threatened, like that of
frogs, before it was inflicted. Moses is directed (
II. How the Egyptians and the Hebrews were
to be remarkably distinguished in this plague,
III. How it was inflicted, the day after it
was threatened: There came a grievous swarm of flies
(
IV. How Pharaoh, upon this attack, sounded a parley, and entered into a treaty with Moses and Aaron about a surrender of his captives: but observe with what reluctance he yields.
1. He is content they should sacrifice to
their God, provided they would do it in the land of Egypt,
2. When this proposal is rejected, he
consents for them to go into the wilderness, provided they do not
go very far away, not so far but that he might fetch them
back again,
Lastly, The issue of all was that
God graciously removed the plague (
In this chapter we have an account of three more
of the plagues of Egypt. I. Murrain among the cattle, which was
fatal to them,
1 Then the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, 3 Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain. 4 And the Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel. 5 And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land. 6 And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. 7 And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
Here is, I. Warning given of another
plague, namely, the murrain of beasts. When Pharaoh's heart was
hardened, after he had seemed to relent under the former plague,
then Moses is sent to tell him there is another coming, to try what
that would do towards reviving the impressions of the former
plagues. Thus is the wrath of God revealed from heaven, both in his
word and in his works, against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men. 1. Moses puts Pharaoh in a very fair
way to prevent it: Let my people go,
II. The plague itself inflicted. The cattle
died,
III. The distinction put between the cattle
of the Egyptians and the Israelites' cattle, according to the word
of God: Not one of the cattle of the Israelites died,
8 And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. 10 And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. 12 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had spoken unto Moses.
Observe here, concerning the plague of boils and blains,
I. When they were not wrought upon by the death of their cattle, God sent a plague that seized their own bodies, and touched them to the quick. If less judgments do not do their work, God will send greater. Let us therefore humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and go forth to meet him in the way of his judgments, that his anger may be turned away from us.
II. The signal by which this plague was
summoned was the sprinkling of warm ashes from the furnace,
towards heaven (
III. The plague itself was very grievous—a
common eruption would be so, especially to the nice and delicate,
but these eruptions were inflammations, like Job's. This is
afterwards called the botch of Egypt (
IV. The magicians themselves were struck
with these boils,
V. Pharaoh continued obstinate, for now
the Lord hardened his heart,
13 And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. 16 And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. 17 As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go? 18 Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now. 19 Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. 20 He that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: 21 And he that regarded not the word of the Lord left his servants and his cattle in the field.
Here is, I. A general declaration of the
wrath of God against Pharaoh for his obstinacy. Though God has
hardened his heart (
II. A particular prediction of the plague
of hail (
22 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. 23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail. 27 And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28 Intreat the Lord (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. 29 And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord's. 30 But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord God. 31 And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled. 32 But the wheat and the rye were not smitten: for they were not grown up. 33 And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the Lord: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. 34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken by Moses.
The threatened plague of hail is here
summoned by the powerful hand and rod of Moses (
I. What desolations it made upon the earth.
The thunder, and fire from heaven (or lightning), made it both the
more dreadful and the more destroying,
II. What a consternation it put Pharaoh in.
See what effect it had upon him, 1. He humbled himself to Moses in
the language of a penitent,
The eighth and ninth of the plagues of Egypt, that
of locusts and that of darkness, are recorded in this chapter. I.
Concerning the plague of locusts, 1. God instructs Moses in the
meaning of these amazing dispensations of his providence,
1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might show these my signs before him: 2 And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the Lord. 3 And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me. 4 Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast: 5 And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field: 6 And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh. 7 And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed? 8 And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the Lord your God: but who are they that shall go? 9 And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the Lord. 10 And he said unto them, Let the Lord be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you. 11 Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the Lord; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.
Here, I. Moses is instructed. We may well
suppose that he, for his part, was much astonished both at
Pharaoh's obstinacy and at God's severity, and could not but be
compassionately concerned for the desolations of Egypt, and at a
loss to conceive what this contest would come to at last. Now here
God tells him what he designed, not only Israel's release, but the
magnifying of his own name: That thou mayest tell in thy
writings, which shall continue to the world's end, what I have
wrought in Egypt,
II. Pharaoh is reproved (
III. The plague of locusts is threatened,
IV. Pharaoh's attendants, his ministers of
state, or privy-counsellors, interpose, to persuade him to come to
some terms with Moses,
V. A new treaty is, hereupon, set on foot
between Pharaoh and Moses, in which Pharaoh consents for the
Israelites to go into the wilderness to do sacrifice; but the
matter in dispute was who should go,
12 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. 13 And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. 15 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt. 16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. 17 Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the Lord your God, that he may take away from me this death only. 18 And he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the Lord. 19 And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt. 20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.
Here is, I. The invasion of the land by the
locusts—God's great army,
II. The desolations they made in it
(
III. Pharaoh's admission, hereupon,
IV. The removal of the judgment, upon the
prayer of Moses,
V. Pharaoh's return to his impious
resolution again not to let the people go (
21 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. 22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: 23 They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. 24 And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you. 25 And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God. 26 Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God; and we know not with what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither. 27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. 28 And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die. 29 And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.
Here is, I. The plague of darkness brought
upon Egypt, and a most dreadful plague it was, and therefore is put
first of the ten in
II. Here is the impression made upon
Pharaoh by this plague, much like that of the foregoing plagues. 1.
It awakened him so far that he renewed the treaty with Moses and
Aaron, and now, at length, consented that they should take their
little ones with them, only he would have their cattle left in
pawn,
Pharaoh had told Moses to get out of his presence
(
1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. 2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold. 3 And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.
Here is, I. The high favour Moses and
Israel were in with God. 1. Moses was a favourite of Heaven, for
God will not hide from him the thing he will do. God not only makes
him his messenger to deliver his errands, but communicates to him
his purpose (as the man of his counsel) that he would bring one
plague more, and but one, upon Pharaoh, by which he would complete
the deliverance of Israel,
II. The high favour Moses and Israel were
in with the Egyptians,
4 And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: 5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. 6 And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. 7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. 8 And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger. 9 And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. 10 And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.
Warning is here given to Pharaoh of the
last and conquering plague which was now to be inflicted. This was
the death of all the first-born in Egypt at once, which had
been first threatened (
This chapter gives an account of one of the most
memorable ordinances, and one of the most memorable providences, of
all that are recorded in the Old Testament. I. Not one of all the
ordinances of the Jewish church was more eminent than that of the
passover, nor is any one more frequently mentioned in the New
Testament; and we have here an account of the institution to it.
The ordinance consisted of three parts:—1. The killing and eating
of the paschal lamb,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. 13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. 14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. 15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. 17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. 20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
Moses and Aaron here receive of the
Lord what they were afterwards to deliver to the people
concerning the ordinance of the passover, to which is prefixed an
order for a new style to be observed in their months (
I. God appointed that on the night wherein
they were to go out of Egypt they should, in each of their
families, kill a lamb, or that two or three families, if
they were small, should join for a lamb. The lamb was to be got
ready four days before and that afternoon they were to kill
it (
II. The lamb so slain they were to eat,
roasted (we may suppose, in its several quarters), with unleavened
bread and bitter herbs, because they were to eat it in haste
(
III. Before they ate the flesh of the lamb,
they were to sprinkle the blood upon the doorposts,
IV. This was to be annually observed as a
feast of the Lord in their generations, to which the feast of
unleavened bread was annexed, during which, for seven days,
they were to eat no bread but what was unleavened, in remembrance
of their being confined to such bread, of necessity, for many days
after they came out of Egypt,
1. The paschal lamb was typical. Christ is
our Passover,
2. The sprinkling of the blood was typical.
(1.) It was not enough that the blood of the lamb was shed, but it
must be sprinkled, denoting the application of the merits of
Christ's death to our souls; we must receive the atonement,
3. The solemnly eating of the lamb was
typical of our gospel-duty to Christ. (1.) The paschal lamb was
killed, not to be looked upon only, but to be fed upon; so we must
by faith make Christ ours, as we do that which we eat, and we must
receive spiritual strength and nourishment from him, as from our
food, and have delight and satisfaction in him, as we have in
eating and drinking when we are hungry or thirsty: see
4. The feast of unleavened bread was
typical of the Christian life,
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. 22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. 24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. 25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. 26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. 28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
I. Moses is here, as a faithful steward in God's house, teaching the children of Israel to observe all things which God had commanded him; and no doubt he gave the instructions as largely as he received them, though they are not so largely recorded. It is here added,
1. That this night, when the first-born
were to be destroyed, no Israelite must stir out of doors till
morning, that is, till towards morning, when they would be
called to march out of Egypt,
2. That hereafter they should carefully
teach their children the meaning of this service,
(1.) The question which the children would
ask concerning this solemnity (which they would soon take notice of
in the family): "What mean you by this service? What is he
meaning of all this care and exactness about eating this lamb, and
this unleavened bread, more than about common food? Why such a
difference between this meal and other meals?" Note, [1.] It is a
good thing to see children inquisitive about the things of God; it
is to be hoped that those who are careful to ask for the way will
find it. Christ himself, when a child, heard and asked
questions,
(2.) The answer which the parents were to
return to this question (
II. The people received these instructions
with reverence and ready obedience. 1. They bowed the head and
worshipped (
29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. 32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. 33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men. 34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. 35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: 36 And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.
Here we have, I. The Egyptians' sons, even
their first-born, slain,
II. God's sons, even his first-born,
released; this judgment conquered Pharaoh, and obliged him to
surrender at discretion, without capitulating. Men had
better come up to God's terms at first, for he will never come down
to theirs, let them object as long as they will. Now Pharaoh's
pride is abased, and he yields to all that Moses had insisted on:
Serve the Lord as you have said (
37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. 38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. 39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual. 40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.
Here is the departure of the children of
Israel out of Egypt; having obtained their dismission, they set
forward without delay, and did not defer to a more convenient
season. Pharaoh was now in a good mind; but they had reason to
think he would not long continue so, and therefore it was no time
to linger. We have here an account, 1. Of their number, about
600,000 men (
43 And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: 44 But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. 45 A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. 46 In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. 49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. 50 Thus did all the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 51 And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.
Some further precepts are here given concerning the passover, as it should be observed in times to come.
I. All the congregation of Israel must
keep it,
II. In one house shall it be eaten
(
The chapter concludes with a repetition of
the whole matter, that the children of Israel did as they were
bidden, and God did for them as he promised (
In this chapter we have, I. The commands God gave
to Israel, 1. To sanctify all their firstborn to him,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine. 3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. 4 This day came ye out in the month Abib. 5 And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. 6 Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters. 8 And thou shalt show thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. 9 And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt. 10 Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.
Care is here taken to perpetuate the remembrance,
I. Of the preservation of Israel's
firstborn, when the firstborn of the Egyptians were slain. In
memory of that distinguishing favour, and in gratitude for it, the
firstborn, in all ages, were to be consecrated to God, as his
peculiars (
II. The remembrance of their coming out of
Egypt must also be perpetuated: "Remember this day,
1. They must be sure to keep the feast
of unleavened bread,
2. They must instruct their children in the
meaning of it, and relate to them the story of their deliverance
out of Egypt,
11 And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, 12 That thou shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the Lord's. 13 And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem. 14 And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage: 15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem. 16 And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt.
Here we have,
I. Further directions concerning the
dedicating of their firstborn to God. 1. The firstlings of their
cattle were to be dedicated to God, as part of their possessions.
Those of clean beasts—calves, lambs, and kids—if males, were to
be sacrificed,
II. Further directions concerning the
catechising of their children, and all those of the rising
generation, from time to time, in this matter. It is supposed that,
when they saw all the firstlings thus devoted, they would ask the
meaning of it, and their parents and teachers must tell them
(
17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: 18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. 19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you. 20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Here is, I. The choice God made of their
way,
II. Here is the guidance they were blessed
with in the way: The Lord went before them in a pillar,
III. These were constant standing miracles
(
The departure of the children of Israel out of
Egypt (which was indeed the birth of the Jewish church) is made yet
more memorable by further works of wonder, which were wrought
immediately upon it. Witness the records of this chapter, the
contents whereof, together with a key to it, we have,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. 4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did so. 5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? 6 And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: 7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them. 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. 9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.
We have here,
I. Instructions given to Moses concerning
Israel's motions and encampments, which were so very surprising
that if Moses had not express orders about them before they would
scarcely have been persuaded to follow the pillar of cloud and
fire. That therefore there might be no scruple nor dissatisfaction
about it, Moses is told before, 1. Whither they must go,
II. Pharaoh's pursuit of Israel, in which,
while he gratifies his own malice and revenge, he is furthering the
accomplishment of God's counsels concerning him. It was told him
that the people fled,
1. He reflects upon it with regret that he
had connived at their departure. He and his servants, though it was
with the greatest reason in the world that they had let Israel go,
yet were now angry with themselves for it: Why have we done
thus? (1.) It vexed them that Israel had their liberty, that
they had lost the profit of their labours, and the pleasure of
chastising them. It is meat and drink to proud persecutors to
trample upon the saints of the Most High, and say to their souls,
Bow down, that we may go over; and therefore it vexes them
to have their hands tied. Note, The liberty of God's people is a
heavy grievance to their enemies,
2. He resolves, if possible, either to
reduce them or to be revenged on them; in order to this, he levies
an army, musters all his force of chariots and horsemen,
10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord. 11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. 13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
We have here, I. The fright that the
children of Israel were in when they perceived that Pharaoh pursued
them,
II. The seasonable encouragement that Moses
gave them in this distress,
15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: 16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: 20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
We have here,
I. Direction given to Israel's leader.
1. What he must do himself. He must, for
the present, leave off praying, and apply himself to his business
(
2. What he must order Israel to do. Speak to them, that they go forward. Some think that Moses had prayed, not so much for their deliverance (he was assured of that) as for the pardon of their murmurings, and that God's ordering them to go forward was an intimation of the pardon. There is no going forward with any comfort but in the sense of our reconciliation to God. Moses had bidden them stand still, and expect orders from God; and now orders are given. They thought they must have been directed either to the right hand or to the left. "No," says God, "speak to them to go forward, directly to the sea-side;" as if there had lain a fleet of transport-ships ready for them to embark in. Note, When we are in the way of our duty, though we met with difficulties, we must go forward, and not stand in mute astonishment; we must mind present work and then leave the even to God, use means and trust him with the issue.
3. What he might expect God to do. Let the
children of Israel go as far as they can upon dry ground, and then
God will divide the sea, and open a passage for them through it,
II. A guard set upon Israel's camp where it
now lay most exposed, which was in the rear,
21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians. 26 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. 27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. 29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. 31 And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.
We have here the history of that work of
wonder which is so often mentioned both in the Old and New
Testament, the dividing of the Red Sea before the children of
Israel. It was the terror of the Canaanites (
I. An instance of God's almighty power in
the kingdom of nature, in dividing the sea, and opening a passage
through the waters. It was a bay, or gulf, or arm of the sea, two
or three leagues over, which was divided,
II. An instance of his wonderful favour to
his Israel. They went through the sea to the opposite shore, for I
cannot suppose, with some, that they fetched a compass, and came
out again on the same side,
This was done, and recorded, in order to
encourage God's people in all ages to trust in him in the greatest
straits. What cannot he do who did this? What will not he do for
those that fear and love him who did this for these murmuring
unbelieving Israel is, who yet were beloved for their fathers'
sake, and for the sake of a remnant among them? We find the
saints, long afterwards, making themselves sharers in the triumphs
of this march (
III. An instance of his just and righteous
wrath upon his and his people's enemies, the Egyptians. Observe
here, 1. How they were infatuated. In the heat of their pursuit,
they went after the Israelites into the midst of the sea,
IV. Here is the notice which the Israelites took of this wonderful work which God wrought for them, and the good impressions which it made upon them for the present.
1. They saw the Egyptians dead upon the
sands,
2. The sight of this great work greatly
affected them, and now they feared the Lord, and believed the
Lord, and his servant Moses,
In this chapter, I. Israel looks back upon Egypt
with a song of praise for their deliverance. Here is, 1. The song
itself,
1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2 The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. 3 The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name. 4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. 5 The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. 6 Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. 7 And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. 8 And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. 10 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. 11 Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. 13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. 14 The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. 15 Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. 16 Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. 17 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. 18 The Lord shall reign for ever and ever. 19 For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. 20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Having read how that complete victory of
Israel over the Egyptians was obtained, here we are told how it was
celebrated; those that were to hold their peace while the
deliverance was in working (
I. The song itself; and,
1. We may observe respecting this song,
that it is, (1.) An ancient song, the most ancient that we know of.
(2.) A most admirable composition, the style lofty and magnificent,
the images lively and proper, and the whole very moving. (3.) It is
a holy song, consecrated to the honour of God, and intended to
exalt his name and celebrate his praise, and his only, not in the
least to magnify any man: holiness to the Lord is engraven in it,
and to him they made melody in the singing of it. (4.) It is a
typical song. The triumphs of the gospel church, in the downfall of
its enemies, are expressed in the song of Moses and the song of the
Lamb put together, which are said to be sung upon a sea of glass,
as this was upon the Red Sea,
2. Let us observe what Moses chiefly aims at in this song.
(1.) He gives glory to God, and triumphs in
him; this is first in his intention (
(2.) He describes the deliverance they were now triumphing in, because the song was intended, not only to express and excite their thankfulness for the present, but to preserve and perpetuate the remembrance of this work of wonder to after-ages. Two things were to be taken notice of:—
[1.] The destruction of the enemy; the
waters were divided,
[2.] The protection and guidance of Israel
(
(3.) He sets himself to improve this
wonderful appearance of God for them. [1.] In order to quicken them
to serve God: in consideration of this, I will prepare him
habitation,
II. The solemn singing of this song,
22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. 23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? 25 And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, 26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. 27 And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.
It should seem, it was with some difficulty that Moses prevailed with Israel to leave that triumphant shore on which they sang the foregoing song. They were so taken up with the sight, or with the song, or with the spoiling of the dead bodies, that they cared not to go forward, but Moses with much ado brought them from the Red Sea into a wilderness. The pleasures of our way to Canaan must not retard our progress, but quicken it, though we have a wilderness before us. Now here we are told,
I. That in the wilderness of Shur they had
no water,
II. That at Marah they had water, but it
was bitter, so that though they had been three days without water
they could not drink it, because it was extremely unpleasant to the
taste or was likely to be prejudicial to their health, or was so
brackish that it rather increased their thirst than quenched it,
III. That at Elim they had good water, and
enough of it,
This chapter gives us an account of the
victualling of the camp of Israel. I. Their complaint for want of
bread,
1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: 3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. 4 Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. 5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. 6 And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt: 7 And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord; for that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord: and what are we, that ye murmur against us? 8 And Moses said, This shall be, when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord. 9 And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the Lord: for he hath heard your murmurings. 10 And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God.
The host of Israel, it seems, took along with them out of Egypt, when they came thence on the fifteenth day of the first month, a month's provisions, which, by the fifteenth day of the second month, was all spent; and here we have,
I. Their discontent and murmuring upon that
occasion,
II. The care God graciously took for their supply. Justly he might have said, "I will rain fire and brimstone upon these murmurers, and consume them;" but, quite contrary, he promises to rain bread upon them. Observe,
1. How God makes known to Moses his kind
intentions, that he might not be uneasy at their murmurings, nor be
tempted to wish he had let them alone in Egypt. (1.) He takes
notice of the people's complaints: I have heard the murmurings
of the children of Israel,
2. How Moses made known these intentions to
Israel, as God ordered him. Here Aaron was his prophet, as he had
been to Pharaoh. Moses directed Aaron what to speak to the
congregation of Israel (
3. How God himself manifested his glory, to
still the murmurings of the people, and to put a reputation upon
Moses and Aaron,
13 And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. 14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. 17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. 20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. 21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
Now they begin to be provided for by the immediate hand of God.
I. He makes them a feast, at night, of
delicate fowl, feathered fowl (
II. Next morning he rained manna upon them,
which was to be continued to them for their daily bread. 1. That
which was provided for them was manna, which descended from the
clouds, so that, in some sense, they might be said to live upon the
air. It came down in dew that melted, and yet was itself of such a
consistency as to serve for nourishing strengthening food, without
any thing else. They called it manna, manhu, "What is this?"
Either, "What a poor thing this is!" despising it: or, "What a
strange thing this is!" admiring it: or, "It is a portion, no
matter what it is; it is that which our God has allotted us, and we
will take it and be thankful,"
22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. 25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 27 And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 28 And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31 And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
We have here, 1. A plain intimation of the
observing of a seventh day sabbath, not only before the
giving of the law upon Mount Sinai, but before the bringing of
Israel out of Egypt, and therefore, from the beginning,
32 And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. 33 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations. 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. 36 Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
God having provided manna to be his
people's food in the wilderness, and to be to them a continual
feast, we are here told, 1. How the memory of it was preserved. An
omer of this manna was laid up in a golden pot, as we are
told (
Two passages of story are recorded in this
chapter, I. The watering of the host of Israel. 1. In the
wilderness they wanted water,
1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? 3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? 4 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. 5 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?
Here is, I. The strait that the children of
Israel were in for want of water; once before the were in the like
distress, and now, a second time,
II. Their discontent and distrust in this
strait. It is said (
III. The course that Moses took, when he
was thus set upon, and insulted. 1. He reproved the murmurers
(
IV. God's gracious appearance for their
relief,
V. A new name was, upon this occasion,
given to the place, preserving the remembrance, not of the mercy of
their supply (the water that followed them was sufficient to do
that), but of the sin of their murmuring—Massah,
temptation, because they tempted God; Meribah, strife,
because they chid with Moses,
8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. 15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: 16 For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
We have here the story of the war with
Amalek, which, we may suppose, was the first that was recorded in
the book of the wars of the Lord,
I. Amalek's attempt: They came out, and
fought with Israel,
II. Israel's engagement with Amalek, in their own necessary defence against the aggressors. Observe,
1. The post assigned to Joshua, of whom
this is the first mention: he is nominated commander-in-chief in
this expedition, that he might be trained up to the services he was
designed for after the death of Moses, and be a man of war from
his youth. He is ordered to draw out a detachment of choice men
from the thousands of Israel and to drive back the Amalekites,
2. The post assumed by Moses: I will
stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand,
III. The defeat of Amalek. Victory had
hovered awhile between the camps; sometimes Israel prevailed and
sometimes Amalek, but Israel carried the day,
IV. The trophies of this victory set up. 1.
Moses took care that God should have the glory of it (
This chapter is concerning Moses himself, and the
affairs of his own family. I. Jethro his father-in-law brings to
him his wife and children,
1 When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt; 2 Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, 3 And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: 4 And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh: 5 And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God: 6 And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.
This incident may very well be allowed to
have happened as it is placed here, before the giving of the law,
and not, as some place it, in connection with what is recorded,
I. To congratulate the happiness of Israel,
and particularly the honour of Moses his son-in-law; and now Jethro
thinks himself well paid for all the kindness he had shown to Moses
in his distress, and his daughter better matched than he could have
expected. Jethro could not but hear what all the country rang of,
the glorious appearances of God for his people Israel (
II. To bring Moses's wife and children to
him. It seems, he had sent them back, probably from the inn where
his wife's aversion to the circumcision of her son had like to have
cost him his life (
7 And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. 8 And Moses told his father in law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. 12 And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God.
Observe here, I. The kind greeting that
took place between Moses and his father-in-law,
II. The narrative that Moses gave his
father-in-law of the great things God had done for Israel,
III. The impressions this narrative made
upon Jethro. 1. He congratulated God's Israel: Jethro
rejoiced,
IV. The expressions of their joy and
thankfulness. They had communion with each other both in a feast
and in a sacrifice,
13 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. 14 And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even? 15 And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: 16 When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. 17 And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. 18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. 19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: 20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. 21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: 22 And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. 23 If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace. 24 So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said. 25 And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 26 And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. 27 And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.
Here is, I. The great zeal and industry of Moses as a magistrate.
1. Having been employed to redeem Israel
out of the house of bondage, herein he is a further type of Christ,
that he is employed as a lawgiver and a judge among them. (1.) He
was to answer enquiries, to acquaint them with the will of God in
doubtful cases, and to explain the laws of God that were already
given them, concerning the sabbath, the man, &c., beside the
laws of nature, relating both to piety and equity,
2. Such was the business Moses was called
to, and it appears that he did it, (1.) With great consideration,
which, some think, is intimated in his posture: he sat to
judge (
II. The great prudence and consideration of Jethro as a friend.
1. He disliked the method that Moses took,
and was so free with him as to tell him so,
2. He advised him to such a model of
government as would better answer the intention, which was, (1.)
That he should reserve to himself all applications to God
(
3. He adds two qualifications to his
counsel:—(1.) That great care should be taken in the choice of
the persons who should be admitted into this trust (
Now Moses did not despise this advice
because it came from one not acquainted, as he was, with the words
of God and the visions of the Almighty; but he hearkened to the
voice of his father-in-law,
III. Jethro's return to his own land,
This chapter introduces the solemnity of the
giving of the law upon Mount Sinai, which was one of the most
striking appearances of the divine glory that ever was in this
lower world. We have here, I. The circumstances of time and place,
1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. 3 And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; 4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. 7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. 8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.
Here is, I. The date of that great charter
by which Israel was incorporated. 1. The time when it bears date
(
II. The charter itself. Moses was called up
the mountain (on the top of which God had pitched his tent, and at
the foot of which Israel had pitched theirs), and was employed as
the mediator, or rather no more than the messenger of the covenant:
Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children
of Israel,
III. Israel's acceptance of this charter,
and consent to the conditions of it. 1. Moses faithfully delivered
God's message to them (
9 And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord. 10 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, 11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. 12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: 13 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount. 14 And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. 15 And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.
Here, I. God intimates to Moses his purpose
of coming down upon Mount Sinai, in some visible appearance of his
glory, in a thick cloud (
II. He orders Moses to make preparation for this great solemnity, giving him two days' time for it.
1. He must sanctify the people
(
2. He must set bounds about the
mountain,
3. He must order the people to attend upon
the summons that should be given (
16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 18 And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. 20 And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. 21 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish. 22 And let the priests also, which come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them. 23 And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. 24 And the Lord said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Lord, lest he break forth upon them. 25 So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.
Now, at length, comes that memorable day,
that terrible day of the Lord, that day of judgment, in which
Israel heard the voice of the Lord God speaking to them
out of the midst of the fire, and lived,
I. The preacher was God himself (
II. The pulpit (or throne rather) was mount
Sinai, hung with a thick cloud (
III. The congregation was called together
by the sound of a trumpet, exceedingly loud (
IV. Moses brought the hearers to the place
of meeting,
V. The introductions to the service were
thunders and lightnings,
VI. Moses is God's minister, who is spoken
to, to command silence, and keep the congregation in order:
Moses spoke,
All things being prepared for the solemn
promulgation of the divine law, we have, in this chapter, I. The
ten commandments, as God himself spoke them upon Mount Sinai
(
1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Here is, I. The preface of the law-writer,
Moses: God spoke all these words,
II. The preface of the Law-maker: I am
the Lord thy God,
III. The law itself. The first four of the
ten commandments, which concern our duty to God (commonly called
the first table), we have in these verses. It was fit that
those should be put first, because man had a Maker to love before
he had a neighbour to love; and justice and charity are acceptable
acts of obedience to God only when they flow from the principles of
piety. It cannot be expected that he should be true to his brother
who is false to his God. Now our duty to God is, in one word, to
worship him, that is, to give to him the glory due to his name, the
inward worship of our affections, the outward worship of solemn
address and attendance. This is spoken of as the sum and substance
of the everlasting gospel.
1. The first commandment concerns the
object of our worship, Jehovah, and him only (
2. The second commandment concerns the ordinances of worship, or the way in which God will be worshipped, which it is fit that he himself should have the appointing of. Here is,
(1.) The prohibition: we are here forbidden
to worship even the true God by images,
(2.) The reasons to enforce this
prohibition (
3. The third commandment concerns the
manner of our worship, that it be done with all possible reverence
and seriousness,
(1.) A strict prohibition: Thou shalt
not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. It is supposed
that, having taken Jehovah for their God, they would make mention
of his name (for thus all people will walk every one in the name
of his god); this command gives a needful caution not to
mention it in vain, and it is still as needful as ever. We take
God's name in vain, [1.] By hypocrisy, making a profession of God's
name, but not living up to that profession. Those that name the
name of Christ, but do not depart from iniquity, as that name binds
them to do, name it in vain; their worship is vain (
(2.) A severe penalty: The Lord will not hold him guiltless; magistrates, who punish other offences, may not think themselves concerned to take notice of this, because it does not immediately offer injury either to private property or the public peace; but God, who is jealous for his honour, will not thus connive at it. The sinner may perhaps hold himself guiltless, and think there is no harm in it, and that God will never call him to an account for it. To obviate this suggestion, the threatening is thus expressed, God will not hold him guiltless, as he hopes he will; but more is implied, namely, that God will himself be the avenger of those that take his name in vain, and they will find it a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
4. The fourth commandment concerns the time of worship. God is to be served and honoured daily, but one day in seven is to be particularly dedicated to his honour and spent in his service. Here is,
(1.) The command itself (
(2.) The reasons of this command. [1.] We
have time enough for ourselves in those six days, on the seventh
day let us serve God; and time enough to tire ourselves, on the
seventh it will be a kindness to us to be obliged to rest. [2.]
This is God's day: it is the sabbath of the Lord thy God,
not only instituted by him, but consecrated to him. It is sacrilege
to alienate it; the sanctification of it is a debt. [3.] It is
designed for a memorial of the creation of the world, and therefore
to be observed to the glory of the Creator, as an engagement upon
ourselves to serve him and an encouragement to us to trust in him
who made heaven and earth. By the sanctification of the sabbath,
the Jews declared that they worshipped the God that made the world,
and so distinguished themselves from all other nations, who
worshipped gods which they themselves made. [4.] God has given us
an example of rest, after six days' work: he rested the seventh
day, took a complacency in himself, and rejoiced in the work
of his hand, to teach us, on that day, to take a complacency in
him, and to give him the glory of his works,
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
We have here the laws of the second table, as they are commonly called, the last six of the ten commandments, comprehending our duty to ourselves and to one another, and constituting a comment upon the second great commandment, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. As religion towards God is an essential branch of universal righteousness, so righteousness towards men is an essential branch of true religion. Godliness and honesty must go together.
I. The fifth commandment concerns the
duties we owe to our relations; those of children to their parents
are alone specified: Honour thy father and thy mother, which
includes, 1. A decent respect to their persons, an inward esteem of
them outwardly expressed upon all occasions in our conduct towards
them. Fear them (
II. The sixth commandment concerns our own
and our neighbour's life (
III. The seventh commandment concerns our
own and our neighbour's chastity: Thou shalt not commit
adultery,
IV. The eighth commandment concerns our own
and our neighbour's wealth, estate, and goods: Thou shalt not
steal,
V. The ninth commandment concerns our own
and our neighbour's good name: Thou shalt not bear false
witness,
VI. The tenth commandment strikes at the
root: Thou shalt not covet,
18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
I. The extraordinary terror with which the
law was given. Never was any thing delivered with such awful pomp;
every word was accented, and every sentence paused, with thunder
and lightning, much louder and brighter, no doubt, than ordinary.
And why was the law given in this dreadful manner, and with all
this tremendous ceremony? 1. It was designed (once for all) to give
a sensible discovery of the glorious majesty of God, for the
assistance of our faith concerning it, that, knowing the terror
of the Lord, we may be persuaded to live in his fear. 2. It was
a specimen of the terrors of the general judgment, in which sinners
will be called to an account for the breach of this law: the
archangel's trumpet will then sound an alarm, to give notice of the
Judge's coming, and a fire shall devour before him. 3. It
was an indication of the terror of those convictions which the law
brings into conscience, to prepare the soul for the comforts of the
gospel. Thus was the law given by Moses in such a way as might
startle, affright, and humble men, that the grace and truth
which came by Jesus Christ might be the more welcome. The
apostle largely describes this instance of the terror of that
dispensation, as a foil to set off our privileges, as Christians,
in the light, liberty, and joy, of the New-Testament dispensation,
II. The impression which this made, for the
present, upon the people; they must have had stupid hearts indeed,
if this had not affected them. 1. They removed, and stood afar
off,
III. The encouragement Moses gave them, by
explaining the design of God in his terror (
IV. The progress of their communion with
God by the mediation of Moses,
22 And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. 24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. 25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. 26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.
Moses having gone into the thick
darkness, where God was, God there spoke in his hearing only,
privately and without terror, all that follows hence to the end of
I. They are here forbidden to make images
for worship (
1. This repetition of the second commandment comes in here, either (1.) As pointing to that which God had chiefly in view in giving them this law in this manner, that is, their peculiar addictedness to idolatry, and the peculiar sinfulness of that crime. Ten commandments God had given them, but Moses is ordered to inculcate upon them especially the first two. They must not forget any of them, but they must be sure to remember those. Or, (2.) As pointing to that which might properly be inferred from God's speaking to them as he had done. He had given them sufficient demonstration of his presence among them; they needed not to make images of him, as if he were absent. Besides, they had only seen that he talked with them; they had seen no manner of similitude, so that they could not make any image of God; and his manifesting himself to them only by a voice plainly showed them that they must not make any such image, but keep up their communion with God by his word, and not otherwise.
2. Two arguments are here hinted against image-worship:—(1.) That thereby they would affront God, intimated in that, You shall not make with me gods. Though they pretended to worship them but as representations of God, yet really they made them rivals with God, which he would not endure. (2.) That thereby they would abuse themselves, intimated in that, "You shall not make unto you gods; while you think by them to assist your devotion, you will really corrupt it, and put a cheat upon yourselves." At first, it should seem, they made their images for worship of gold and silver, pretending, by the richness of those metals, to honour God, and, by the brightness of them, to affect themselves with his glory; but, even in these, they changed the truth of God into a lie, and so, by degrees, were justly given up to such strong delusions as to worship images of wood or stone.
II. They are here directed in making altars
for worship: it is meant of occasional altars, such as they reared
now in the wilderness, before the tabernacle was erected, and
afterwards upon special emergencies, for present use, such as
Gideon built (
1. To make their altars very plain, either
of earth or of unhewn stone,
2. To make their altars very low (
III. They are here assured of God's
gracious acceptance of their devotions, wherever they were paid
according to his will (
The laws recorded in this chapter relate to the
fifth and sixth commandments; and though they are not accommodated
to our constitution, especially in point of servitude, nor are the
penalties annexed binding on us, yet they are of great use for the
explanation of the moral law, and the rules of natural justice.
Here are several enlargements, I. Upon the fifth commandment, which
concerns particular relations. 1. The duty of masters towards their
servants, their men-servants (
1 Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. 2 If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. 3 If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. 5 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: 6 Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever. 7 And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do. 8 If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. 9 And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. 10 If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. 11 And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.
The
I. A law concerning men-servants, sold,
either by themselves or their parents, through poverty, or by the
judges, for their crimes; even those of the latter sort (if
Hebrews) were to continue in slavery but seven years at the most,
in which time it was taken for granted that they would sufficiently
have smarted for their folly or offence. At the seven years' end
the servant should either go out free (
1. By this law God taught, (1.) The Hebrew
servants generosity, and a noble love of liberty, for they were the
Lord's freemen; a mark of disgrace must be put upon him who refused
liberty when he might have it, though he refused it upon
considerations otherwise laudable enough. Thus Christians, being
bought with a price, and called unto liberty, must not be
the servants of men, nor of the lusts of men,
2. This law will be further useful to us,
(1.) To illustrate the right God has to the children of believing
parents, as such, and the place they have in his church. They are
by baptism enrolled among his servants, because they are born in
his house, for they are therefore born unto him,
Concerning maid-servants, whom their
parents, through extreme poverty, had sold, when they were very
young, to such as they hoped would marry them when they grew up; if
they did not, yet they must not sell them to strangers, but rather
study how to make them amends for the disappointment; if they did,
they must maintain them handsomely,
12 He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. 13 And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee. 14 But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die. 15 And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. 16 And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death. 17 And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death. 18 And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed: 19 If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed. 20 And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. 21 Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.
Here is, I. A law concerning murder. He had
lately said, Thou shalt not kill; here he provides, 1. For
the punishing of wilful murder (
II. Concerning rebellious children. It is
here made a capital crime, to be punished with death, for children
either, 1. To strike their parents (
III. Here is a law against man-stealing
(
IV. Care is here taken that satisfaction be
made for hurt done to a person, though death do not ensue,
V. Direction is given what should be done
if a servant died by his master's correction. This servant must not
be an Israelite, but a Gentile slave, as the negroes to our
planters; and it is supposed that he smite him with a rod, and not
with any thing that was likely to give a mortal wound; yet, if he
died under his hand, he should be punished for his cruelty, at the
discretion of the judges, upon consideration of circumstances,
22 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, 24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. 26 And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake. 27 And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake. 28 If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. 29 But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death. 30 If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him. 31 Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him. 32 If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned. 33 And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein; 34 The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his. 35 And if one man's ox hurt another's, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide. 36 Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.
Observe here,
I. The particular care which the law took
of women with child, that no hurt should be done them which might
occasion their mis-carrying. The law of nature obliges us to be
very tender in that case, lest the tree and fruit be destroyed
together,
II. The care God took of servants. If their
masters maimed them, though it was only striking out a tooth, that
should be their discharge,
III. Does God take care for oxen?
Yes, it appears by the following laws in this chapter that he does,
for our sakes,
1. In case of hurt done by oxen, or any
other brute-creature; for the law, doubtless, was designed to
extend to all parallel cases. (1.) As an instance of God's care of
the life of man (though forfeited a thousand times into the hands
of divine justice), and in token of his detestation of the sin of
murder. If an ox killed any man, woman, or child, the ox was to be
stoned (
2. In case of hurt done to oxen, or other
cattle. (1.) If they fall into a pit, and perish there, he that
opened the pit must make good the loss,
The laws of this chapter relate, I. To the eighth
commandment, concerning theft (
1 If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. 2 If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. 3 If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4 If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double. 5 If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution. 6 If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.
Here are the laws,
I. Concerning theft, which are these:—1.
If a man steal any cattle (in which the wealth of those times
chiefly consisted), and they be found in his custody, he must
restore double,
II. Concerning trespass,
III. Concerning damage done by fire,
7 If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, let him pay double. 8 If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour's goods. 9 For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour. 10 If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it: 11 Then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good. 12 And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof. 13 If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn. 14 And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good. 15 But if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: if it be an hired thing, it came for his hire.
These laws are,
I. Concerning trusts,
II. Concerning loans,
16 And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. 17 If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins. 18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. 19 Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death. 20 He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed. 21 Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. 22 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. 23 If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; 24 And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
Here is, I. A law that he who debauched a
young woman should be obliged to marry her,
II. A law which makes witchcraft a capital
crime,
III. Unnatural abominations are here made
capital; such beasts in the shape of men as are guilty of them are
unfit to live (
IV. Idolatry is also made capital,
V. A caution against oppression. Because those who were empowered to punish other crimes were themselves most in danger of this, God takes the punishing of it into his own hands.
1. Strangers must not be abused (
2. Widows and fatherless must not be abused
(
25 If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. 26 If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: 27 For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious. 28 Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people. 29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. 30 Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me. 31 And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.
Here is, I. A law against extortion in
lending. 1. They must not receive use for money from any that
borrowed for necessity (
II. A law against the contempt of authority
(
III. A law concerning the offering of their
first-fruits to God,
IV. A distinction put between the Jews and
all other people: You shall be holy men unto me; and one
mark of that honourable distinction is appointed in their diet,
which was, that they should not eat any flesh that was torn of
beasts (
This chapter continues and concludes the acts that
passed in the first session (if I may so call it) upon Mount Sinai.
Here are, I. Some laws of universal obligation, relating especially
to the ninth commandment, against bearing false witness (
1 Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. 2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment: 3 Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause. 4 If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. 5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him. 6 Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. 7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked. 8 And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous. 9 Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Here are, I. Cautions concerning judicial proceedings; it was not enough that they had good laws, better than ever any nation had, but care must be taken for the due administration of justice according to those laws.
1. The witnesses are here cautioned that
they neither occasion an innocent man to be indicted, by raising a
false report of him and setting common fame against him, nor assist
in the prosecution of an innocent man, or one whom they do not know
to be guilty, by putting their hand in swearing as witnesses
against him,
2. The judges are here cautioned not to
pervert judgment. (1.) They must not be overruled, either by might
or multitude, to go against their consciences in giving judgment,
II. Commands concerning neighbourly
kindnesses. We must be ready to do all good offices, as there is
occasion, for any body, yea even for those that have done us ill
offices,
10 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: 11 But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard. 12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. 13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth. 14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. 15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) 16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. 17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God. 18 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning. 19 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
Here is, I. The institution of the
sabbatical year,
II. The repetition of the law of the fourth
commandment concerning the weekly sabbath,
III. All manner of respect to the gods of
the heathen is here strictly forbidden,
IV. Their solemn religious attendance on
God in the place which he should choose is here strictly required,
V. Some particular directions are here
given about the three feasts, though not so fully as afterwards. 1.
As to the passover, it was not to be offered with leavened bread,
for at that feast all leaven was to be cast out, nor was the fat of
it to remain until the morning, lest it should become offensive,
20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. 22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. 23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. 24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. 25 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. 26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. 27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. 28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. 29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. 30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. 31 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. 32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.
Three gracious promises are here made to Israel, to engage them to their duty and encourage them in it; and each of the promises has some needful precepts and cautions joined to it.
I. It is here promised that they should be
guided and kept in their way through the wilderness to the land of
promise: Behold, I send an angel before thee (
II. It is promised that they should have a
comfortable settlement in the land of Canaan, which they hoped now
(though it proved otherwise) within a few months to be in the
possession of,
III. It is promised that they should
conquer and subdue their enemies, the present occupants of the land
of Canaan, who must be driven out to make room for them. This God
would do, 1. Effectually by his power (
Moses, as mediator between God and Israel, having
received divers laws and ordinances from God privately in the three
foregoing chapters, in this chapter, I. Comes down to the people,
acquaints them with the laws he had received, and takes their
consent to those laws (
1 And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off. 2 And Moses alone shall come near the Lord: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him. 3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do. 4 And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord. 6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient. 8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.
The first two verses record the appointment
of a second session upon Mount Sinai, for the making of laws, when
an end was put to the first. When a communion is begun between God
and us, it shall never fail on his side, if it do not first fail on
ours. Moses is directed to bring Aaron and his sons, and the
seventy elders of Israel, that they might be witnesses of the glory
of God, and that communion with him to which Moses was admitted;
and that their testimony might confirm the people's faith. In this
approach, 1. They must all be very reverent: Worship you afar
off,
In the following verses, we have the solemn covenant made between God and Israel, and the exchanging of the ratifications; and a very solemn transaction it was, typifying the covenant of grace between God and believers through Christ.
I. Moses told the people the words of the
Lord,
II. The people unanimously consented to the
terms proposed, without reservation or exception: All the words
which the Lord hath said will we do. They had before consented
in general to be under God's government (
This is the tenour of the covenant, That, if they would observe the foregoing precepts, God would perform the foregoing promises. "Obey, and be happy." Here is the bargain made. Observe,
1. How it was engrossed in the book of the
covenant: Moses wrote the words of the Lord (
2. How it was sealed by the blood of the
covenant, that Israel might receive strong consolations from the
ratifying of God's promises to them, and might lie under strong
obligations from the ratifying of their promises to God. Thus has
Infinite Wisdom devised means that we may be confirmed both in our
faith and in our obedience, may be both encouraged in our duty and
engaged to it. The covenant must be made by sacrifice (
(1.) In preparation therefore for the
parties interchangeably putting their seals to this covenant, [1.]
Moses builds an altar, to the honour of God, which was principally
intended in all the altars that were built, and which was the first
thing to be looked at in the covenant they were now to seal. No
addition to the perfections of the divine nature can be made by any
of God's dealings with the children of men, but in them his
perfections are manifested and magnified, and his honour is shown
forth; therefore he will not be represented by an altar, to signify
that all he expected from them was that they should do him honour,
and that, being his people, they should be to him for a name and a
praise. [2.] He erects twelve pillars, according to the number of
the tribes. These were to represent the people, the other party to
the covenant; and we may suppose that they were set up against the
altar, and that Moses, as mediator, passed to and fro between them.
Probably each tribe set up and knew its own pillar, and their
elders stood by it. [3.] He appointed sacrifices to be offered upon
the altar (
(2.) Preparation being thus made, the
ratifications were very solemnly exchanged. [1.] The blood of the
sacrifice which the people offered was (part of it) sprinkled upon
the altar (
9 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: 10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. 11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.
The people having, besides their submission
to the ceremony of the sprinkling of blood, declared their
well-pleasedness in their God and his law, again and again, God
here gives to their representatives some special tokens of his
favour to them (for God meets him that rejoices and works
righteousness), and admits them nearer to him than they could have
expected. Thus, in the New-Testament church, we find the four
living creatures, and the four and twenty elders,
honoured with places round the throne, being redeemed unto
God by the blood of the Lamb which is in the midst of
the throne,
12 And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. 13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. 14 And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. 15 And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. 16 And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
The public ceremony of sealing the covenant being over, Moses is called up to receive further instructions, which we have in the following chapters.
I. He is called up into the mount, and
there he remains six days at some distance. Orders are given him
(
II. He is called up into a cloud on the
seventh day, probably on the sabbath day,
At this chapter begins an account of the orders
and instructions God gave to Moses upon the mount for the erecting
and furnishing of a tabernacle to the honour of God. We have here.
I. Orders given for a collection to be made among the people for
this purpose,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. 3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, 4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, 5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, 6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, 7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. 8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
We may suppose that when Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and abode there so long, where the holy angels attended the shechinah, or divine Majesty, he saw and heard very glorious things relating to the upper world, but they were things which it was not lawful nor possible to utter; and therefore, in the records he kept of the transactions there, he says nothing to satisfy the curiosity of those who would intrude into the things which they have not seen, but writes that only which he was to speak to the children of Israel. For the scripture is designed to direct us in our duty, not to fill our heads with speculations, nor to please our fancies.
In these verses God tells Moses his
intention in general, that the children of Israel should build him
a sanctuary, for he designed to dwell among them (
I. He orders a royal palace to be set up
among them for himself, here called a sanctuary, or holy
place, or habitation, of which it is said (
1. As ceremonial, consonant to the
other institutions of that dispensation, which consisted in carnal
ordinances (
2. As typical; the holy places made with
hands were the figures of the true,
II. When Moses was to erect this palace, it was requisite that he should first be instructed where he must have the materials, and where he must have the model; for he could neither contrive it by his own ingenuity nor build it at his own charge; he is therefore directed here concerning both.
1. The people must furnish him with the materials, not by a tax imposed upon them, but by a voluntary contribution. This is the first thing concerning which orders are here given.
(1.) Speak unto the children of Israel
that they bring me an offering; and there was all the reason in
the world that they should, for (
(2.) This offering must be given willingly,
and with the heart, that is, [1.] It was not prescribed to them
what or how much they must give, but it was left to their
generosity, that they might show their good-will to the house of
God and the offices thereof, and might do it with a holy emulation,
the zeal of a few provoking many,
(3.) The particulars are here mentioned
which they must offer (
2. God himself would furnish him with the
model: According to all that I show thee,
10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. 12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. 13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. 15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. 16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. 17 And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. 20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. 21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. 22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
The first thing which is here ordered to be made is the ark with its appurtenances, the furniture of the most holy place, and the special token of God's presence, for which the tabernacle was erected to be the receptacle.
I. The ark itself was a chest, or coffer,
in which the two tables of the law, written with the finger of God,
were to be honourably deposited, and carefully kept. The dimensions
of it are exactly ordered; if the Jewish cubit was, as some learned
men compute, three inches longer than our half-yard (twenty-one
inches in all), this chest or cabinet was about fifty-two inches
long, thirty-one broad, and thirty-one deep. It was overlaid within
and without with thin plates of gold. It had a crown, or cornice,
of gold, round it, with rings and staves to carry it with; and in
it he must put the testimony,
II. The mercy-seat was the covering of the
ark or chest, made of solid gold, exactly to fit the dimensions of
the ark,
III. The cherubim of gold were fixed to the
mercy-seat, and of a piece with it, and spread their wings over it,
23 Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 24 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. 25 And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. 26 And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. 27 Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table. 28 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them. 29 And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them. 30 And thou shalt set upon the table showbread before me alway.
Here is, 1. A table ordered to be made of
wood overlaid with gold, which was to stand, not in the holy of
holies (nothing was in that but the ark with its appurtenances),
but in the outer part of the tabernacle, called the
sanctuary, or holy place,
31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. 32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: 33 Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick. 34 And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers. 35 And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick. 36 Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold. 37 And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it. 38 And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold. 39 Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels. 40 And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount.
I. The next thing ordered to be made for
the furnishing of God's palace was a rich stately candlestick, all
of pure gold, not hollow, but solid. The particular directions here
given concerning it show, 1. That it was very magnificent, and a
great ornament to the place; it had many branches drawn from the
main shaft, which had not only their bowls (to put the oil and the
kindled wick in) for necessity, but knops and flowers for ornament.
2. That it was very convenient, and admirably contrived both to
scatter the light and to keep the tabernacle clean from smoke and
snuffs. 3. That it was very significant. The tabernacle had no
windows by which to let in the light of the day, all its light was
candle-light, which intimates the comparative darkness of that
dispensation, while the Sun or righteousness had not as yet risen,
nor had the day-star from on high yet visited his church. Yet God
left not himself without witness, nor them without instruction; the
commandment was a lamp, and the law a light, and the prophets were
branches from that lamp, which gave light in their several ages to
the Old-Testament church. The church is still dark, as the
tabernacle was, in comparison with what it will be in heaven; but
the word of God is the candlestick, a light shining in a dark
place (
II. There is in the midst of these
instructions an express caution given to Moses, to take heed of
varying from his model: Make them after the pattern shown
thee,
Moses here receives instructions, I. Concerning
the inner curtains of the tent or tabernacle, and the coupling of
those curtains,
1 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them. 2 The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure. 3 The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another. 4 And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. 5 Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another. 6 And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle.
I. The house must be a tabernacle or
tent, such as soldiers now use in the camp, which was both a
mean dwelling and a movable one; and yet the ark of God had not
better, till Solomon built the temple 480 years after this,
II. The curtains of the tabernacle must
correspond to a divine pattern. 1. They were to be very rich, the
best of the kind, fine twined linen; and colours very
pleasing, blue, and purple, and scarlet. 2.
They were to be embroidered with cherubim (
7 And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make. 8 The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure. 9 And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle. 10 And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second. 11 And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. 12 And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the tabernacle. 13 And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it. 14 And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins.
Moses is here ordered to make a double
covering for the tabernacle, that it might not rain in, and that
the beauty of those fine curtains might not be damaged. 1. There
was to be a covering of hair camlet curtains, which were somewhat
larger every way than the inner curtains, because they were to
enclose them, and probably were stretched out at some little
distance from them,
15 And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up. 16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board. 17 Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18 And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward. 19 And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons. 20 And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards: 21 And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 22 And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards. 23 And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. 24 And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners. 25 And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 26 And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, 27 And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward. 28 And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end. 29 And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold. 30 And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was showed thee in the mount.
Very particular directions are here given
about the boards of the tabernacle, which were to bear up the
curtains, as the stakes of a tent which had need to be strong,
31 And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: 32 And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. 33 And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. 34 And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place. 35 And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side. 36 And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework. 37 And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.
Two veils are here ordered to be made, 1.
One for a partition between the holy place and the most holy, which
not only forbade any to enter, but forbade them so much as to look
into the holiest of all,
In this chapter directions are given, I.
Concerning the brazen altar for burnt-offerings,
1 And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. 2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass. 3 And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. 4 And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof. 5 And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. 6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass. 7 And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. 8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.
As God intended in the tabernacle to
manifest his presence among his people, so there they were to pay
their devotions to him, not in the tabernacle itself (into that
only the priests entered as God's domestic servants), but in the
court before the tabernacle, where, as common subjects, they
attended. There an altar was ordered to be set up, to which they
must bring their sacrifices, and on which their priests must offer
them to God: and this altar was to sanctify their gifts. Here they
were to present their services to God, as from the mercy-seat he
gave his oracles to them; and thus a communion was settled between
God and Israel. Moses is here directed about, 1. The dimensions of
it; it was square,
Now this brazen altar was a type of Christ
dying to make atonement for our sins: the wood would have been
consumed by the fire from heaven if it had not been secured by the
brass; nor could the human nature of Christ have borne the wrath of
God if it had not been supported by a divine power. Christ
sanctified himself for his church, as their altar (
9 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side: 10 And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. 11 And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. 12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. 13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. 14 The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. 15 And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. 16 And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four. 17 All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass. 18 The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty everywhere, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass. 19 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.
Before the tabernacle there was to be a
court or yard, enclosed with hangings of the finest linen that was
used for tents. This court, according to the common computation of
cubits, was fifty yards long, and twenty-five broad. Pillars were
set up at convenient distances, in sockets of brass, the pillars
filleted with silver, and silver tenter-hooks in them, on which the
linen hangings were fastened: the hanging which served for the gate
was finer than the rest,
20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. 21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
We read of the candlestick in the
twenty-fifth chapter; here is an order given for the keeping of the
lamps constantly burning in it, else it was useless; in every
candlestick there should be a burning and shining light;
candlesticks without candles are as wells without water or
as clouds without rain. Now, 1. The people were to provide
the oil; from them the Lord's ministers must have their
maintenance. Or, rather, the pure oil signified the gifts and
graces of the Spirit, which are communicated to all believers from
Christ the good olive, of whose fulness we receive (
Orders being given for the fitting up of the place
of worship, in this and the following chapter care is taken about
the priests that were to minister in this holy place, as the menial
servants of the God of Israel. He hired servants, as a token of his
purpose to reside among them. In this chapter, I. He pitches upon
the persons who should be his servants,
1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. 2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. 3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. 4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. 5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.
We have here,
I. The priests nominated: Aaron and his
sons,
II. The priests' garments appointed, for
glory and beauty,
6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. 7 It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. 8 And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: 10 Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. 11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. 12 And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial. 13 And thou shalt make ouches of gold; 14 And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches.
Directions are here given concerning the
ephod, which was the outmost garment of the high priest.
Linen ephods were worn by the inferior priests,
15 And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it. 16 Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. 17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. 18 And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. 20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. 21 And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes. 22 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold. 23 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24 And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate. 25 And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it. 26 And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward. 27 And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. 28 And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. 29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually. 30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.
The most considerable of the ornaments of
the high priest was this breast-plate, a rich piece of cloth,
curiously wrought with gold and purple, &c., two spans long and
a span broad, so that, being doubled, it was a span square,
I. The tribes of Israel were recommended to
God's favour in twelve precious stones,
II. The urim and thummim, by which the will
of God was made known in doubtful cases, were put in this
breast-plate, which is therefore called the breast-plate of
judgment,
31 And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent. 33 And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: 34 A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. 35 And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out, that he die not. 36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 37 And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. 38 And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord. 39 And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.
Here is, 1. Direction given concerning
the robe of the ephod,
40 And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty. 41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office. 42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach: 43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.
We have here, 1. Particular orders about
the vestments of the inferior priests. They were to have coats, and
girdles, and bonnets, of the same materials with those of the high
priest; but there was a difference in shape between their bonnets
and his mitre. Theirs, as his, were to be for glory and
beauty (
Particular orders are given in this chapter, I.
Concerning the consecration of the priests, and the sanctification
of the altar,
1 And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, 2 And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them. 3 And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. 4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. 5 And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: 6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. 7 Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him. 8 And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them. 9 And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons. 10 And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock. 11 And thou shalt kill the bullock before the Lord, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 12 And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar. 13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar. 14 But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering. 15 Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. 16 And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar. 17 And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head. 18 And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the Lord: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord. 19 And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. 20 Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. 21 And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him. 22 Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration: 23 And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the Lord: 24 And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. 25 And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn them upon the altar for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour before the Lord: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord. 26 And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord: and it shall be thy part. 27 And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons: 28 And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the Lord. 29 And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons' after him, to be anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them. 30 And that son that is priest in his stead shall put them on seven days, when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy place. 31 And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place. 32 And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 33 And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy. 34 And if ought of the flesh of the consecrations, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy. 35 And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them. 36 And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it. 37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.
Here is, I. The law concerning the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priest's office, which was to be done with a great deal of ceremony and solemnity, that they themselves might be duly affected with the greatness of the work to which they were called, and that the people also might learn to magnify the office and none might dare to invade it.
1. The ceremonies wherewith it was to be done were very fully and particularly appointed, because nothing of this kind had been done before, and because it was to be a statute for ever that the high priest should be thus inaugurated. Now,
(1.) The work to be done was the
consecrating of the persons whom God had chosen to be priests, by
which they devoted and gave up themselves to the service of God and
God declared his acceptance of them; and the people were made to
know that they glorified not themselves to be made priests,
but were called of God,
(2.) The person to do it was Moses, by
God's appointment. Though he was ordained for men, yet the
people were not to consecrate him; Moses the servant of the
Lord, and his agent herein, must do it. By God's special
appointment he now did the priest's work, and therefore that which
was the priest's part of the sacrifice was here ordered to be his,
(3.) The place was at the door of the
tabernacle of meeting,
(4.) It was done with many ceremonies.
[1.] They were to be washed (
[2.] They were to be clothed with the holy
garments (
[3.] The high priest was to be anointed
with the holy anointing oil (
[4.] Sacrifices were to be offered for them. The covenant of priesthood, as all other covenants, must be made by sacrifice.
First, There must be a sin-offering,
to make atonement for them,
Secondly, There must be a
burnt-offering, a ram wholly burnt, to the honour of God, in token
of the dedication of themselves wholly to God and to his service,
as living sacrifices, kindled with the fire and ascending in the
flame of holy love,
Thirdly, There must be a
peace-offering; it is called the ram of consecration,
because there was more in this peculiar to the occasion than in the
other two. In the burnt-offering God had the glory of their
priesthood, in this they had the comfort of it; and, in token of a
mutual covenant between God and them, 1. The blood of the sacrifice
was divided between God and them (
2. The time that was to be spent in this
consecration: Seven days shalt thou consecrate them,
3. This consecration of the priests was a
shadow of good things to come. (1.) Our Lord Jesus is the
great high-priest of our profession, called of God to be so,
consecrated for evermore, anointed with the Spirit above his
fellows (whence he is called Messiah, the Christ),
clothed with the holy garments, even with glory and beauty,
sanctified by his own blood, not that of bullocks and rams
(
II. The consecration of the altar, which
seems to have been coincident with that of the priests, and the
sin-offerings which were offered every day for seven days together
had reference to the altar as well as the priests,
38 Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. 39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: 40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. 41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord. 42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. 43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. 44 And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office. 45 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. 46 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God.
In this paragraph we have,
I. The daily service appointed. A lamb was
to be offered upon the altar every morning, and a lamb every
evening, each with a meat-offering, both made by fire, as a
continual burnt-offering throughout their generations,
II. Great and precious promises made of
God's favour to Israel, and the tokens of his special presence with
them, while they thus kept up his institutions among them. He
speaks as one well pleased with the appointment of the daily
sacrifice; for, before he proceeds to the other appointments that
follow, he interposes these promises. It is constancy in religion
that brings in the comfort of it. He promises, 1. That he would
keep up communion with them; that he would not only meet Moses, and
speak to him, but that he would meet the children of Israel,
(
Moses is, in this chapter, further instructed, I.
Concerning the altar of incense,
1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it. 2 A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same. 3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about. 4 And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal. 5 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. 6 And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. 7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. 10 And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the Lord.
I. The orders given concerning the altar of
incense are, 1. That it was to be made of wood, and covered with
gold, pure gold, about a yard high and half a yard square, with
horns at the corners, a golden cornice round it, with rings and
staves of gold, for the convenience of carrying it,
II. This incense-altar typified, 1. The
mediation of Christ. The brazen altar in the court was a type of
Christ dying on earth; the golden altar in the sanctuary was a type
of Christ interceding in heaven, in virtue of his satisfaction.
This altar was before the mercy-seat; for Christ always appears in
the presence of God for us; he is our advocate with the
father (
11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. 13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord. 14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls. 16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls.
Some observe that the repetition of those
words, The Lord spoke unto Moses, here and afterwards
(
17 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. 19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: 20 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the Lord: 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.
Orders are here given, 1. For the making of
a laver, or font, of brass, a large vessel, that would contain a
good quantity of water, which was to be set near the door of the
tabernacle,
22 Moreover the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, 24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: 25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. 26 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, 27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, 28 And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. 29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. 30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office. 31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. 32 Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you. 33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people. 34 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: 35 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: 36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. 37 And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the Lord. 38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.
Directions are here given for the
composition of the holy anointing oil and the incense that were to
be used in the service of the tabernacle; with these God was to be
honoured, and therefore he would appoint the making of them; for
nothing comes to God but what comes from him. 1. The
holy anointing oil is here ordered to be made up the ingredients,
and their quantities, are prescribed,
God is here drawing towards a conclusion of what
he had to say to Moses upon the mount, where he had now been with
him forty days and forty nights; and yet no more is recorded of
what was said to him in all that time than what we have read in the
six chapters foregoing. In this, I. He appoints what workmen should
be employed in the building and furnishing of the tabernacle,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. 6 And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee; 7 The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle, 8 And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense, 9 And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot, 10 And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office, 11 And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.
A great deal of fine work God had ordered to be done about the tabernacle; the materials the people were to provide, but who must put them into form? Moses himself was learned in all the learning of the Egyptians, nay, he was well acquainted with the words of God, and the visions of the Almighty; but he knew not how to engrave or embroider. We may suppose that there were some very ingenious men among the Israelites; but, having lived all their days in bondage in Egypt, we cannot think they were any of them instructed in these curious arts. They knew how to make brick and work in clay, but to work in gold and in cutting diamonds was what they had never been brought up to. How should the work be done with the neatness and exactness that were required when they had no goldsmiths or jewellers but what must be made out of masons and bricklayers? We may suppose that there were a sufficient number who would gladly be employed, and would do their best; but it would be hard to find out a proper person to preside in this work. Who was sufficient for these things? But God takes care of this matter also.
I. He nominates the persons that were to be
employed, that there might be no contest about the preferment, nor
envy at those that were preferred, God himself having made the
choice. 1. Bezaleel was to be the architect, or master workman,
II. He qualifies these persons for the
service (
12 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. 14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. 18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
Here is, I. A strict command for the
sanctification of the sabbath day,
1. The nature, meaning, and intention, of
the sabbath, by the declaration of which God puts an honour upon
it, and teaches us to value it. Divers things are here said of the
sabbath. (1.) It is a sign between me and you (
2. The law of the sabbath. They must keep
it (
3. The reason of the sabbath; for God's
laws are not only backed with the highest authority, but supported
with the best reason. God's own example is the great reason,
4. The penalty to be inflicted for the
breach of this law: "Every one that defileth the sabbath, by
doing any work therein but works of piety and mercy,
shall be cut off from among his people (
II. The delivering of the two tables of
testimony to Moses. God had promised him these tables when he
called him up into the mount (
It is a very lamentable interruption which the
story of this chapter gives to the record of the establishment of
the church, and of religion among the Jews. Things went on
admirably well towards that happy settlement: God had shown himself
very favourable, and the people also had seemed to be pretty
tractable. Moses had now almost completed his forty days upon the
mount, and, we may suppose, was pleasing himself with the thoughts
of the very joyful welcome he should have to the camp of Israel at
his return, and the speedy setting up of the tabernacle among them.
But, behold, the measures are broken, the sin of Israel turns away
those good things from them, and puts a stop to the current of
God's favours; the sin that did the mischief (would you think it?)
was worshipping a golden calf. The marriage was ready to be
solemnized between God and Israel, but Israel plays the harlot, and
so the match is broken, and it will be no easy matter to piece it
again. Here is, I. The sin of Israel, and of Aaron particularly, in
making the golden calf for a god (
1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. 3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord. 6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
While Moses was in the mount, receiving the law from God, the people had time to meditate upon what had been delivered, and prepare themselves for what was further to be revealed, and forty days was little enough for that work; but, instead of that, there were those among them that were contriving how to break the laws they had already received, and to anticipate those which they were in expectation of. On the thirty-ninth day of the forty, the plot broke out of rebellion against the Lord. Here is,
I. A tumultuous address which the people
made to Aaron, who was entrusted with the government in the absence
of Moses: Up, make us gods, which shall go before us,
1. See the ill effect of Moses's absence from them; if he had not had God's call both to go and stay, he would not have been altogether free from blame. Those that have the charge of others, as magistrates, ministers, and masters of families, ought not, without just cause, to absent themselves from their charge, lest Satan get advantage thereby.
2. See the fury and violence of a multitude when they are influenced and corrupted by such as lie in wait to deceive. Some few, it is likely, were at first possessed with this humour, while many, who would never have thought of it if they had not put it into their hearts, were brought to follow their pernicious ways; and presently such a multitude were carried down the stream that the few who abhorred the proposal durst not so much as enter their protestation against it. Behold how great a matter a little fire kindles! Now what was the matter with this giddy multitude?
(1.) They were weary of waiting for the promised land. They thought themselves detained too long at mount Sinai; though there they lay very safe and very easy, well fed and well taught, yet they were impatient to be going forward. They had a God that staid with them, and manifested his presence with them by the cloud; but this would not serve. They must have a god to go before them; they are for hastening to the land flowing with milk and honey, and cannot stay to take their religion along with them. Note, Those that would anticipate God's counsels are commonly precipitate in their own. We must first wait for God's law before we catch at his promises. He that believeth doth not make haste, not more haste than good speed.
(2.) They were weary of waiting for the
return of Moses. When he went up into the mount, he had not told
them (for God had not told him) how long he must stay; and
therefore, when he had outstayed their time, though they were every
way well provided for in his absence, some bad people advanced I
know not what surmises concerning his delay: As for this Moses,
the man that brought us up out of Egypt, we wot not what has become
of him. Observe, [1.] How slightly they speak of his
person—this Moses. Thus ungrateful are they to Moses, who
had shown such a tender concern for them, and thus do they walk
contrary to God. While God delights to put honour upon him, they
delight to put contempt upon him, and this to the face of Aaron his
brother, and now his viceroy. Note, The greatest merits cannot
secure men from the greatest indignities and affronts in this
ungrateful world. [2.] How suspiciously they speak of his delay:
We wot not what has become of him. They thought he was
either consumed by the devouring fire or starved for want to food,
as if that God who kept and fed them, who were so unworthy, would
not take care for the protection and supply of Moses his favourite.
Some of them, who were willing to think well of Moses, perhaps
suggested that he was translated to heaven like Enoch; while others
that cared not how ill they thought of him insinuated that he had
deserted his undertaking, as unable to go on with it, and had
returned to his father-in-law to keep his flock. All these
suggestions were perfectly groundless and absurd, nothing could be
more so; it was easy to tell what had become of him: he was
seen to go into the cloud, and the cloud he went into was still
seen by all Israel upon the top of the mount; they had all the
reason in the world to conclude that he was safe there; if the Lord
had been pleased to kill him, he would not have shown him such
favours as these. If he tarried long, it was because God had a
great deal to say to him, for their good; he resided upon the mount
as the ambassador, and he would certainly return as soon as he had
finished the business he went upon; and yet they make this the
colour for their wicked proposal: We wot not what has become of
him. Note, First, Those that are resolved to think ill,
when they have ever so much reason to think well, commonly pretend
that they know not what to think. Secondly,
Misinterpretations of our Redeemer's delays are the occasion of a
great deal of wickedness. Our Lord Jesus has gone up into the mount
of glory, where he is appearing in the presence of Gold for us, but
out of our sight; the heavens must contain him, must conceal him,
that we may live by faith. There he has been long; there he is yet.
Hence unbelievers suggest that they know not what has become of
him; and ask, Where is the promise of his coming? (
(3.) They were weary of waiting for a
divine institution of religious worship among them for that was the
thing they were now in expectation of. They were told that they
must serve God in this mountain, and fond enough they would
be of the pomp and ceremony of it; but, because that was not
appointed them so soon as they wished, they would set their own
wits on work to devise signs of God's presence with them, and would
glory in them, and have a worship of their own invention, probably
such as they had seen among the Egyptians; for Stephen says that
when they said unto Aaron, Make us gods, they did, in heart,
turn back into Egypt,
II. Here is the demand which Aaron makes of
their jewels thereupon: Bring me your golden ear-rings,
III. Here is the making of the golden calf,
IV. Having made the calf in Horeb, they
worshipped the graven image,
7 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 9 And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. 11 And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? 12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. 14 And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
Here, I. God acquaints Moses with what was
doing in the camp while he was absent,
II. He expresses his displeasure against
Israel for this sin, and the determination of his justice to cut
them off,
III. Moses earnestly intercedes with God on
their behalf (
IV. God graciously abated the rigour of the
sentence, and repented of the evil he thought to do
(
15 And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. 16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. 17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. 18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear. 19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
Here is, I. The favour of God to Moses, in
trusting him with the two tables of the testimony, which, though of
common stone, were far more valuable than all the precious stones
that adorned the breast-plate of Aaron. The topaz of Ethiopia could
not equal them,
II. The familiarity between Moses and
Joshua. While Moses was in the cloud, as in the presence-chamber,
Joshua continued as near as he might, in the anti-chamber (as it
were), waiting till Moses came out, that he might be ready to
attend him; and though he was all alone for forty days (fed, it is
likely, with manna), yet he was not weary of waiting, as the people
were, but when Moses came down he came with him, and not till then.
And here we are told what constructions they put upon the noise
that they heard in the camp,
III. The great and just displeasure of
Moses against Israel, for their idolatry. Knowing what to expect,
he was presently aware of the golden calf, and the sport the people
made with it. He saw how merry they could be in his absence, how
soon he was forgotten among them, and what little thought they had
of him and his return. He might justly take this ill, as an affront
to himself, but this was the least part of the grievance; he
resented it as an offence to God, and the scandal of his people.
See what a change it is to come down from the mount of communion
with God to converse with a world that lies in wickedness.
In God we see nothing but what is pure and pleasant, in the world
nothing but pollution and provocation. Moses was the meekest man on
the earth, and yet when he saw the calf, and the dancing,
his anger waxed hot. Note, It is no breach of the law of
meekness to show our displeasure at the wickedness of the wicked.
Those are angry and sin not that are angry at sin only, not
as against themselves, but as against God. Ephesus is famous for
patience, and yet cannot bear those that are evil,
21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? 22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. 23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. 25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) 26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. 27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. 28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. 29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.
Moses, having shown his just indignation
against the sin of Israel by breaking the tables and burning the
calf, now proceeds to reckon with the sinners and to call them to
an account, herein acting as the representative of God, who is not
only a holy God, and hates sin, but a just God, and is engaged in
honour to punish it,
I. He begins with Aaron, as God began with Adam, because he was the principal person, though not first in the transgression, but drawn into it. Observe here,
1. The just reproof Moses gives him,
2. The frivolous excuse Aaron makes for
himself. We will hope that he testified his repentance for the sin
afterwards better than he did now; for what he says here has little
in it of the language of a penitent. If a just man fall, he shall
rise again, but perhaps not quickly. (1.) He deprecates the anger
of Moses only, whereas he should have deprecated God's anger in the
first place: Let not the anger of my Lord wax hot,
II. The people are next to be judged for this sin. The approach of Moses soon spoiled their sport and turned their dancing into trembling. Those that hectored Aaron into a compliance with them in their sin durst not look Moses in the face, nor make the least opposition to the severity which he thought fit to use both against the idol and against the idolaters. Note, It is not impossible to make those sins which were committed with daring presumption appear contemptible, when the insolent perpetrators of them slink away overwhelmed in their own confusion. The king that sits upon the throne of judgment scatters away all evil with his eyes. Observe two things:—
1. How they were exposed to shame by their
sin: The people were naked (
2. The course that Moses took to roll away
this reproach, not by concealing the sin, or putting any false
colour upon it, but by punishing it, and so bearing a public
testimony against it. Whenever it should be case in their teeth
that they had made a calf in Horeb, they might have this to
say, in answer to those that reproached them, that though it was
true there were those that did so, yet justice was executed upon
them. The government disallowed the sin, and suffered not the
sinners to go unpunished. They did so, but they paid dearly for it.
Thus (said God) thou shalt put the evil away,
(1.) By whom vengeance was taken—by the
children of Levi (
(2.) On whom vengeance is taken: There
fell of the people that day about 3000 men,
30 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. 31 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. 33 And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. 34 Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them. 35 And the Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
Moses, having executed justice upon the principal offenders, is here dealing both with the people and with God.
I. With the people, to bring them to
repentance,
1. When some were slain, lest the rest should imagine that, because they were exempt from the capital punishment, they were therefore looked upon as free from guilt, Moses here tells the survivors, You have sinned a great sin, and therefore, though you have escaped this time, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. That they might not think lightly of the sin itself, he calls it a great sin; and that they might not think themselves innocent, because perhaps they were not all so deeply guilty as some of those that were put to death, he tells them all, You have sinned a great sin. The work of ministers is to show people their sins, and the greatness of their sins. "You have sinned, and therefore you are undone if your sins be not pardoned, for ever undone without a Saviour. It is a great sin, and therefore calls for great sorrow, for it puts you in great danger." To affect them with the greatness of their sin he intimates to them what a difficult thing it would be to make up the quarrel which God had with them for it. (1.) It would not be done, unless he himself went up unto the Lord on purpose, and gave as long and as solemn attendance as he had done for the receiving of the law. And yet, (2.) Even so it was but a peradventure that he should make atonement for them; the case was extremely hazardous. This should convince us of the great evil there is in sin, that he who undertook to make atonement found it no easy thing to do it; he must go up to the Lord with his own blood to make atonement. The malignity of sin appears in the price of pardons.
2. Yet it was some encouragement to the
people (when they were told that they had sinned a great
sin) to hear that Moses, who had so great an interest in heaven
and so true an affection for them, would go up unto the Lord to
make atonement for them. Consolation should go along with
conviction: first wound, and then heal; first show people the
greatness of their sin, and then make known to them the atonement,
and give them hopes of mercy. Moses will go up unto the
Lord, though it be but a peradventure that he should
make atonement. Christ, the great Mediator, went upon greater
certainty than this, for he had lain in the bosom of the Father,
and perfectly knew all his counsels. But to us poor supplicants it
is encouragement enough in prayer for particular mercies that
peradventure we may obtain them, though we have not an
absolute promise.
II. He intercedes with God for mercy. Observe,
1. How pathetic his address was. Moses
returned unto the Lord, not to receive further instructions
about the tabernacle: there were no more conferences now about that
matter. Thus men's sins and follies make work for their friends and
ministers, unpleasant work, many times, and give great
interruptions to that work which they delight in. Moses in this
address expresses, (1.) His great detestation of the people's sin,
2. Observe how prevalent his address was.
God would not take him at his word; no, he will not blot any out of
his book but those that by their wilful disobedience have forfeited
the honour of being enrolled in it (
In this chapter we have a further account of the
mediation of Moses between God and Israel, for the making up of the
breach that sin had made between them. I. He brings a very humbling
message from God to them (
1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it: 2 And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: 3 Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way. 4 And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee. 6 And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.
Here is, I. The message which God sent by
Moses to the children of Israel, signifying the continuance of the
displeasure against them, and the bad terms they yet stood upon
with God. This he must let them know for their further
mortification. 1. He applies to them a mortifying name, by giving
them their just character—a stiff-necked people,
II. The people's melancholy reception of
this message; it was evil tidings to them to hear that they should
not have God's special presence with them, and therefore, 1.
They mourned (
7 And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the Lord went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp. 8 And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle. 9 And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. 10 And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door. 11 And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
Here is, I. One mark of displeasure put
upon them for their further humiliation: Moses took the
tabernacle, not his own tent for his family, but the tent
wherein he gave audience, heard causes, and enquired of God, the
guild-hall (as it were) of their camp, and pitched it
without, afar off from the camp (
II. Many encouragements give them, notwithstanding, to hope that God would yet be reconciled to them.
1. Though the tabernacle was removed, yet
every one that was disposed to seek the Lord was welcome to follow
it,
2. Moses undertook to mediate between God
and Israel. He went out to the tabernacle, the place of
treaty, probably pitched between them and the mount (
3. The people seemed to be in a very good
mind and well disposed towards a reconciliation. (1.) When Moses
went out to go to the tabernacle, the people looked after
him (
4. God was, in Moses, reconciling Israel to
himself, and manifested himself very willing to be at peace. (1.)
God met Moses at the place of treaty,
12 And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. 14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. 15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. 16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. 17 And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. 18 And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
Moses, having returned to the door of the tabernacle, becomes a humble and importunate supplicant there for two very great favours, and as a prince he has power with God, and prevails for both: herein he was a type of Christ the great intercessor, whom the Father heareth always.
I. He is very earnest with God for a grant
of his presence with Israel in the rest of their march to Canaan,
notwithstanding their provocations. The people had by their sin
deserved the wrath of God, and for the turning away of that Moses
had already prevailed,
1. How he pleads. (1.) He insists upon the
commission God had given him to bring up this people,
2. Observe how he speeds. He obtained an
assurance of God's favour, (1.) To himself (
II. Having gained this point, he next begs a sight of God's glory, and is heard in this matter also. Observe,
1. The humble request Moses makes: I
beseech thee, show me thy glory,
2. The gracious reply God made to this
request. (1.) He denied that which was not fit to be granted, and
which Moses could not bear: Thou canst not see my face,
God having in the foregoing chapter intimated to
Moses his reconciliation to Israel, here gives proofs of it,
proceeding to settle his covenant and communion with them. Four
instances of the return of his favour we have in this chapter:—I.
The orders he gives to Moses to come up to the mount, the next
morning, and bring two tables of stone with him,
1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. 2 And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto Mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount. 3 And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount. 4 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.
The treaty that was on foot between God and
Israel being broken off abruptly, by their worshipping the golden
calf, when peace was made all must be begun anew, not where they
left off, but from the beginning. Thus backsliders must repent,
and do their first works,
I. Moses must prepare for the renewing of
the tables,
II. Moses must attend again on the top of
Mount Sinai, and present himself to God there,
5 And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. 8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. 9 And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.
No sooner had Moses got to the top of the
mount than God gave him the meeting (
I. How God proclaimed his name (
1. That the God with whom we have to do is a great God. He is Jehovah, the Lord, who has his being of himself, and is the fountain of all being, Jehovah-El, the Lord, the strong God, a God of almighty power himself, and the original of all power. This is prefixed before the display of his mercy, to teach us to think and to speak even of God's grace and goodness with great seriousness and a holy awe, and to encourage us to depend upon these mercies; they are not the mercies of a man, that is frail and feeble, false and fickle, but the mercies of the Lord, the Lord God; therefore sure mercies, and sovereign mercies, mercies that may be trusted, but not tempted.
2. That he is a good God. His greatness and
goodness illustrate and set off each other. That the terror of his
greatness may not make us afraid, we are told how good he is; and,
that we may not presume upon his goodness, we are told how great he
is. Many words are here heaped up, to acquaint us with, and
convince us of, God's goodness, and to show how much his goodness
is both his glory and his delight, yet without any tautology. (1.)
He is merciful. This bespeaks his tender compassion, like
that of a father to his children. This is put first, because it is
the first wheel in all the instances of God's good-will to fallen
man, whose misery makes him an object of pity,
3. That he is a just and holy God. For, (1.) He will by no means clear the guilty. Some read it so as to express a mitigation of wrath, even when he does punish: When he empties, he will not make quite desolate; that is, "He does not proceed to the greatest extremity, till there be no remedy." As we read it, we must expound it that he will by no means connive at the guilty, as if he took no notice of their sin. Or, he will not clear the impenitently guilty, that go on still in their trespasses: he will not clear the guilty without some satisfaction to his justice, and necessary vindications of the honour of his government. (2.) He visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children. He may justly do it, for all souls are his, and there is a malignity in sin that taints the blood. He sometimes will do it, especially for the punishment of idolaters. Thus he shows his hatred to sin, and displeasure against it; yet he keepeth not his anger for ever, but visits to the third and fourth generation only, while he keepeth his mercy for thousands. Well, this is God's name for ever, and this is his memorial unto all generations.
II. How Moses received this declaration which God made of himself, and of his grace and mercy. It should seem as if Moses accepted this as a sufficient answer to his request that God would show him his glory; for we read not that he went into the cleft of the rock, whence to gain a sight of God's back parts. Perhaps this satisfied him, and he desired no more; as we read not that Thomas did thrust his hand into Christ's side, though Christ invited him to do it. God having thus proclaimed his name, Moses says, "It is enough, I expect no more till I come to heaven;" at least he did not think fit to relate what he saw. Now we are here told,
1. What impression it made upon him:
Moses made haste, and bowed his head,
2. What improvement he made of it. He
immediately grounded a prayer upon it (
10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee. 11 Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: 13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: 14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; 16 And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. 17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
Reconciliation being made, a covenant of friendship is here settled between God and Israel. The traitors are not only pardoned, but preferred and made favourites again. Well may the assurances of this be ushered in with a behold, a word commanding attention and admiration: Behold, I make a covenant. When the covenant was broken, it was Israel that broke it; now that it comes to be renewed, it is God that makes it. If there be quarrels, we must bear all the blame; if there be peace, God must have all the glory. Here is,
I. God's part of this covenant, what he
would do for them,
II. Their part of the covenant: Observe that which I command thee. We cannot expect the benefit of the promises unless we make conscience of the precepts.
1. The two great precepts are, (1.) Thou
shalt worship no other gods (
2. Fences are here erected about these two
precepts by two others: (1.) That they might not be tempted to
worship other gods, they must not join in affinity or friendship
with those that did (
18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt. 19 All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male. 20 But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty. 21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. 22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end. 23 Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. 24 For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year. 25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning. 26 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk. 27 And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.
Here is a repetition of several appointments made before, especially relating to their solemn feasts. When they had made the calf, they proclaimed a feast in honour of it; now, that they might never do so again, they are here charged with the observance of the feasts which God had instituted. Note, Men need not be drawn from their religion by the temptation of mirth, for we serve a Master that has abundantly provided for the joy of his servants: serious godliness is a continual feast, and joy in God always.
I. Once a week they must rest (
II. Thrice a year they must feast
(
III. The three feasts are here mentioned,
with their appendages. 1. The passover, and the feast of unleavened
bread, in remembrance of their deliverance out of Egypt; and to
this is annexed the law of the redemption of the first-born,
IV. With these laws, here repeated, it is
probable all that was said to him when he was before upon the mount
was repeated likewise, and the model of the tabernacle shown him
again, lest the ruffle and discomposure, which the golden calf had
put him in to should have bereaved him of the ideas he had in mind
of what he had seen and heard; also in token of a complete
reconciliation, and to show that not one jot or tittle of the
law should pass away, but that all should be carefully
preserved by the great Mediator, who came not to destroy, but to
fulfil,
28 And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. 29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. 30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 31 And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. 32 And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai. 33 And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. 34 But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Here is, I. The continuance of Moses in the
mount, where he was miraculously sustained,
II. The coming down of Moses from the mount, greatly enriched and miraculously adorned.
1. He came down enriched with the best
treasure; for he brought in his hands the two tables of the law,
written with the finger of God,
2. He came down adorned with the best
beauty; for the skin of his face shone,
(1.) This may be looked upon, [1.] As a
great honour done to Moses, that the people might never again
question his mission nor think nor speak lightly of him. He carried
his credentials in his very countenance, which, some think,
retained, as long as he lived, some remainders of this glory, which
perhaps contributed to the vigour of his old age; that eye could
not wax dim which had seen God, nor that face become wrinkled which
had shone with his glory. The Israelites could not look him in the
face but they must there read his commission. Thus it was done to
the man whom the King of kings did delight to honour. Yet, after
this, they murmured against him; for the most sensible proofs will
not of themselves conquer an obstinate infidelity. The shining of
Moses's face was a great honour to him; yet that was no glory, in
comparison with the glory which excelled. We read of our Lord
Jesus, not only that his face shone as the sun, but his
whole body also, for his raiment was white and glistering,
(2.) Concerning the shining of Moses's face
observe here, [1.] Moses was not aware of it himself: He wist
not that the skin of his face shone,
What should have been said and done upon Moses'
coming down the first time from the mount, if the golden calf had
not broken the measures and put all into disorder, now at last,
when with great difficulty reconciliation was made, begins to be
said and done; and that great affair of the setting up of God's
worship is put into its former channel again, and goes on now
without interruption. I. Moses gives Israel those instructions,
received from God, which required immediate observance. 1.
Concerning the sabbath,
1 And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the Lord hath commanded, that ye should do them. 2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. 3 Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day. 4 And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying, 5 Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord; gold, and silver, and brass, 6 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, 7 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, 8 And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, 9 And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate. 10 And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the Lord hath commanded; 11 The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets, 12 The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering, 13 The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the showbread, 14 The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light, 15 And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle, 16 The altar of burnt offering, with his brazen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, 17 The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court, 18 The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords, 19 The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office.
It was said in general (
I. All the congregation is summoned to
attend (
II. Moses gave them in charge all that (and
that only) which God had commanded him; thus he approved himself
faithful both to God and Israel, between whom he was a messenger or
mediator. If he had added, altered, or diminished, he would have
been false to both. But, both sides having reposed a trust in him,
he was true to the trust; yet he was faithful as a servant only,
but Christ as a Son,
III. He begins with the law of the sabbath,
because that was much insisted on in the instructions he had
received (
IV. He orders preparation to be made for the setting up of the tabernacle. Two things were to be done:—
1. All that were able must contribute:
Take you from among you an offering,
2. All that were skilful must work:
Every wise-hearted among you shall come, and make,
20 And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. 22 And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the Lord. 23 And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers' skins, brought them. 24 Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the Lord's offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it. 25 And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. 26 And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair. 27 And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; 28 And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. 29 The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the Lord had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.
Moses having made known to them the will of
God, they went home and immediately put in practice what they had
heard,
I. The offerings that were brought for the
service of the tabernacle (
II. The work that was done for the service
of the tabernacle (
30 And Moses said unto the children of Israel,
See, the Lord hath called by name
Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;
31 And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom,
in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of
workmanship; 32 And to devise curious works, to work in
gold, and in silver, and in brass, 33 And in the cutting of
stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any
manner of cunning work. 34 And he hath put in his heart that
he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of
the tribe of
Here is the divine appointment of the
master-workmen, that there might be no strife for the office, and
that all who were employed in the work might take direction from,
and give account to, these general inspectors; for God is the God
of order and not of confusion. Observe, 1. Those whom God called by
name to this service he filled with the Spirit of God, to
qualify them for it,
In this chapter, I. The work of the tabernacle is
begun,
1 Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord had commanded. 2 And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it: 3 And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning. 4 And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; 5 And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make. 6 And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. 7 For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
I. The workmen set in without delay. Then
they wrought,
II. The contributions restrained. The
people continued to bring free offerings every morning,
8 And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them. 9 The length of one curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the curtains were all of one size. 10 And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another. 11 And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. 12 Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second: the loops held one curtain to another. 13 And he made fifty taches of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the taches: so it became one tabernacle.
The first work they set about was the
framing of the house, which must be done before the furniture of it
was prepared. This house was not made of timber or stone, but of
curtains curiously embroidered and coupled together. This served to
typify the state of the church in this world, the palace of God's
kingdom among men. 1. Though it is upon the earth, yet its
foundation is not in the earth, as that of a house is; no, Christ's
kingdom is not of this world, nor founded in it. 2. It is mean and
mutable, and in a militant state; shepherds dwelt in tents, and God
is the Shepherd of Israel; soldiers dwelt in tents, and the Lord is
a man of war, and his church marches through an enemy's country,
and must fight its way. The kings of the earth enclose themselves
in cedar (
14 And he made curtains of goats' hair for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them. 15 The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits was the breadth of one curtain: the eleven curtains were of one size. 16 And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. 17 And he made fifty loops upon the uttermost edge of the curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second. 18 And he made fifty taches of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one. 19 And he made a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers' skins above that. 20 And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up. 21 The length of a board was ten cubits, and the breadth of a board one cubit and a half. 22 One board had two tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 23 And he made boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward: 24 And forty sockets of silver he made under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons. 25 And for the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north corner, he made twenty boards, 26 And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 27 And for the sides of the tabernacle westward he made six boards. 28 And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. 29 And they were coupled beneath, and coupled together at the head thereof, to one ring: thus he did to both of them in both the corners. 30 And there were eight boards; and their sockets were sixteen sockets of silver, under every board two sockets. 31 And he made bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, 32 And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the sides westward. 33 And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other. 34 And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
Here, 1. The shelter and special protection
that the church is under are signified by the curtains of
hair-cloth, which were spread over the tabernacle, and the covering
of rams' skins and badgers' skins over them,
35 And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work. 36 And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver. 37 And he made an hanging for the tabernacle door of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, of needlework; 38 And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters and their fillets with gold: but their five sockets were of brass.
In the building of a house there is a great
deal of work about the doors and partitions. In the tabernacle
these were answerable to the rest of the fabric; there were
curtains for doors, and veils for partitions. 1. There was a veil
made for a partition between the holy place, and the most holy,
Bezaleel and his workmen are still busy, making I.
The ark with the mercy-seat and the cherubim,
1 And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it: 2 And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about. 3 And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it. 4 And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold. 5 And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. 6 And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 7 And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat; 8 One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof. 9 And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims.
I. It may be thought strange that Moses,
when he had recorded so fully the instructions given him upon the
mount for the making of all these things, should here record as
particularly the making of them, when it might have sufficed only
to have said, in a few words, that each of these things was made
exactly according to the directions before recited. We are sure
that Moses, when he wrote by divine inspiration, used no vain
repetitions; there are no idle words in scripture. Why then are so
many chapters taken up with this narrative, which we are tempted to
think needless and tedious? But we must consider, 1. That Moses
wrote primarily for the people of Israel, to whom it would be of
great use to read and hear often of these divine and sacred
treasures with which they were entrusted. These several ornaments
wherewith the tabernacle was furnished they were not admitted to
see, but the priests only, and therefore it was requisite that they
should be thus largely described particularly to them. That which
they ought to read again (lest they should fail of doing it) is
written again and again: thus many of the same passages of the
history of Christ are in the New Testament related by two or three,
and some by four of the evangelists, for the same reason. The great
things of God's law and gospel we need to have inculcated upon us
again and again. To write the same (says St. Paul) to me is not
grievous, but for you it is safe,
II. In these verses we have an account of the making of the ark, with its glorious and most significant appurtenances, the mercy-seat and the cherubim. Consider these three together, and they represent the glory of a holy god, the sincerity of a holy heart, and the communion that is between them, in and by a Mediator. 1. It is the glory of a holy god that he dwells between the cherubim; that is, is continually attended and adored by the blessed angels, whose swiftness was signified by their faces being one towards another. 2. It is the character of an upright heart that, like the ark of the testimony, it has the law of God hid and kept in it. 3. By Jesus Christ, the great propitiation, there is reconciliation made, and a communion settled, between us and God: he interposes between us and God's displeasure; and not only so, but through him we become entitled to God's favour. If he write his law in our heart, he will be to us a God and we shall be to him a people. From the mercy-seat he will teach us, there he will accept us, and show himself merciful to our unrighteousness; and under the shadow of his wings we shall be safe and easy.
10 And he made the table of shittim wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof: 11 And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereunto a crown of gold round about. 12 Also he made thereunto a border of an handbreadth round about; and made a crown of gold for the border thereof round about. 13 And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings upon the four corners that were in the four feet thereof. 14 Over against the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table. 15 And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table. 16 And he made the vessels which were upon the table, his dishes, and his spoons, and his bowls, and his covers to cover withal, of pure gold. 17 And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same: 18 And six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof: 19 Three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knop and a flower: so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick. 20 And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops, and his flowers: 21 And a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches going out of it. 22 Their knops and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure gold. 23 And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuffdishes, of pure gold. 24 Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof.
Here is, 1. The making of the table on
which the show-bread was to be continually placed. God is a good
householder, that always keeps a plentiful table. Is the world his
tabernacle? His providence in it spreads a table for all the
creatures: he provides food for all flesh. Is the church his
tabernacle? His grace in it spreads a table for all believers,
furnished with the bread of life. But observe how much the
dispensation of the gospel exceeds that of the law. Though here was
a table furnished, it was only with show-bread, bread to be
looked upon, not to be fed upon, while it was on this table, and
afterwards only by the priests; but to the table which Christ has
spread in the new covenant all real Christians are invited guests;
and to them it is said, Eat, O friends, come eat of my
bread. What the law gave but a sight of at a distance, the
gospel gives the enjoyment of, and a hearty welcome to. 2. The
making of the candlestick, which was not of wood overlaid with
gold, but all beaten work of pure gold only,
25 And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns thereof were of the same. 26 And he overlaid it with pure gold, both the top of it, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it: also he made unto it a crown of gold round about. 27 And he made two rings of gold for it under the crown thereof, by the two corners of it, upon the two sides thereof, to be places for the staves to bear it withal. 28 And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold. 29 And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary.
Here is, 1. The making of the golden altar,
on which incense was to be burnt daily, which signified both the
prayers of saints and the intercession of Christ, to which are
owing the acceptableness and success of those prayers. The rings
and staves, and all the appurtenances of this altar, were overlaid
with gold, as all the vessels of the table and candlestick were of
gold, for these were used in the holy place. God is the best, and
we must serve him with the best we have; but the best we can serve
him with in his courts on earth is but as brass, compared with the
gold, the sinless and spotless perfection, with which his saints
shall serve him in his holy place above. 2. The preparing of the
incense which was to be burnt upon this altar, and with it the holy
anointing oil (
Here is an account, I. Of the making of the brazen
altar (
1 And he made the altar of burnt offering of shittim wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof; it was foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof. 2 And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of the same: and he overlaid it with brass. 3 And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basons, and the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass. 4 And he made for the altar a brazen grate of network under the compass thereof beneath unto the midst of it. 5 And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass, to be places for the staves. 6 And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with brass. 7 And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made the altar hollow with boards. 8 And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the looking-glasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Bezaleel having finished the gold-work, which, though the richest, yet was ordered to lie most out of sight, in the tabernacle itself, here goes on to prepare the court, which lay open to the view of all. Two things the court was furnished with, and both made of brass:—
I. An altar of burnt-offering,
II. A laver, to hold water for the priests
to wash in when they went in to minister,
1. It should seem these women were eminent
and exemplary for devotion, attending more frequently and seriously
at the place of public worship than others did; and notice is here
taken of it to their honour. Anna was such a one long afterwards,
who departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings
and prayers night and day,
2. These women parted with their mirrors (which were of the finest brass, burnished for that purpose) for the use of the tabernacle. Those women that admire their own beauty, are in love with their own shadow, and make the putting on of apparel their chief adorning by which they value and recommend themselves, can but ill spare their looking-glasses; yet these women offered them to God, either, (1.) In token of their repentance for the former abuse of them, to the support of their pride and vanity; now that they were convinced of their folly, and had devoted themselves to the service of God at the door of the tabernacle, they thus threw away that which, though lawful and useful in itself, yet had been an occasion of sin to them. Thus Mary Magdalene, who had been a sinner, when she became a penitent wiped Christ's feet with her hair. Or, (2.) In token of their great zeal for the work of the tabernacle; rather than the workmen should want brass, or not have of the best, they would part with their mirrors, though they could not do well without them. God's service and glory must always be preferred by us before any satisfactions or accommodations of our own. Let us never complain of the want of that which we may honour God by parting with.
3. These mirrors were used for the making
of the laver. Either they were artfully joined together, or else
molten down and cast anew; but it is probable that the laver was so
brightly burnished that the sides of it still served for mirrors,
that the priests, when they came to wash, might there see their
faces, and so discover the spots, to wash them clean. Note, In the
washing of repentance, there is need of the looking-glass of
self-examination. The word of God is a glass, in which we may see
our own faces (see
9 And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, an hundred cubits: 10 Their pillars were twenty, and their brazen sockets twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 11 And for the north side the hangings were an hundred cubits, their pillars were twenty, and their sockets of brass twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. 12 And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. 13 And for the east side eastward fifty cubits. 14 The hangings of the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. 15 And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. 16 All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen. 17 And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. 18 And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court. 19 And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets of silver. 20 And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass.
The walls of the court, or church-yard,
were like the rest curtains or hangings, made according to the
appointment,
21 This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest. 22 And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses. 23 And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen. 24 All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 25 And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: 26 A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men. 27 And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the vail; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. 28 And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them. 29 And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels. 30 And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the brazen altar, and the brazen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar, 31 And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.
Here we have a breviat of the account
which, by Moses's appointment, the Levites took and kept of the
gold, silver, and brass, that was brought in for the tabernacle's
use, and how it was employed. Ithamar the son of Aaron was
appointed to draw up this account, and was thus by less services
trained up and fitted for greater,
This chapter gives us an account of the finishing
of the work of the tabernacle. I. The last things prepared were the
holy garments. The ephod and its curious girdle,
1 And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the Lord commanded Moses. 2 And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 3 And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work. 4 They made shoulderpieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together. 5 And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the Lord commanded Moses. 6 And they wrought onyx stones inclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel. 7 And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses. 8 And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 9 It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled. 10 And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row. 11 And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 12 And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. 13 And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings. 14 And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes. 15 And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathen work of pure gold. 16 And they made two ouches of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate. 17 And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate. 18 And the two ends of the two wreathen chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod, before it. 19 And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, upon the border of it, which was on the side of the ephod inward. 20 And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. 21 And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the Lord commanded Moses. 22 And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. 23 And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend. 24 And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen. 25 And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates; 26 A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the Lord commanded Moses. 27 And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, 28 And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen, 29 And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the Lord commanded Moses. 30 And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 31 And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the Lord commanded Moses.
In this account of the making of the
priests' garments, according to the instructions given (ch. 28), we
may observe, 1. That the priests' garments are called here
clothes of service,
32 Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they. 33 And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his taches, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets, 34 And the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers' skins, and the vail of the covering, 35 The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat, 36 The table, and all the vessels thereof, and the showbread, 37 The pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light, 38 And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door, 39 The brazen altar, and his grate of brass, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, 40 The hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, his cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation, 41 The cloths of service to do service in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons' garments, to minister in the priest's office. 42 According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. 43 And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.
Observe here, I. The builders of the
tabernacle made very good despatch. It was not much more than five
months from the beginning to the finishing of it. Though there was
a great deal of fine work about it, such as is usually the work of
time, embroidering and engraving, not only in gold, but in precious
stones, yet they went through with it in a little time. Church-work
is usually slow work, but they made quick work of this, and yet did
it with the greatest exactness imaginable. For, 1. Many hands were
employed, all unanimous, and not striving with each other. This
expedited the business, and made it easy. 2. The workmen were
taught of God, and so were kept from making blunders, which would
have retarded them. 3. The people were hearty and zealous in the
work, and impatient till it was finished. God had prepared their
hearts, and then the thing was done suddenly,
II. They punctually observed their orders,
and did not in the least vary from them. They did it according
to all that the Lord commanded Moses,
III. They brought all their work to Moses,
and submitted it to his inspection and censure,
IV. Moses, upon search, found all done
according to the rule,
V. Moses blessed them. 1. He commended them, and signified his approbation of all they had done. He did not find fault where there was none, as some do, who think they disparage their own judgment if they do not find something amiss in the best and most accomplished performance. In all this work it is probable there might have been found here and there a stitch amiss, and a stroke awry, which would have served for an over-curious and censorious critic to animadvert upon; but Moses was too candid to notice small faults where there were no great ones. Note, All governors must be a praise to those that do well, as well as a terror to evil-doers. Why should any take a pride in being hard to be pleased? 2. He not only praised them, but prayed for them. He blessed them as one having authority, for the less is blessed of the better. We read not of any wages that Moses paid them for their work, but this blessing he gave them. For, though ordinarily the labourer be worthy of his hire, yet in this case, 1. They wrought for themselves. The honour and comfort of God's tabernacle among them would be recompence enough. If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself. 2. They had their meat from heaven on free-cost, for themselves and their families, and their raiment waxed not old upon them; so that they neither needed wages nor had reason to expect any. Freely you have received, freely give. The obligations we lie under, both in duty and interest, to serve God, should be sufficient to quicken us to our work, though we had not a reward in prospect. But, 3. This blessing, in the name of the Lord, was wages enough for all their work. Those whom God employs he will bless, and those whom he blesses are blessed indeed. The blessing he commands is life for evermore.
In this chapter, I. Orders are given for the
setting up of the tabernacle and the fixing of all the
appurtenances of it in their proper places (
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. 3 And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail. 4 And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. 5 And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle. 6 And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. 7 And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein. 8 And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate. 9 And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy. 10 And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy. 11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it. 12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. 13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. 14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: 15 And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.
The materials and furniture of the
tabernacle had been viewed severally and approved, and now they
must be put together. 1. God here directs Moses to set up the
tabernacle and the utensils of it in their places. Though the work
of the tabernacle was finished, and every thing ready for rearing,
and the people, no doubt, were very desirous to see it up, yet
Moses will not erect it till he has express orders for doing so. It
is good to see God going before us in every step,
16 Thus did Moses: according to all that the Lord commanded him, so did he. 17 And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. 18 And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars. 19 And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the Lord commanded Moses. 20 And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark: 21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the Lord commanded Moses. 22 And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail. 23 And he set the bread in order upon it before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 24 And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. 25 And he lighted the lamps before the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses. 26 And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail: 27 And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the Lord commanded Moses. 28 And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle. 29 And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the Lord commanded Moses. 30 And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal. 31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat: 32 When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses. 33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.
When the tabernacle and the furniture of it were prepared, they did not put off the rearing of it till they came to Canaan, though they now hoped to be there very shortly; but, in obedience to the will of God, they set it up in the midst of their camp, while they were in the wilderness. Those that are unsettled in the world must not think that this will excuse them in their continued irreligion; as if it were enough to begin to serve God when they begin to be settled in the world. No; a tabernacle for God is a very needful and profitable companion even in a wilderness, especially considering that our carcases may fall in that wilderness, and we may be fixed in another world before we come to fix in this.
The rearing of the tabernacle was a good
day's work; the consecrating of it, and of the priests, was
attended to some days after. Here we have an account only of that
new-year's-day's work. 1. Moses not only did all that God directed
him to do, but in the order that God appointed; for God will be
sought in the due order. 2. To each particular there is added an
express reference to the divine appointment, which Moses governed
himself by as carefully and conscientiously as the workmen did; and
therefore, as before, so here it is repeated, as the Lord
commanded Moses, seven times in less than fourteen verses.
Moses himself, as great a man as he was, would not pretend to vary
from the institution, neither to add to it nor diminish from it, in
the least punctilio. Those that command others must remember that
their Master also is in heaven, and they must do as they are
commanded. 3. That which was to be veiled be veiled (
34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: 37 But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
As when, in the creation, God had finished
this earth, which he designed for man's habitation, he made man,
and put him in possession of it, so when Moses had finished the
tabernacle, which was designed for God's dwelling-place among men,
God came and took possession of it. The shechinah, the
divine eternal Word, though not yet made flesh, yet, as a prelude
to that event, came and dwelt among them,
As God had manifested himself upon mount
Sinai, so he did now in this newly-erected tabernacle. We read
(
I. The cloud covered the tent. That
same cloud which, as the chariot or pavilion of the
shechinah, had come up before them out of Egypt and led them
hither, now settled upon the tabernacle and hovered over it, even
in the hottest and clearest day; for it was none of those clouds
which the sun scatters. This cloud was intended to be, 1. A token
of God's presence constantly visible day and night (
II. The glory of the Lord filled the
tabernacle,
AN
There is
nothing historical in all this book of Leviticus except the account
which it gives us of the consecration of the priesthood (
This book begins with the laws concerning
sacrifices, of which the most ancient were the burnt-offerings,
about which God gives Moses instructions in this chapter. Orders
are here given how that sort of sacrifice must be managed. I. If it
was a bullock out of the herd,
1 And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.
Observe here, 1. It is taken for granted
that people would be inclined to bring offerings to the Lord. The
very light of nature directs man, some way or other, to do honour
to his Maker, and pay him homage as his Lord. Revealed religion
supposes natural religion to be an ancient and early institution,
since the fall had directed men to glorify God by sacrifice, which
was an implicit acknowledgment of their having received all from
God as creatures, and their having forfeited all to him as sinners.
A conscience thoroughly convinced of dependence and guilt would be
willing to come before God with thousands of rams,
3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord. 4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 5 And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 6 And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces. 7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire: 8 And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: 9 But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.
If a man were rich and could afford it, it
is supposed that he would bring his burnt-sacrifice, with which he
designed to honour God, out of his herd of larger cattle. He that
considers that God is the best that is will resolve to give him the
best he has, else he gives him not the glory due unto his name. Now
if a man determined to kill a bullock, not for an entertainment for
his family and friends, but for a sacrifice to his God, these rules
must be religiously observed:—1. The beast to be offered must be
a male, and without blemish, and the best he had in his pasture.
Being designed purely for the honour of him that is infinitely
perfect, it ought to be the most perfect in its kind. This
signified the complete strength and purity that were in Christ the
dying sacrifice, and the sincerity of heart and unblamableness of
life that should be in Christians, who are presented to God as
living sacrifices. But, literally, in Christ Jesus there is neither
male nor female; nor is any natural blemish in the body a bar to
our acceptance with God, but only the moral defects and deformities
introduced by sin into the soul. 2. The owner must offer it
voluntarily. What is done in religion, so as to please God, must be
done by no other constraint than that of love. God accepts the
willing people and the cheerful giver. Ainsworth and others read
it, not as the principle, but as the end of offering: "Let him
offer it for his favourable acceptation before the Lord. Let
him propose this to himself as his end in bringing his sacrifice,
and let his eye be fixed steadily upon that end—that he may be
accepted of the Lord." Those only shall find acceptance who
sincerely desire and design it in all their religious services,
10 And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish. 11 And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the Lord: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar. 12 And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: 13 But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring it all, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 14 And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons. 15 And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar: 16 And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes: 17 And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.
Here we have the laws concerning the
burnt-offerings, which were of the flock or of the fowls. Those of
the middle rank, that could not well afford to offer a bullock,
would bring a sheep or a goat; and those that were not able to do
that should be accepted of God if they brought a turtle-dove or a
pigeon. For God, in his law and in his gospel, as well as in his
providence, considers the poor. It is observable that those
creatures were chosen for sacrifice which were most mild and
gentle, harmless and inoffensive, to typify the innocence and
meekness that were in Christ, and to teach the innocence and
meekness that should be in Christians. Directions are here given,
1. Concerning the burnt-offerings of the flock,
In this chapter we have the law concerning the
meat-offering. I. The matter of it; whether of raw flour with oil
and incense (
1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon: 2 And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord: 3 And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire. 4 And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. 5 And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil. 6 Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meat offering. 7 And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in the fryingpan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. 8 And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the Lord: and when it is presented unto the priest, he shall bring it unto the altar. 9 And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 10 And that which is left of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire.
There were some meat-offerings that were
only appendices to the burnt-offerings, as that which was offered
with the daily sacrifice (
I. This sort of offerings was appointed, 1.
In condescension to the poor, and their ability, that those who
themselves lived only upon bread and cakes might offer an
acceptable offering to God out of that which was their own coarse
and homely fare, and by making for God's altar, as the widow of
Sarepta for his prophet, a little cake first, might procure such a
blessing upon the handful of meal in the barrel, and the oil in the
cruse, as that it should not fail. 2. As a proper acknowledgment of
the mercy of God to them in their food. This was like a quitrent,
by which they testified their dependence upon God, their
thankfulness to him, and their expectations from him as their owner
and bountiful benefactor, who giveth to all life, and breath, and
food convenient. Thus must they honour the Lord with their
substance, and, in token of their eating and drinking to his glory,
must consecrate some of their meat and drink to his immediate
service. Those that now, with a grateful charitable heart, deal out
their bread to the hungry, and provide for the necessities of those
that are destitute of daily food, and when they eat the fat and
drink the sweet themselves send portions to those for whom nothing
is prepared, offer unto God an acceptable meat-offering. The
prophet laments it as one of the direful effects of famine that
thereby the meat-offering and drink-offering were cut off from
the house of the Lord (
II. The laws of the meat-offerings were
these:—1. The ingredients must always be fine flour and oil, two
staple commodities of the land of Canaan,
11 No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the Lord, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the Lord made by fire. 12 As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the Lord: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour. 13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. 14 And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the Lord, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears. 15 And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat offering. 16 And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
Here, I. Leaven and honey are forbidden to
be put in any of their meat-offerings: No leaven, nor any honey,
in any offering made by fire,
II. Salt is required in all their
offerings,
III. Directions are given about the
first-fruits. 1. The oblation of their first-fruits at harvest, of
which we read,
In this chapter we have the law concerning the
peace-offerings, whether they were, I. Of the heard, a bullock or a
heifer,
1 And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. 2 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. 3 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 4 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. 5 And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.
The burnt-offerings had regard to God as in
himself the best of beings, most perfect and excellent; they were
purely expressive of adoration, and therefore were wholly burnt.
But the peace-offerings had regard to God as a benefactor to his
creatures, and the giver of all good things to us; and therefore
these were divided between the altar, the priest, and the owner.
Peace signifies, 1. Reconciliation, concord, and communion. And so
these were called peace-offerings, because in them God and
his people did, as it were, feast together, in token of friendship.
The priest, who was ordained for men in things pertaining to God,
gave part of this peace-offering to God (that part which he
required, and it was fit he should be first served), burning it
upon God's altar; part he gave to the offerer, to be eaten by him
with his family and friends; and part he took to himself, as the
days-man that laid his hand upon them both. They could not thus eat
together unless they were agreed; so that it was a symbol of
friendship and fellowship between God and man, and a confirmation
of the covenant of peace. 2. It signifies prosperity and all
happiness: Peace be to you was as much as, All good
be to you; and so the peace-offerings were offered either, (1.) By
way of supplication or request for some good that was wanted and
desired. If a man was in the pursuit or expectation of any mercy,
he would back his prayer for it with a peace-offering, and probably
put up the prayer when he laid his hand upon the head of his
offering. Christ is our peace, our peace-offering; for through him
alone it is that we can expect to obtain mercy, and an answer of
peace to our prayers; and in him an upright prayer shall be
acceptable and successful, though we bring not a peace-offering.
The less costly our devotions are the more lively and serious they
should be. Or, (2.) By way of thanksgiving for some particular
mercy received. It is called a peace-offering of
thanksgiving, for so it was sometimes; as in other cases a
vow,
I. As to the matter of the peace-offering,
suppose it was of the herd, it must be without blemish; and,
if it was so, it was indifferent whether it was male or female,
II. As to the management of it. 1. The
offerer was, by a solemn manumission, to transfer his interest in
it to God (
6 And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the Lord be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. 7 If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the Lord. 8 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar. 9 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 10 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. 11 And the priest shall burn it upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the Lord. 12 And if his offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the Lord. 13 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about. 14 And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 15 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. 16 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the Lord's. 17 It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.
Directions are here given concerning the
peace-offering, if it was a sheep or a goat. Turtle-doves or young
pigeons, which might be brought for whole burnt offerings, were not
allowed for peace-offerings, because they have no fat considerable
enough to be burnt upon the altar; and they would be next to
nothing if they were to be divided according to the law of the
peace-offerings. The laws concerning a lamb or goat offered for a
peace offering are much the same with those concerning a bullock,
and little now occurs here; but, 1. The rump of the mutton was to
be burnt with the fat of the inwards upon the altar, the whole
rump (
This chapter is concerning the sin-offering, which
was properly intended to make atonement for a sin committed through
ignorance, I. By the priest himself,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them: 3 If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the Lord for a sin offering. 4 And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill the bullock before the Lord. 5 And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock's blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation: 6 And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the Lord, before the vail of the sanctuary. 7 And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 8 And he shall take off from it all the fat of the bullock for the sin offering; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, 9 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away, 10 As it was taken off from the bullock of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of the burnt offering. 11 And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung, 12 Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt.
The laws contained in the first three
chapters seem to have been delivered to Moses at one time. Here
begin the statutes of another session, another day. From the throne
of glory between the cherubim God delivered these orders. And he
enters now upon a subject more strictly new than those before.
Burnt-offerings, meat-offerings, and peace-offerings, it should
seem, had been offered before the giving of the law upon mount
Sinai; those sacrifices the patriarchs had not been altogether
unacquainted with (
I. The general case supposed we have,
II. The law begins with the case of the
anointed priest, that is, the high priest, provided he should sin
through ignorance; for the law made men priests who had
infirmity. Though his ignorance was of all others least
excusable, yet he was allowed to bring his offering. His office did
not so far excuse his offence as that it should be forgiven him
without a sacrifice; yet it did not so far aggravate it but that it
should be forgiven him when he did bring his sacrifice. If he sin
according to the sin of the people (so the case is put,
13 And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty; 14 When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation. 15 And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the Lord: and the bullock shall be killed before the Lord. 16 And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock's blood to the tabernacle of the congregation: 17 And the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, even before the vail. 18 And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the Lord, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 19 And he shall take all his fat from him, and burn it upon the altar. 20 And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them. 21 And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the first bullock: it is a sin offering for the congregation.
This is the law for expiating the guilt of
a national sin, by a sin offering. If the leaders of the people,
through mistake concerning the law, caused them to err, when the
mistake was discovered an offering must be brought, that wrath
might not come upon the whole congregation. Observe, 1. It is
possible that the church may err, and that her guides may mislead
her. It is here supposed that the whole congregation may sin, and
sin through ignorance. God will always have a church on earth; but
he never said it should be infallible, or perfectly pure from
corruption on this side heaven. 2. When a sacrifice was to be
offered for the whole congregation, the elders were to lay their
hands upon the head of it (three of them at least), as
representatives of the people and agents for them. The sin we
suppose to have been some common custom, taken up and used by the
generality of the people, upon presumption of its being lawful,
which afterwards, upon search, appeared to be otherwise. In this
case the commonness of the usage received perhaps by tradition from
their fathers, and the vulgar opinion of its being lawful, would
not so far excuse them from sin but that they must bring a
sacrifice to make atonement for it. There are many bad customs and
forms of speech which are thought to have no harm in them, and yet
may bring guilt and wrath upon a land, which therefore it concerns
the elders both to reform and to intercede with God for the pardon
of,
22 When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty; 23 Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish: 24 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the Lord: it is a sin offering. 25 And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering. 26 And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.
Observe here, 1. That God takes notice of
and is displeased with the sins of rulers. Those who have power to
call others to account are themselves accountable to the ruler of
rulers; for, as high as they are, there is a higher than they. This
is intimated in that the commandment transgressed is here said to
be the commandment of the Lord his God,
27 And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty; 28 Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned. 29 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering. 30 And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar. 31 And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the Lord; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him. 32 And if he bring a lamb for a sin offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish. 33 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering. 34 And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar: 35 And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the Lord: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.
I. Here is the law of the sin-offering for
a common person, which differs from that for a ruler only in this,
that a private person might bring either a kid or a lamb, a ruler
only a kid; and that for a ruler must be a male, for the other a
female: in all the circumstances of the management of the offering
they agreed. Observe, 1. The case supposed: If any one of the
common people sin through ignorance,
II. From all these laws concerning the
sin-offerings we may learn, 1. To hate sin, and to watch against
it. That is certainly a very bad thing to make atonement for which
so many innocent and useful creatures must be slain and mangled
thus. 2. To value Christ, the great and true sin-offering, whose
blood cleanses from all sin, which it was not possible that the
blood of bulls and of goats should take away. Now, if any man
sin, Christ is the propitiation (
This chapter, and part of the next, concern the
trespass-offering. The difference between this and the sin-offering
lay not so much in the sacrifices themselves, and the management of
them, as in the occasions of the offering of them. They were both
intended to make atonement for sin; but the former was more
general, this applied to some particular instances. Observe what is
here said, I. Concerning the trespass. If a man sin, 1. In
concealing his knowledge, when he is adjured,
1 And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity. 2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty. 3 Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty. 4 Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these. 5 And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing: 6 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.
I. The offences here supposed are, 1. A
man's concealing the truth when he was sworn as a witness to speak
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Judges among
the Jews had power to adjure not only the witnesses, as with us,
but the person suspected (contrary to a rule of our law, that no
man is bound to accuse himself), as appears by the high priest
adjuring our Saviour, who thereupon answered, though before he
stood silent,
II. Now in these cases, 1. The offender
must confess his sin and bring his offering (
7 And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the Lord; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. 8 And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder: 9 And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin offering. 10 And he shall offer the second for a burnt offering, according to the manner: and the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he hath sinned, and it shall be forgiven him. 11 But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering. 12 Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, even a memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the Lord: it is a sin offering. 13 And the priest shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him: and the remnant shall be the priest's, as a meat offering.
Provision is here made for the poor of God's people, and the pacifying of their consciences under the sense of guilt. Those that were not able to bring a lamb might bring for a sin-offering a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons; nay, if any were so extremely poor that they were not able to procure these so often as they would have occasion, they might bring a pottle of fine flour, and this should be accepted. Thus the expense of the sin-offering was brought lower than that of any other offering, to teach us that no man's poverty shall ever be a bar in the way of his pardon. The poorest of all may have atonement made for them, if it be not their own fault. Thus the poor are evangelized; and no man shall say that he had not wherewithal to bear the charges of a journey to heaven. Now,
I. If the sinner brought two doves, one was
to be offered for a sin-offering and the other for a
burnt-offering,
II. If he brought fine flour, a handful of
it was to be offered, but without either oil or frankincense
(
14 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the Lord; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the Lord a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering: 16 And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him. 17 And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. 18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him. 19 It is a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against the Lord.
Hitherto in this chapter orders were given
concerning those sacrifices that were both sin-offerings and
trespass-offerings, for they go by both names,
The first seven verses of this chapter might fitly
have been added to the foregoing chapter, being a continuation of
the law of the trespass-offering, and the putting of other cases in
which it was to be offered; and with this end the instructions God
gave concerning the several kinds of sacrifices that should be
offered: and then at
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the Lord, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour; 3 Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein: 4 Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found, 5 Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering. 6 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: 7 And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.
This is the latter part of the law of the trespass-offering: the former part, which concerned trespasses about holy things, we had in the close of the foregoing chapter; this concerns trespasses in common things. Observe here,
I. The trespass supposed,
II. The trespass-offering appointed. 1.
In the day of his trespass-offering he must make
satisfaction to his brother. This must be first done if thy
brother hath aught against thee: Because he hath sinned and is
guilty, (
8 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 9 Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it. 10 And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. 11 And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place. 12 And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings. 13 The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.
Hitherto we have had the instructions which
Moses was directed to give to the people concerning the sacrifices;
but here begin the instructions he was to give to the priests; he
must command Aaron and his sons,
In these verses we have the law of the burnt-offering, as far as it was the peculiar care of the priests. The daily sacrifice of a lamb, which was offered morning and evening for the whole congregation, is here chiefly referred to.
I. The priest must take care of the ashes
of the burnt-offering, that they be decently disposed of,
II. The priest must take care of the fire
upon the altar, that it be kept always burning. This is much
insisted on here (
14 And this is the law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord, before the altar. 15 And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meat offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour, even the memorial of it, unto the Lord. 16 And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it. 17 It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it unto them for their portion of my offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as is the sin offering, and as the trespass offering. 18 All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations concerning the offerings of the Lord made by fire: every one that toucheth them shall be holy. 19 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 20 This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the Lord in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night. 21 In a pan it shall be made with oil; and when it is baken, thou shalt bring it in: and the baken pieces of the meat offering shalt thou offer for a sweet savour unto the Lord. 22 And the priest of his sons that is anointed in his stead shall offer it: it is a statute for ever unto the Lord; it shall be wholly burnt. 23 For every meat offering for the priest shall be wholly burnt: it shall not be eaten.
The meat-offering was either that which was offered by the people or that by the priests at their consecration. Now,
I. As to the common meat-offering,
1. Only a handful of it was to be burnt
upon the altar; all the rest was allowed to the priests for their
food. The law of the burnt-offerings was such as imposed upon the
priests a great deal of care and work, but allowed them little
profit; for the flesh was wholly burnt, and the priests had nothing
but the skin. But to make them amends the greatest part of the
meat-offering was their own. The burning of a handful of it upon
the altar (
2. The laws concerning the eating of it
were, (1.) That it must be eaten unleavened,
II. As to the consecration meat-offering,
which was offered for the priests themselves, it was to be
wholly burnt, and none of it eaten,
24 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 25 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the Lord: it is most holy. 26 The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation. 27 Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy: and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in the holy place. 28 But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brazen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water. 29 All the males among the priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy. 30 And no sin offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire.
We have here so much of the law of the
sin-offering as did peculiarly concern the priests that offered it.
As, 1. That it must be killed in the place where the
burnt-offering was killed (
Here is, I. The law of the trespass-offering
(
1 Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy. 2 In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar. 3 And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, 4 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul that is above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away: 5 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a trespass offering. 6 Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy. 7 As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it. 8 And the priest that offereth any man's burnt offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered. 9 And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and in the pan, shall be the priest's that offereth it. 10 And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another.
Observe here, 1. Concerning the
trespass-offering, that, being much of the same nature with the
sin-offering, it was to be governed by the same rules,
11 And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the Lord. 12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. 13 Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. 14 And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the Lord, and it shall be the priest's that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings. 15 And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. 16 But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten: 17 But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. 18 And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity. 19 And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof. 20 But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. 21 Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the Lord, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. 22 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. 24 And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it. 25 For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. 26 Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. 27 Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. 28 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 29 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the Lord shall bring his oblation unto the Lord of the sacrifice of his peace offerings. 30 His own hands shall bring the offerings of the Lord made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the Lord. 31 And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'. 32 And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings. 33 He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part. 34 For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.
All this relates to the peace-offerings: it is the repetition and explication of what we had before, with various additions.
I. The nature and intention of the
peace-offerings are here more distinctly opened. They were offered
either, 1. In thankfulness for some special mercy received, such as
recovery from sickness, preservation in a journey, deliverance at
sea, redemption out of captivity, all which are specified in
II. The rites and ceremonies about the peace-offerings are enlarged upon.
1. If the peace-offering was offered for a
thanksgiving, a meat-offering must be offered with it, cakes of
several sorts, and wafers (
2. The flesh of the peace-offerings, both
that which was the priest's share and that which was the offerer's
must be eaten quickly, and not kept long, either raw, or dressed,
cold. If it was a peace-offering for thanksgiving, it must be all
eaten the same day (
3. But the flesh, and those that eat it,
must be pure. (1.) The flesh must touch no unclean thing; if
it did, it must not be eaten, but burnt,
4. The eating of blood and the fat of the
inwards is here again prohibited; and the prohibition is annexed as
before to the law of the peace-offerings,
5. The priest's share of the
peace-offerings is here prescribed. Out of every beast that was
offered for a peace-offering the priest that offered it was to have
to himself the breast and the right shoulder,
35 This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the Lord made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the Lord in the priest's office; 36 Which the Lord commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations. 37 This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings; 38 Which the Lord commanded Moses in Mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai.
Here is the conclusion of these laws
concerning the sacrifices, though some of them are afterwards
repeated and explained. These are to be considered, 1. As a grant to
the priests,
This chapter gives us an account of the solemn
consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priest's office. I. It
was done publicly, and the congregation was called together to be
witnesses of it,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; 3 And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 4 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 5 And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done. 6 And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. 7 And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith. 8 And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim. 9 And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the Lord commanded Moses. 10 And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them. 11 And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them. 12 And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him. 13 And Moses brought Aaron's sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them with girdles, and put bonnets upon them; as the Lord commanded Moses.
God had given Moses orders to consecrate
Aaron and his sons to the priests' office, when he was with him the
first time upon Mount Sinai,
I. The orders repeated. What was there
commanded to be done is here commanded to be done now,
II. The congregation called together, at
the door, that is, in the court of the tabernacle,
III. The commission read,
IV. The ceremony performed according to the
divine ritual. 1. Aaron and his sons were washed with water
(
14 And he brought the bullock for the sin offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin offering. 15 And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it. 16 And he took all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and Moses burned it upon the altar. 17 But the bullock, and his hide, his flesh, and his dung, he burnt with fire without the camp; as the Lord commanded Moses. 18 And he brought the ram for the burnt offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. 19 And he killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. 20 And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat. 21 And he washed the inwards and the legs in water; and Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar: it was a burnt sacrifice for a sweet savour, and an offering made by fire unto the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses. 22 And he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. 23 And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. 24 And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. 25 And he took the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right shoulder: 26 And out of the basket of unleavened bread, that was before the Lord, he took one unleavened cake, and a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and put them on the fat, and upon the right shoulder: 27 And he put all upon Aaron's hands, and upon his sons' hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the Lord. 28 And Moses took them from off their hands, and burnt them on the altar upon the burnt offering: they were consecrations for a sweet savour: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord. 29 And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the Lord: for of the ram of consecration it was Moses' part; as the Lord commanded Moses. 30 And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.
The covenant of priesthood must be made by
sacrifice, as well as other covenants,
31 And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons, Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and there eat it with the bread that is in the basket of consecrations, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it. 32 And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire. 33 And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation in seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end: for seven days shall he consecrate you. 34 As he hath done this day, so the Lord hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you. 35 Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the Lord, that ye die not: for so I am commanded. 36 So Aaron and his sons did all things which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.
Moses, having done his part of the ceremony, now leaves Aaron and his sons to do theirs.
I. They must boil the flesh of their
peace-offering, and eat it in the court of the tabernacle, and what
remained they must burn with fire,
II. They must not stir out of the court of
the tabernacle for seven days,
Gospel ministers are compared to those who
served at the altar, for they minister about holy things
(
Aaron and his sons, having been solemnly
consecrated to the priesthood, are in this chapter entering upon
the execution of their office, the very next day after their
consecration was completed. I. Moses (no doubt by direction from
God) appoints a meeting between God and his priests, as the
representatives of his people, ordering them to attend him, and
assuring them that he would appear to them,
1 And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; 2 And he said unto Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. 3 And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering; 4 Also a bullock and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord; and a meat offering mingled with oil: for to day the Lord will appear unto you. 5 And they brought that which Moses commanded before the tabernacle of the congregation: and all the congregation drew near and stood before the Lord. 6 And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commanded that ye should do: and the glory of the Lord shall appear unto you. 7 And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer thy sin offering, and thy burnt offering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the people: and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for them; as the Lord commanded.
Orders are here given for another solemnity
upon the eighth day; for the newly-ordained priests were set to
work immediately after the days of their consecration were
finished, to let them know that they were not ordained to be idle:
He that desires the office of a bishop desires a good work,
which must be looked at with desire, more than the honour and
benefit. The priests had not so much as one day's respite from
service allowed them, that they might divert themselves, and
receive the compliments of their friends upon their elevation, but
were busily employed the very next day; for their consecration was
the filling of their hands. God's spiritual priests have
constant work cut out for them, which the duty of every day
requires; and those that would give up their account with joy must
redeem time; see
8 Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. 9 And the sons of Aaron brought the blood unto him: and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar: 10 But the fat, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver of the sin offering, he burnt upon the altar; as the Lord commanded Moses. 11 And the flesh and the hide he burnt with fire without the camp. 12 And he slew the burnt offering; and Aaron's sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled round about upon the altar. 13 And they presented the burnt offering unto him, with the pieces thereof, and the head: and he burnt them upon the altar. 14 And he did wash the inwards and the legs, and burnt them upon the burnt offering on the altar. 15 And he brought the people's offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first. 16 And he brought the burnt offering, and offered it according to the manner. 17 And he brought the meat offering, and took an handful thereof, and burnt it upon the altar, beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning. 18 He slew also the bullock and the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings, which was for the people: and Aaron's sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled upon the altar round about, 19 And the fat of the bullock and of the ram, the rump, and that which covereth the inwards, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver: 20 And they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burnt the fat upon the altar: 21 And the breasts and the right shoulder Aaron waved for a wave offering before the Lord; as Moses commanded. 22 And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings.
These being the first offerings that ever
were offered by the levitical priesthood, according to the
newly-enacted law of sacrifices, the manner of offering them is
particularly related, that it might appear how exactly they agreed
with the institution. 1. Aaron with his own hands slew the
offering (
23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. 24 And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.
We are not told what Moses and Aaron went
into the tabernacle to do,
When the solemnity was finished, the blessing pronounced, and the congregation ready to be dismissed, in the close of the day, then God testified his acceptance, which gave them such satisfaction as was well worth waiting for.
I. The glory of the Lord appeared unto
all the people,
II. There came a fire out from before
the Lord, and consumed the sacrifice,
1. This fire did consume (or, as the word
is, eat up) the present sacrifice. And two ways this was a
testimony of acceptance:—(1.) It signified the turning away of
God's wrath from them. God's wrath is a consuming fire; this fire
might justly have fastened upon the people, and consumed them for
their sins; but its fastening upon the sacrifice, and consuming
that, signified God's acceptance of that as an atonement for the
sinner. (2.) It signified God's entering into covenant and
communion with them: they ate their part of the sacrifice, and the
fire of the Lord ate up his part; and thus he did, as it were,
sup with them, and they with him,
2. This fire did, as it were, take
possession of the altar. The fire was thus kindled in God's house,
which was to continue as long as the house stood, as we read
before,
III. We are here told how the people were
affected with this discovery of God's glory and grace; they
received it, 1. With the highest joy: They shouted; so
stirring up themselves and one another to a holy triumph, in the
assurance now given them that they had God nigh unto them, which is
spoken of the grandeur of their nation,
The story of this chapter is as sad an
interruption to the institutions of the levitical law as that of
the golden calf was to the account of the erecting of the
tabernacle. Here is, I. The sin and death of Nadab and Abihu, the
sons of Aaron,
1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. 2 And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.
Here is, I. The great sin that Nadab and
Abihu were guilty of: and a great sin we must call it, how little
soever it appears in our eye, because it is evident by the
punishment of it that it was highly provoking to the God of heaven,
whose judgment, we are sure, is according to truth. But what was
their sin? All the account here given of it is that they offered
strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not
(
II. The dreadful punishment of this sin:
There went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them,
1. Observe the severity of their
punishment. (1.) They died. Might it not have sufficed if
they had been only struck with a leprosy, as Uzziah, or struck
dumb, as Zechariah, and both by the altar of incense? No; they were
both struck dead. The wages of this sin was death. (2.) They died
suddenly, in the very act of their sin, and had not time so
much as to cry, "Lord, have mercy upon us!" Though God is
long-suffering to us-ward, yet sometimes he makes quick work with
sinners; sentence is executed speedily: presumptuous sinners bring
upon themselves a swift destruction, and are justly denied even
space to repent. (3.) They died before the Lord; that is,
before the veil that covered the mercy-seat; for even mercy itself
will not suffer its own glory to be affronted. Those that sinned
before the Lord died before him. Damned sinners are said to be
tormented in the presence of the Lamb, intimating that he
does not interpose on their behalf,
2. But why did the Lord deal thus severely with them? Were they not the sons of Aaron, the saint of the Lord, nephews to Moses, the great favourite of heaven? Was not the holy anointing oil sprinkled upon them, as men whom God had set apart for himself? Had they not diligently attended during the seven days of their consecration, and kept the charge of the Lord, and might not that atone for this rashness? Would it not excuse them that they were young men, as yet unexperienced in these services, that it was the first offence, and done in a transport of joy for their elevation? And besides, never could men be worse spared: a great deal of work was now lately cut out for the priests to do, and the priesthood was confined to Aaron and his seed; he has but four sons; if two of them die, there will not be hands enough to do the service of the tabernacle; if they die childless, the house of Aaron will become weak and little, and the priesthood will be in danger of being lost for want of heirs. But none of all these considerations shall serve either to excuse the offence or bring off the offenders. For, (1.) The sin was greatly aggravated. It was a manifest contempt of Moses, and the divine law that was given by Moses. Hitherto it had been expressly observed concerning every thing that was done that they did it as the Lord commanded Moses, in opposition to which it is here said they did that which the Lord commanded them not, but they did it of their own heads. God was now teaching his people obedience, and to do every thing by rule, as becomes servants; for priests therefore to break rules and disobey was such a provocation as must by no means go unpunished. Their character made their sin more exceedingly sinful. For the sons of Aaron, his eldest sons, whom God had chosen to be immediate attendants upon him, for them to be guilty of such a piece of presumption, it cannot be suffered. There was in their sin a contempt of God's glory, which had now newly appeared in fire, as if that fire were needless, they had as good of their own before. (2.) Their punishment was a piece of necessary justice, now at the first settling of the ceremonial institutions. It is often threatened in the law that such and such offenders should be cut off from the people; and here God explained the threatening with a witness. Now that the laws concerning sacrifices were newly made, lest any should be tempted to think lightly of them because they descended to many circumstances which seemed very minute, these that were the first transgressors were thus punished, for warning to others, and to show how jealous God is in the matters of his worship. Thus he magnified the law and made it honourable; and let his priests know that the caution which so often occurs in the laws concerning them, that they must do so that they die not, was not a mere bugbear, but fair warning of their danger, if they did the work of the Lord negligently. And no doubt this exemplary piece of justice at first prevented many irregularities afterwards. Thus Ananias and Sapphira were punished, when they presumed to lie to the Holy Ghost, that newly-descended fire. (3.) As the people's falling into idolatry, presently after the moral law was given, shows the weakness of the law and its insufficiency to take away sin, so the sin and punishment of these priests show the imperfection of that priesthood from the very beginning, and its inability to shelter any from the fire of God's wrath otherwise than as it was typical of Christ's priesthood, in the execution of which there never was, nor can be, any irregularity, or false step taken.
3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. 4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. 5 So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said. 6 And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord hath kindled. 7 And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.
We may well think that when Nadab and Abihu
were struck with death all about them were struck with horror, and
every face, as well as theirs, gathered blackness. Great
consternation, no doubt, seized them, and they were all full of
confusion; but, whatever the rest were, Moses was composed, and
knew what he said and did, not being displeased, as David was in a
like case,
I. He endeavours to pacify Aaron, and to
keep him in a good frame under this sad dispensation,
1. What it was that Moses suggested to his
poor brother upon this occasion: This is it that the Lord
spoke. Note, The most quieting considerations under affliction
are those that are fetched from the word of God. So and so the
Lord hath said, and it is not for us to gainsay it. Note, also,
In all God's providences it is good to observe the fulfilling of
scripture, and to compare God's word and his works together, which
if we do we shall find an admirable harmony and agreement between
them, and that they mutually explain and illustrate each other.
But, (1.) Where did God speak this? We do not find the very words;
but to this purport he had said (
2. What good effects this had upon him:
Aaron held his peace, that is, he patiently submitted to the
holy will of God in this sad providence, was dumb, and opened
not his mouth, because God did it. Something he was ready to
say by way of complaint (as losers think they may have leave to
speak), but he wisely suppressed it, laid his hand upon his
mouth, and said nothing, for fear lest he should offend with
his tongue, now that his heart was hot within him. Note,
(1.) When God corrects us or ours for sin, it is our duty to be
silent under the correction, not to quarrel with God, arraign his
justice, or charge him with folly, but to acquiesce in all that God
does; not only bearing, but accepting, the punishment of iniquity,
and saying, as Eli, in a case not much unlike this, It is the
Lord, let him do what seemeth him good,
II. Moses gives orders about the dead
bodies. It was not fit that they should be left to lie where they
fell; yet their own father and brethren, the amazed spectators of
this dismal tragedy, durst not offer to lift them up, no, not to
see whether there was any life left in them; they must neither be
diverted from nor unfitted for the great work that was now upon
their hands. Let the dead bury their dead, but they must go
on with their service; that is, "Rather let the dead be unburied,
if there be nobody else to do it, than that work for God should be
left undone by those whom he has called to it." But Moses takes
care of this matter, that though they died by the hand of justice
in the act of sin, yet they should be decently buried, and they
were so,
III. He gives directions about the mourning.
1. That the priests must not mourn. Aaron
and his two surviving sons, though sad in spirit, must not use any
outward expressions of sorrow upon this sad occasion, nor so much
as follow the corpse one step from the door of the tabernacle,
2. The people must mourn: Let the whole house of Israel bewail the burning which the Lord has kindled. The congregation must lament, not only the loss of their priests, but especially the displeasure of God which appeared in it. They must bewail the burning that was kindled, that it might not burn further. Aaron and his sons were in danger of being too much affected with the providence, and therefore they are forbidden to mourn: the house of Israel were in danger of being too little affected with it, and therefore they are commanded to lament. Thus nature must always be governed by grace, according as it needs to be either constrained or restrained.
8 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, saying, 9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: 10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; 11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.
Aaron having been very observant of what
God said to him by Moses, now God does him the honour to speak to
him immediately (
12 And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat offering that remaineth of the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar: for it is most holy: 13 And ye shall eat it in the holy place, because it is thy due, and thy sons' due, of the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire: for so I am commanded. 14 And the wave breast and heave shoulder shall ye eat in a clean place; thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee: for they be thy due, and thy sons' due, which are given out of the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel. 15 The heave shoulder and the wave breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave offering before the Lord; and it shall be thine, and thy sons' with thee, by a statute for ever; as the Lord hath commanded. 16 And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burnt: and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron which were left alive, saying, 17 Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? 18 Behold, the blood of it was not brought in within the holy place: ye should indeed have eaten it in the holy place, as I commanded. 19 And Aaron said unto Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord; and such things have befallen me: and if I had eaten the sin offering to day, should it have been accepted in the sight of the Lord? 20 And when Moses heard that, he was content.
Moses is here directing Aaron to go on with
his service after this interruption. Afflictions should rather
quicken us to our duty than take us off from it. Observe (
I. Moses repeats the directions he had
formerly given them about eating their share of the sacrifices,
II. He enquires concerning one deviation
from the appointment, which it seems had happened upon this
occasion, which was this:—There was a goat to be sacrificed as a
sin-offering or the people,
2. The plausible excuse which Aaron makes
for this mistake. Moses charged the fault upon Eleazar and Ithamar
(
3. The acquiescence of Moses in this
excuse: He was content,
The ceremonial law is described by the apostle
(
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. 3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. 4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. 5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. 6 And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. 7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. 8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
Now that Aaron was consecrated a high
priest over the house of God, God spoke to him with Moses, and
appointed them both as joint-commissioners to deliver his will to
the people. He spoke both to Moses and to Aaron about this matter;
for it was particularly required of the priests that they should
put a difference between clean and unclean, and teach the people to
do so. After the flood, when God entered into covenant with Noah
and his sons, he allowed them to eat flesh (
9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. 10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: 11 They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. 12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you. 13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, 14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind; 15 Every raven after his kind; 16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, 17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, 18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, 19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
Here is, 1. A general rule concerning
fishes, which were clean and which not. All that had fins and
scales they might eat, and only those odd sorts of water-animals
that have not were forbidden,
20 All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you. 21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; 22 Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. 23 But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you. 24 And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even. 25 And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 26 The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean. 27 And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even. 28 And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you. 29 These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind, 30 And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole. 31 These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even. 32 And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed. 33 And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it. 34 Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean. 35 And every thing whereupon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you. 36 Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean. 37 And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean. 38 But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you. 39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even. 40 And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten. 42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
Here is the law, 1. Concerning flying
insects, as flies, wasps, bees, &c.; these they might not eat
(
43 Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. 44 For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 45 For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. 46 This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: 47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.
Here is, I. The exposition of this law, or
a key to let us into the meaning of it. It was not intended merely
for a bill of fare, or as the directions of a physician about their
diet, but God would hereby teach them to sanctify themselves and to
be holy,
II. The reasons of this law; and they are
all taken from the Law-maker himself, to whom we must have respect
in all acts of obedience. 1. I am the Lord your God,
III. The conclusion of this statute:
This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, &c.,
After the laws concerning clean and unclean food
come the laws concerning clean and unclean persons; and the first
is in this chapter concerning the ceremonial uncleanness of women
in child-birth,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. 3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. 5 But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.
The law here pronounces women lying-in
ceremonially unclean. The Jews say, "The law extended even to an
abortion, if the child was so formed as that the sex was
distinguishable." 1. There was some time of strict separation
immediately after the birth, which continued seven days for a son
and fourteen for a daughter,
6 And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest: 7 Who shall offer it before the Lord, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female. 8 And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.
A woman that had lain in, when the time set
for her return to the sanctuary had come, was not to attend there
empty, but must bring her offerings,
The next ceremonial uncleanness is that of the
leprosy, concerning which the law was very large and particular; we
have the discovery of it in this chapter, and the cleansing of the
leper in the next. Scarcely any one thing in all the levitical law
takes up so much room as this. I. Rules are here given by which the
priest must judge whether the man had the leprosy or no, according
as the symptom was that appeared. 1. If it was a swelling, a scab,
or a bright spot,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests: 3 And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean. 4 If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days: 5 And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more: 6 And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 7 But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again: 8 And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a leprosy. 9 When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest; 10 And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising; 11 It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean. 12 And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh; 13 Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean. 14 But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean. 15 And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean: it is a leprosy. 16 Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest; 17 And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white; then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean.
I. Concerning the plague of leprosy we may
observe in general, 1. That it was rather an uncleanness than a
disease; or, at least, so the law considered it, and therefore
employed not the physicians but the priests about it. Christ is
said to cleanse lepers, not to cure them. We do not read of any
that died of the leprosy, but it rather buried them alive, by
rendering them unfit for conversation with any but such as were
infected like themselves. Yet there is a tradition that Pharaoh,
who sought to kill Moses, was the first that ever was struck with
this disease, and that he died of it. It is said to have begun
first in Egypt, whence it spread into Syria. It was very well known
to Moses, when he put his own hand into his bosom and took it out
leprous. 2. That it was a plague inflicted immediately by the hand
of God, and came not from natural causes, as other diseases; and
therefore must be managed according to a divine law. Miriam's
leprosy, and Gehazi's, and king Uzziah's, were all the punishments
of particular sins: and, if generally it was so, no marvel there
was so much care taken to distinguish it from a common distemper,
that none might be looked upon as lying under this extraordinary
token of divine displeasure but those that really were so. 3. That
it is a plague not now known in the world; what is commonly called
the leprosy is of a quite different nature. This seems to have been
reserved as a particular scourge for the sinners of those times and
places. The Jews retained the idolatrous customs they had learnt in
Egypt, and therefore God justly caused this with some others of the
diseases of Egypt to follow them. Yet we read of Naaman the Syrian,
who was a leper,
II. Several rules are here laid down by
which the judgment of the priest must be governed. 1. If the sore
was but skin-deep, it was to be hoped it was not the
leprosy,
18 The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof, was a boil, and is healed, 19 And in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be showed to the priest; 20 And if, when the priest seeth it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague of leprosy broken out of the boil. 21 But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and if it be not lower than the skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days: 22 And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague. 23 But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 24 Or if there be any flesh, in the skin whereof there is a hot burning, and the quick flesh that burneth have a white bright spot, somewhat reddish, or white; 25 Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it be in sight deeper than the skin; it is a leprosy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. 26 But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the other skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days: 27 And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. 28 And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat dark; it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean: for it is an inflammation of the burning. 29 If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard; 30 Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard. 31 And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, it be not in sight deeper than the skin, and that there is no black hair in it; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days: 32 And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague: and, behold, if the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin; 33 He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more: 34 And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean. 35 But if the scall spread much in the skin after his cleansing; 36 Then the priest shall look on him: and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean. 37 But if the scall be in his sight at a stay, and that there is black hair grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean: and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
The priest is here instructed what judgment
to make if there was any appearance of a leprosy, either, 1. In an
old ulcer, or bile, that has been healed,
38 If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots; 39 Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin; he is clean. 40 And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean. 41 And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean. 42 And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it is a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead. 43 Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh; 44 He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head. 45 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. 46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.
We have here,
I. Provisos that neither a freckled
skin nor a bald head should be mistaken for a leprosy,
II. A particular brand set upon the leprosy
if at any time it did appear in a bald head: The plague is in
his head, he is utterly unclean,
III. Directions what must be done with the convicted leper. When the priest, upon mature deliberation, had solemnly pronounced him unclean,
1. He must pronounce himself so,
2. He must then be shut out of the camp,
and afterwards, when they came to Canaan, out of the city, town, or
village, where he lived, and dwell alone (
47 The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen garment; 48 Whether it be in the warp, or woof; of linen, or of woollen; whether in a skin, or in any thing made of skin; 49 And if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a plague of leprosy, and shall be showed unto the priest: 50 And the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up it that hath the plague seven days: 51 And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work that is made of skin; the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is unclean. 52 He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire. 53 And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; 54 Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more: 55 And the priest shall look on the plague, after that it is washed: and, behold, if the plague have not changed his colour, and the plague be not spread; it is unclean; thou shalt burn it in the fire; it is fret inward, whether it be bare within or without. 56 And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be somewhat dark after the washing of it; then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof: 57 And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a spreading plague: thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire. 58 And the garment, either warp, or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean. 59 This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.
This is the law concerning the plague of
leprosy in a garment, whether linen or woollen. A leprosy in a
garment, with discernible indications of it, the colour changed by
it, the garment fretted, the nap worn off, and this in some one
particular part of the garment, and increasing when it was shut up,
and not to be got out by washing is a thing which to us now is
altogether unaccountable. The learned confess that it was a sign
and a miracle in Israel, an extraordinary punishment inflicted by
the divine power, as a token of great displeasure against a person
or family. 1. The process was much the same with that concerning a
leprous person. The garment suspected to be tainted was not to be
burnt immediately, though, it may be, there would have been no
great loss of it; for in no case must sentence be given merely upon
a surmise, but it must be shown to the priest. If, upon
search, it was found that there was a leprous spot (the Jews
say no bigger than a bean), it must be burnt, or at least
that part of the garment in which the spot was,
The former chapter directed the priests how to
convict a leper of ceremonial uncleanness. No prescriptions are
given for his cure; but, when God had cured him, the priests are in
this chapter directed how to cleanse him. The remedy here is only
adapted to the ceremonial part of his disease; but the authority
Christ gave to his ministers was to cure the lepers, and so to
cleanse them. We have here, I. The solemn declaration of the
leper's being clean, with the significant ceremony attending it,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: 3 And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; 4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: 5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: 6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: 7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. 8 And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days. 9 But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.
Here, I. It is supposed that the plague of the leprosy was not an incurable disease. Uzziah's indeed continued to the day of his death, and Gehazi's was entailed upon his seed; but Miriam's lasted only seven days: we may suppose that it often wore off in process of time. Though God contend long, he will not contend for ever.
II. The judgment of the cure, as well as
that of the disease, was referred to the priest. He must go out of
the camp to the leper, to see whether his leprosy was healed,
III. If it was found that the leprosy was
healed, the priest must declare it with a particular solemnity. The
leper or his friends were to get ready two birds caught for this
purpose (any sort of wild birds that were clean), and cedar-wood,
and scarlet, and hyssop; for all these were to be used in the
ceremony. 1. A preparation was to be made of blood and water, with
which the leper must be sprinkled. One of the birds (and the Jews
say, if there was any difference, it must be the larger and better
of the two) was to be killed over an earthen cup of spring water,
so that the blood of the bird might discolour the water. This (as
some other types) had its accomplishment in the death of Christ,
when out of his pierced side there came water and blood,
10 And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. 11 And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: 12 And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the Lord: 13 And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy: 14 And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: 15 And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand: 16 And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord: 17 And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering: 18 And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord. 19 And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering: 20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
Observe, I. To complete the purification of
the leper, on the eighth day, after the former solemnity performed
without the camp, and, as it should seem, before he returned to his
own habitation, he was to attend at the door of the
tabernacle, and was there to be presented to the Lord,
with his offering,
II. Three lambs the cleansed leper was to
bring, with a meat-offering, and a log of oil, which was about half
a pint. Now, 1. Most of the ceremony peculiar to this case was
about the trespass-offering, the lamb for which was offered first,
21 And if he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil; 22 And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering. 23 And he shall bring them on the eighth day for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the Lord. 24 And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord: 25 And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: 26 And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand: 27 And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the Lord: 28 And the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the trespass offering: 29 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for him before the Lord. 30 And he shall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get; 31 Even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meat offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the Lord. 32 This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing.
We have here the gracious provision which
the law made for the cleansing of poor lepers. If they were
not able to bring three lambs, and three tenth-deals of flour, they
must bring one lamb, and one tenth-deal of flour, and, instead of
the other two lambs, two turtle-doves or two young pigeons,
33 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 34 When ye be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession; 35 And he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house: 36 Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house: 37 And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall; 38 Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days: 39 And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house; 40 Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city: 41 And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place: 42 And they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other mortar, and shall plaster the house. 43 And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he hath taken away the stones, and after he hath scraped the house, and after it is plastered; 44 Then the priest shall come and look, and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house: it is unclean. 45 And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place. 46 Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even. 47 And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes. 48 And if the priest shall come in, and look upon it, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plastered: then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed. 49 And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: 50 And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water: 51 And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times: 52 And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet: 53 But he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open fields, and make an atonement for the house: and it shall be clean.
This is the law concerning the leprosy in a
house. Now that they were in the wilderness they dwelt in tents,
and had no houses, and therefore the law is made only an appendix
to the former laws concerning the leprosy, because it related, not
to their present state, but to their future settlement. The leprosy
in a house is as unaccountable as the leprosy in a garment; but, if
we see not what natural causes of it can be assigned, we may
resolve it into the power of the God of nature, who here says, I
put the leprosy in a house (
54 This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and scall, 55 And for the leprosy of a garment, and of a house, 56 And for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot: 57 To teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy.
This is the conclusion of this law
concerning the leprosy. There is no repetition of it in
Deuteronomy, only a general memorandum given (
In this chapter we have laws concerning other
ceremonial uncleannesses contracted either by bodily disease like
that of the leper, or some natural incidents, and this either, I.
In men,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean. 3 And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness. 4 Every bed, whereon he lieth that hath the issue, is unclean: and every thing, whereon he sitteth, shall be unclean. 5 And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 6 And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 7 And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 8 And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean; then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 9 And what saddle soever he rideth upon that hath the issue shall be unclean. 10 And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth any of those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 11 And whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue, and hath not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 12 And the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water. 13 And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean. 14 And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, and come before the Lord unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and give them unto the priest: 15 And the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord for his issue. 16 And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even. 17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even. 18 The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.
We have here the law concerning the
ceremonial uncleanness that was contracted by running issues in
men. It is called in the margin (
19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. 20 And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. 21 And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 22 And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 23 And if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even. 24 And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean. 25 And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean. 26 Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation. 27 And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. 28 But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. 29 And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 30 And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the Lord for the issue of her uncleanness. 31 Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them. 32 This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed goeth from him, and is defiled therewith; 33 And of her that is sick of her flowers, and of him that hath an issue, of the man, and of the woman, and of him that lieth with her that is unclean.
This is concerning the ceremonial
uncleanness which women lay under from their issues, both those
that were regular and healthful, and according to the course of
nature (
I. The reasons given for all these laws
(which we are ready to think might very well have been spared) we
have,
II. And what duty must we learn from all
this? 1. Let us bless God that we are not under the yoke of these
carnal ordinances, that, as nothing can destroy us, so nothing can
defile us, but sin. Those may now partake of the Lord's supper who
durst not then eat of the peace-offerings. And the defilement we
contract by our sins of daily infirmity we may be cleansed from in
secret by the renewed acts of repentance and faith, without bathing
in water or bringing an offering to the door of the tabernacle. 2.
Let us carefully abstain from all sin, as defiling to the
conscience, and particularly from all fleshly lusts, possessing
our vessel in sanctification and honour, and not in the lusts of
uncleanness, which not only pollute the soul, but war
against it, and threaten its ruin. 3. Let us all see how
indispensably necessary real holiness is to our future happiness,
and get our hearts purified by faith, that we may see God. Perhaps
it is in allusion to these laws which forbade the unclean to
approach the sanctuary that when it is asked, Who shall stand in
God's holy place? it is answered, He that hath clean hands
and a pure heart (
In this chapter we have the institution of the
annual solemnity of the day of atonement, or expiation, which had
as much gospel in it as perhaps any of the appointments of the
ceremonial law, as appears by the reference the apostle makes to
it,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord, and died; 2 And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. 3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
Here is, I. The date of this law concerning
the day of atonement: it was after the death of the two sons of
Aaron (
II. The design of this law. One intention
of it was to preserve a veneration for the most holy place, within
the veil, where the Shechinah, or divine glory, was pleased
to dwell between the cherubim: Speak unto Aaron, that he come
not at all times into the holy place,
III. The person to whom the work of this
day was committed, and that was the high priest only: Thus shall
Aaron come into the holy place,
IV. The attire of the high priest in this
service. He was not to be dressed up in his rich garments that were
peculiar to himself: he was not to put on the ephod, with the
precious stones in it, but only the linen clothes which he wore in
common with the inferior priests,
5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. 6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. 7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. 11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: 12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: 13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: 14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
The Jewish writers say that for seven days
before the day of expiation the high priest was to retire from his
own house, and to dwell in a chamber of the temple, that he might
prepare himself for the service of this great day. During those
seven days he himself did the work of the inferior priests about
the sacrifices, incense, &c., that he might have his hand in
for this day: he must have the institution read to him again and
again, that he might be fully apprised of the whole method. 1. He
was to begin the service of the day very early with the usual
morning sacrifice, after he had first washed his whole body before
he dressed himself, and his hands and feet again afterwards. He
then burned the daily incense, dressed the lamps, and offered the
extraordinary sacrifice appointed for this day (not here, but
15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: 16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. 18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. 19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
When the priest had come out from the
sprinkling the blood of the bullock before the mercy-seat, 1. He
must next kill the goat which was the sin-offering for the people
(
20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. 23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there: 24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people. 25 And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar. 26 And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp. 27 And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung. 28 And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
The high priest having presented unto the
Lord the expiatory sacrifices, by the sprinkling of their blood,
the remainder of which, it is probable, he poured out at the foot
of the brazen altar, 1. He is next to confess the sins of Israel,
with both his hands upon the head of the scape-goat (
29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: 30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. 31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. 32 And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments: 33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation. 34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.
I. We have here some additional directions in reference to this great solemnity, particularly,
1. The day appointed for this solemnity. It
must be observed yearly on the tenth day of the seventh
month,
2. The duty of the people on this day. (1.)
They must rest from all their labours: It shall be a sabbath of
rest,
3. The perpetuity of this institution:
It shall be a statute for ever,
II. Let us see what there was of gospel in all this.
1. Here are typified the two great gospel privileges of the remission of sin and access to God, both which we owe to the mediation of our Lord Jesus. Here then let us see,
(1.) The expiation of guilt which Christ
made for us. He is himself both the maker and the matter of the
atonement; for he is, [1.] The priest, the high priest, that
makes reconciliation for the sins of the people,
(2.) The entrance into heaven which Christ
made for us is here typified by the high priest's entrance into the
most holy place. This the apostle has expounded (
2. Here are likewise typified the two great
gospel duties of faith and repentance, by which we are qualified
for the atonement, and come to be entitled to the benefit of it.
(1.) By faith we must put our hands upon the head of the offering,
relying on Christ as the Lord our Righteousness, pleading his
satisfaction as that which was alone able to atone for our sins and
procure us a pardon. "Thou shalt answer, Lord, for me. This
is all I have to say for myself, Christ has died, yea, rather
has risen again; to his grace and government I entirely submit
myself, and in him I receive the atonement,"
Lastly, In the year of jubilee, the trumpet
which proclaimed the liberty was ordered to be sounded in the close
of the day of atonement,
After the law concerning the atonement to be made
for all Israel by the high priest, at the tabernacle, with the
blood of bulls and goats, in this chapter we have two prohibitions
necessary for the preservation of the honour of that atonement. I.
That no sacrifice should be offered by any other than the priests,
nor anywhere but at the door of the tabernacle, and this upon pain
of death,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, saying, 3 What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, 4 And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: 5 To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the Lord, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the Lord. 6 And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the Lord. 7 And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations. 8 And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice, 9 And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the Lord; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.
This statute obliged all the people of Israel to bring all their sacrifices to God's altar, to be offered there. And as to this matter we must consider,
I. How it stood before. 1. It was allowed
to all people to build altars, and offer sacrifices to God, where
they pleased. Wherever Abraham had a tent he built an altar, and
every master of a family was a priest to his own family, as
II. How this law settled it. 1. Some think
that the children of Israel were by this law forbidden, while they
were in the wilderness, to kill any beef, or mutton, or veal, or
lamb, or goat, even for their common eating, but at the door of
the tabernacle, where the blood and the fat were to be offered
to God upon the altar, and the flesh to be returned back to the
offerer to be eaten as a peace-offering, according to the law. And
the statute is so worded (
III. How this law was observed. 1. While
the Israelites kept their integrity they had a tender and very
jealous regard to this law, as appears by their zeal against the
altar which was erected by the two tribes and a half, which they
would by no means have left standing if they had not been satisfied
that it was never designed, nor should ever be used, for sacrifice
or offering,
IV. How the matter stands now, and what use
we are to make of this law. 1. It is certain that the spiritual
sacrifices we are now to offer are not confined to any one place.
Our Saviour has made this clear (
10 And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. 12 Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. 13 And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. 14 For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off. 15 And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean. 16 But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity.
We have here, I. A repetition and
confirmation of the law against eating blood. We have met with this
prohibition twice before in the levitical law (
II. Some other precepts are here given as
appendages to this law, and hedges about it, 1. They must cover the
blood of that which they took in hunting,
Here is, I. A general law against all conformity
to the corrupt usages of the heathen,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the Lord your God. 3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. 4 Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the Lord your God. 5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord.
After divers ceremonial institutions, God
here returns to the enforcement of moral precepts. The former are
still of use to us as types, the latter still binding as laws. We
have here, 1. The sacred authority by which these laws are enacted:
I am the Lord your God (
6 None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the Lord. 7 The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 8 The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness. 9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover. 10 The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness. 11 The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 12 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister: she is thy father's near kinswoman. 13 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister: for she is thy mother's near kinswoman. 14 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt. 15 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son's wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 16 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness. 17 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness. 18 Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.
These laws relate to the seventh
commandment, and, no doubt, are obligatory on us under the gospel,
for they are consonant to the very light and law of nature: one of
the articles, that of a man's having his father's wife, the apostle
speaks of as a sin not so much as named among the Gentiles,
I. That which is forbidden as to the
relations here specified is approaching to them to uncover their
nakedness,
1. It is chiefly intended to forbid the marrying of any of these relations. Marriage is a divine institution; this and the sabbath, the eldest of all, of equal standing with man upon the earth: it is intended for the comfort of human life, and the decent and honourable propagation of the human race, such as became the dignity of man's nature above that of the beasts. It is honourable in all, and these laws are for the support of the honour of it. It was requisite that a divine ordinance should be subject to divine rules and restraints, especially because it concerns a thing wherein the corrupt nature of man is as apt as in any thing to be wilful and impetuous in its desires, and impatient of check. Yet these prohibitions, besides their being enacted by an incontestable authority, are in themselves highly reasonable and equitable. (1.) By marriage two were to become one flesh, therefore those that before were in a sense one flesh by nature could not, without the greatest absurdity, become one flesh by institution; for the institution was designed to unite those who before were not united. (2.) Marriage puts an equality between husband and wife. "Is she not thy companion taken out of thy side?" Therefore, if those who before were superior and inferior should intermarry (which is the case in most of the instances here laid down), the order of nature would be taken away by a positive institution, which must by no means be allowed. The inequality between master and servant, noble and ignoble, is founded in consent and custom, and there is no harm done if that be taken away by the equality of marriage; but the inequality between parents and children, uncles and nieces, aunts and nephews, either by blood or marriage, is founded in nature, and is therefore perpetual, and cannot without confusion be taken away by the equality of marriage, the institution of which, though ancient, is subsequent to the order of nature. (3.) No relations that are equals are forbidden, except brothers and sisters, by the whole blood or half blood, or by marriage; and in this there is not the same natural absurdity as in the former, for Adam's sons must of necessity have married their own sisters; but it was requisite that it should be made by a positive law unlawful and detestable, for the preventing of sinful familiarities between those that in the days of their youth are supposed to live in a house together, and yet cannot intermarry without defeating one of the intentions of marriage, which is the enlargement of friendship and interest. If every man married his own sister (as they would be apt to do from generation to generation if it were lawful), each family would be a world to itself, and it would be forgotten that we are members one of another. It is certain that this has always been looked upon by the more sober heathen as a most infamous and abominable thing; and those who had not this law yet were herein a law to themselves. The making use of the ordinance of marriage for the patronizing of incestuous mixtures is so far from justifying them, or extenuating their guilt, that it adds the guilt of profaning an ordinance of God, and prostituting that to the vilest of purposes which was instituted for the noblest ends. But,
2. Uncleanness, committed with any of these relations out of marriage, is likewise, without doubt, forbidden here, and no less intended than the former: as also all lascivious carriage, wanton dalliance, and every thing that has the appearance of this evil. Relations must love one another, and are to have free and familiar converse with each other, but it must be with all purity; and the less it is suspected of evil by others the more care ought the persons themselves to take that Satan do not get advantage against them, for he is a very subtle enemy, and seeks all occasions against us.
II. The relations forbidden are most of
them plainly described; and it is generally laid down as a rule
that what relations of a man's own he is bound up from marrying the
same relations of his wife he is likewise forbidden to marry, for
they two are one. That law which forbids marrying a brother's wife
(
19 Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness. 20 Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her. 21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. 22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. 24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: 25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. 26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: 27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) 28 That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. 29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the Lord your God.
Here is, I. A law to preserve the honour of
the marriage-bed, that it should not be unseasonably used
(
II. A law against that which was the most
unnatural idolatry, causing their children to pass through the
fire to Moloch,
III. A law against unnatural lusts, sodomy
and bestiality, sins not to be named nor thought of without the
utmost abhorrence imaginable,
IV. Arguments against these and the like
abominable wickednesses. He that has an indisputable right to
command us, yet because he will deal with us as men, and draw
with the cords of a man, condescends to reason with us. 1.
Sinners defile themselves with these abominations: Defile not
yourselves in any of these things,
V. The chapter concludes with a sovereign
antidote against this infection: Therefore you shall keep my
ordinance that you commit not any one of these abominable
customs,
Some ceremonial precepts there are in this
chapter, but most of them are moral. One would wonder that when
some of the lighter matters of the law are greatly enlarged upon
(witness two long chapters concerning the leprosy) many of the
weightier matters are put into a little compass: divers of the
single verses of this chapter contain whole laws concerning
judgment and mercy; for these are things which are manifest in
every man's conscience; men's own thoughts are able to explain
these, and to comment upon them. I. The laws of this chapter, which
were peculiar to the Jews, are, 1. Concerning their
peace-offerings,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy. 3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. 4 Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God. 5 And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord, ye shall offer it at your own will. 6 It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire. 7 And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted. 8 Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of the Lord: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. 10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God.
Moses is ordered to deliver the summary of
the laws to all the congregation of the children of Israel
(
I. It is required that Israel be a holy
people, because the God of Israel is a holy God,
II. That children be obedient to their
parents: "You shall fear every man his mother and his
father,
III. That God only be worshipped, and not
by images (
IV. That the sacrifices of their
peace-offerings should always be offered, and eaten, according to
the law,
V. That they should leave the gleanings of
their harvest and vintage for the poor,
11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. 12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. 13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. 14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord. 15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. 16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the Lord. 17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. 18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.
We are taught here,
I. To be honest and true in all our
dealings,
II. To maintain a very reverent regard to
the sacred name of God (
III. Neither to take nor keep any one's
right from him,
IV. To be particularly tender of the credit
and safety of those that cannot help themselves,
V. Judges and all in authority are here
commanded to give verdict and judgment without partiality
(
VI. We are all forbidden to do any thing
injurious to our neighbour's good name (
VII. We are commanded to rebuke our
neighbour in love (
VIII. We are here required to put off all
malice, and to put on brotherly love,
19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee. 20 And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. 21 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering. 22 And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him. 23 And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of. 24 But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the Lord withal. 25 And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the Lord your God. 26 Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times. 27 Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. 28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord. 29 Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
Here is, I. A law against mixtures,
II. A law for punishing adultery committed
with one that was a bondmaid that was espoused,
III. A law concerning fruit-trees, that for
the first three years after they were planted, if they should
happen to be so forward as to bear in that time, yet no use should
be made of the fruit,
IV. A law against the superstitious usages
of the heathen,
30 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord. 31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God. 32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord. 33 And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. 34 But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. 35 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. 36 Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the Lord.
Here is, I. A law for the preserving of the
honour of the time and place appropriated to the service of God,
II. A caution against all communion with
witches, and those that were in league with familiar spirits:
"Regard them not, seek not after them, be not in fear of any
evil from them nor in hopes of any good from them. Regard not their
threatenings, or promises, or predictions; seek not to them for
discovery or advice, for, if you do, you are defiled by it, and
rendered abominable both to God and your own consciences." This was
the sin that completed Saul's wickedness, for which he was rejected
of God,
III. A charge to young people to show
respect to the aged: Thou shall rise up before the hoary
head,
IV. A charge to the Israelites to be very
tender of strangers,
V. Justice in weights and measures is here
commanded. That there should be no cheat in them,
VI. The chapter concludes with a general
command (
The laws which before were made are in this
chapter repeated and penalties annexed to them, that those who
would not be deterred from sin by the fear of God might be deterred
from it by the fear of punishment. If we will not avoid such and
such practices because the law has made them sin (and it is most
acceptable when we go on that principle of religion), surely we
shall avoid them when the law has made them death, from a principle
of self-preservation. In this chapter we have, I. Many particular
crimes that are made capital. I. Giving their children to Moloch,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name. 4 And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not: 5 Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people. 6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. 7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God. 8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the Lord which sanctify you. 9 For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
Moses is here directed to say that again to
the children of Israel which he had in effect said before,
I. Three sins are in these verses threatened with death:—
1. Parents abusing their children, by
sacrificing them to Moloch,
2. Children's abusing their parents, by
cursing them,
3. Persons abusing themselves by consulting
such as have familiar spirits,
II. In the midst of these particular laws
comes in that general charge,
1. The duties required; and they are two:— (1.) That in our principles, affections, and aims, we be holy: Sanctify yourselves and be you holy. We must cleanse ourselves from all the pollutions of sin, consecrate ourselves to the service and honour of God, and conform ourselves in every thing to his holy will and image: this is to sanctify ourselves. (2.) That in all our actions, and in the whole course of our conversation, we be obedient to the laws of God: You shall keep my statutes. By this only can we make it to appear that we have sanctified ourselves and are holy, even by our keeping God's commandments; the tree is known by its fruit. Nor can we keep God's statutes, as we ought, unless we first sanctify ourselves, and be holy. Make the tree good, and the fruit will be good.
2. The reasons to enforce these duties.
(1.) "I am the Lord your God; therefore be holy, that you
may resemble him whose people you are, and may be pleasing to him.
Holiness becomes his house and household." (2.) I am the Lord
who sanctifieth you. God sanctified them by peculiar
privileges, laws, and favours, which distinguished them from all
other nations, and dignified them as a people set apart for God. He
gave them his word and ordinances to be means of their
sanctification, and his good Spirit to instruct them; therefore
they must be holy, else they received the grace of God herein in
vain. Note, [1.] God's people are, and must be, persons of
distinction. God has distinguished them by his holy covenant, and
therefore they ought to distinguish themselves by their holy
conversation. [2.] God's sanctifying us is a good reason why we
should sanctify ourselves, that we may comply with the designs of
his grace, and not walk contrary to them. If it be the Lord that
sanctifies us, we may hope the work shall be done, though it be
difficult: the manner of expression is like that,
10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11 And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 12 And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them. 13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 14 And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you. 15 And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast. 16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 17 And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity. 18 And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity. 20 And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.
Sins against the seventh commandment are here ordered to be severely punished. These are sins which, of all others, fools are most apt to make a mock at; but God would teach those the heinousness of the guilt by the extremity of the punishment that would not otherwise be taught it.
I. Lying with another man's wife was made a
capital crime. The adulterer and the adulteress that had joined in
the sin must fall alike under the sentence: they shall both be
put to death,
II. Incestuous connections, whether by
marriage or not. 1. Some of them were to be punished with death, as
a man's lying with his father's wife,
III. The unnatural lusts of sodomy and
bestiality (sins not to be mentioned without horror) were to be
punished with death, as they are at this day by our law,
22 Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out. 23 And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. 24 But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people. 25 Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. 26 And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine. 27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.
The last verse is a particular law, which
comes in after the general conclusion, as if omitted in its proper
place: it is for the putting of those to death that dealt with
familiar spirits,
The rest of these verses repeat and inculcate what had been said before; for to that unthinking forgetful people it was requisite that there should be line upon line, and that general rules, with their reasons, should be frequently insisted on, for the enforcement of particular laws, and making them more effectual. Three things we are here reminded of:—
I. Their dignity. 1. They had the Lord
for their God,
II. Their duty; this is inferred from their
dignity. God had done more for them than for others, and therefore
expected more from them than from others. And what is it that the
Lord their God requires, in consideration of the great things done
and designed? 1. You shall keep all my statutes (
III. Their danger. 1. They were going into
an infected place (
This chapter might borrow its title from
1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people: 2 But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother, 3 And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled. 4 But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. 5 They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. 6 They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy. 7 They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God. 8 Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the Lord, which sanctify you, am holy. 9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
It was before appointed that the priests
should teach the people the statutes God had given concerning the
difference between clean and unclean,
I. They must take care not to disparage
themselves in their mourning for the dead. All that mourned for the
dead were supposed to come near the body, if not to touch it: and
the Jews say, "It made a man ceremonially unclean to come within
six feet of a dead corpse;" nay, it is declared (
II. They must take care not to degrade
themselves in their marriage,
III. Their children must be afraid of doing
any thing to disparage them (
10 And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; 11 Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; 12 Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord. 13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity. 14 A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife. 15 Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the Lord do sanctify him.
More was expected from a priest than from
other people, but more from the high priest than from other
priests, because upon his head the anointing oil was poured,
and he was consecrated to put on the garments (
I. He must not defile himself at all for
the dead, no, nor for his nearest relations, his father or his
mother, much less his child or brother,
II. He might not marry a widow (as other
priests might), much less one divorced, or a harlot,
III. He might not profane his seed among
his people,
16 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 17 Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, 19 Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, 20 Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; 21 No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God. 22 He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. 23 Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the Lord do sanctify them. 24 And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.
The priesthood being confined to one particular family, and entailed upon all the male issue of that family throughout their generations, it was very likely that some or other in after-ages that were born to the priesthood would have natural blemishes and deformities: the honour of the priesthood would not secure them from any of those calamities which are common to men. Divers blemishes are here specified; some that were ordinarily for life, as blindness; others that might be for a time, as a scurf or scab, and, when they were gone, the disability ceased. Now,
I. The law concerning priests that had
blemishes was, 1. That they might live upon the altar
(
II. Under the gospel, 1. Those that labour under any such blemishes as these have reason to thank God that they are not thereby excluded from offering spiritual sacrifices to God; nor, if otherwise qualified for it, from the office of the ministry. There is many a healthful beautiful soul lodged in a crazy deformed body. Yet, 2. We ought to infer hence how incapable those are to serve God acceptably whose minds are blemished and deformed by any reigning vice. Those are unworthy to be called Christians, and unfit to be employed as ministers, that are spiritually blind, and lame, and crooked, whose sins render them scandalous and deformed, so as that the offerings of the Lord are abhorred for their sakes. The deformities of Hophni and Phinehas were worse than any of the blemishes here mentioned. Let such therefore as are openly vicious be put out of the priesthood as polluted persons; and let all that are made to our God spiritual priests be before him holy and without blemish, and comfort themselves with this, that, though in this imperfect state they have spots that are the spots of God's children, yet they shall shortly appear before the throne of God without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.
In this chapter we have divers laws concerning the
priests and sacrifices all for the preserving of the honour of the
sanctuary. I. That the priests should not eat the holy things in
their uncleanness,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the Lord. 3 Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord. 4 What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath a running issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any thing that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him; 5 Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath; 6 The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water. 7 And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food. 8 That which dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself therewith: I am the Lord. 9 They shall therefore keep mine ordinance, lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore, if they profane it: I the Lord do sanctify them.
Those that had a natural blemish, though they were forbidden to do the priests' work, were yet allowed to eat of the holy things: and the Jewish writers say that "to keep them from idleness they were employed in the wood-room, to pick out that which was worm-eaten, that it might not be used in the fire upon the altar; they might also be employed in the judgment of leprosy:" but,
I. Those that were under any ceremonial
uncleanness, which possibly they contracted by their own fault,
might no so much as eat of the holy things while they continued in
their pollution. 1. Some pollutions were permanent, as a leprosy or
a running issue,
II. As to the design of this law we may
observe, 1. This obliged the priests carefully to preserve their
purity, and to dread every thing that would defile them. The holy
things were their livelihood; if they might not eat of them, how
must they subsist? The more we have to lose of comfort and honour
by our defilement, the more careful we should be to preserve our
purity. 2. This impressed the people with a reverence for the holy
things, when they saw the priests themselves separated from
them (as the expression is,
10 There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest, or an hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing. 11 But if the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house: they shall eat of his meat. 12 If the priest's daughter also be married unto a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things. 13 But if the priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's meat: but there shall no stranger eat thereof. 14 And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give it unto the priest with the holy thing. 15 And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto the Lord; 16 Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass, when they eat their holy things: for I the Lord do sanctify them.
The holy things were to be eaten by the priests and their families. Now,
I. Here is a law that no stranger should
eat of them, that is, no person whatsoever but the priests only,
and those that pertained to them,
II. Here is an explanation of the law,
showing who were to be looked upon as belonging to the priest's
family, and who not. 1. Sojourners and hired servants abode not in
the house for ever; they were in the family, but not of it; and
therefore they might not eat of the holy things (
III. This law might be dispensed with in a
case of necessity, as it was when David and his men ate of the
show-bread,
IV. It is an instruction to gospel
ministers, who are stewards of the mysteries of God, not to
admit all, without distinction, to eat of the holy things,
but to take out the precious from the vile. Those that are
scandalously ignorant or profane are strangers and aliens to the
family of the Lord's priests; and it is not meet to take the
children's bread and to cast it to such. Holy things are for holy
persons, for those who are holy, at least, in profession,
17 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 18 Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the Lord for a burnt offering; 19 Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats. 20 But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you. 21 And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein. 22 Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the Lord. 23 Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. 24 Ye shall not offer unto the Lord that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land. 25 Neither from a stranger's hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you. 26 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 27 When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the Lord. 28 And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day. 29 And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the Lord, offer it at your own will. 30 On the same day it shall be eaten up; ye shall leave none of it until the morrow: I am the Lord. 31 Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am the Lord. 32 Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the Lord which hallow you, 33 That brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord.
Here are four laws concerning sacrifices:—
I. Whatever was offered in sacrifice to God
should be without blemish, otherwise it should not be accepted.
This had often been mentioned in the particular institutions of the
several sorts of offerings. Now here they are told what was to be
accounted a blemish which rendered a beast unfit for sacrifice: if
it was blind, or lame, had a wen, or the mange (
II. That no beast should be offered in
sacrifice before it was eight days old,
III. That the dam and her young should not
both be killed in one day, whether in sacrifice or for common use,
IV. That the flesh of their thank-offerings
should be eaten on the same day that they were sacrificed,
Hitherto the levitical law had been chiefly
conversant about holy persons, holy things, and holy places; in
this chapter we have the institution of holy times, many of which
had been mentioned occasionally before, but here they are all put
together, only the new moons are not mentioned. All the rest of the
feasts of the Lord are, I. The weekly feast of the sabbath,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. 3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.
Here is, I. A general account of the holy
times which God appointed (
II. A repetition of the law of the sabbath
in the first place. Though the annual feasts were made more
remarkable by the general attendance at the sanctuary, yet these
must not eclipse the brightness of the sabbath,
4 These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. 5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord's passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. 7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 9 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord. 13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. 14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Here again the feasts are called the
feasts of the Lord, because he appointed them. Jeroboam's
feast, which he devised of his own heart (
I. A repetition of the law of the passover,
which was to be observed on the fourteenth day of the first month,
in remembrance of their deliverance out of Egypt and the
distinguishing preservation of their first-born, mercies never to
be forgotten. This feast was to begin with the killing of the
paschal lamb,
II. An order for the offering of a sheaf of
the first-fruits, upon the second day of the feast of unleavened
bread; the first is called the sabbath, because it was
observed as a sabbath (
15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: 16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord. 17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord. 18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the Lord, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the Lord. 19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God.
Here is the institution of the feast of
pentecost, or weeks, as it is called (
To the institution of the feast of
pentecost is annexed a repetition of that law which we had before
(
23 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. 25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. 26 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. 28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. 30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. 31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
Here is, I. The institution of the feast of
trumpets, on the first day of the seventh month,
II. A repetition of the law of the day of
atonement, that is, so much of it as concerned the people. 1. They
must on this day rest from all manner of work, and not only from
servile works as on other annual festivals; it must be as strict a
rest as that of the weekly sabbath,
33 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. 35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. 37 These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: 38 Beside the sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the Lord. 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. 40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. 41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: 43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. 44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.
We have here, I. The institution of the feast of tabernacles, which was one of the three great feasts at which all the males were bound to attend, and celebrated with more expressions of joy than any of them.
1. As to the directions for regulating this
feast, observe, (1.) It was to be observed on the fifteenth day
of the seventh month (
2. As to the design of this feast,
(1.) It was to be kept in remembrance of
their dwelling in tents in the wilderness. Thus it is expounded
here (
(2.) It was a feast of in-gathering, so it
is called,
(3.) It was a typical feast. It is supposed
by many that our blessed Saviour was born much about the time of
this feast; then he left his mansions of light above to
tabernacle among us (
II. The summary and conclusion of these institutions.
1. God appointed these feasts (
2. Moses declared them to the children of
Israel,
In this chapter we have, I. A repetition of the
laws concerning the lamps and the show-bread,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. 3 Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the Lord continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations. 4 He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the Lord continually. 5 And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. 6 And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord. 7 And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord. 8 Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. 9 And it shall be Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the Lord made by fire by a perpetual statute.
Care is here taken, and orders are given, for the decent furnishing of the candlestick and table in God's house.
I. The lamps must always be kept burning.
The law for this we had before,
II. The table must always be kept spread.
This was appointed before,
10 And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp; 11 And the Israelitish woman's son blasphemed the name of the Lord, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:) 12 And they put him in ward, that the mind of the Lord might be showed them. 13 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 14 Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him. 15 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. 16 And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death. 17 And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death. 18 And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast. 19 And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him; 20 Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again. 21 And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death. 22 Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the Lord your God. 23 And Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses.
Evil manners, we say, beget good laws. We have here an account of the evil manners of a certain nameless mongrel Israelite, and the good laws occasioned thereby.
I. The offender was the son of an Egyptian
father and an Israelitish mother (
II. The occasion of the offence was
contention: He strove with a man of Israel. The mixed
multitude of Egyptians that came up with Israel (
III. The offence itself was blasphemy and
cursing,
IV. The caution with which he was proceeded
against for this sin. The witnesses or inferior judges brought him
and his case (which was somewhat extraordinary) unto Moses
(
V. Sentence passed upon this offender by
the righteous Judge of heaven and earth himself: Let all the
congregation stone him,
VI. A standing law made upon this occasion
for the stoning of blasphemers,
VII. A repetition of some other laws
annexed to this new law. 1. That murder should be punished with
death (
VIII. The execution of the blasphemer.
Moses did, as it were, sign the warrant or it: He spoke unto the
children of Israel to do it, and they did as the Lord
commanded Moses,
The law of this chapter concerns the lands and
estates of the Israelites in Canaan, the occupying and transferring
of which were to be under the divine direction, as well as the
management of religious worship; for, as the tabernacle was a holy
house, so Canaan was a holy land; and upon that account, as much as
any thing, it was the glory of all lands. In token of a peculiar
title which God had to this land, and a right to dispose of it, he
appointed, I. That every seventh year should be a year of rest from
occupying the land, a sabbatical year,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses in Mount Sinai, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord. 3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; 4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. 5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. 6 And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, 7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.
The law of Moses laid a great deal of
stress upon the sabbath, the sanctification of which was the
earliest and most ancient of all divine institutions, designed for
the keeping up of the knowledge and worship of the Creator among
men; that law not only revived the observance of the weekly
sabbath, but, for the further advancement of the honour of them,
added the institution of a sabbatical year: In the seventh year
shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land,
8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. 9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. 10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. 11 A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. 12 For it is the jubilee; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. 13 In the year of this jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession. 14 And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall not oppress one another: 15 According to the number of years after the jubilee thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee: 16 According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee. 17 Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the Lord your God. 18 Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. 19 And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety. 20 And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase: 21 Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. 22 And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.
Here is, I. The general institution of the
jubilee,
1. When it was to be observed: after
seven sabbaths of years (
2. How it was to be proclaimed, with sound
of trumpet in all parts of the country (
3. What was to be done in that year
extraordinary; besides the common rest of the land, which was
observed every sabbatical year (
(1.) The property which every man had in
his dividend of the land of Canaan could not be alienated any
longer than till the year of jubilee, and then he or his should
return to it, and have a title to it as undisputed, and the
possession of it as undisturbed, as ever (
(2.) The liberty which every man was born
to, if it were sold or forfeited, should likewise return at the
year of jubilee: You shall return every man to his family,
II. A law upon this occasion against
oppression in buying and selling of land; neither the buyer nor the
seller must overreach,
III. Assurance given them that they should
be no losers, but great gainers, by observing these years of rest.
It is promised, 1. That they should be safe: You shall dwell in
the land in safety,
23 The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me. 24 And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land. 25 If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold. 26 And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it; 27 Then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; that he may return unto his possession. 28 But if he be not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubilee: and in the jubilee it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession. 29 And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year may he redeem it. 30 And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be established for ever to him that bought it throughout his generations: it shall not go out in the jubilee. 31 But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubilee. 32 Notwithstanding the cities of the Levites, and the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Levites redeem at any time. 33 And if a man purchase of the Levites, then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in the year of jubilee: for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. 34 But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession. 35 And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee. 36 Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee. 37 Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase. 38 I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.
Here is, I. A law concerning the real
estates of the Israelites in the land of Canaan, and the
transferring of them. 1. No land should be sold for ever from the
family to whose lot it fell in the division of the land. And the
reason given is, The land is mine, and you are strangers and
sojourners with me,
II. A law for the relief of the poor, and the tender usage of poor debtors, and these are of more general and perpetual obligation than the former.
1. The poor must be relieved,
2. Poor debtors must not be oppressed:
If thy brother be waxen poor, and have occasion to borrow
money of thee for the necessary support of his family, take thou
no usury of him, either for money or victuals,
39 And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant: 40 But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubilee: 41 And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return. 42 For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen. 43 Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God. 44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. 45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. 46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour. 47 And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family: 48 After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him: 49 Either his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself. 50 And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold to him unto the year of jubilee: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years, according to the time of an hired servant shall it be with him. 51 If there be yet many years behind, according unto them he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for. 52 And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubilee, then he shall count with him, and according unto his years shall he give him again the price of his redemption. 53 And as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him: and the other shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight. 54 And if he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, both he, and his children with him. 55 For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
We have here the laws concerning servitude, designed to preserve the honour of the Jewish nation as a free people, and rescued by a divine power out of the house of bondage, into the glorious liberty of God's sons, his first-born. Now the law is,
I. That a native Israelite should never be
made a bondman for perpetuity. If he was sold for debt, or for a
crime, by the house of judgment, he was to serve but six years, and
to go out the seventh; this was appointed,
II. That they might purchase bondmen of the
heathen nations that were round about them, or of those strangers
that sojourned among them (except of those seven nations that were
to be destroyed); and might claim a dominion over them, and entail
them upon their families as an inheritance, for the year of jubilee
should give no discharge to them,
III. That if an Israelite sold himself for
a servant to a wealthy proselyte that sojourned among them care
should be taken that he should have the same advantages as if he
had sold himself to an Israelite, and in some respects greater. 1.
That he should not serve as a bondman, but as a hired servant, and
not to be ruled with rigour (
This chapter is a solemn conclusion of the main
body of the levitical law. The precepts that follow in this and the
following book either relate to some particular matters or are
repetitions and explications of the foregoing institutions. Now
this chapter contains a general enforcement of all those laws by
promises of reward in case of obedience on the one hand, and
threatenings of punishment for disobedience on the other hand, the
former to work upon hope, the latter on fear, those two handles of
the soul, by which it is taken hold of and managed. Here is, I. A
repetition of two or three of the principal of the commandments,
1 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the Lord your God. 2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord. 3 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; 4 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. 6 And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. 7 And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. 9 For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. 10 And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new. 11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. 12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.
Here is, I. The inculcating of those
precepts of the law which were of the greatest consequence, and by
which were of the greatest consequence, and by which especially
their obedience would be tried,
II. Great encouragements given them to live
in constant obedience to all God's commandments, largely and
strongly assuring them that if they did so they should be a happy
people, and should be blessed with all the good things they could
desire. Human governments enforce their laws with penalties to be
inflicted for the breach of them; but God will be known as the
rewarder of those that seek and serve him. Let us take a view
of these great and precious promises, which, though they relate
chiefly to the life which now is, and to the public national
concerns of that people, were typical of the spiritual blessings
entailed by the covenant of grace upon all believers through
Christ. 1. Plenty and abundance of the fruits of the earth. They
should have seasonable rain, neither too little nor too much, but
what was requisite for their land, which was watered with the dew
of heaven (
14 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; 15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: 16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. 18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits. 21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. 22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate. 23 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; 24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied. 27 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; 28 Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. 30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. 31 And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. 32 And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. 33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. 34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. 35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. 36 And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth. 37 And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. 39 And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.
After God had set the blessing before them
(the life and good which would make them a happy people if they
would be obedient), he here sets the curse before them, the death
and evil which would make them as miserable if they were
disobedient. Let them not think themselves so deeply rooted as that
God's power could not ruin them, nor so highly favoured as that his
justice would not ruin them if they revolted from him and rebelled
against him; no You only have I known, therefore I will punish
you soonest and sorest.
I. How their sin is described, which would bring all this misery upon them. Not sins of ignorance and infirmity; God had provided sacrifices for those. Not the sins they repented of and forsook; but the sins that were presumptuously committed, and obstinately persisted in. Two things would certainly bring this ruin upon them:—
1. A contempt of God's commandments
(
2. A contempt of his corrections. Even
their disobedience would not have been their destruction if they
had not been obstinate and impenitent in it, notwithstanding the
methods God took to reclaim them. Their contempt of God's word
would not have brought them to ruin, if they had not added to that
a contempt of his rod, which should have brought them to
repentance. Three ways this is expressed:—(1.) "If you will
not for all this hearken to me,
II. How the misery is described which their sin would bring upon them, under two heads:—
1. God himself would be against them; and
this is the root and cause of all their misery. (1.) I will set
my face against you (
2. The whole creation would be at war with
them. All God's sore judgments would be sent against them; for he
hath many arrows in his quiver. The threatenings here are very
particular, because really they were prophecies, and he that
foresaw all their rebellions knew they would prove so; see
(1.) Temporal judgments threatened. [1.]
Diseases of body, which should be epidemical: I will appoint
over you, as task-masters, to rule you with rigour, terror,
consumption, and the burning ague,
(2.) Spiritual judgments are here
threatened. These should seize the mind; for he that made the mind
can, when he pleases, make his sword approach to it. It is here
threatened, [1.] That they should find no acceptance with God: I
will not smell the savour of your sweet odours,
40 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; 41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: 42 Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. 43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes. 44 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God. 45 But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the Lord. 46 These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the Lord made between him and the children of Israel in Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.
Here the chapter concludes with gracious
promises of the return of God's favour to them upon their
repentance, that they might not (unless it were their own fault)
pine away in their iniquity. Behold, with wonder, the riches
of God's mercy to a people that had obstinately stood it out
against the judgments of God, and would never think of surrendering
till they were reduced to the last extremity. Yet turn to
strong-hold, you prisoners of hope,
I. How the repentance which would qualify
them for this mercy is described,
II. How the mercy which they should obtain
upon their repentance is described. 1. They should not be
abandoned: Though they have despised my judgments, yet, for all
that, I will not cast them away,
Lastly, These are said to be the
laws which the Lord made between him and the children of
Israel,
The
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the Lord by thy estimation. 3 And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4 And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels. 5 And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 6 And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver. 7 And if it be from sixty years old and above; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 8 But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to his ability that vowed shall the priest value him. 9 And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering unto the Lord, all that any man giveth of such unto the Lord shall be holy. 10 He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if he shall at all change beast for beast, then it and the exchange thereof shall be holy. 11 And if it be any unclean beast, of which they do not offer a sacrifice unto the Lord, then he shall present the beast before the priest: 12 And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad: as thou valuest it, who art the priest, so shall it be. 13 But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation.
This is part of the law concerning singular
vows, extraordinary ones, which though God did not expressly insist
on, yet, if they were consistent with and conformable to the
general precepts, he would be well pleased with. Note, We should
not only ask, What must we do, but, What may we do, for the glory
and honour of God? As the liberal devises liberal things
(
I. The case is here put of persons vowed to
God by a singular vow,
II. The case is put of beasts vowed to God,
1. If it was a clean beast, such as was offered in sacrifice, it
must not be redeemed, nor any equivalent given for it: It shall
be holy,
14 And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the Lord, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand. 15 And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his. 16 And if a man shall sanctify unto the Lord some part of a field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to the seed thereof: an homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 17 If he sanctify his field from the year of jubilee, according to thy estimation it shall stand. 18 But if he sanctify his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain, even unto the year of the jubilee, and it shall be abated from thy estimation. 19 And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him. 20 And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more. 21 But the field, when it goeth out in the jubilee, shall be holy unto the Lord, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest's. 22 And if a man sanctify unto the Lord a field which he hath bought, which is not of the fields of his possession; 23 Then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation, even unto the year of the jubilee: and he shall give thine estimation in that day, as a holy thing unto the Lord. 24 In the year of the jubilee the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land did belong. 25 And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel.
Here is the law concerning real estates dedicated to the service of God by a singular vow.
I. Suppose a man, in his zeal for the
honour of God, should sanctify his house to God (
II. Suppose a man should sanctify some part of his land to the Lord, giving it to pious uses, then a difference must be made between land that came to the donor by descent and that which came by purchase, and accordingly the case altered.
1. If it was the inheritance of his
fathers, here called the field of his possession, which
pertained to his family from the first division of Canaan, he might
not give it all, no, not to the sanctuary; God would not admit such
a degree of zeal as ruined a man's family. But he might sanctify or
dedicate only some part of it,
2. If the land was his own purchase, and
came not to him from his ancestors, then not the land itself, but
the value of it was to be given to the priests for pious uses,
26 Only the firstling of the beasts, which should be the Lord's firstling, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the Lord's. 27 And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall redeem it according to thine estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it thereto: or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation. 28 Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the Lord of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord. 29 None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death. 30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord. 31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. 33 He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. 34 These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai.
Here is, I. A caution given that no man
should make such a jest of sanctifying things to the Lord as to
sanctify any firstling to him, for that was his already by the law,
II. Things or persons devoted are here
distinguished from things or persons that were only sanctified. 1.
Devoted things were most holy to the Lord, and could neither revert
nor be alienated,
III. A law concerning tithes, which were
paid for the service of God before the law, as appears by Abraham's
payment of them, (
IV. The
AN
The titles
of the five books of Moses, which we use in our Bibles, are all
borrowed from the Greek translation of the Seventy, the most
ancient version of the Old Testament that we know of. But the title
of this book only we turn into English; in all the rest we retain
the Greek word itself, for which difference I know no reason but
that the Latin translators have generally done the same. Otherwise
this book might as well have been called Arithmoi, the Greek
title, as the first Genesis, and the second Exodus;
or these might as well have been translated, and called, the first
the Generation, or Original, the second the
Out-let, or Escape, as this Numbers.—This
book was thus entitled because of the numbers of the children of
Israel, so often mentioned in this book, and so well worthy to give
a title to it, because it was the remarkable accomplishment of
God's promise to Abraham that his seed should be as the stars of
heaven for multitude. It also relates to two numberings of them,
None at Mount Sinai (
We have here, I. The histories of the
numbering and marshalling of the tribes (
Israel was now to be formed into a commonwealth,
or rather a kingdom; for "the Lord was their King" (
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; 3 From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies. 4 And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers. 5 And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur. 6 Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 7 Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 8 Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 9 Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon. 10 Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 11 Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni. 12 Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 13 Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran. 14 Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 15 Of Naphtali; Ahira the son of Enan. 16 These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.
I. We have here a commission issued out for the numbering of the people of Israel; and David, long after, paid dearly for doing it without a commission. Here is,
1. The date of this commission,
2. The directions given for the execution
of it,
3. Commissioners are named for the doing of
this work. Moses and Aaron were to preside (
II. Why was this account ordered to be
taken and kept? For several reasons. 1. To prove the accomplishment
of the promise made to Abraham, that God would multiply his seed
exceedingly, which promise was renewed to Jacob (
17 And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names: 18 And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. 19 As the Lord commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai. 20 And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 21 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. 22 Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 23 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. 24 Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 25 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty. 26 Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 27 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. 28 Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 29 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. 30 Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 31 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. 32 Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 33 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred. 34 Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 35 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. 36 Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 37 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. 38 Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 39 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. 40 Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 41 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. 42 Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 43 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
We have here the speedy execution of the
orders given for the numbering of the people. It was begun the same
day that the orders were given, The first day of the second
month; compare
In the particulars here left upon record,
we may observe, 1. That the numbers are registered in words at
length (as I may say), and not in figures; to every one of the
twelve tribes it is repeated, for the greater ceremony and
solemnity of the account, that they were numbered by their
generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers,
according to the number of the names, to show that every tribe
took and gave in the account by the same rule and in the same
method, though so many hands were employed in it, setting down the
genealogy first, to show that their family descended from Israel,
then the families themselves in their order, then dividing each
family into the houses, or subordinate families, that branched from
it, and under these the names of the particular persons, according
to the rules of heraldry. Thus every man might know who were his
relations or next of kin, on which some laws we have already met
with did depend: besides that the nearer any are to us in relation
the more ready we should be to do them good. 2. That they all end
with hundreds, only Gad with fifty (
44 These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: each one was for the house of his fathers. 45 So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel; 46 Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
We have here the sum total at the foot of
the account; they were in all 600,000 fighting men, and 3550 over.
Some think that when this was their number some months before
(
47 But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. 48 For the Lord had spoken unto Moses, saying, 49 Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel: 50 But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle. 51 And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 52 And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts. 53 But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony. 54 And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they.
Care is here taken to distinguish from the
rest of the tribes the tribe of Levi, which, in the matter of the
golden calf, had distinguished itself,
I. It was the honour of the Levites that
they were made guardians of the spiritualities; to them was
committed the care of the tabernacle and the treasures thereof,
both in their camps and in their marches. 1. When they moved the
Levites were to take down the tabernacle, to carry it and all that
belonged to it, and then to set it up again in the place appointed,
II. It was their further honour that as
Israel, being a holy people, was not reckoned among the
nations, so they, being a holy tribe, were not reckoned among
other Israelites, but numbered afterwards by themselves,
The thousands of Israel, having been mustered in
the former chapter, in this are marshalled, and a regular
disposition is made of their camp, by a divine appointment. Here
is, I. A general order concerning it,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 2 Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.
Here is the general appointment given both
for their orderly encampment where they rested and their orderly
march when they moved. Some order, it is possible, they had
observed hitherto; they came out of Egypt in rank and file
(
3 And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah. 4 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. 5 And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar. 6 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. 7 Then the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun. 8 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. 9 All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth. 10 On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur. 11 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. 12 And those which pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon: and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 13 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. 14 Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel. 15 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty. 16 All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank. 17 Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards. 18 On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud. 19 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred. 20 And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 21 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. 22 Then the tribe of Benjamin: and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni. 23 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. 24 All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank. 25 The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. 27 And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher: and the captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran. 28 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. 29 Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan. 30 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 31 All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards. 32 These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. 33 But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses. 34 And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.
We have here the particular distribution of
the twelve tribes into four squadrons, three tribes in a squadron,
one of which was to lead the other two. Observe, 1. God himself
appointed them their place, to prevent strife and envy among them.
Had they been left to determine precedency among themselves, they
would have been in danger of quarrelling with one another (as the
disciples who strove which should be greatest); each would
have had a pretence to be first, or at least not to be last. Had it
been left to Moses to determine, they would have quarrelled with
him, and charged him with partiality; therefore God does it, who is
himself the fountain and judge of honour, and in his appointment
all must acquiesce. If God in his providence advance others above
us, and abase us, we ought to be as well satisfied in his doing it
in that way as if he did it, as this was done here, by a voice out
of the tabernacle; and this consideration, that it appears to be
the will of God it should be so, should effectually silence all
envies and discontents. And as far as our place comes to be our
choice our Saviour has given us a rule in
This chapter and the next are concerning the tribe
of Levi, which was to be mustered and marshalled by itself, and not
in common with the other tribes, intimating the particular honour
put upon them and the particular duty and service required from
them. The Levites are in this chapter considered, I. As attendants
on, and assistants to, the priests in the temple-service. And so we
have an account, 1. Of the priests themselves (
1 These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the Lord spake with Moses in Mount Sinai. 2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office. 4 And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father. 5 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 6 Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. 7 And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle. 8 And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9 And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. 10 And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine; 13 Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the Lord.
Here, I. The family of Aaron is confirmed
in the priests' office,
II. A particular account is given of this
family of Aaron; what we have met with before concerning them is
here repeated. 1. The consecration of the sons of Aaron,
III. A grant is made of the Levites to be
assistants to the priests in their work: Give the Levites to
Aaron,
14 And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15 Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them. 16 And Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded. 17 And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. 18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei. 19 And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers. 21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites. 22 Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred. 23 The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward. 24 And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael. 25 And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, 26 And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof. 27 And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites. 28 In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary. 29 The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward. 30 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31 And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof. 32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary. 33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari. 34 And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred. 35 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward. 36 And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto, 37 And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords. 38 But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 39 All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the Lord, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.
The Levites being granted to Aaron to minister to him, they are here delivered to him by tale, that he might know what he had, and employ them accordingly. Observe,
I. By what rule they were numbered:
Every male from a month old and upward,
II. How they were distributed into three
classes, according to the number of the sons of Levi, Gershon,
Kohath, and Merari, and these subdivided into several families,
1. Concerning each of these three classes
we have an account, (1.) Of their number. The Gershonites were
7500. The Kohathites were 8600. The Merarites were 6200. The rest
of the tribes had not their subordinate families numbered by
themselves as those of Levi; this honour God put upon his own
tribe. (2.) Of their post about the tabernacle on which they were
to attend. The Gershonites pitched behind the tabernacle, westward,
2. Here we may observe, (1.) That the
Kohathites, though they were the second house, yet were preferred
before the elder family of the Gershonites. Besides that Aaron and
the priests were of that family, they were more numerous, and their
post and charge more honourable, which probably was ordered to put
an honour upon Moses, who was of that family. Yet, (2.) The
posterity of Moses were not at all dignified or privileged, but
stood upon the level with other Levites, that it might appear he
did not seek the advancement of his own family, nor to entail any
honours upon it either in church or state; he that had honour
enough himself coveted not to have his name shine by that borrowed
light, but rather to have the Levites borrow honour from his name.
Let none think contemptibly of the Levites, though inferior to the
priests, for Moses himself though it preferment enough for his sons
to be Levites. Probably it was because the family of Moses were
Levites only that in the title of this chapter, which is concerning
that tribe (
III. The sum total of the numbers of this
tribe. They are computed in all 22,000,
40 And the Lord said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. 41 And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the Lord) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel. 42 And Moses numbered, as the Lord commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel. 43 And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen. 44 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord. 46 And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites; 47 Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them: (the shekel is twenty gerahs:) 48 And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons. 49 And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites: 50 Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: 51 And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Here is the exchange made of the Levites
for the first-born. 1. The first-born were numbered from a month
old,
In the former chapter an account was taken of the
whole tribe of Levi, in this we have an account of those of that
tribe who were in the prime of their time for service, betwixt
thirty and fifty years old. I. The serviceable men of the
Kohathites are ordered to be numbered, and their charges are given
them,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 2 Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers, 3 From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation. 4 This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things: 5 And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it: 6 And shall put thereon the covering of badgers' skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof. 7 And upon the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon: 8 And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put in the staves thereof. 9 And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it: 10 And they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put it upon a bar. 11 And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put to the staves thereof: 12 And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put them on a bar: 13 And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon: 14 And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skins, and put to the staves of it. 15 And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation. 16 And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof. 17 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 18 Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites: 19 But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden: 20 But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.
We have here a second muster of the tribe of Levi. As that tribe was taken out of all Israel to be God's peculiar, so the middle-aged men of that tribe were taken from among the rest to be actually employed in the service of the tabernacle. Now observe,
I. Who were to be taken into this number. All the males from thirty years old to fifty. Of the other tribes, those that were numbered to go forth to war were from twenty years old and upward, but of the Levites only from thirty to fifty; for the service of God requires the best of our strength, and the prime of our time, which cannot be better spent than to the honour of him who is the first and best. And a man may make a good soldier much sooner than a good minister. Now,
1. They were not to be employed till they
were thirty years old, because till then they were in danger of
retaining something childish and youthful and had not gravity
enough to do the service, and wear the honour, of a Levite. They
were entered as probationers at twenty-five years old, (
2. They were discharged at fifty years old from the toilsome part of the service, particularly that of carrying the tabernacle; for that is the special service to which they are here ordained, and which there was most occasion for while they were in the wilderness. When they began to enter upon old age, they were dismissed, (1.) In favour to them, that they might not be over-toiled when their strength began to decay. Twenty years' good service was thought pretty well for one man. (2.) In honour to the work, that it might not be done by those who, through the infirmities of age, were slow and heavy. The service of God should be done when we are in the most lively active frame. Those do not consider this who put off their repentance to old age, and so leave the best work to be done in the worst time.
II. How their work is described. They are
said to enter into the host, or warfare, to do the work
in the tabernacle. The ministry is a good work
(
1. Their service appointed them, in the
removes of the tabernacle. Afterwards, when the tabernacle was
fixed, they had other work assigned them; but this was the work of
the day, which was to be done in its day. Observe, Wherever the
camp of Israel went, the tabernacle of the Lord went with them, and
care must be taken for the carriage of it. Note, Wherever we go, we
must see to it that we take our religion along with us, and not
forget that or any part of it. Now the Kohathites were to carry all
the holy things of the tabernacle. They were charged with those
things before (
2. Eleazar, now the eldest son of Aaron, is
appointed overseer of the Kohathites in this service (
3. Great care must be taken to preserve the
lives of these Levites, by preventing their unseasonable irreverent
approach to the most holy things: Cut you not off the
Kohathites,
21 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 22 Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families; 23 From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation. 24 This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens: 25 And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgers' skins that is above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, 26 And the hangings of the court, and the hanging for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them: so shall they serve. 27 At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens. 28 This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 29 As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers; 30 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation. 31 And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof, 32 And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden. 33 This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
We have here the charge of the other two
families of the Levites, which, though not so honourable as the
first, yet was necessary, and was to be done regularly. 1. The
Gershonites were charged with all the drapery of the tabernacle,
the curtains, and hangings, and the coverings of badgers' skins,
34 And Moses and Aaron and the chief of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their families, and after the house of their fathers, 35 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation: 36 And those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 37 These were they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses. 38 And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers, 39 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, 40 Even those that were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty. 41 These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, whom Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the Lord. 42 And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, 43 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, 44 Even those that were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand and two hundred. 45 These be those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses. 46 All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the house of their fathers, 47 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation, 48 Even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore. 49 According to the commandment of the Lord they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as the Lord commanded Moses.
We have here a particular account of the
numbers of the three families of the Levites respectively, that is,
of the effective men, between thirty years old and fifty. Observe,
1. The Kohathites were, in all, 8600 from a month old and upwards;
but of these there were but 2750 serviceable men, not a third part.
The Gershonites, in all, 7500, and of them but 2630 serviceable
men, little more than a third part. Note, Of the many that add to
the numbers of the church, there are comparatively but few that
contribute to the service of it. So it has been, and so it is; many
have a place in the tabernacle that do but little of the work of
the tabernacle,
In this chapter we have, I. An order, pursuant to
the laws already made, for the removing of the unclean out of the
camp,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead: 3 Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell. 4 And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the Lord spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel. 5 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 6 Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty; 7 Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed. 8 But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the Lord, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him. 9 And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his. 10 And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.
Here is, I. A command for the purifying of
the camp, by turning out from within its lines all those that were
ceremonially unclean, by issues, leprosies, or the touch of dead
bodies, until they were cleansed according to the law,
1. These orders are executed immediately,
2. This expulsion of the unclean out of the
camp was to signify, (1.) What the governors of the church ought to
do: they must separate between the precious and the vile,
and purge out scandalous persons, as old leaven (
II. A law concerning restitution, in case
of wrong done to a neighbour. It is called a sin that men
commit (
III. A general rule concerning hallowed
things given upon this occasion, that, whatever was given to the
priest, his it shall be,
11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him, 13 And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner; 14 And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled: 15 Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. 16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the Lord: 17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water: 18 And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse: 19 And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse: 20 But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband: 21 Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell; 22 And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen. 23 And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water: 24 And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter. 25 Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the offering before the Lord, and offer it upon the altar: 26 And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water. 27 And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people. 28 And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed. 29 This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled; 30 Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law. 31 Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.
We have here the law concerning the solemn trial of a wife whose husband was jealous of her. Observe,
I. What was the case supposed: That a man
had some reason to suspect his wife to have committed adultery,
II. What was the course prescribed in this case, that, if the suspected wife was innocent, she might not continue under the reproach and uneasiness of her husband's jealousy, and, if guilty, her sin might find her out, and others might hear, and fear, and take warning.
1. The process of the trial must be thus:—
(1.) Her husband must bring her to the priest, with the
witnesses that could prove the ground of his suspicion, and desire
that she might be put upon her trial. The Jews say that the priest
was first to endeavour to persuade her to confess the truth, saying
to this purport, "Dear daughter, perhaps thou wast overtaken by
drinking wine, or wast carried away by the heat of youth or the
examples of bad neighbours; come, confess the truth, for the sake
of his great name which is described in the most sacred ceremony,
and do not let it be blotted out with the bitter water." If she
confessed, saying, "I am defiled," she was not put to death, but
was divorced and lost her dowry; if she said, "I am pure," then
they proceeded. (2.) He must bring a coarse offering of
barley-meal, without oil or frankincense, agreeably to the present
afflicted state of his family; for a great affliction it was either
to have cause to be jealous or to be jealous without cause. It is
an offering of memorial, to signify that what was to be done
was intended as a religious appeal to the omniscience and justice
of God. (3.) The priest was to prepare the water of jealousy, the
holy water out of the laver at which the priests were to wash when
they ministered; this must be brought in an earthen vessel,
containing (they say) about a pint; and it must be an
earthen vessel, because the coarser and plainer every thing
was the more agreeable it was to the occasion. Dust must be
put into the water, to signify the reproach she lay under, and the
shame she ought to take to herself, putting her mouth in the dust;
but dust from the floor of the tabernacle, to put an honour
upon every thing that pertained to the place God had chosen to put
his name there, and to keep up in the people a reverence for it;
see
2. From the whole we may learn, (1.) That
secret sins are known to God, and sometimes are strangely brought
to light in this life; however, there is a day coming when God
will, by Jesus Christ, as here by the priest, judge the secrets
of men according to the gospel,
In this chapter we have, I. The law concerning
Nazarites, 1. What it was to which the vow of a Nazarite obliged
him,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the Lord: 3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. 4 All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk. 5 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. 6 All the days that he separateth himself unto the Lord he shall come at no dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head. 8 All the days of his separation he is holy unto the Lord. 9 And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it. 10 And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: 11 And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day. 12 And he shall consecrate unto the Lord the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled. 13 And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: 14 And he shall offer his offering unto the Lord, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings, 15 And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings. 16 And the priest shall bring them before the Lord, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering: 17 And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat offering, and his drink offering. 18 And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings. 19 And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven: 20 And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine. 21 This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the Lord for his separation, beside that that his hand shall get: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation.
After the law for the discovery and shame
of those that by sin had made themselves vile, fitly follows this
for the direction and encouragement of those who by their eminent
piety and devotion had made themselves honourable, and
distinguished themselves from their neighbours. It is very probable
that there were those before the making of this law who went under
the character of Nazarites, and were celebrated by that
title as persons professing greater strictness and zeal in religion
than other people; for the vow of a Nazarite is spoken of here as a
thing already well known, but the obligation of it is reduced to a
greater certainty than hitherto it had been. Joseph is called a
Nazarite among his brethren (
I. The general character of a Nazarite: it
is a person separated unto the Lord,
II. The particular obligations that the Nazarites lay under. That the fancies of superstitious men might not multiply their restraints endlessly, God himself lays down the law for them, and gives them the rule of their profession.
1. They must have nothing to do with the
fruit of the vine,
2. They must not cut their hair,
3. They must not come near any dead body,
4. All the days of their separation
they must be holy to the Lord,
III. The provision that was made for the
cleansing of a Nazarite, if he happened unavoidably to contract a
ceremonial pollution by the touch of a dead body. No penalty is
ordered by this law for the wilful breach of the foregoing laws;
for it was not supposed that a man who had so much religion as to
make that vow could have so little as to break it presumptuously:
nor could it be supposed that he should drink wine, or have his
hair cut, but by his own fault; but purely by the providence of
God, without any fault of his own, he might be near a dead body,
and that is the case put (
IV. The law for the solemn discharge of a
Nazarite from his vow, when he had completed the time he fixed to
himself. Before the expiration of that term he could not be
discharged; before he vowed, it was in his own power, but it was
too late after the vow to make enquiry. The Jews say that the time
of a Nazarite's vow could not be less than thirty days; and if a
man said, "I will be a Nazarite but for two days," yet he was bound
for thirty; but it should seem Paul's vow was for only seven days
(
22 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, 24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: 25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 27 And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
Here, I. The priests, among other good
offices which they were to do, are appointed solemnly to bless the
people in the name of the Lord,
II. A form of blessing is here prescribed
them. In their other devotions no form was prescribed, but this
being God's command concerning benediction, that it might not look
like any thing of their own, he puts the very words in their
mouths,
III. God here promises to ratify and
confirm the blessing: They shall put my name upon the children
of Israel,
God having set up house (as it were) in the midst
of the camp of Israel, the princes of Israel here come a visiting
with their presents, as tenants to their landlord, in the name of
their respective tribes. I. They brought presents, 1. Upon the
dedication of the tabernacle, for the service of that,
1 And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them; 2 That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered: 3 And they brought their offering before the Lord, six covered waggons, and twelve oxen; a waggon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the tabernacle. 4 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 5 Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service. 6 And Moses took the waggons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites. 7 Two waggons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to their service: 8 And four waggons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 9 But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders.
Here is the offering of the princes to the service of the tabernacle. Observe,
I. When it was; not till it was fully
set up,
II. Who it was that offered: The princes
of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers,
III. What was offered: six wagons, with
each of them a yoke of oxen to draw them,
IV. How the offering was disposed of, and
what use was made of it: the wagons and oxen were given to the
Levites, to be used in carrying the tabernacle, both for their ease
(for God would not have any of his servants overburdened with
work), and for the more safe and right conveyance of the several
parts of the tabernacle, which would be best kept together, and
sheltered from the weather, in wagons. 1. The Gershonites, that had
the light carriage, the curtains and hangings, had but two wagons,
and two yoke of oxen (
10 And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes offered their offering before the altar. 11 And the Lord said unto Moses, They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar. 12 And he that offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah: 13 And his offering was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 14 One spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense: 15 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 16 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 17 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 18 On the second day Nethaneel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, did offer: 19 He offered for his offering one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 20 One spoon of gold of ten shekels, full of incense: 21 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 22 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 23 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 24 On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, did offer: 25 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 26 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 27 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 28 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 29 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon. 30 On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, did offer: 31 His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 32 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 33 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 34 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 35 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur. 36 On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, did offer: 37 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 38 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 39 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 40 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 41 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 42 On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered: 43 His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, a silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 44 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 45 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 46 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 47 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 48 On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim, offered: 49 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 50 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 51 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 52 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 53 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud. 54 On the eighth day offered Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh: 55 His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 56 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 57 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 58 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 59 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 60 On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin, offered: 61 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 62 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 63 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 64 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 65 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni. 66 On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan, offered: 67 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 68 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 69 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 70 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 71 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 72 On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ocran, prince of the children of Asher, offered: 73 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 74 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 75 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 76 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 77 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ocran. 78 On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali, offered: 79 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: 80 One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: 81 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: 82 One kid of the goats for a sin offering: 83 And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan. 84 This was the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve chargers of silver, twelve silver bowls, twelve spoons of gold: 85 Each charger of silver weighing an hundred and thirty shekels, each bowl seventy: all the silver vessels weighed two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: 86 The golden spoons were twelve, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary: all the gold of the spoons was an hundred and twenty shekels. 87 All the oxen for the burnt offering were twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the lambs of the first year twelve, with their meat offering: and the kids of the goats for sin offering twelve. 88 And all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he goats sixty, the lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after that it was anointed. 89 And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.
We have here an account of the great
solemnity of dedicating the altars, both that of burnt-offerings
and that of incense; they had been sanctified before, when they
were anointed (
I. That the princes and great men were
first and forwardest in the service of God. Those that are entitled
to precedency should go before in good works, and that is true
honour. Here is an example to the nobility and gentry, those that
are in authority and of the first rank in their country; they ought
to improve their honour and power, their estate and interest, for
the promoting of religion, and the service of God, in the places
where they live. It is justly expected that those who have more
than others should do more good than others with what they have,
else they are unfaithful stewards, and will not make up their
account with joy. Nay, great men must not only with their
wealth and power assist and protect those that serve God, but they
must make conscience of being devout and religious themselves, and
employing themselves in the exercises of piety, which will greatly
redound to the honour of God (
II. The offerings they brought were very rich and valuable, so rich that some think there was not so great a difference in estate between them and others as that they were able to bear the expense of them themselves, but that the heads of each tribe contributed to the offering which their prince brought.
1. They brought some things to remain for standing service, twelve large silver dishes, each about sixty ounces weight, as many large silver cups, or bowls, of about thirty-five ounces—the former to be used for the meat-offerings, the latter for the drink-offerings—the former for the flesh of the sacrifices, the latter for the blood. The latter was God's table (as it were), and it was fit that so great a King should be served in plate. The golden spoons being filled with incense were intended, it is probable, for the service of the golden altar, for both the altars were anointed at the same time. Note, In works of piety and charity we ought to be generous according as our ability is. He that is the best should be served with the best we have. The Israelites indeed might well afford to part with their gold and silver in abundance to the service of the sanctuary, for they needed it not to buy meat and victual their camp, being daily fed with bread from heaven; nor did they need it to buy land, or pay their army, for they were shortly to be put in possession of Canaan.
2. They brought some things to be used immediately, offerings of each sort, burnt-offerings, sin-offerings, and a great many peace-offerings (on part of which they were to feast with their friends), and the meat-offerings that were to be annexed to them. Hereby they signified their thankful acceptance of, and cheerful submission to, all those laws concerning the sacrifices which God had lately by Moses delivered to them. And, though it was a time of joy and rejoicing, yet it is observable that still in the midst of their sacrifices we find a sin-offering. Since in our best services we are conscious to ourselves that there is a mixture of sin, it is fit that there should be even in our most joyful services a mixture of repentance. In all our approaches to God, we must by faith have an eye to Christ as the great sin-offering, and make mention of him.
3. They brought their offerings each on a
separate day, in the order that they had been lately put into, so
that the solemnity lasted twelve days. So God appointed (
4. All their offerings were exactly the
same, without any variation, though it is probable that neither the
princes nor the tribes were all alike rich; but thus it was
intimated that all the tribes of Israel had an equal share in the
altar, and an equal interest in the sacrifices that were offered
upon it. Though one tribe was posted more honourably in the camp
than another, yet they and their services were all alike acceptable
to God. Nor must we have faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with
respect to persons,
5. Nahshon, the prince of the tribe of
Judah, offered first, because God had given that tribe the first
post of honour in the camp; and the rest of the tribes acquiesced,
and offered in the same order in which God had appointed them to
encamp. Judah, of which tribe Christ came, first, and then the
rest; thus, in the dedication of souls to God, every man is
presented in his own order, Christ the first-fruits,
6. Though the offerings were all the same,
yet the account of them is repeated at large for each tribe, in the
same words. We are sure there are no vain repetitions in scripture;
what then shall we make of these repetitions? Might it not have
served to say of this noble jury that the same offering which their
foreman brought each on his day brought likewise? No, God would
have it specified for each tribe: and why so? (1.) It was for the
encouragement of these princes, and of their respective tribes,
that each of their offerings being recorded at large no slight
might seem to be put upon them; for rich and poor meet together
before God. (2.) It was for the encouragement of all generous acts
of piety and charity, by letting us know that what is so given is
lent to the Lord, and he carefully records it, with every one's
name prefixed to his gift, because what is so given he will pay
again, and even a cup of cold water shall have its
reward. He is not unrighteous, to forget either the cost or
the labour of love,
7. The sum total is added at the foot of
the account (
8. God signified his gracious acceptance of
these presents that were brought him, by speaking familiarly to
Moses, as a man speaks to his friend, from off the mercy-seat
(
This chapter is concerning the lamps or lights of
the sanctuary. I. The burning lamps in the candlestick, which the
priests were charged to tend,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. 3 And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the Lord had showed Moses, so he made the candlestick.
Directions were given long before this for
the making of the golden candlestick (
5 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. 7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. 8 Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering. 9 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together: 10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the Lord: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites: 11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the Lord. 12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the Lord, to make an atonement for the Levites. 13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the Lord. 14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine. 15 And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering. 16 For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me. 17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself. 18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary. 20 And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them. 21 And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the Lord; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them. 23 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 24 This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: 25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more: 26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.
We read before of the separating of the
Levites from among the children of Israel when they were numbered,
and the numbering of them by themselves (
I. The Levites must be cleansed, and were
so. The rites and ceremonies of their cleansing were to be
performed, 1. By themselves. They must wash their clothes,
and not only bathe, but shave all their flesh, as the leper
was to do when he was cleansed,
II. The Levites, being thus prepared, must
be brought before the Lord in a solemn assembly of all Israel, and
the children of Israel must put their hands upon them
(
III. Sacrifices were to be offered for
them, a sin-offering first (
IV. The Levites themselves were offered
before the Lord for an offering of the children of
Israel,
V. God here declares his acceptance of
them: The Levites shall be mine,
VI. They are then given as a gift to Aaron
and his sons (
VII. The time of their ministration is
fixed. 1. They were to enter upon the service at twenty-five years
old,
This chapter is, I. Concerning the great ordinance
of the passover; 1. Orders given for the observance of it, at the
return of the year,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. 3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. 4 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. 5 And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel. 6 And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: 7 And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the Lord in his appointed season among the children of Israel? 8 And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you. 9 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the Lord. 11 The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. 13 But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 14 And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the Lord; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.
Here we have,
I. An order given for the solemnization of
the passover, the day twelvemonth after they came out of Egypt, on
the fourteenth day of the first month of the second year, some days
before they were numbered, for that was done in the beginning of
the second month. Observe, 1. God gave particular orders for the
keeping of this passover, otherwise (it should seem) they would not
have kept it, for, in the first institution of this ordinance, it
was appointed to be kept when they should come into the land of
promise,
II. Instructions given concerning those that were ceremonially unclean when they were to eat the passover. The law of the passover required every Israelite to eat of it. Some subsequent laws had forbidden those that had contracted any ceremonial pollution to eat of the holy things; those whose minds and consciences are defiled by sin are utterly unfit for communion with God, and cannot partake, with any true comfort, of the gospel passover, till they are cleansed by true repentance and faith: and a sad dilemma they are in; if they come not to holy ordinances, they are guilty of a contempt of them; if they do come in their pollution, they are guilty of a profanation of them. They must therefore wash, and then compass God's altar. Now,
1. Here is the case that happened in Israel
when this passover was to be kept: Certain men were defiled by
the dead body of a man (
2. The application made to Moses by the
person concerned,
3. The deliberation of Moses in resolving
this case. Here seemed to be law against law; and, though it is a
rule that the latter law must explain the former, yet he pitied
these Israelites that were thus deprived of the privilege of the
passover, and therefore took time to consult the oracles, and to
know what was the mind of God in this case: I will hear what the
Lord will command concerning you,
4. The directions which God gave in this
case, and in other similar cases, explanatory of the law of the
passover. The disagreeable accident produced good laws. (1.) Those
that happened to be ceremonially unclean at the time when the
passover should be eaten were allowed to eat it that day month,
when they were clean; so were those that happened to be in a
journey afar off,
15 And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. 16 So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. 18 At the commandment of the Lord the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. 19 And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord, and journeyed not. 20 And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the Lord they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the Lord they journeyed. 21 And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed. 22 Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed. 23 At the commandment of the Lord they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed: they kept the charge of the Lord, at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
We have here the history of the cloud; not a natural history: who knows the balancings of the clouds? but a divine history of a cloud that was appointed to be the visible sign and symbol of God's presence with Israel.
I. When the tabernacle was finished this
cloud, which before had hung on high over their camp, settled upon
the tabernacle, and covered it, to show that God manifests his
presence with his people in and by his ordinances; there he makes
himself known, and to them we must look if we would see the
beauty of the Lord,
II. That which appeared as a cloud by day
appeared as a fire all night. Had it been a cloud only, it would
not have been visible by night; and, had it been a fire only, it
would have been scarcely discernible by day; but God would give
them sensible demonstrations of the constancy of his presence with
them, and his care of them, and that he kept them night and
day,
III. This pillar of cloud and fire directed
and determined all the motions, marches, and encampments, of Israel
in the wilderness. 1. As long as the cloud rested upon the
tabernacle, so long they continued in the same place, and never
stirred; though no doubt they were very desirous to be pressing
forward in their journey towards Canaan, where they longed to be
and hoped to be quickly, yet as long as the cloud rested, if it was
a month or a year, so long they rested,
In this chapter we have, I. Orders given about the
making and using of silver trumpets, which seems to have been the
last of all the commandments God gave upon Mount Sinai, and one of
the least, yet not without its significancy,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps. 3 And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 4 And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee. 5 When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward. 6 When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys. 7 But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. 8 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations. 9 And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. 10 Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the Lord your God.
We have here directions concerning the
public notices that were to be given to the people upon several
occasions by sound of trumpet. In a thing of this nature, one would
think, Moses needed not to have been taught of God: his own reason
might teach him the conveniency of trumpets; but the constitution
of Israel was to be in every thing divine, and therefore even in
this matter, small as it seems. Moses is here directed, 1. About
the making of them. They must be made of silver; not cast but of
beaten work (as some read it), the matter and shape, no doubt, very
fit for the purpose. He was now ordered to make but two, because
there were but two priests to use them. But in Solomon's time we
read of 120 priests sounding with trumpets,
11 And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony. 12 And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran. 13 And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses. 14 In the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies: and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 15 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 16 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon. 17 And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set forward, bearing the tabernacle. 18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur. 19 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 21 And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary: and the other did set up the tabernacle against they came. 22 And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elishama the son of Ammihud. 23 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni. 25 And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan set forward, which was the rereward of all the camps throughout their hosts: and over his host was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran. 27 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. 28 Thus were the journeyings of the children of Israel according to their armies, when they set forward.
Here is, I. A general account of the
removal of the camp of Israel from Mount Sinai, before which
mountain it had lain now about a year, in which time and place a
great deal of memorable business was done. Of this removal, it
should seem, God gave them notice some time before (
II. A particular draught of the order of
their march, according to the late model. 1. Judah's squadron
marched first,
29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel. 30 And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred. 31 And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes. 32 And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee. 33 And they departed from the mount of the Lord three days' journey: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp. 35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. 36 And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel.
Here is, I. An account of what passed
between Moses and Hobab, now upon this advance which the camp of
Israel made towards Canaan. Some think that Hobab was the same with
Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, and that the story,
We do not find any reply that Hobab here
made to Moses, and therefore we hope that his silence gave consent,
and he did not leave them, but that, when he perceived he might be
useful, he preferred that before the gratifying of his own
inclination; in this case he left us a good example. And we find
(
II. An account of the communion between God
and Israel in this removal. They left the mount of the Lord
(
1. By it God did direct their paths.
The ark of the covenant went before them, some think in
place, at least in this removal; others think only in
influence; though it was carried in the midst of the camp,
yet the cloud that hovered over it directed all their motions. The
ark (that is, the God of the ark) is said to search out a
resting place for them; not that God's infinite wisdom and
knowledge need to make searches, but every place they were directed
to was as convenient for them as if the wisest man they had among
them had been employed to go before them, and mark out their camp
to the best advantage. thus Canaan is said to be a land which God
spied out,
2. By it they did in all their ways acknowledge God, looking upon it as a token of God's presence; when that moved, or rested, they had their eye up unto God. Moses, as the mouth of the congregation, lifted up a prayer, both at the removing and at the resting of the ark; thus their going out and coming in were sanctified by prayer, and it is an example to us to begin and end every day's journey, and every day's work, with prayer.
(1.) Here is his prayer when the ark set
forward: Rise up, Lord, and let thy enemies be scattered,
(2.) His prayer when the ark rested,
Hitherto things had gone pretty well in Israel;
little interruption had been given to the methods of God's favour
to them since the matter of the golden calf; the people seemed
teachable in marshalling and purifying the camp, the princes devout
and generous in dedicating the altar, and there was good hope that
they would be in Canaan presently. But at this chapter begins a
melancholy scene; the measures are all broken, God has turned to be
their enemy, and fights against them—and it is sin that makes all
this mischief. I. Their murmurings kindled a fire among them, which
yet was soon quenched by the prayer of Moses,
1 And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. 2 And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched. 3 And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the Lord burnt among them.
Here is, I. The people's sin. They
complained,
II. God's just resentment of the affront
given to him by this sin: The Lord heard it, though it does
not appear that Moses did. Note, God is acquainted with the secret
frettings and murmurings of the heart, though they are
industriously concealed from men. What he took notice of his was
much displeased with, and his anger was kindled. Note,
Though God graciously gives us leave to complain to him when there
is cause (
III. The judgment wherewith God chastised
them for this sin: The fire of the Lord burnt among them,
such flashes of fire from the cloud as had consumed Nadab and
Abihu. The fire of their wrath against God burned in their minds
(
IV. Their cry to Moses, who was their tried
intercessor,
V. The prevalency of Moses's intercession for them: When Moses prayed unto the Lord (he was always ready to stand in the gap to turn away the wrath of God) God had respect to him and his offering, and the fire was quenched. By this it appears that God delights not in punishing, for, when he has begun his controversy, he is soon prevailed with to let it fall. Moses was one of those worthies who by faith quenched the violence of fire.
VI. A new name given hereupon to the place,
to perpetuate the shame of a murmuring people and the honour of a
righteous God; the place was called Taberah, a
burning (
4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: 6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. 7 And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. 8 And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. 9 And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it. 10 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased. 11 And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? 12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? 13 Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. 14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. 15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.
These verses represent things sadly unhinged and out of order in Israel, both the people and the prince uneasy.
I. Here is the people fretting, and
speaking against God himself (as it is interpreted,
1. Who were the criminals. (1.) The
mixed multitude began, they fell a lusting,
2. What was the crime: they lusted and
murmured. Though they had been lately corrected for this sin, and
many of them overthrown for it, as God overthrew Sodom and
Gomorrah, and the smell of the fire was still in their nostrils,
yet they returned to it. See
II. Moses himself, though so meek and good
a man, is uneasy upon this occasion: Moses also was
displeased. Now, 1. It must be confessed that the provocation
was very great. These murmurings of theirs reflected great
dishonour upon God, and Moses laid to heart the reproaches cast on
himself; they knew that he did his utmost for their good, and that
he neither did nor could do any thing without a divine appointment;
and yet to be thus continually teased and clamoured against by an
unreasonable ungrateful people would break in upon the temper even
of Moses himself. God considered this, and therefore we do not find
that he chided him for his uneasiness. 2. Yet Moses expressed
himself otherwise than became him upon this provocation, and came
short of his duty both to God and Israel in these expostulations.
(1.) He undervalues the honour God had put upon him, in making him
the illustrious minister of his power and grace, in the deliverance
and guidance of that peculiar people, which might have been
sufficient to balance the burden. (2.) He complains too much of a
sensible grievance, and lays too near his heart a little noise and
fatigue. If he could not bear the toil of government, which was but
running with the footman, how would he bear the terrors of war,
which was contending with horses? He might easily have furnished
himself with considerations enough to enable him to slight their
clamours, and make nothing of them. (3.) He magnifies his own
performances, that all the burden of the people lay upon
him; whereas God himself did in effect ease him of all the
burden. Moses needed not to be in care to provide quarters for
them, or victuals; God did all. And, if any difficult case
happened, he needed not to be in any perplexity, while he had the
oracle to consult, and in it the divine wisdom to direct him, the
divine authority to back him and bear him out, and almighty power
itself to dispense rewards and punishments. (4.) He is not so
sensible as he ought to be of the obligation he lay under, by
virtue of the divine commission and command, to do the utmost he
could for his people, when he suggests that because they were not
the children of his body therefore he was not concerned to take a
fatherly care of them, though God himself, who might employ him as
he pleased, had appointed him to be a father to them. (5.) He takes
too much to himself when he asks, Whence should I have flesh to
give them (
16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. 17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. 18 And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. 19 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; 20 But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? 21 And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month. 22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them? 23 And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.
We have here God's gracious answer to both the foregoing complaints, wherein his goodness takes occasion from man's badness to appear so much the more illustrious.
I. Provision is made for the redress of the
grievances Moses complains of. If he find the weight of government
lie too heavy upon him, though he was a little too passionate in
his remonstrance, yet he shall be eased, not by being discarded
from the government himself, as he justly might have been if God
had been extreme to mark what he said amiss, but by having
assistants appointed him, who should be, as the apostle speaks
(
1. Moses is directed to nominate the
persons,
2. God promises to qualify them. If they
were not found fit for the employ, they should be made fit, else
they might prove more a hindrance than a help to Moses,
II. Even the humour of the discontented
people shall be gratified too, that every mouth may be stopped.
They are ordered to sanctify themselves (
1. God promises (shall I say?)—he
threatens rather, that they shall have their fill of flesh, that
for a month together they shall not only be fed, but feasted, with
flesh, besides their daily manna; and, if they have not a better
government of their appetites than now it appears they have they
shall be surfeited with it (
2. Moses objects the improbability of
making good this word,
3. God gives a short but sufficient answer
to the objection in that question, Has the Lord's hand waxed
short?
24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. 25 And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. 26 But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp. 27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. 29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them! 30 And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
We have here the performance of God's word to Moses, that he should have help in the government of Israel.
I. Here is the case of the seventy
privy-counsellors in general. Moses, though a little disturbed by
the tumult of the people, yet was thoroughly composed by the
communion he had with God, and soon came to himself again. And
according as the matter was concerted, 1. He did his part; he
presented the seventy elders before the Lord, round the tabernacle
(
II. Here is the particular case of two of them, Eldad and Medad, probably two brothers.
1. They were nominated by Moses to be
assistants in the government, but they went not out unto the
tabernacle as the rest did,
2. The Spirit of God found them out in the
camp, where they were hidden among the stuff, and there they
prophesied, that is, they exercised their gift of praying,
preaching, and praising God, in some private tent. Note, The Spirit
of God is not tied to the tabernacle, but, like the wind, blows
where he listeth,
3. Information of this was given to Moses
(
4. Joshua moved to have them silenced:
My lord Moses, forbid them,
5. Moses rejected the motion, and reproved
him that made it (
6. The elders, now newly ordained,
immediately entered upon their administration (
31 And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. 32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. 33 And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. 34 And he called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted. 35 And the people journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah unto Hazeroth; and abode at Hazeroth.
God, having performed his promise to Moses
by giving him assessors in the government, thereby proving the
power he has over the spirits of men by his Spirit, he here
performs his promise to the people by giving them flesh, proving
thereby his power over the inferior creatures and his dominion in
the kingdom of nature. Observe, 1. How the people were gratified
with flesh in abundance: A wind (a south-east wind, as
appears,
In the foregoing chapter we had the vexation which
the people gave to Moses; in this we have his patience tried by his
own relations. I. Miriam and Aaron, his own brother and sister,
affronted him,
1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
Here is, I. The unbecoming passion of Aaron
and Miriam: they spoke against Moses,
II. The wonderful patience of Moses under
this provocation. The Lord heard it (
4 And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. 5 And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. 6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. 7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. 8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? 9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed.
Moses did not resent the injury done him,
nor complain of it to God, nor make any appeal to him; but God
resented it. He hears all we say in our passion, and is a swift
witness of our hasty speeches, which is a reason why we should
resolutely bridle our tongues, that we speak not ill of others, and
why we should patiently stop our ears, and not take notice of it,
if others speak ill of us. I heard not, for thou wilt hear,
I. The cause is called, and the parties are
summoned forthwith to attend at the door of the tabernacle,
II. Aaron and Miriam were made to know that
great as they were they must not pretend to be equal to Moses, nor
set up as rivals with him,
Now let Miriam and Aaron consider who it
was that they insulted: Were you not afraid to speak against my
servant Moses? Against my servant, against Moses? so it runs in
the original. "How dare you abuse any servant of mine, especially
such a servant as Moses, who is a friend, a confidant, and steward
of the house?" How durst they speak to the grief and reproach of
one whom God had so much to say in commendation of? Might they not
expect that God would resent it, and take it as an affront to
himself? Note, We have reason to be afraid of saying or doing any
thing against the servants of God; it is at our peril if we do, for
God will plead their cause, and reckon that what touches them
touches the apple of his eye. It is a dangerous thing to
offend Christ's little ones,
III. God, having thus shown them their
fault and folly, next shows them his displeasure (
10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb. 13 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. 14 And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. 15 And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again. 16 And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.
Here is, I. God's judgment upon Miriam
(
II. Aaron's submission hereupon (
III. The intercession made for Miriam
(
IV. The accommodating of this matter so as
that mercy and justice might meet together. 1. Mercy takes place so
far as that Miriam shall be healed; Moses forgives her, and God
will. See
V. The hindrance that this gave to the
people's progress: The people journeyed not till Miriam was
brought in again,
It is a memorable and very melancholy story which
is related in this and the following chapter, of the turning back
of Israel from the borders of Canaan, when they were just ready to
set foot in it, and the sentencing of them to wander and perish in
the wilderness for their unbelief and murmuring. It is referred to
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. 3 And Moses by the commandment of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel. 4 And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. 5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. 6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. 8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun. 9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. 10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. 11 Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. 12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. 13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. 14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. 15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 16 These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua. 17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: 18 And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; 19 And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; 20 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.
Here we have, I. Orders given to send spies
to search out the land of Canaan. It is here said, God directed
Moses to send them (
II. The persons nominated that were to be
employed in this service (
III. The instructions given to those spies.
They were sent into the land of Canaan the nearest way, to traverse
the country, and to take account of its present state,
IV. Moses dismisses the spies with this charge, Be of good courage, intimating, not only that they should be themselves encouraged against the difficulties of this expedition, but that they should bring an encouraging account to the people and make the best of every thing. It was not only a great undertaking they were put upon, which required good management and resolution, but it was a great trust that was reposed in them, which required that they should be faithful.
21 So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath. 22 And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs. 24 The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. 25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
We have here a short account of the survey
which the spies made of the promised land. 1. They went quite
through it, from Zin in the south, to Rehob, near Hamath, in the
north,
26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. 30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
It is a wonder how the people of Israel had patience to stay forty days for the return of their spies, when they were just ready to enter Canaan, under all the assurances of success they could have from the divine power, and a constant series of miracles that had hitherto attended them; but they distrusted God's power and promise, and were willing to be held in suspense by their own counsels, rather than be brought to a certainty by God's covenant. How much do we stand in our own light by our unbelief! Well, at length the messengers return, but they agree not in their report.
I. The major part discourage the people from going forward to Canaan; and justly are the Israelites left to this temptation, for putting so much confidence in the judgment of men, when they had the word of God to trust to. It is a righteous thing with God to give those up to strong delusions who will not receive his truth in the love of it.
1. Observe their report. (1.) They could
not deny but that the land of Canaan was a very fruitful land; the
bunch of grapes they brought with them was an ocular demonstration
of it,
2. Now, even if they had been to judge only
by human probabilities, they could not have been excused from the
imputation of cowardice. Were not the hosts of Israel very
numerous? 600,000 effective men, well marshalled and modelled,
closely embodied, and entirely united in interest and affection,
constituted as formidable an army as perhaps was ever brought into
the field; many a less has done more than perhaps the conquering of
Canaan was, witness Alexander's army. Moses, their
commander-in-chief, was wise and brave; and if the people had put
on resolution, and behaved themselves valiantly, what could have
stood before them? It is true the Canaanites were strong, but they
were dispersed (
3. But, though they deserved to be posted
for cowards, this was not the worst, the scripture brands them for
unbelievers. It was not any human probabilities they were required
to depend upon, but, (1.) They had the manifest and sensible tokens
of God's presence with them, and the engagement of his power for
them. The Canaanites were stronger than Israel; suppose they were,
but were they stronger than the God of Israel? We are not able to
deal with them, but is not God Almighty able? Have we not him in
the midst of us? Does not he go before us? And is any thing too
hard for him? Were we as grasshoppers before the giants, and are
not they less than grasshoppers before God? Their cities are walled
against us, but can they be walled against heaven? Besides this,
(2.) They had had very great experience of the length and strength
of God's arm, lifted up and made bare on their behalf. Were not the
Egyptians as much stronger than they as the Canaanites were? And
yet, without a sword drawn by Israel or a stroke struck, the
chariots and horsemen of Egypt were quite routed and ruined; the
Amalekites took them at great disadvantages, and yet they were
discomfited. Miracles were at this time their daily bread; were
there nothing else, an army so well victualled as theirs was, so
constantly, so plentifully, and all on free cost, would have a
might advantage against any other force. Nay, (3.) They had
particular promises made them of victory and success in their wars
against the Canaanites. God had given Abraham all possible
assurances that he would put his seed into possession of that land,
II. Caleb encouraged them to go forward,
though he was seconded by Joshua only (
This chapter gives us an account of that fatal
quarrel between God and Israel upon which, for their murmuring and
unbelief, he swore in his wrath that they should not enter into his
rest. Here is, I. The mutiny and rebellion of Israel against God,
upon the report of the evil spies,
1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! 3 And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? 4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
Here we see what mischief the evil spies made by their unfair representation. We may suppose that these twelve that were impanelled to enquire concerning Canaan had talked it over among themselves before they brought in their report in public; and Caleb and Joshua, it is likely, had done their utmost to bring the rest over to be of their mind, and if they would but have agreed that Caleb, according to his pose, should have spoken for them all, as their foreman, all had been well; but the evil spies, it should seem, wilfully designed to raise this mutiny, purely in opposition to Moses and Aaron, though they could not propose any advantage to themselves by it, unless they hoped to be captains and commanders of the retreat into Egypt they were now meditating. But what came of it? Here in these verses we find those whom they studied to humour put into a vexation, and, before the end of the chapter, brought to ruin. Observe,
I. How the people fretted themselves:
They lifted up their voices and cried (
II. How they flew in the face of their
governors—murmured against Moses and Aaron, and in them
reproached the Lord,
III. How they came at last to this
desperate resolve, that, instead of going forward to Canaan, they
would go back again to Egypt. The motion is first made by way of
query only (
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. 6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: 7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 8 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. 10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
The friends of Israel here interpose to save them if possible from ruining themselves, but in vain. The physicians of their state would have healed them, but they would not be healed; their watchmen gave them warning, but they would not take warning, and so their blood is upon their own heads.
I. The best endeavours were used to still the tumult, and, if now at last they would have understood the things that belonged to their peace, all the following mischief would have been prevented.
1. Moses and Aaron did their part,
2. Caleb and Joshua did their part: they
rent their clothes in a holy indignation at the sin of the people,
and a holy dread of the wrath of God, which they saw ready to break
out against them. It was the greater trouble to these good men
because the tumult was occasioned by those spies with whom they had
been joined in commission; and therefore they thought themselves
obliged to do what they could to still the storm which their
fellows had raised. No reasoning could be more pertinent and
pathetic than theirs was (
(1.) They assured them of the goodness of
the land they had surveyed, and that it was really worth venturing
for, and not a land that ate up the inhabitants, as the evil
spies had represented it. It is an exceedingly good land
(
(2.) They made nothing of the difficulties
that seemed to lie in the way of their gaining the possession of
it: "Fear not the people of the land,
(3.) They showed them plainly that all the
danger they were in was from their own discontents, and that they
would succeed against all their enemies if they did not make God
their enemy. On this point alone the cause would turn (
II. It was all to no purpose; they were
deaf to this fair reasoning; nay, they were exasperated by it, and
grew more outrageous: All the congregation bade stone them with
stones,
11 And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have showed among them? 12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. 13 And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) 14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, 16 Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. 17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, 18 The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. 19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
Here is, I. The righteous sentence which
God gave against Israel for their murmuring and unbelief, which,
though afterwards mitigated, showed what was the desert of their
sin and the demand of injured justice, and what would have been
done if Moses had not interposed. When the glory of the Lord
appeared in the tabernacle we may suppose that Moses took it
for a call to him immediately to come and attend there, as before
the tabernacle was erected he went up to the mount in a similar
case,
1. He showed him the great evil of the
people's sin,
2. He showed him the sentence which justice
passed upon them for it,
II. The humble intercession Moses made for
them. Their sin had made a fatal breach in the wall of their
defence, at which destruction would certainly have entered if Moses
had not seasonably stepped in and made it good. Here he was a type
of Christ, who interceded for his persecutors, and prayed for
those that despitefully used him, leaving us an example
to his own rule,
1. The prayer of his petition is, in one
word, Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people
(
2. The pleas are many, and strongly urged.
(1.) He insists most upon the plea that is
taken from the glory of God,
(2.) He pleads God's proclamation of his
name at Horeb (
(3.) He pleads past experience: As thou
hast forgiven this people from Egypt,
20 And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word: 21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. 22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; 23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: 24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. 25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea. 26 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. 28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: 29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, 30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. 32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. 34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. 35 I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
We have here God's answer to the prayer of
Moses, which sings both of mercy and judgment. It is given
privately to Moses (
I. The extremity of the sentence is receded
from (
II. The glorifying of God's name is, in the
general, resolved upon,
III. The sin of this people which provoked
God to proceed against them is here aggravated,
IV. The sentence passed upon them for this
sin. 1. That they should not see the promised land (
V. The mercy that was mixed with this severe sentence.
1. Mercy to Caleb and Joshua, that though
they should wander with the rest in the wilderness, yet they, and
only they of all that were now above twenty years old, should
survive the years of banishment, and live to enter Canaan. Caleb
only is spoken of (
2. Mercy to the children even of these
rebels. They should have a seed preserved, and Canaan secured to
that seed: Your little ones, now under twenty years old,
which you, in your unbelief, said should be a prey, them
will I bring in,
36 And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, 37 Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the Lord. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still. 39 And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly. 40 And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the Lord hath promised: for we have sinned. 41 And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord? but it shall not prosper. 42 Go not up, for the Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the Lord, therefore the Lord will not be with you. 44 But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.
Here is, I. The sudden death of the ten
evil spies. While the sentence was passing upon the people, before
it was published, they died of the plague before the Lord,
1. God hereby showed his particular displeasure against those who sinned and made Israel to sin. (1.) They sinned themselves, in bringing up a slander upon the land of promise. Note, Those greatly provoke God who misrepresent religion, cast reproach upon it, and raise prejudices in men's minds against it, or give occasion to those to do so who seek occasion. Those that represent the service of God as mean and despicable, melancholy and uncomfortable, hard and impracticable, needless and unprofitable, bring up an evil report upon the good land, pervert the right ways of the Lord, and in effect give him the lie. (2.) They made Israel to sin. They designedly made all the congregation murmur against God. Note, Ring-leaders in sin may expect to fall under particular marks of the wrath of God, who will severely reckon for the blood of souls, which is thus spilt.
2. God hereby showed what he could have
done with the whole congregation, and gave an earnest of the
execution of the sentence now passed upon them. He that thus cut
off one of a tribe could have cut off their whole tribes suddenly,
and would do it gradually. Note, The remarkable deaths of notorious
sinners are earnests of the final perdition of ungodly men,
II. The special preservation of Caleb and
Joshua: They lived still,
III. The publication of the sentence to all
the people,
IV. The foolish fruitless attempts of some of the Israelites to enter Canaan, notwithstanding the sentence.
1. They were now eager to go forward
towards Canaan,
2. Moses utterly disallows their motion,
and forbids the expedition they were meditating: Go not up,
3. They venture notwithstanding. Never was
people so perverse and so desperately resolved in every thing to
walk contrary to God. God bade them go, and they would not; he
forbade them, and they would. Thus is the carnal mind enmity to
God: They presumed to go up unto the hill-top,
4. The expedition speeds accordingly,
This chapter, which is mostly concerning sacrifice
and offering, comes in between the story of two rebellions (one
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you, 3 And will make an offering by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice in performing a vow, or in a freewill offering, or in your solemn feasts, to make a sweet savour unto the Lord, of the herd, or of the flock: 4 Then shall he that offereth his offering unto the Lord bring a meat offering of a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of oil. 5 And the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering shalt thou prepare with the burnt offering or sacrifice, for one lamb. 6 Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meat offering two tenth deals of flour mingled with the third part of an hin of oil. 7 And for a drink offering thou shalt offer the third part of an hin of wine, for a sweet savour unto the Lord. 8 And when thou preparest a bullock for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice in performing a vow, or peace offerings unto the Lord: 9 Then shall he bring with a bullock a meat offering of three tenth deals of flour mingled with half an hin of oil. 10 And thou shalt bring for a drink offering half an hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 11 Thus shall it be done for one bullock, or for one ram, or for a lamb, or a kid. 12 According to the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one according to their number. 13 All that are born of the country shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 14 And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord; as ye do, so he shall do. 15 One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. 16 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. 17 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 18 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you, 19 Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up an heave offering unto the Lord. 20 Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it. 21 Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the Lord an heave offering in your generations.
Here we have,
I. Full instructions given concerning the
meat-offerings and drink-offerings, which were appendages to all
the sacrifices of animals. The beginning of this law is very
encouraging: When you come into the land of your habitation
which I give unto you, they you shall do so and so,
II. Natives and strangers are here set upon
a level, in this as in other matters (
III. A law for the offering of the first of
their dough unto the Lord. This, as the former, goes upon the
comfortable supposition of their having come into the promised
land,
22 And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the Lord hath spoken unto Moses, 23 Even all that the Lord hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the Lord commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations; 24 Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour unto the Lord, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering. 25 And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their ignorance: 26 And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance. 27 And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. 28 And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the Lord, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. 29 Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
We have here the laws concerning sacrifices
for sins of ignorance; the Jews understand it of idolatry, or false
worship, through the error of their teachers. The case here
supposed is that they had not observed all these
commandments,
30 But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him. 32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. 33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. 34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. 35 And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. 36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses.
Here is, I. The general doom passed upon
presumptuous sinners. 1. Those are to be reckoned presumptuous
sinners that sin with a high hand, as the original phrase is
(
II. A particular instance of presumption in
the sin of sabbath-breaking. 1. The offence was the gathering of
sticks on the sabbath day (
37 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: 39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: 40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. 41 I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God.
Provision had been just now made by the law
for the pardon of sins of ignorance and infirmity; now here is an
expedient provided for the preventing of such sins. They are
ordered to make fringes upon the borders of their garments, which
were to be memorandums to them of their duty, that they might not
sin through forgetfulness. 1. The sign appointed is a fringe of
silk, or thread, or worsted, or the garment itself ravelled at the
bottom, and a blue riband bound on the top of it to keep it tight,
After the repetition of some ceremonial appointments, the chapter closes with that great and fundamental law of religion, Be holy unto your God, purged from sin, and sincerely devoted to his service; and that great reason for all the commandments is again and again inculcated, I am the Lord your God. Did we more firmly believe, and more frequently and seriously consider, that God is the Lord, and our God and Redeemer, we should see ourselves bound in duty, interest, and gratitude, to keep all his commandments.
The date of the history contained in this chapter
is altogether uncertain. Probably these mutinies happened after
their removal back again from Kadesh-barnea, when they were fixed
(if I may so speak) for their wandering in the wilderness, and
began to look upon that as their settlement. Presently after new
laws given follows the story of a new rebellion, as if sin took
occasion from the commandment to become more exceedingly sinful.
Here is, I. A daring and dangerous rebellion raised against Moses
and Aaron, by Korah, Dathan, and Abiram,
1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: 2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: 3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord? 4 And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face: 5 And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the Lord will show who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him. 6 This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; 7 And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the Lord to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the Lord doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi. 8 And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi: 9 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? 10 And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also? 11 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?
Here is, I. An account of the rebels, who
and what they were, not, as formerly, the mixed multitude and the
dregs of the people, who are therefore never named, but men of
distinction and quality, that made a figure. Korah was the
ring-leader: he formed and headed the faction; therefore it is
called the gainsaying of Korah,
II. The rebels' remonstrance,
III. Moses's conduct when their remonstrance was published against him. How did he take it?
1. He fell on his face (
2. He agrees to refer the case to God, and
leave it to him to decide it, as one well assured of the goodness
of his title, and yet well content to resign, if God thought fit,
to gratify this discontented people with another nomination. An
honest cause fears not a speedy trial; even to-morrow let it be
brought on,
3. He argues the case fairly with them, to still the mutiny with fair reasoning, if possible, before the appeal came to God's tribunal, for then he knew it would end in the confusion of the complainants.
(1.) He calls them the sons of Levi,
(2.) He retorts their charge upon themselves. They had unjustly charged Moses and Aaron with taking too much upon them, though they had done no more than what God put upon them; nay, says Moses, You take too much upon you, you sons of Levi. Note, Those that take upon them to control and contradict God's appointment take too much upon them. It is enough for us to submit; it is too much to prescribe.
(3.) He shows them the privilege they had
as Levites, which was sufficient for them, they needed not to
aspire to the honour of the priesthood,
(4.) He convicts them of the sin of undervaluing those privileges: Seemeth it a small thing unto you? As if he had said, "It ill becomes you of all men to grudge Aaron the priesthood, when at the same time that he was advanced to that honour you were designed for another honour dependent upon it, and shine with rays borrowed from him." Note, [1.] The privilege of drawing near to the God of Israel is not a small thing in itself, and therefore must not appear small to us. To those who neglect opportunities of drawing near to God, who are careless and formal in it, to whom it is a task and not a pleasure, we may properly put this question: "Seemeth it a small thing to you that God has made you a people near unto him?" [2.] Those who aspire after and usurp the honours forbidden them put a great contempt upon the honours allowed them. We have each of us as good a share of reputation as God sees fit for us, and sees us fit for, and much better than we deserve; and we ought to rest satisfied with it, and not, as these, exercise ourselves in things too high for us: Seek you the priesthood also? They would not own that they sought it, but Moses saw that they had this in their eye; the law had provided very well for those that served at the altar, and therefore they would put in for the office.
(5.) He interprets their mutiny to be a
rebellion against God (
12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up: 13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us? 14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up. 15 And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them. 16 And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the Lord, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow: 17 And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the Lord every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer. 18 And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron. 19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation. 20 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. 22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?
Here is, I. The insolence of Dathan and
Abiram, and their treasonable remonstrance. Moses had heard what
Korah had to say, and had answered it; now he summons Dathan and
Abiram to bring in their complaints (
II. Moses's just resentment of their
insolence,
1. He appeals to God concerning his own integrity; whereas they basely reflected upon him as ambitious, covetous, and oppressive, in making himself a prince over them, God was his witness, (1.) That he never got any thing by them: I have not taken one ass from them, not only not by way of bribery and extortion, but not by way of recompence or gratuity for all the good offices he had done them; he never took the pay of a general, or the salary of a judge, much less the tribute of a prince. He got more in his estate when he kept Jethro's flock than when he came to be king in Jeshurun. (2.) That they never lost any thing by him: Neither have I hurt any one of them, no, not the least, no, not the worst, no, not those that had been most peevish and provoking to him: he never abused his power to the support of wrong. Note, Those that have never blemished themselves need not fear being slurred by others: when men condemn us we may be easy, if our own hearts condemn us not.
2. He begs of God to plead his cause, and
clear him, by showing his displeasure at the incense which Korah
and his company were to offer, with whom Dathan and Abiram were in
confederacy. Lord, says he, Respect not thou their offering.
Herein he seems to refer to the history of Cain, lately written by
his own hand, of whom it is said that to him and his offering God
had not respect,
III. Issue joined between Moses and his
accusers. 1. Moses challenges them to appear with Aaron next
morning, at the time of offering up the morning incense, and refer
the matter to God's judgment,
IV. The judgment set, and the Judge taking
the tribunal, and threatening to give sentence against the whole
congregation. 1. The glory of the Lord appeared,
V. The humble intercession of Moses and
Aaron for the congregation,
23 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 24 Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. 25 And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. 27 So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children. 28 And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. 29 If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the Lord hath not sent me. 30 But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord. 31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: 32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. 33 They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. 34 And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.
We have here the determining of the
controversy with Dathan and Abiram, who rebelled against Moses, as
in the next paragraph the determining of the controversy with Korah
and his company, who would be rivals with Aaron. It should seem
that Dathan and Abiram had set up a spacious tabernacle in the
midst of the tents of their families, where they kept court, met in
council, and hung out their flag of defiance against Moses; it is
here called the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram,
I. Public warning is given to the
congregation to withdraw immediately from the tents of the rebels.
1. God bids Moses speak to this purport,
II. The congregation takes the warning, but
the rebels themselves continue obstinate,
III. Sentence is solemnly pronounced upon
them by Moses in the name of the Lord, and the decision of the
controversy is put upon the execution of that sentence by the
almighty power of God. Moses, by divine instinct and direction,
when the eyes of all Israel were fastened upon him, waiting the
event, moved with a just and holy indignation at the impudence of
the rebels, boldly puts the whole matter to a surprising issue,
IV. Execution is immediately done. It
appeared that God and his servant Moses understood one another very
well; for, as soon as ever Moses had spoken the word, God did the
work, the earth clave asunder (
V. All Israel is alarmed at the judgment:
They fled at the cry of them,
35 And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense. 36 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 37 Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed. 38 The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the Lord, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel. 39 And Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar: 40 To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the Lord; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the Lord said to him by the hand of Moses.
We must now look back to the door of the tabernacle, where we left the pretenders to the priesthood with their censers in their hands ready to offer incense; and here we find,
I. Vengeance taken on them,
II. Care is taken to perpetuate the
remembrance of this vengeance. No mention is made of the taking up
of their carcases: the scripture leaves them as dung upon the face
of the earth; but orders are given about their censers, 1. That
they be secured, because they are hallowed. Eleazar is charged with
this,
41 But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord. 42 And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43 And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation. 44 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 45 Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces. 46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the Lord; the plague is begun. 47 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. 49 Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. 50 And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.
Here is, I. A new rebellion raised the very
next day against Moses and Aaron. Be astonished, O heavens, at
this, and wonder, O earth! Was there ever such an instance of the
incurable corruption of sinners? On the morrow (
II. God's speedy appearance against the
rebels. When they had gathered against Moses and Aaron,
perhaps with a design to depose or murder them, they looked
towards the tabernacle, as if their misgiving consciences
expected some frowns thence, and, behold, the glory of the Lord
appeared (
III. The intercession which Moses and Aaron
made for them. Though they had as much reason, one would think, as
Elias had to make intercession against Israel (
IV. The result and issue of the whole
matter. 1. God's justice was glorified in the death of some. Great
execution the sword of the Lord did in a very little time. Though
Aaron made all the haste he could, yet, before he could reach his
post of service, there were 14,700 men laid dead upon the spot,
Enough had been done in the chapter before to
quash all pretensions of the families of the tribe of Levi that
would set up in competition with Aaron, and to make it appear that
Aaron was the head of the tribe; but it seems, when that matter was
settled, the princes of the rest of the tribes began to murmur. If
the head of a tribe must be a priest, why not the head of some
other tribe than that of Levi? He that searches the heart knew this
thought to be in the breast of some of them, and before it broke
out into any overt act graciously anticipated it, to prevent
bloodshed; and it is done by miracle in this chapter, not a miracle
of wrath, as before, but of grace. I. The matter is put upon trial
by the bringing of twelve rods, one for each prince, before the
Lord,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod. 3 And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers. 4 And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you. 5 And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you. 6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. 7 And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness.
Here we have, I. Orders given for the
bringing in of a rod for every tribe (which was peculiarly
significant, for the word here used for a rod sometimes signifies a
tribe, as particularly
II. The preparing of the rods accordingly.
The princes brought them in, some of them perhaps fondly expecting
that the choice would fall upon them, and all of them thinking it
honour enough to be competitors with Aaron, and to stand
candidates, even for the priesthood (
8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. 9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod. 10 And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not. 11 And Moses did so: as the Lord commanded him, so did he. 12 And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish. 13 Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?
Here is, I. The final determination of the
controversy concerning the priesthood by a miracle,
1. This was a plain indication to the
people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood, and not any other
of the princes of the tribes. Thus he was distinguished from them
and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven, which
sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor
watering by the hand of man. Bishop Hall here observes that
fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call, and that the
plants of God's setting, and the boughs cut off from them, will
flourish. See
2. It was a very proper sign to represent
the priesthood itself, which was hereby confirmed to Aaron. (1.)
That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God. It
produced not only blossoms, but almonds; for the priesthood was
designed, not only for an honour to Aaron, but for a blessing to
Israel. Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they
should go and bring forth fruit, and that their fruit should
remain,
3. It was a type and figure of Christ and
his priesthood: for he is the man, the branch, that is to be
a priest upon his throne, as it follows (
II. The record of this determination, by
the preserving of the rod before the testimony, in perpetuam rei
memoriam—that it might be had in perpetual remembrance,
III. The outcry of the people hereupon
(
Aaron being now fully established in the
priesthood abundantly to his own satisfaction, and to the
satisfaction of the people (which was the good that God brought out
of the evil opposition made to him), in this chapter God gives him
full instructions concerning his office or rather repeats those
which he had before given him. He tells him, I. What must be his
work and the care and charge committed to him, and what assistance
he should have the Levites in that work,
1 And the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. 2 And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness. 3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die. 4 And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you. 5 And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel. 6 And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the Lord, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. 7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
The coherence of this chapter with that foregoing is very observable.
I. The people, in the close of that chapter, had complained of the difficulty and peril that there were in drawing near to God, which put them under some dreadful apprehensions that the tabernacle in the midst of them, which they hoped would have been their joy and glory, would rather be their terror and ruin. Now, in answer to this complaint, God here gives them to understand by Aaron that the priests should come near for them as their representatives; so that, though the people were obliged to keep their distance, yet that should not at all redound to their disgrace or prejudice, but their comfortable communion with God should be kept up by the interposition of the priests.
II. A great deal of honour God had now lately put upon Aaron; his rod had budded and blossomed, when the rods of the rest of the princes remained dry, and destitute both of fruit and ornament. Now lest Aaron should be puffed up with the abundance of the favours that were done him, and the miracles that were wrought for the support of him in his high station, God comes to him to remind him of the burden that was laid upon him, and the duty required from him as a priest. He would see reason not to be proud of his preferment, but to receive the honours of his office with reverence and holy trembling, when he considered how great was the charge committed to him, and how hard it would be for him to give a good account of it. Be not high-minded, but fear.
1. God tells him of the danger that
attended his dignity,
2. He tells him of the duty that attended
his dignity. (1.) That he and his sons must minister before the
tabernacle of witness (
8 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever. 9 This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every oblation of theirs, every meat offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons. 10 In the most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee. 11 And this is thine; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of it. 12 All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the Lord, them have I given thee. 13 And whatsoever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring unto the Lord, shall be thine; every one that is clean in thine house shall eat of it. 14 Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine. 15 Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the Lord, whether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem. 16 And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17 But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the Lord. 18 And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine. 19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
The priest's service is called a
warfare; and who goes a warfare at his own charges? As they
were well employed, so they were well provided for, and well paid.
None shall serve God for nought. All believers are spiritual
priests, and God has promised to take care of them; they shall
dwell in the land, and verily they shall be fed, and
shall not want any good thing. Godliness has the promise
of the life that now is. And from this plentiful provision here
made for the priests the apostle infers that it is the duty of
Christian churches to maintain their ministers; those that
served at the altar lived upon the altar. So those that
preach the gospel should live upon the gospel, and live
comfortably,
20 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. 21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. 22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die. 23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. 24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 25 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, even a tenth part of the tithe. 27 And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress. 28 Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the Lord of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the Lord's heave offering to Aaron the priest. 29 Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the Lord, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it. 30 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress. 31 And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation. 32 And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.
Here is a further account of the provision that was made both for the Levites and for the priests, out of the country.
I. They must have no inheritance in the
land; only cities to dwell in were afterwards allowed them, but
no ground to occupy: Thou shalt not have any part among
them,
II. But they must both have tithes of the
land. Besides the first-fruits which were appropriated to the
priests, which, the Jews say, were to be a fiftieth part, or at
least a sixtieth, the tithe also was appropriated. 1. The Levites
had the tithes of the people's increase (
This chapter is only concerning the preparing and
using of the ashes which were to impregnate the water of
purification. The people had complained of the strictness of the
law, which forbade their near approach to the tabernacle,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 2 This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke: 3 And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face: 4 And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times: 5 And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn: 6 And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. 7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even. 8 And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even. 9 And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin. 10 And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever.
We have here the divine appointment concerning the solemn burning of a red heifer to ashes, and the preserving of the ashes, that of them might be made, not a beautifying, but a purifying, water, for that was the utmost the law reached to; it offered not to adorn as the gospel does, but to cleanse only. This burning of the heifer, though it was not properly a sacrifice of expiation, being not performed at the altar, yet was typical of the death and sufferings of Christ, by which he intended, not only to satisfy God's justice, but to purify and pacify our consciences, that we may have peace with God and also peace in our own bosoms, to prepare for which Christ died, not only like the bulls and goats at the altar, but like the heifer without the camp.
I. There was a great deal of care employed
in the choice of the heifer that was to be burnt, much more than in
the choice of any other offering,
II. There was to be a great deal of
ceremony in the burning of it. The care of doing it was committed
to Eleazar, not to Aaron himself, because it was not fit that he
should do any thing to render himself ceremonially unclean, no, not
so much as till the evening (
1. The heifer was to be slain without the
camp, as an impure thing, which bespeaks the insufficiency of the
methods prescribed by the ceremonial law to take away sin. So far
were they from cleansing effectually that they were themselves
unclean; as if the pollution that was laid upon them continued to
cleave to them. Yet, to answer this type, our Lord Jesus, being
made sin and a curse for us, suffered without the gate,
2. Eleazar was to sprinkle the blood
directly before the door of the tabernacle, and looking
steadfastly towards it,
3. The heifer was to be wholly
burnt,
4. The ashes of the heifer (separated as
well as they could from the ashes of the wood wherewith it was
burnt) were to be carefully gathered up by the hand of a clean
person, and (as the Jews say) pounded and sifted, and so laid up
for the use of the congregation, as there was occasion (
5. All those that were employed in this
service were made ceremonially unclean by it; even Eleazar himself,
though he did but sprinkle the blood,
11 He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. 12 He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. 13 Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him. 14 This is the law, when a man dieth in a tent: all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. 15 And every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, is unclean. 16 And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17 And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel: 18 And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave: 19 And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even. 20 But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the Lord: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean. 21 And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of separation shall be unclean until even. 22 And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even.
Directions are here given concerning the use and application of the ashes which were prepared for purification. they were laid up to be laid out; and therefore, though now one place would serve to keep them in, while all Israel lay so closely encamped, yet it is probable that afterwards, when they came to Canaan, some of these ashes were kept in every town, for there would be daily use for them. Observe,
I. In what cases there needed a
purification with these ashes. No other is mentioned here than the
ceremonial uncleanness that was contracted by the touch of a dead
body, or of the bone or grave of a dead man, or being in the tent
or house where a dead body lay,
1. This was strange, considering, (1.) that
whenever any died (and we are in deaths oft) several persons must
unavoidable contract this pollution, the body must be stripped,
washed, wound up, carried out, and buried, and this could not be
done without many hands, and yet all defiled, which signifies that
in our corrupt and fallen state there is none that lives and sins
not; we cannot avoid being polluted by the defiling world we pass
through, and we offend daily, yet the impossibility of our being
sinless does not make sin the less polluting. (2.) that taking care
of the dead, to see them decently buried, is not only necessary,
but a very good office, and an act of kindness, both to the honour
of the dead and the comfort of the living, and yet uncleanness was
contracted by it, which intimates that the pollutions of sin mix
with and cleave to our best services. There is not a just man
upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not; we are apt some way
or other to do amiss even in our doing good. (3.) That this
pollution was contracted by what was done privately in their own
houses, which intimates (as bishop Patrick observes) that God sees
what is done in secret, and nothing can be concealed from the
divine Majesty. (4.) This pollution might be contracted, and yet a
man might never know it, as by the touch of a grave which appeared
not, of which our Saviour says, Those that walk over it are not
aware of it (
2. But why did the law make a dead corpse such a defiling thing? (1.) Because death is the wages of sin, entered into the world by it, and reigns by the power of it. Death to mankind is another thing from what it is to other creatures: it is a curse, it is the execution of the law, and therefore the defilement of death signifies the defilement of sin. (2.) Because the law could not conquer death, nor abolish it and alter the property of it, as the gospel does by bringing life and immortality to light, and so introducing a better hope. Since our Redeemer was dead and buried, death is no more destroying to the Israel of God, and therefore dead bodies are no more defiling; but while the church was under the law, to show that it made not the comers thereunto perfect, the pollution contracted by dead bodies could not but form in their minds melancholy and uncomfortable notions concerning death, while believers now through Christ can triumph over it. O grave! where is thy victory? Where is thy pollution?
II. How the ashes were to be used and
applied in these cases. 1. A small quantity of the ashes must be
put into a cup of spring water, and mixed with the water, which
thereby was made, as it is here called, a water of
separation, because it was to be sprinkled on those who were
separated or removed from the sanctuary by their uncleanness. As
the ashes of the heifer signified the merit of Christ, so the
running water signified the power and grace of the blessed Spirit,
who is compared to rivers of living water; and it is by his
operation that the righteousness of Christ is applied to us for our
cleansing. Hence we are said to be washed, that is, sanctified and
justified, not only in the name of the Lord Jesus, but by the
Spirit of our God,
At this chapter begins the history of the fortieth
year (which was the last year) of the Israelites' wandering in the
wilderness. And since the beginning of their second year, when they
were sentenced to perform their quarantine in the desert, there to
wear away the tedious revolution of forty years, there is little
recorded concerning them till this last year, which brought them to
the borders of Canaan, and the history of this year is almost as
large as the history of the first year. This chapter gives an
account of, I. The death of Miriam,
1 Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. 2 And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! 4 And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? 5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink. 6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them. 7 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. 9 And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. 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? 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. 12 And the Lord spake 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. 13 This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
After thirty-eight years' tedious marches,
or rather tedious rests, in the wilderness, backward towards the
Red Sea, the armies of Israel now at length set their faces towards
Canaan again, and had come not far off from the place where they
were when, by the righteous sentence of divine Justice, they were
made to begin their wanderings. Hitherto they had been led about as
in a maze or labyrinth, while execution was doing upon the rebels
that were sentenced; but they were now brought into the right way
again: they abode in Kadesh (
I. Here dies Miriam, the sister of Moses
and Aaron, and as it should seem older than either of them. She
must have been so if she was that sister that was set to watch
Moses when he was put into the ark of bulrushes,
II. Here there is another Meribah. one
place we met with before of that name, in the beginning of their
march through the wilderness, which was so called because of the
chiding of the children of Israel,
1. There was no water for the
congregation,
2. Hereupon they murmured, mutinied
(
3. Moses and Aaron made them no reply, but
retired to the door of the tabernacle to know God's mind in this
case,
4. God appeared, to determine the matter;
not on his tribunal of justice, to sentence the rebels according to
their deserts; no, he will not return to destroy Ephraim
(
5. Moses and Aaron acted improperly in the
management of this matter, so much so that God in displeasure told
them immediately that they should not have the honour of bringing
Israel into Canaan,
(1.) This is a strange passage of story,
yet very instructive. [1.] It is certain that God was greatly
offended, and justly, for he is never angry without cause. Though
they were his servants, and had obtained mercy to be faithful,
though they were his favourites, and such as he had highly
honoured, yet for something they thought, or said, or did, upon
this occasion, he put them under the disgrace and mortification of
dying, as other unbelieving Israelites did, short of Canaan. And no
doubt the crime deserved the punishment. [2.] Yet it is uncertain
what it was in this management that was so provoking to God. The
fault was complicated. First, They did not punctually
observe their orders, but in some things varied from their
commission; God bade them speak to the rock, and they spoke
to the people, and smote the rock, which at this time
they were not ordered to do, but they thought speaking would not
do. When, in distrust of the power of the word, we have recourse to
the secular power in matters of pure conscience, we do, as Moses
here, smite the rock to which we should only speak,
Secondly, They assumed too much of the glory of this work of
wonder to themselves: Must we fetch water? as if it were
done by some power or worthiness of theirs. Therefore it is charged
upon them (
(2.) From the whole we may learn, [1.] That
the best of men have their failings, even in those graces that they
are most eminent for. The man Moses was very meek, and yet here he
sinned in passion; wherefore let him that thinks he stands take
heed lest he fall. [2.] That God judges not as man judges
concerning sins; we might think that there was not much amiss in
what Moses said and did, yet God saw cause to animadvert severely
upon it. He knows the frame of men's spirits, what temper they are
of, and what temper they are in upon particular occasions, and from
what thoughts and intents words and actions do proceed; and we are
sure that therefore his judgment is according to truth, when
it agrees not with ours. [3.] that God not only takes notice of,
and is displeased with, the sins of his people, but that the nearer
any are to him the more offensive are their sins,
Lastly, The place is hereupon called
Meribah,
14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: 15 How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers: 16 And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border: 17 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders. 18 And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. 19 And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet. 20 And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.
We have here the application made by Israel to the Edomites. The nearest way to Canaan from the place where Israel now lay encamped was through the country of Edom. Now,
I. Moses sends ambassadors to treat with
the king of Edom for leave to pass through his country, and gives
them instructions what to say,
II. The ambassadors returned with a denial,
22 And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor. 23 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, 24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: 26 And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there. 27 And Moses did as the Lord commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount. 29 And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.
The chapter began with the funeral of Miriam, and it ends with the funeral of her brother Aaron. When death comes into a family, it often strikes double. Israel had not improved the former affliction they were under, by the death of the prophetess, and therefore, soon after, God took away their priest, to try if they would lay that to heart. This happened at the very next stage, when they removed to Mount Hor, fetching a compass round the Edomites' country, leaving it on their left hand. Wherever we go, death attends us, and the graves are ready for us.
I. God bids Aaron die,
II. Aaron submits, and dies in the method and manner appointed, and, for aught that appears, with as much cheerfulness as if he had been going to bed.
1. He puts on his holy garments to take his
leave of them, and goes up with his brother and son to the top of
Mount Hor, and probably some of the elders of Israel with him,
2. Moses, whose hands had first clothed Aaron with his priestly garments, now strips him of them; for, in reverence to the priesthood, it was not fit that he should die in them. Note, Death will strip us; naked we came into the world, and naked we must go out. We shall see little reason to be proud of our clothes, our ornaments, or marks of honour, if we consider how soon death will strip us of our glory, divest us of all our offices and honours, and take the crown off from our head.
3. Moses immediately puts the priestly
garments upon Eleazar his son, clothes him with his father's robe,
and strengthens him with his girdle,
4. Aaron died there. Quickly after he was stripped of his priestly garments, he laid himself down and died contentedly; for a good man would desire, if it were the will of God, not to outlive his usefulness. Why should we covet to continue any longer in this world than while we may do God and our generation some service in it?
5. Moses and Eleazar, with those that
attended them, buried Aaron where he died, as appears by
6. All the congregation mourned for
Aaron thirty days,
The armies of Israel now begin to emerge out of
the wilderness, and to come into a land inhabited, to enter upon
action, and take possession of the frontiers of the land of
promise. A glorious campaign this chapter gives us the history of,
especially in the latter part of it. Here is, I. The defeat of Arad
the Canaanite,
1 And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners. 2 And Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. 3 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.
Here is, 1. The descent which Arad the
Canaanite made upon the camp of Israel, hearing that they came
by the way of the spies; for, though the spies which Moses
had sent thirty-eight years before then passed and repassed
unobserved, yet their coming, and their errand, it is likely, were
afterwards known to the Canaanites, gave them an alarm, and induced
them to keep an eye upon Israel and get intelligence of all their
motions. Now, when they understood that they were facing about
towards Canaan, this Arad, thinking it policy to keep the war at a
distance, made an onset upon them and fought with them. But it
proved that he meddled to his own hurt; had he sat still, his
people might have been last destroyed of all the Canaanites, but
now they were the first. Thus those that are overmuch wicked die
before their time,
4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. 6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Here is, I. The fatigue of Israel by a long
march round the land of Edom, because they could not obtain passage
through it the nearest way: The soul of the people was much
discouraged because of the way,
II. Their unbelief and murmuring upon this
occasion,
III. The righteous judgment which God
brought upon them for their murmuring,
IV. Their repentance and supplication to
God under this judgment,
V. The wonderful provision which God made
for their relief. He did not employ Moses in summoning the
judgment, but, that he might recommend him to the good affection of
the people, he made him instrumental in their relief,
1. Between their disease and ours. The
devil is the old serpent, a fiery serpent, hence he appears
(
2. Between their remedy and ours. (1.) It
was God himself that devised and prescribed this antidote against
the fiery serpents; so our salvation by Christ was the contrivance
of Infinite Wisdom; God himself has found the ransom. (2.) It was a
very unlikely method of cure; so our salvation by the death of
Christ is to the Jews a stumbling-block and to the Greeks
foolishness. It was Moses that lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, so the law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ,
and Moses wrote of him,
3. Between the application of their remedy
and ours. They looked and lived, and we, if we believe, shall not
perish; it is by faith that we look unto Jesus,
10 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in Oboth. 11 And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ije-abarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising. 12 From thence they removed, and pitched in the valley of Zared. 13 From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon, 15 And at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth upon the border of Moab. 16 And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water. 17 Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it: 18 The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah: 19 And from Mattanah to Nahaliel: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth: 20 And from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.
We have here an account of the several
stages and removals of the children of Israel, till they came into
the plains of Moab, out of which they at length passed over Jordan
into Canaan, as we read in the beginning of Joshua. Natural motions
are quicker the nearer they are to their centre. The Israelites
were now drawing near to the promised rest, and now they set
forward, as the expression is,
1. The wonderful success which God blessed
his people with, near the brooks of Arnon,
2. The wonderful supply which God blessed
his people with at Beer (
21 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by the king's high way, until we be past thy borders. 23 And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 24 And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong. 25 And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto Arnon. 27 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared: 28 For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of Arnon. 29 Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites. 30 We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto Medeba. 31 Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. 32 And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there. 33 And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edrei. 34 And the Lord said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon. 35 So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.
We have here an account of the victories
obtained by Israel over Sihon and Og, which must be distinctly
considered, not only because they are here distinctly related, but
because long afterwards the memorial of them is distinctly
celebrated, and they are severally assigned as instances of
everlasting mercy. He slew Sihon king of the Amorites, for his
mercy endureth for ever, and Og the king of Bashan, for his mercy
endureth for ever,
I. Israel sent a peaceable message to Sihon
king of the Amorites (
II. Og king of Bashan, instead of being
warned by the fate of his neighbours to make peace with Israel, is
instigated by it to make war with them, which proves in like manner
to be his destruction. Og was also an Amorite, and therefore
perhaps thought himself better able to deal with Israel than his
neighbours were, and more likely to prevail, because of his own
gigantic strength and stature, which Moses takes notice of,
At this chapter begins the famous story of Balak
and Balaam, their attempt to curse Israel, and the baffling of that
attempt; God's people are long afterwards told to remember what
Balak the king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor
answered him, that they might know the righteousness of the Lord,
1 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho. 2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. 4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: 6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. 7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. 8 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the Lord shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. 9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? 10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, 11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. 12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. 13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you. 14 And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.
The children of Israel have at length
finished their wanderings in the wilderness, out of which they went
up (
I. The fright which the Moabites were in
upon the approach of Israel,
II. The project which the king of Moab formed to get the people of Israel cursed, that is, to set God against them, who, he perceived, hitherto fought for them. He trusted more to his arts than to his arms, and had a notion that if he could but get some prophet or other, with his powerful charms, to imprecate evil upon them, and to pronounce a blessing upon himself and his forces, then, though otherwise too weak, he should be able to deal with them. This notion arose, 1. Out of the remains of some religion; for it owns a dependence upon some visible sovereign powers that rule in the affairs of the children of men and determine them, and an obligation upon us to make application to these powers. 2. Out of the ruins of the true religion; for if the Midianites and Moabites had not wretchedly degenerated from the faith and worship of their pious ancestors, Abraham and Lot, they could not have imagined it possible to do any mischief with their curses to a people who alone adhered to the service of the true God, from whose service they had themselves revolted.
III. The court which he made to Balaam the
son of Beor, a famous conjurer, to engage him to curse Israel. The
Balaam lived a great way off, in that country whence Abraham came,
and where Laban lived; but, though it was probable that there were
many nearer home that were pretenders to divination, yet none had
so great a reputation for success as Balaam, and Balak will employ
the best he can hear of, though he send a great way for him, so
much is his heart upon this project. And to gain him, 1. He makes
him his friend, complaining to him, as his confidant, of the danger
he was in from the numbers and neighbourhood of the camp of Israel:
They cover the face of the earth, and they abide over
against me,
IV. The restraint God lays upon Balaam,
forbidding him to curse Israel. It is very probable that Balaam,
being a curious inquisitive man, was no stranger to Israel's case
and character, but had heard that God was with them of a truth, so
that he ought to have given the messengers their answer
immediately, that he would never curse a people whom God had
blessed; but he lodges the messengers, and takes a night's time to
consider what he shall do, and to receive instructions from God,
V. The return of the messengers without
Balaam. 1. Balaam is not faithful in returning God's answer to the
messengers,
15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: 17 For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. 18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more. 20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do. 21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.
We have here a second embassy sent to Balaam, to fetch him over to curse Israel. It were well for us if we were as earnest and constant in prosecuting a good work, notwithstanding disappointments, as Balak was in pursuing this ill design. The enemies of the church are restless and unwearied in their attempts against it; but he that sits in heaven laughs at them. Observe,
I. The temptation Balak laid before Balaam.
He contrived to make this assault more vigorous than the former. It
is very probable that he sent double money in the hands of his
messengers; but, besides that, now he tempted him with honours,
laid a bait not only for his covetousness, but for his pride and
ambition. How earnestly should we beg of God daily to mortify in us
these two limbs of the old man! Those that know how to look with a
holy contempt upon worldly wealth and preferment will find it not
so hard a matter as most men do to keep a good conscience. See how
artfully Balak managed the temptation. 1. The messengers he sent
were more, and more honourable,
II. Balaam's seeming resistance of, but
real yielding to, this temptation. We may here discern in Balaam a
struggle between his convictions and his corruptions. 1. His
convictions charged him to adhere to the command of God, and he
spoke their language,
III. The permission God gave him to go,
IV. His setting out in the journey,
22 And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 24 But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. 25 And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again. 26 And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. 28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. 31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. 32 And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: 33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. 34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. 35 And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
We have here an account of the opposition God gave to Balaam in his journey towards Moab; probably the princes had gone before, or gone some other way, and Balaam had pointed out where he would meet them, or where they should stay for him, for we read nothing of them in this part of our narrative, only that Balaam, like a person of some quality, was attended with his two men-honour enough, one would think, for such a man, he needed not be beholden to Balak for promotion.
I. Here is God's displeasure against Balaam
for undertaking this journey: God's anger was kindled because he
went,
II. The way God took to let Balaam know his
displeasure against him: An angel stood in the way for an
adversary. Now God fulfilled his promise to Israel (
1. Balaam had notice given him of God's
displeasure, by the ass, and this did not startle him. The
ass saw the angel,
2. Balaam at length had notice of God's
displeasure by the angel, and this did startle him. When God opened
his eyes he saw the angel (
36 And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast. 37 And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour? 38 And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak. 39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjath-huzoth. 40 And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. 41 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.
We have here the meeting between Balak and
Balaam, confederate enemies to God's Israel; but here they seem to
differ in their expectations of the success. 1. Balak speaks of it
with confidence, not doubting but to gain his point now that Balaam
had come. In expectation of this, he went out to meet him, even to
the utmost border of his country (
In this chapter we have Balak and Balaam busy at
work to do Israel a mischief, and, for ought that appears, neither
Moses nor the elders of Israel know any thing of the matter, nor
are in a capacity to break the snare; but God, who keeps Israel,
and neither slumbers nor sleeps, baffles the attempt, without any
intercession or contrivance of theirs. Here is, I. The first
attempt to curse Israel. 1. The preparation made for it by
sacrifice,
1 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams. 2 And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. 3 And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the Lord will come to meet me: and whatsoever he showeth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place. 4 And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram. 5 And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. 6 And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab. 7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. 8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? 9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! 11 And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. 12 And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth?
Here is, I. Great preparation made for the
cursing of Israel. That which was aimed at was to engage the God of
Israel to forsake them, and either to be on Moab's side or to stand
neuter. O the sottishness of superstition, to imagine that God will
be at men's beck! Balaam and Balak think to bribe him with altars
and sacrifices, offered without any warrant or institution of his:
as if he would eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of
goats. Ridiculous nonsense, to think that these would please
God, and gain his favour, when there could be in them no exercise
either of faith or obedience! Yet, it should seem, they offered
these sacrifices to the God of heaven the supreme
Numen—Divinity, and not to any of their local deities. But
the multiplying of altars was an instance of their degeneracy from
the religion of their ancestors, and their apostasy to idolatry;
for those that multiplied altars multiplied gods. Ephraim made
many altars to sin,
II. The turning of the curse into a
blessing, by the overruling power of God, in love to Israel, which
is the account Moses gives of it,
1. God puts the blessing into the mouth of
Balaam. While the sacrifices were burning, Balaam retired; he
went solitary, into some dark grove on the top of the high
place,
2. Balaam pronounces the blessing in the
ears of Balak. He found him standing by his burnt-sacrifice
(
(1.) He pronounces them safe, and out of
the reach of his envenomed darts. [1.] He owns that the design was
to curse them, that Balak sent for him out of his own country, and
that he came, with that intent,
(2.) He pronounces them happy in three things:—
[1.] Happy in their peculiarity, and
distinction from the rest of the nations: From the top of the
rock I see him,
[2.] Happy in their numbers, not so few and
despicable as they were represented to him, but an innumerable
company, which made them both honourable and formidable (
[3.] Happy in their end: Let me die the death of the righteous Israelites, that are in covenant with God, and let my last end, or future state, be like theirs, or my recompence, namely, in the other world. Here, First, It is taken for granted that death is the end of all men; the righteous themselves must die: and it is good for us to think of this with application, as Balaam himself does here, speaking of his own death. Secondly, he goes upon the supposition of the soul's immortality, and a different state on the other side death, to which this is a noble testimony, and an evidence of its being anciently known and believed. For how could the death of the righteous be more desirable than the death of the wicked upon any other account than as it involved happiness in another world, since in the manner and circumstances of dying we see all things come alike to all? Thirdly, He pronounces the righteous truly blessed, not only while they live, but when they die, which makes their death not only more desirable than the death of others, but even more desirable than life itself; for in that sense his wish may be taken. Not only, "When I do die, let me die the death of the righteous;" but, "I could even now be willing to die, on condition that I might die the death of the righteous, and reach my end this moment, provided it might be like his." Very near the place where Balaam now was, on one of the mountains of Moab, not long after this, Moses died, and to that perhaps God, who put this word into his mouth, designed it should have a reference, that by it Moses might be encouraged to go up and die such a death as Balaam himself wished to die. Fourthly, He shows his opinion of religion to be better than his resolution; there are many who desire to die the death of the righteous, but do not endeavour to live the life of the righteous. Gladly would they have their end like theirs, but not their way. They would be saints in heaven, but not saints on earth. This is the desire of the slothful, which kills him, because his hands refuse to labour. This of Balaam's is only a wish, not a prayer, and it is a vain wish, being only a wish for the end, without any care for the means. Thus far this blessing goes, even to death, and beyond it, as far as the last end. Now,
III. We are told, 1. How Balak fretted at
it,
13 And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence. 14 And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. 15 And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the Lord yonder. 16 And the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus. 17 And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the Lord spoken? 18 And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: 19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? 20 Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. 21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. 22 God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. 23 Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! 24 Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain. 25 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. 26 But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the Lord speaketh, that I must do? 27 And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence. 28 And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon. 29 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. 30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
Here is, I. Preparation made the second
time, as before, for the cursing of Israel. 1. The place is
changed,
II. A second conversion of the curse into a
blessing by the overruling power of God; and this blessing is both
larger and stronger than the former, and quite cuts off all hopes
of altering it. Balak having been so forward to ask what the Lord
had spoken (
1. Two things Balaam in this discourse informs Balak of, sorely to his grief and disappointment:—
(1.) That he had no reason to hope that he should ruin Israel.
[1.] It would be to no purpose to attempt to ruin them, and he would deceive himself if he expected it, for three reasons:—
First, Because God is unchangeable:
God is not a man that he should lie,
Secondly, Because Israel are at
present unblamable: he has not beheld iniquity in Jacob,
Thirdly, Because the power of both
was irresistible. He shows Balak that there was no contending with
them, it was to no purpose to attempt it; for, 1. They had the
presence of God with them: "The Lord his God is with him in
a particular manner, and not provoked to withdraw from him." 2.
They had the joy of that presence, and were always made to triumph
in it: The shout or alarm of a king is among them.
They shout against their enemies, as sure of victory and success,
glorying continually in God as their King and conqueror for them.
3. They had had the experience of the benefit of God's presence
with them, and his power engaged for them; for God brought them
out of Egypt,
[2.] From all this he infers that it was to
no purpose for him to think of doing them a mischief by all the
arts he could use,
(2.) Balaam shows him that he had more
reason to fear being ruined by them, for they were likely to make
bloody work among his neighbours; and, if he and his country
escaped, it was not because he was too great for them to meddle
with, but because he fell not within their commission
2. Now what was the issue of this disappointment?
(1.) Balak and Balaam were both of them
sick of the cause. [1.] Balak is now willing to have his conjurer
silenced. Since he cannot say what he would have him, he wishes him
to say nothing: "Neither curse them at all nor bless them at
all,
(2.) Yet they resolve to make another
attempt. They think it scorn to be baffled, and therefore pursue
the design, though it be only to their further confusion. And now
the third time, [1.] They change the place. Balak is at last
convinced that it is not Balaam's fault, on whom, before, he had
laid the blame, but that really he was under a divine check, and
therefore now he hopes to bring him to a place whence God might at
least permit him to curse them,
This chapter continues and concludes the history
of the defeat of the counsels of Balak and Balaam against Israel,
not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts;
and as great an instance it is of God's power over the children of
men, and his favour towards his own children, as any of the
victories recorded in the book of the wars of the Lord. What
preparation was made the third time for the cursing of Israel we
read of in the close of the foregoing chapter. In this chapter we
are told, I. What the blessing was into which that intended curse
was turned,
1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. 3 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: 4 He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: 5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! 6 As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. 7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. 8 God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. 9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.
The blessing itself which Balaam here pronounces upon Israel is much the same with the two we had in the foregoing chapter; but the introduction to it is different.
I. The method of proceeding here varies
much in several instances. 1. Balaam laid aside the enchantments
which he had hitherto depended on, used no spells, or charms, or
magic arts, finding they did him no service; it was to no purpose
to deal with the devil for a curse, when it was plain that God was
determined immovably to bless,
II. Yet the blessing is for substance the same with those before. Several things he admires in Israel:—
1. Their beauty (
2. Their fruitfulness and increase. This
may be intended by those similitudes (
3. Their honour and advancement. As the multitude of the people is the honour of the prince, so the magnificence of the prince is the honour of the people; Balaam therefore foretells that their king shall be higher than Agag. Agag, it is probable, was the most potent monarch in those parts; Balaam knew of none more considerable than he was; he rose above the rest of his neighbours. But Balaam foretells that Israel's chief commander, who, after Moses, was Joshua, should be more great and honourable than ever Agag was, and make a far better figure in history. Saul, their first king, triumphed over Agag, though, it is said, he came delicately.
4. Their power and victory,
5. Their courage and security: He lay
down as a lion, as a great lion,
6. Their interest, and influence upon their
neighbours. Their friends, and those in alliance with them, were
happy: Blessed is he that blesseth thee; those that do them
any kindness will certainly fare the better for it. But their
enemies, and those in arms against them, were certainly miserable:
Cursed is he that curseth thee; those that do them any
injury do it at their peril; for God takes what is done to them,
whether good or evil, as done to himself. Thus he confirms the
blessing of Abraham (
10 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. 11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour. 12 And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, 13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the Lord saith, that will I speak? 14 And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.
We have here the conclusion of this vain
attempt to curse Israel, and the total abandonment of it. 1. Balak
made the worst of it. He broke out into a rage against Balaam
(
15 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: 16 He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: 17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. 18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. 19 Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city. 20 And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever. 21 And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock. 22 Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive. 23 And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this! 24 And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever. 25 And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.
The office of prophets was both to bless and to prophesy in the name of the Lord. Balaam, as a prophet, per force had blessed Israel; here he foretells future events.
I. His preface is much the same as that,
II. Here is his prophecy concerning him
that should be the crown and glory of his people Israel, who is, 1.
David in the type, who not now, not quickly, but in process
of time, should smite the corners of Moab. (
III. Here is his prophecy concerning the
Amalekites and Kenites, part of whose country, it is probable, he
had now in view. 1. The Amalekites were now the chief of the
nations (
IV. Here is a prophecy that looks as far
forward as the Greeks and Romans, for theirs is supposed to be
meant by the coast of Chittim,
1. The introduction to this parable; this
article of his prophecy is very observable (
2. The prophecy itself is observable. Both
Greece and Italy lie much upon the sea, and therefore their armies
were sent forth mostly in ships. Now he seems here to foretell,
(1.) That the forces of the Grecians should humble and bring down
the Assyrians, who were united with the Persians, which was
fulfilled when the eastern country was overcome, or overrun rather,
by Alexander. (2.) That theirs and the Roman forces should afflict
the Hebrews, or Jews, who were called the children of Eber;
this was fulfilled in part when the Grecian empire was oppressive
to the Jewish nation, but chiefly when the Roman empire ruined it
and put a period to it. But, (3.) That Chittim, that is, the Roman
empire, in which the Grecian was at length swallowed up, should
itself perish for ever, when the stone cut out of the mountain
without hands shall consume all these kingdoms, and particularly
the feet of iron and clay,
Israel, having escaped the curse of Balaam, here
sustains a great deal of damage and reproach by the counsel of
Balaam, who, it seems, before he left Balak, put him into a more
effectual way than that which Balak thought of to separate between
the Israelites and their God. "The Lord will not be prevailed with
by Balaam's charms to ruin them; try if they will not be prevailed
with by the charms of the daughters of Moab to ruin themselves."
None are more fatally bewitched than those that are bewitched by
their own lusts. Here is, I. The sin of Israel; they were enticed
by the daughters of Moab both to whoredom and to idolatry,
1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 3 And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. 5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor.
Here is, I. The sin of Israel, to which
they were enticed by the daughters of Moab and Midian; they were
guilty both of corporal and spiritual whoredoms, for Israel
joined himself unto Baal-peor,
II. God's just displeasure against them for
this sin. Israel's whoredoms did that which all Balaam's
enchantments could not do, they set God against them; now he was
turned to be their enemy, and fought against them. So many
of the people, nay, so many of the princes, were guilty, that the
sin became national, and for it God was wroth with the whole
congregation. 1. A plague immediately broke out, for we read of the
staying of it (
6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; 8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. 9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. 10 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: 13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. 14 Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.
Here is a remarkable contest between wickedness and righteousness, which shall be most bold and resolute; and righteousness carries the day, as no doubt it will at last.
I. Never was vice more daring than it was
in Zimri, a prince of a chief house in the tribe of Simeon.
Such a degree of impudence in wickedness had he arrived at that he
publicly appeared leading a Midianitish harlot (and a harlot of
quality too like himself, a daughter of a chief house in
Midian) in the sight of Moses, and all the good people of
Israel. He did not think it enough to go out with his harlot to
worship the gods of Moab, but, when he had done that, he brought
her with him to dishonour the God of Israel. He not only owned her
publicly as his friend, and higher in his favour than any of the
daughters of Israel, but openly went with her into the tent,
II. Never was virtue more daring than it
was in Phinehas. Being aware of the insolence of Zimri, which it is
probable, all the congregation took notice of, in a holy
indignation at the offenders he rises up from his prayers, takes
his sword or half-pike, follows those impudent sinners into their
tent, and stabs them both,
16 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 17 Vex the Midianites, and smite them: 18 For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake.
God had punished the Israelites for their
sin with a plague; as a Father he corrected his own children with a
rod. But we read not that any of the Midianites died of the plague;
God took another course with them, and punished them with the sword
of an enemy, not with the rod of a father. 1. Moses, though the
meekest man, and far from a spirit of revenge, is ordered to vex
the Midianites and smite them,
This book is called Numbers, from the numberings
of the children of Israel, of which it gives an account. Once they
were numbered at Mount Sinai, in the first year after they came out
of Egypt, which we had an account of,
1 And it came to pass after the plague, that the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, 2 Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers' house, all that are able to go to war in Israel. 3 And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, 4 Take the sum of the people, from twenty years old and upward; as the Lord commanded Moses and the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt.
Observe here, 1. That Moses did not number the people but when God commanded him. David in his time did it without a command, and paid dearly for it. God was Israel's king, and he would not have this act of authority done but by his express orders. Moses, perhaps, by this time, had heard of the blessing with which Balaam was constrained, sorely against his will, to bless Israel, and particularly the notice he took of their numbers; and he was sufficiently pleased with that general testimony borne to this instance of their strength and honour by an adversary, though he knew not their numbers exactly, till God now appointed him to take the sum of them. 2. Eleazar was joined in commission with him, as Aaron had been before, by which God honoured Eleazar before the elders of his people, and confirmed his succession. 3. It was presently after the plague that this account was ordered to be taken, to show that though God had in justice contended with them by that sweeping pestilence, yet he had not made a full end, nor would he utterly cast them off. God's Israel shall not be ruined, though it be severely rebuked. 4. They were now to go by the same rule that they had gone by in the former numbering, counting those only that were able to go forth to war, for this was the service now before them.
5 Reuben, the eldest son of Israel: the children of Reuben; Hanoch, of whom cometh the family of the Hanochites: of Pallu, the family of the Palluites: 6 Of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites: of Carmi, the family of the Carmites. 7 These are the families of the Reubenites: and they that were numbered of them were forty and three thousand and seven hundred and thirty. 8 And the sons of Pallu; Eliab. 9 And the sons of Eliab; Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. This is that Dathan and Abiram, which were famous in the congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against the Lord: 10 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men: and they became a sign. 11 Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not. 12 The sons of Simeon after their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites: of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites: of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites: 13 Of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites: of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites. 14 These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty and two thousand and two hundred. 15 The children of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites: of Haggi, the family of the Haggites: of Shuni, the family of the Shunites: 16 Of Ozni, the family of the Oznites: of Eri, the family of the Erites: 17 Of Arod, the family of the Arodites: of Areli, the family of the Arelites. 18 These are the families of the children of Gad according to those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred. 19 The sons of Judah were Er and Onan: and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20 And the sons of Judah after their families were; of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites: of Pharez, the family of the Pharzites: of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites. 21 And the sons of Pharez were; of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites: of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites. 22 These are the families of Judah according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and sixteen thousand and five hundred. 23 Of the sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites: of Pua, the family of the Punites: 24 Of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites: of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. 25 These are the families of Issachar according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and four thousand and three hundred. 26 Of the sons of Zebulun after their families: of Sered, the family of the Sardites: of Elon, the family of the Elonites: of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites. 27 These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those that were numbered of them, threescore thousand and five hundred. 28 The sons of Joseph after their families were Manasseh and Ephraim. 29 Of the sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites: and Machir begat Gilead: of Gilead come the family of the Gileadites. 30 These are the sons of Gilead: of Jeezer, the family of the Jeezerites: of Helek, the family of the Helekites: 31 And of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites: and of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites: 32 And of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites: and of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites. 33 And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34 These are the families of Manasseh, and those that were numbered of them, fifty and two thousand and seven hundred. 35 These are the sons of Ephraim after their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthalhites: of Becher, the family of the Bachrites: of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites. 36 And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites. 37 These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those that were numbered of them, thirty and two thousand and five hundred. These are the sons of Joseph after their families. 38 The sons of Benjamin after their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites: of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites: of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites: 39 Of Shupham, the family of the Shuphamites: of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. 40 And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the family of the Ardites: and of Naaman, the family of the Naamites. 41 These are the sons of Benjamin after their families: and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and six hundred. 42 These are the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan after their families. 43 All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those that were numbered of them, were threescore and four thousand and four hundred. 44 Of the children of Asher after their families: of Jimna, the family of the Jimnites: of Jesui, the family of the Jesuites: of Beriah, the family of the Beriites. 45 Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites: of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites. 46 And the name of the daughter of Asher was Sarah. 47 These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those that were numbered of them; who were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 48 Of the sons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites: of Guni, the family of the Gunites: 49 Of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites: of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites. 50 These are the families of Naphtali according to their families: and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and four hundred. 51 These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.
This is the register of the tribes as they
were now enrolled, in the same order that they were numbered in
I. The account that is here kept of the
families of each tribe, which must not be understood of such as we
call families, those that live in a house together, but such as
were the descendants of the several sons of the patriarchs, by
whose names, in honour of them, their posterity distinguished
themselves and one another. The families of the twelve tribes are
thus numbered:—Of Dan but one, for Dan had but one son, and yet
that tribe was the most numerous of all except Judah,
II. The numbers of each tribe. And here our
best entertainment will be to compare these numbers with those when
they were numbered at Mount Sinai. The sum total was nearly the
same; they were now 1820 fewer than they were then; yet seven of
the tribes had increased in number. Judah had increased 1900,
Issachar 9900, Zebulun 3100, Manasseh 20, 500, Benjamin 10,200, Dan
1700, and Asher 11,900. But the other five had decreased more than
to balance that increase. Reuben had decreased 2770, Simeon 37,100,
Gad 5150, Ephraim 8000, and Naphtali 8000. In this account we may
observe, 1. That all the three tribes that were encamped under the
standard of Judah, who was the ancestor of Christ, had increased,
for his church shall be edified and multiplied. 2. That none of the
tribes had increased so much as that of Manasseh, which in the
former account was the smallest of all the tribes, only 32,200,
while here it is one of the most considerable; and that of his
brother Ephraim, which there was numerous, is here one of the
least. Jacob had crossed hands upon their heads, and had preferred
Ephraim before Manasseh, which perhaps the Ephraimites had prided
themselves too much in, and had trampled upon their brethren the
Manassites; but, when the Lord saw that Manasseh was despised, he
thus multiplied him exceedingly, for it is his glory to help the
weakest, and raise up those that are cast down. 3. That none of the
tribes decreased so much as Simeon did; from 59,300, it such to
22,200, little more than a third part of what it was. One whole
family of that tribe (namely Ohad, mentioned
III. In the account of the tribe of Reuben
mention is made of the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram, who were of
that tribe, in confederacy with Korah a Levite,
52 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 53 Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. 54 To many thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one shall his inheritance be given according to those that were numbered of him. 55 Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. 56 According to the lot shall the possession thereof be divided between many and few.
If any ask why such a particular account is
kept of the tribes, and families, and numbers, of the people of
Israel, here is an answer for them; as they were multiplied, so
they were portioned, not by common providence, but by promise; and,
for the support of the honour of divine revelation, God will have
the fulfilling of the promise taken notice of both in their
increase and in their inheritance. When Moses had numbered the
people God did not say, By these shall the land be
conquered; but, taking that for granted, he tells him, Unto
these shall the land be divided. "These that are now registered
as the sons of Israel shall be admitted (as it were by copy of
court-roll) heirs of the land of Canaan." Now, in the distributing,
or quartering, of these tribes, 1. The general rule of equity is
here prescribed to Moses, that to many he should give more, and to
few he should give less (
57 And these are they that were numbered of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites: of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites: of Merari, the family of the Merarites. 58 These are the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korathites. And Kohath begat Amram. 59 And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister. 60 And unto Aaron was born Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the Lord. 62 And those that were numbered of them were twenty and three thousand, all males from a month old and upward: for they were not numbered among the children of Israel, because there was no inheritance given them among the children of Israel.
Levi was God's tribe, a tribe that was to
have no inheritance with the rest in the land of Canaan, and
therefore was not numbered with the rest, but by itself; so it had
been numbered in the beginning of this book at Mount Sinai, and
therefore came not under the sentence passed upon all that were
then numbered, that none of them should enter Canaan but Caleb and
Joshua; for of the Levites that were not numbered with them, nor
were to go forth to war, Eleazar and Ithamar, and perhaps others
who were above twenty years old then (as appears,
63 These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho. 64 But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
That which is observable in this conclusion
of the account is the execution of the sentence passed upon the
murmurers (
Here is, I. The case of Zelophehad's daughters
determined,
1 Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and these are the names of his daughters; Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, 3 Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah; but died in his own sin, and had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father. 5 And Moses brought their cause before the Lord. 6 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 7 The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them. 8 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter. 9 And if he have no daughter, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren. 10 And if he have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his father's brethren. 11 And if his father have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it: and it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Mention is made of the case of these
daughters of Zelophehad in the chapter before,
Here is, I. Their case stated by
themselves, and their petition upon it presented to the highest
court of judicature, which consisted of Moses as king, the princes
as lords, and the congregation, or elders of the people who were
chose their representatives, as the commons,
1. What it is they petition for: That they
might have a possession in the land of Canaan, among the
brethren of their father,
2. What their plea is: That their father
did not die under any attainder which might be thought to have
corrupted his blood and forfeited his estate, but he died in his
own sin (
II. Their case determined by the divine
oracle. Moses did not presume to give judgment himself, because,
though their pretensions seemed just and reasonable, yet his
express orders were to divide the land among those that were
numbered, who were the males only; he therefore brings their
cause before the Lord, and waits for his decision (
12 And the Lord said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. 13 And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. 14 For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.
Here, 1. God tells Moses of his fault, his
speaking unadvisedly with his lips at the waters of strife, where
he did not express, so carefully as he ought to have done, a regard
to the honour both of God and Israel,
15 And Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, 16 Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, 17 Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd. 18 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; 19 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. 20 And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. 21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation. 22 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation: 23 And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.
Here, I. Moses prays for a successor. When
God had told him that he must die, though it appears elsewhere that
he solicited for a reprieve for himself (
II. God, in answer to his prayer, appoints
him a successor, even Joshua, who had long since signalized himself
by his courage in fighting Amalek, his humility in ministering to
Moses, and his faith and sincerity in witnessing against the report
of the evil spies; this is the man whom God pitches upon to succeed
Moses: A man in whom is the Spirit, the Spirit of grace (he
is a good man, fearing God and hating covetousness, and acting from
principle), the spirit of government (he is fit to do the
work and discharge the trusts of his place), a spirit of conduct
and courage; and he had also the spirit of prophecy, for the
Lord often spoke unto him,
1. God directs Moses how to secure the
succession to Joshua. (1.) He must ordain him: Lay thy hand upon
him,
2. Moses does according to these
directions,
Now that the people were numbered, orders given
for the dividing of the land, and a general of the forces nominated
and commissioned, one would have expected that the next chapter
should begin the history of the campaign, or at least should give
us an account of the ordinances of war; no, it contains the
ordinances of worship, and provides that now, as they were on the
point of entering Canaan, they should be sure to take their
religion along with them, and not forget this, in the prosecution
of their wars,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season. 3 And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the Lord; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering. 4 The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even; 5 And a tenth part of an ephah of flour for a meat offering, mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil. 6 It is a continual burnt offering, which was ordained in Mount Sinai for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord. 7 And the drink offering thereof shall be the fourth part of an hin for the one lamb: in the holy place shalt thou cause the strong wine to be poured unto the Lord for a drink offering. 8 And the other lamb shalt thou offer at even: as the meat offering of the morning, and as the drink offering thereof, thou shalt offer it, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.
Here is, I. A general order given
concerning the offerings of the Lord, which were to be brought in
their season,
II. The particular law of the daily
sacrifice, a lamb in the morning and a lamb in the evening, which,
for the constancy of it as duly as the day came, is called a
continual burnt-offering (
9 And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof: 10 This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering. 11 And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the Lord; two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the first year without spot; 12 And three tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one bullock; and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one ram; 13 And a several tenth deal of flour mingled with oil for a meat offering unto one lamb; for a burnt offering of a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord. 14 And their drink offerings shall be half an hin of wine unto a bullock, and the third part of an hin unto a ram, and a fourth part of an hin unto a lamb: this is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year. 15 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering unto the Lord shall be offered, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.
The new moons and the sabbaths are often
spoken of together, as great solemnities in the Jewish church, very
comfortable to the saints then, and typical of gospel grace. Now we
have here the sacrifices appointed, 1. For the sabbaths. Every
sabbath day the offering must be doubled; besides the two lambs
offered for the daily burnt-offering, there must be two more
offered, one (it is probable) added to the morning sacrifice, and
the other to the evening,
16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the Lord. 17 And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. 18 In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein: 19 But ye shall offer a sacrifice made by fire for a burnt offering unto the Lord; two young bullocks, and one ram, and seven lambs of the first year: they shall be unto you without blemish: 20 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil: three tenth deals shall ye offer for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram; 21 A several tenth deal shalt thou offer for every lamb, throughout the seven lambs: 22 And one goat for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you. 23 Ye shall offer these beside the burnt offering in the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering. 24 After this manner ye shall offer daily, throughout the seven days, the meat of the sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord: it shall be offered beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering. 25 And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work. 26 Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the Lord, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: 27 But ye shall offer the burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the Lord; two young bullocks, one ram, seven lambs of the first year; 28 And their meat offering of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto one bullock, two tenth deals unto one ram, 29 A several tenth deal unto one lamb, throughout the seven lambs; 30 And one kid of the goats, to make an atonement for you. 31 Ye shall offer them beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, (they shall be unto you without blemish) and their drink offerings.
Here is, I. The appointment of the
pass-over sacrifices; not that which was the chief, the paschal
lamb (sufficient instructions had formerly been given concerning
that), but those which were to be offered upon the seven days of
unleavened bread, which followed it,
This chapter appoints the offerings that were to
be made by fire unto the Lord in the three great solemnities of the
seventh month. I. In the feast of trumpets on the first day of that
month,
1 And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you. 2 And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the Lord; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish: 3 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram, 4 And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs: 5 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you: 6 Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord. 7 And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein: 8 But ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the Lord for a sweet savour; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish: 9 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals to a bullock, and two tenth deals to one ram, 10 A several tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs: 11 One kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering of it, and their drink offerings.
There were more sacred solemnities in the
seventh month than in any other month of the year, not only because
it had been the first month till the deliverance of Israel out of
Egypt (which, falling in the month Abib, occasioned that to be
thenceforth made the beginning of the months in all
ecclesiastical computations), but because still it continued the
first month in the civil reckonings of the jubilees and years of
release, and also because it was the time of vacation between
harvest and seedtime, when they had most leisure to attend the
sanctuary, which intimates that, though God will dispense with
sacrifices in consideration of works of necessity and mercy, yet
the more leisure we have from the pressing occasions of this life
the more time we should spend in the immediate service of God. 1.
We have here the appointment of the sacrifices that were to be
offered on the first day of the month, the day of blowing the
trumpets, which was a preparative for the two great solemnities
of holy mourning on the day of atonement and of holy joy in the
feast of tabernacles. The intention of divine institutions is well
answered when one religious service helps to fit us for another and
all for heaven. The blowing of the trumpets was appointed,
12 And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: 13 And ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord; thirteen young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year; they shall be without blemish: 14 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto every bullock of the thirteen bullocks, two tenth deals to each ram of the two rams, 15 And a several tenth deal to each lamb of the fourteen lambs: 16 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering. 17 And on the second day ye shall offer twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without spot: 18 And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 19 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering thereof, and their drink offerings. 20 And on the third day eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish; 21 And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 22 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering. 23 And on the fourth day ten bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish: 24 Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 25 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering. 26 And on the fifth day nine bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without spot: 27 And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 28 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering. 29 And on the sixth day eight bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish: 30 And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 31 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering. 32 And on the seventh day seven bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish: 33 And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 34 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering. 35 On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein: 36 But ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord: one bullock, one ram, seven lambs of the first year without blemish: 37 Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullock, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 38 And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering. 39 These things ye shall do unto the Lord in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings. 40 And Moses told the children of Israel according to all that the Lord commanded Moses.
Soon after the day of atonement, that day
in which men were to afflict their souls, followed the feast of
tabernacles, in which they were to rejoice before the Lord; for
those that sow in tears shall soon reap in joy. To
the former laws about this feast, which we had,
In this chapter we have a law concerning vows,
which had been mentioned in the close of the foregoing chapter. I.
Here is a general rule laid down that all vows must be carefully
performed,
1 And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded. 2 If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
This law was delivered to the heads of the tribes that they might instruct those who were under their charge, explain the law to them, give then necessary cautions, and call them to account, if there were occasion, for the breach of their vows. Perhaps the heads of the tribes had, upon some emergency of this kind, consulted Moses, and desired by him to know the mind of God, and here they are told it: This is the thing which the Lord has commanded concerning vows, and it is a command still in force.
1. The case supposed is that a person vows
a vow unto the Lord, making God a party to the promise, and
designing his honour and glory in it. The matter of the vow is
supposed to be something lawful: no man can be by his own promise
bound to do that which he is already by the divine precept
prohibited from doing. Yet it is supposed to be something which, in
such and such measures and degrees, was not a necessary duty
antecedent to the vow. A person might vow to bring such and such
sacrifices at certain times, to give such and such a sum or such a
proportion in alms, to forbear such meats and drinks which the law
allowed, to fast and afflict the soul (which is specified
3 If a woman also vow a vow unto the Lord, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father's house in her youth; 4 And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. 5 But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and the Lord shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her. 6 And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul; 7 And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. 8 But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and the Lord shall forgive her. 9 But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her. 10 And if she vowed in her husband's house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath; 11 And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. 12 But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the Lord shall forgive her. 13 Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void. 14 But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them. 15 But if he shall any ways make them void after that he hath heard them; then he shall bear her iniquity. 16 These are the statutes, which the Lord commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter, being yet in her youth in her father's house.
It is here taken for granted that all such persons as are sui juris—at their own disposal, and are likewise of sound understanding and memory, are bound to perform whatever they vow that is lawful and possible; but, if the person vowing be under the dominion and at the disposal of another, the case is different. Two cases much alike are here put and determined:—
I. The case of a daughter in her father's
house: and some think, probably enough, that it extends to a son
likewise, while he is at home with his father, and under tutors and
governors. Whether the exception may thus be stretched I cannot
say. Non est distinguendum, ubi lex non distinguit—We are not
allowed to make distinctions which the law does not. The rule
is general, If a man vow, he must pay. But for a daughter it is
express: her vow is nugatory or in suspense till her father knows
it, and (it is supposed) knows it from her; for, when it comes to
his knowledge, it is in his power either to ratify or nullify it.
But in favour of the vow, 1. Even his silence shall suffice to
ratify it: If he hold his peace, her vows shall stand,
II. The case of a wife is much the same. As
for a woman that is a widow or divorced, she has neither father nor
husband to control her, so that, whatever vows she binds her soul
with, they shall stand against her (
This chapter belongs to "the book of the wars of
the Lord," in which it is probable it was inserted. It is the
history of a holy war, a war with Midian. Here is, I. A divine
command for the war,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people. 3 And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian. 4 Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war. 5 So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6 And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.
Here, I. The Lord of hosts gives orders to
Moses to make war upon the Midianites, and his commission no doubt
justified this war, though it will not serve to justify the like
without such commission. The Midianites were the posterity of
Abraham by Keturah,
II. Moses gives orders to the people to
prepare for this expedition,
III. A detachment is drawn out accordingly
for this service, 1000 out of every tribe, 12,000 in all, a
small number in comparison with what they could have sent, and it
is probable small in comparison with the number of the enemies they
were sent against. But God would teach them that it is all one to
him to save by many or by few,
IV. Phinehas the son of Eleazar is sent
along with them. It is strange that no mention is made of Joshua in
this great action. If he was general of these forces, who do we not
find him leading them out? If he tarried at home, why do we not
find him meeting them with Moses at their return? It is probable,
each tribe having a captain of its own thousand, there was no
general, but they proceeded in the order of their march through the
wilderness, Judah first, and the rest in their posts, under the
command of their respective captains, spoken of
7 And they warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the males. 8 And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword. 9 And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods. 10 And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire. 11 And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts. 12 And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho.
Here is, 1. The descent which this little
army of Israelites made, under the divine commission, conduct, and
command, upon the country of Midian. They warred against the
Midianites. It is very probable that they first published their
manifesto, showing the reasons of the war, and requiring them to
give up the ringleaders of the mischief to justice; for such
afterwards was the law (
13 And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp. 14 And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. 15 And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? 16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord. 17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. 18 But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. 19 And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day. 20 And purify all your raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood. 21 And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord commanded Moses; 22 Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23 Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water. 24 And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.
We have here the triumphant return of the army of Israel from the war with Midian, and here,
I. They were met with great respect,
II. They were severely reproved for saving
the women alive. It is very probable that Moses had commanded them
to kill the women, at least this was implied in the general order
to avenge Israel of the Midianites; the execution having reference
to that crime, their drawing them in to the worship of Peor, it was
easy to conclude that the women, who were the principal criminals,
must not be spared. What! says Moses, have you saved the women
alive?
III. They were obliged to purify
themselves, according to the ceremony of the law, and to abide
without the camp seven days, till their purification was
accomplished. For, 1. They had imbrued their hands in blood, by
which though they had not contracted any moral guilt, the war being
just and lawful, yet they were brought under a ceremonial
uncleanness, which rendered them unfit to come near the tabernacle
till they were purified. Thus God would preserve in their minds a
dread and detestation of murder. David must not build the temple
because he had been a man of war, and had shed blood,
IV. They must likewise purify the spoil
they had taken, the captives (
25 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 26 Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation: 27 And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation: 28 And levy a tribute unto the Lord of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep: 29 Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for an heave offering of the Lord. 30 And of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take one portion of fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the flocks, of all manner of beasts, and give them unto the Levites, which keep the charge of the tabernacle of the Lord. 31 And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses. 32 And the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep, 33 And threescore and twelve thousand beeves, 34 And threescore and one thousand asses, 35 And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him. 36 And the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and seven and thirty thousand and five hundred sheep: 37 And the Lord's tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen. 38 And the beeves were thirty and six thousand; of which the Lord's tribute was threescore and twelve. 39 And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred; of which the Lord's tribute was threescore and one. 40 And the persons were sixteen thousand; of which the Lord's tribute was thirty and two persons. 41 And Moses gave the tribute, which was the Lord's heave offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses. 42 And of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided from the men that warred, 43 (Now the half that pertained unto the congregation was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep, 44 And thirty and six thousand beeves, 45 And thirty thousand asses and five hundred, 46 And sixteen thousand persons;) 47 Even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one portion of fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, which kept the charge of the tabernacle of the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses.
We have here the distribution of the spoil which was taken in this expedition against Midian. God himself directed how it should be distributed, and Moses and Eleazar did according to the directions, and thus unhappy contests among themselves were prevented and the victory was made to turn to the common benefit. It was fit that he who gave them the prey should order the disposal of it. All we have is from God, and therefore must be subject to his will.
I. The prey is ordered to be divided into
two parts, one for the 12,000 men that undertook the war, and the
other for the congregation. The prey that was divided seems to have
been only the captives and the cattle; as for the plate, and
jewels, and other goods, every man kept what he took, as is
intimated,
II. God was to have a tribute out of it, as
an acknowledgment of his sovereignty over them in general, and that
he was their king to whom tribute was due, and particularly
of his interest in this war and the gains of it, he having given
them their success; and that the priests, the Lord's receivers,
might have something added to the provision made for their
maintenance. Note, Whatever we have, God must have his dues out of
it. And here (as before) the soldiers are favoured above the rest
of the congregation, for out of the people's share God required one
in fifty, but out of the soldier's share only one in 500, because
the people got theirs easily, without any peril or fatigue. The
less opportunity we have of honouring God with our personal
services the more it is expected we should honour him with our
substance. The tribute out of the soldiers' half was given to the
priests (
48 And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses: 49 And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us. 50 We have therefore brought an oblation for the Lord, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the Lord. 51 And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels. 52 And all the gold of the offering that they offered up to the Lord, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels. 53 (For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.) 54 And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation, for a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord.
Here is a great example of piety and
devotion in the officers of the army, the colonels, that are called
captains of thousands, and the inferior officers that were
captains of hundreds; they came to Moses as their general
and commander-in-chief, and, though he was now going off the stage
they very humbly and respectfully addressed themselves to him,
calling themselves his servants; the honours they had won
did not puff them up, so as to make them forget their duty to him.
Observe in their address to them, 1. The pious notice they take of
God's wonderful goodness to them in this late expedition, in
preserving not only their own lives, but the lives of all the men
of war that they had under their charge; so that, upon the review
of their muster-roll, it appeared there was not one missing,
In this chapter we have, I. The humble request of
the tribes of Reuben and Gad for an inheritance on that side Jordan
where Israel now lay encamped,
1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle; 2 The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, 3 Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon, 4 Even the country which the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle: 5 Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan. 6 And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? 7 And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord hath given them? 8 Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the Lord had given them. 10 And the Lord's anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying, 11 Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me: 12 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the Lord. 13 And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the Lord, was consumed. 14 And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord toward Israel. 15 For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.
Israel's tents were now pitched in the plains of Moab, where they continued many months, looking back upon the conquests they had already made of the land of Sihon and Og, and looking forward to Canaan, which they hoped in a little while to make themselves masters of. While they made this stand, and were at a pause, this great affair of the disposal of the conquests they had already made was here concerted and settled, not by any particular order or appointment of God, but at the special instance and request of two of the tribes, to which Moses, after a long debate that arose upon it, consented. For even then, when so much was done by the extraordinary appearances of divine Providence, many things were left to the direction of human prudence; for God, in governing both the world and the church, makes use of the reason of men, and serves his own purposes by it.
I. Here is a motion made by the Reubenites
and the Gadites, that the land which they had lately possessed
themselves of, and which in the right of conquest belonged to
Israel in common, might be assigned to them in particular for their
inheritance: upon the general idea they had of the land of promise,
they supposed this would be about their proportion. Reuben and Gad
were encamped under the same standard, and so had the better
opportunity of comparing notes, and settling this matter between
themselves. In the
II. Moses's dislike of this motion, and the severe rebuke he gives to it, as a faithful prince and prophet.
1. It must be confessed that prima
facie—at first sight, the thing looked ill, especially the
closing words of their petition: Bring us not over Jordan,
2. Moses is therefore very warm upon them,
which is to be imputed to his pious zeal against sin, and not to
any peevishness, the effect of old age, for his meekness abated
not, any more than his natural force. (1.) He shows them what he
apprehended to be evil in this motion, that it would discharge the
heart of their brethren,
16 And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones: 17 But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward. 20 And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the Lord to war, 21 And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the Lord, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him, 22 And the land be subdued before the Lord: then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless before the Lord, and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. 23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out. 24 Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth. 25 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth. 26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead: 27 But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord saith.
We have here the accommodating of the matter between Moses and the two tribes, about their settlement on this side Jordan. Probably the petitioners withdrew, and considered with themselves what answer they should return to the severe reproof Moses had given them; and, after some consultation, they return with this proposal, that their men of war should go and assist their brethren in the conquest of Canaan, and they would leave their families and flocks behind them in this land: and thus they might have their request, and no harm would be done. Now it is uncertain whether they designed this at first when they brought their petition or no. If they did, it is an instance how often that which is honestly meant is unhappily misinterpreted; yet Moses herein was excusable, for he had reason to suspect the worst of them, and the rebuke he gave them was from the abundance of his care to prevent sin. But, if they did not, it is an instance of the good effect of plain dealing; Moses, by showing them their sin, and the danger of it, brought them to their duty without murmuring or disputing. They object not that their brethren were able to contend with the Canaanites without their help, especially since they were sure of God's fighting for them; but engage themselves to stand by them.
I. Their proposal is very fair and
generous, and such as, instead of disheartening, would rather
encourage their brethren. 1. That their men of war, who were
fit for service, would go ready armed before the children of
Israel into the land of Canaan. So far would they be from
deserting them that, if it were thought fit, they would lead them
on, and be foremost is all dangerous enterprises. So far were they
from either distrusting or despising the conquest of Canaan that
they would assist in it with the utmost readiness and resolution.
2. That they would leave behind them their families and cattle
(which would otherwise be but the incumbrance of their camp), and
so they would be the more serviceable to their brethren,
II. Moses thereupon grants their request,
upon consideration that they would adhere to their proposals. 1. He
insists much upon it that they should never lay down their arms
till their brethren laid down theirs. They promised to go armed
before the children of Israel,
III. They unanimously agree to the provisos
and conditions of the grant, and do, as it were, give bond for
performance, by a solemn promise: Thy servants will do as my
lord commandeth,
28 So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel: 29 And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the Lord, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession: 30 But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. 31 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As the Lord hath said unto thy servants, so will we do. 32 We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan may be ours. 33 And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Ephraim the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about. 34 And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer, 35 And Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer, and Jogbehah, 36 And Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran, fenced cities: and folds for sheep. 37 And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kirjathaim, 38 And Nebo, and Baal-meon, (their names being changed,) and Shibmah: and gave other names unto the cities which they builded. 39 And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it. 40 And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein. 41 And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the small towns thereof, and called them Havoth-jair. 42 And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
Here, 1. Moses settles this matter with
Eleazar, and with Joshua who was to be his successor, knowing that
he himself must not live to see it perfected,
Lastly, It is observable that, as
these tribes were now first placed before the other tribes, so,
long afterwards, they were displaced before the other tribes. We
find that they were carried captive into Assyria some years before
the other tribes,
In this chapter we have, I. A particular account
of the removals and encampments of the children of Israel, from
their escape out of Egypt to their entrance into Canaan, forty-two
in all, with some remarkable events that happened at some of those
places,
1 These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. 2 And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the Lord: and these are their journeys according to their goings out. 3 And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. 4 For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the Lord had smitten among them: upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments. 5 And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth. 6 And they departed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness. 7 And they removed from Etham, and turned again unto Pi-hahiroth, which is before Baal-zephon: and they pitched before Migdol. 8 And they departed from before Pi-hahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah. 9 And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they pitched there. 10 And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea. 11 And they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin. 12 And they took their journey out of the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah. 13 And they departed from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush. 14 And they removed from Alush, and encamped at Rephidim, where was no water for the people to drink. 15 And they departed from Rephidim, and pitched in the wilderness of Sinai. 16 And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibroth-hattaavah. 17 And they departed from Kibroth-hattaavah, and encamped at Hazeroth. 18 And they departed from Hazeroth, and pitched in Rithmah. 19 And they departed from Rithmah, and pitched at Rimmon-parez. 20 And they departed from Rimmon-parez, and pitched in Libnah. 21 And they removed from Libnah, and pitched at Rissah. 22 And they journeyed from Rissah, and pitched in Kehelathah. 23 And they went from Kehelathah, and pitched in mount Shapher. 24 And they removed from mount Shapher, and encamped in Haradah. 25 And they removed from Haradah, and pitched in Makheloth. 26 And they removed from Makheloth, and encamped at Tahath. 27 And they departed from Tahath, and pitched at Tarah. 28 And they removed from Tarah, and pitched in Mithcah. 29 And they went from Mithcah, and pitched in Hashmonah. 30 And they departed from Hashmonah, and encamped at Moseroth. 31 And they departed from Moseroth, and pitched in Bene-jaakan. 32 And they removed from Bene-jaakan, and encamped at Hor-hagidgad. 33 And they went from Hor-hagidgad, and pitched in Jotbathah. 34 And they removed from Jotbathah, and encamped at Ebronah. 35 And they departed from Ebronah, and encamped at Ezion-gaber. 36 And they removed from Ezion-gaber, and pitched in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh. 37 And they removed from Kadesh, and pitched in mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom. 38 And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the Lord, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month. 39 And Aaron was an hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in mount Hor. 40 And king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel. 41 And they departed from mount Hor, and pitched in Zalmonah. 42 And they departed from Zalmonah, and pitched in Punon. 43 And they departed from Punon, and pitched in Oboth. 44 And they departed from Oboth, and pitched in Ije-abarim, in the border of Moab. 45 And they departed from Iim, and pitched in Dibon-gad. 46 And they removed from Dibon-gad, and encamped in Almon-diblathaim. 47 And they removed from Almon-diblathaim, and pitched in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. 48 And they departed from the mountains of Abarim, and pitched in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho. 49 And they pitched by Jordan, from Beth-jesimoth even unto Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.
This is a review and brief rehearsal of the travels of the children of Israel through the wilderness. It was a memorable history and well worthy to be thus abridged, and the abridgment thus preserved, to the honour of God that led them and for the encouragement of the generations that followed. Observe here,
I. How the account was kept: Moses wrote
their goings out,
II. What the account itself was. It began with their departure out of Egypt, continued with their march through the wilderness, and ended in the plains of Moab, where they now lay encamped.
1. Some things are observed here concerning
their departure out of Egypt, which they are reminded of upon all
occasions, as a work of wonder never to be forgotten. (1.) That
they went forth with their armies (
2. Concerning their travels towards Canaan.
Observe, (1.) They were continually upon the remove. When they had
pitched a little while in one place they departed from that to
another. Such is our state in this world; we have here no
continuing city. (2.) Most of their way lay through a wilderness,
uninhabited, untracked, unfurnished even with the necessaries of
human life, which magnifies the wisdom and power of God, by whose
wonderful conduct and bounty the thousands of Israel not only
subsisted for forty years in that desolate place, but came out at
least as numerous and vigorous as they went in. At first they
pitched in the edge of the wilderness (
50 And the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, 51 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; 52 Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: 53 And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it. 54 And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit. 55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. 56 Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.
While the children of Israel were in the
wilderness their total separation from all other people kept them
out of the way of temptation to idolatry, and perhaps this was one
thing intended by their long confinement in the wilderness, that
thereby the idols of Egypt might be forgotten, and the people aired
(as it were) and purified from that infection, and the generation
that entered Canaan might be such as never knew those depths of
Satan. But now that they were to pass over Jordan they were
entering again into that temptation, and therefore, 1. They are
here strictly charged utterly to destroy all remnants of idolatry.
They must not only drive out the inhabitants of the land,
that they may possess their country, but they must deface all their
idolatrous pictures and images, and pull down all their high
places,
In this chapter God directs Moses, and he is to
direct Israel, I. Concerning the bounds and borders of the land of
Canaan,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:) 3 Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward: 4 And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadesh-barnea, and shall go on to Hazar-addar, and pass on to Azmon: 5 And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea. 6 And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border. 7 And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor: 8 From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad: 9 And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazar-enan: this shall be your north border. 10 And ye shall point out your east border from Hazar-enan to Shepham: 11 And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward: 12 And the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about. 13 And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the Lord commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe: 14 For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance: 15 The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.
We have here a particular draught of the
line by which the land of Canaan was meted, and bounded, on all
sides. God directs Moses to settle it here, not as a geographer in
his map, merely to please the curious, but as a prince in his
grant, that it may be certainly known what passes, and is conveyed,
by the grant. There was a much larger possession promised them,
which in due time they would have possessed if they had been
obedient, reaching even to the river Euphrates,
I. That it was limited within certain
bounds: for God appoints the bounds of our habitation,
II. That it lay comparatively in a very
little compass: as it is here bounded, it is reckoned to be but
about 160 miles in length and about fifty in breadth; perhaps it
did not contain more than half as much ground as England, and yet
this is the country which was promised to the father of the
faithful and was the possession of the seed of Israel. This was
that little spot of ground in which only, for many ages, God was
known, and his name was great,
III. It is observable what the bounds and
limits of it were. 1. Canaan was itself a pleasant land (so
it is called
16 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 17 These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun. 18 And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance. 19 And the names of the men are these: Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 20 And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud. 21 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. 22 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli. 23 The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod. 24 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. 25 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. 26 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan. 27 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. 28 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud. 29 These are they whom the Lord commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.
God here appoints commissioners for the
dividing of the land to them. The conquest of it is taken for
granted, though as yet there was never a stroke struck towards it.
Here is no nomination of the generals and commanders-in-chief that
should carry on the war; for they were to get the land in
possession, not by their own sword or bow, but by the power and
favour of God; and so confident must they be of victory and
success while God fought for them that the persons must now be
named who should be entrusted with the dividing of the land, that
is, who should preside in casting the lots, and determine
controversies that might arise, and see that all was done fairly.
1. The principal commissioners, who were of the quorum, were
Eleazar and Joshua (
Orders having been given before for the dividing
of the land of Canaan among the lay-tribes (as I may call them),
care is here taken for a competent provision for the clergy, the
tribe of Levi, which ministered in holy things. I. Forty-eight
cities were to be assigned them, with their suburbs, some in every
tribe,
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them. 3 And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts. 4 And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about. 5 And ye shall measure from without the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and the city shall be in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities. 6 And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities. 7 So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs. 8 And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.
The laws about the tithes and offerings had provided very plentifully for the maintenance of the Levites, but it was not to be thought, nor indeed was it for the public good, that when they came to Canaan they should all live about the tabernacle, as they had done in the wilderness, and therefore care must be taken to provide habitations for them, in which they might live comfortably and usefully. It is this which is here taken care of.
I. Cities were allotted them, with their
suburbs,
II. These cities were to be assigned them
out of the possessions of each tribe,
III. The number allotted them was
forty-eight in all, four out of each of the twelve tribes, one with
another. Out of the united tribes of Simeon and Judah nine, out of
Naphtali three, and four apiece out of the rest, as appears,
9 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan; 11 Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. 12 And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment. 13 And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge. 14 Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge. 15 These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither. 16 And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. 17 And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. 18 Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. 19 The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him. 20 But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die; 21 Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him. 22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait, 23 Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm: 24 Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments: 25 And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil. 26 But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled; 27 And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood: 28 Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession. 29 So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 30 Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. 31 Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death. 32 And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest. 33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. 34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.
We have here the orders given concerning the cities of refuge, fitly annexed to what goes before, because they were all Levites' cities. In this part of the constitution there is a great deal both of good law and pure gospel.
I. Here is a great deal of good law, in the case of murder and manslaughter, a case of which the laws of all nations have taken particular cognizance. It is here enacted and provided, consonant to natural equity,
1. That wilful murder should be punished
with death, and in that case no sanctuary should be allowed, no
ransom taken, nor any commutation of the punishment accepted: The
murderer shall surely be put to death,
2. But if the homicide was not voluntary,
nor done designedly, if it was without enmity, or lying in
wait (
II. Here is a great deal of good gospel
couched under the type and figure of the cities of refuge; and to
them the apostle seems to allude when he speaks of our fleeing
for refuge to the hope set before is (
We have in this chapter the determination of
another question that arose upon the case of the daughters of
Zelophehad. God had appointed that they should inherit,
1 And the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spake before Moses, and before the princes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel: 2 And they said, The Lord commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters. 3 And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be put to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall it be taken from the lot of our inheritance. 4 And when the jubilee of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.
We have here the humble address which the
heads of the tribe of Manasseh made to Moses and the princes, on
occasion of the order lately made concerning the daughters of
Zelophehad. The family they belonged to was part of that half of
the tribe of Manasseh which we yet to have their lot within Jordan,
not that half that was already settled; and yet they speak of the
land of their possession, and the inheritance of their fathers,
with as great assurance as if they had it already in their hands,
knowing whom they had trusted. In their appeal observe, 1. They
fairly recite the former order made in this case, and do not move
to have that set aside, but are very willing to acquiesce in it
(
5 And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well. 6 This is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry. 7 So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8 And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers. 9 Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance. 10 Even as the Lord commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad: 11 For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father's brothers' sons: 12 And they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father. 13 These are the commandments and the judgments, which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.
Here is, I. The matter settled by express
order from God between the daughters of Zelophehad and the rest of
the tribe of Manasseh. The petition is assented to, and care taken
to prevent the inconvenience feared: The tribe of the sons of
Joseph hath said well,
II. The law, in this particular case, was
made perpetual, and to be observed whenever hereafter the like case
should happen,
III. The submission of the daughters of
Zelophehad to this appointment. How could they but marry well, and
to their satisfaction, when God himself directed them? They married
their father's brothers' sons,
IV. The conclusion of this whole book,
referring to the latter part of it: These are the judgments
which the Lord commanded in the plains of Moab (
AN
This book is
a repetition of very much both of the history and of the laws
contained in the three foregoing books, which repetition Moses
delivered to Israel (both by word of mouth, that it might affect,
and by writing, that it might abide) a little before his death.
There is no new history in it but that of the death of Moses in the
last chapter, nor any new revelation to Moses, for aught that
appears, and therefore the style here is not, as before, The
Lord spoke unto Moses, saying. But the former laws are repeated
and commented upon, explained and enlarged, and some particular
precepts added to them, with copious reasonings for the enforcing
of them: in this Moses was divinely inspired and assisted, so that
this is as truly the word of the Lord by Moses as that which was
spoken to him with an audible voice out of the tabernacle of the
congregation,
This book of Deuteronomy begins with a
brief rehearsal of the most remarkable events that had befallen the
Israelites since they came from Mount Sinai. In the fourth chapter
we have a most pathetic exhortation to obedience. In the twelfth
chapter, and so on to the twenty-seventh, are repeated many
particular laws, which are enforced (
The first part of Moses's farewell sermon to
Israel begins with this chapter, and is continued to the latter end
of the fourth chapter. In the first five verses of this chapter we
have the date of the sermon, the place where it was preached
(
1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 (There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.) 3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them; 4 After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei: 5 On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying, 6 The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: 7 Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates. 8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.
We have here, I. The date of this sermon
which Moses preached to the people of Israel. A great auditory, no
question, he had, as many as could crowd within hearing, and
particularly all the elders and officers, the representatives of
the people; and, probably, it was on the sabbath day that he
delivered this to them. 1. The place were they were now encamped
was in the plain, in the land of Moab (
II. The discourse itself. In general, Moses
spoke unto them all that the Lord had given him in
commandment (
9 And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone: 10 The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. 11 (The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!) 12 How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife? 13 Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you. 14 And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do. 15 So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. 17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it. 18 And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.
Moses here reminds them of the happy constitution of their government, which was such as might make them all safe and easy if it was not their own fault. When good laws were given them good men were entrusted with the execution of them, which, as it was an instance of God's goodness to them, so it was of the care of Moses concerning them; and, it should seem, he mentions it here to recommend himself to them as a man that sincerely sought their welfare, and so to make way for what he was about to say to them, wherein he aimed at nothing but their good. In this part of his narrative he insinuates to them,
I. That he greatly rejoiced in the increase
of their numbers. He owns the accomplishment of God's promise to
Abraham (
II. That he was not ambitious of
monopolizing the honour of the government, and ruling them himself
alone, as an absolute monarch,
III. That he was not desirous to prefer his
own creatures, or such as should underhand have a dependence upon
him; for he leaves it to the people to choose their own judges, to
whom he would grant commissions, not durant bene placito—to be
turned out when he pleased; but quam diu se bene
gesserint—to continue so long as they approved themselves
faithful. Take you wise men, that are known to be so among your
tribes, and I will make them rulers,
IV. That he was in this matter very willing
to please the people; and, though he did not in any thing aim at
their applause, yet in a thing of this nature he would not act
without their approbation. And they agreed to the proposal: The
thing which thou hast spoken is good,
V. That he aimed to edify them as well as to gratify them; for,
1. He appointed men of good characters
(
2. He gave them a good charge,
3. He allowed them to bring all difficult cases to him, and he would always be ready to hear and determine, and to make both the judges and the people easy. Happy art thou. O Israel! in such praise as Moses was.
19 And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea. 20 And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us. 21 Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. 22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come. 23 And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe: 24 And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out. 25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the Lord our God doth give us. 26 Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God: 27 And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the Lord hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there. 29 Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. 30 The Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes; 31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. 32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God, 33 Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day. 34 And the Lord heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying, 35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers, 36 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the Lord. 37 Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. 39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it. 40 But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea. 41 Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the Lord, we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill. 42 And the Lord said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies. 43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, and went presumptuously up into the hill. 44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah. 45 And ye returned and wept before the Lord; but the Lord would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you. 46 So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.
Moses here makes a large rehearsal of the
fatal turn which was given to their affairs by their own sins, and
God's wrath, when, from the very borders of Canaan, the honour of
conquering it, and the pleasure of possessing it, the whole
generation was hurried back into the wilderness, and their carcases
fell there. It was a memorable story; we read it
I. He reminds them of their march from
Horeb to Kadesh-barnea (
II. He shows them how fair they stood for
Canaan at that time,
III. He lays the blame of sending the spies
upon them, which did not appear in Numbers, there it is said
(
IV. He repeats the report which the spies
brought of the goodness of the land which they were sent to survey,
V. He tells them what pains he took with
them to encourage them, when their brethren had said so much to
discourage them (
VI. He charges them with the sin which they
were guilty of upon this occasion. Though those to whom he was now
speaking were a new generation, yet he lays it upon them: You
rebelled, and you murmured; for many of these were then in
being, though under twenty years old, and perhaps were engaged in
the riot; and the rest inherited their fathers' vices, and smarted
for them. Observe what he lays to their charge. 1. Disobedience and
rebellion against God's law: You would not go up, but
rebelled,
VII. He repeats the sentence passed upon
them for this sin, which now they had seen the execution of. 1.
They were all condemned to die in the wilderness, and none of them
must be suffered to enter Canaan except Caleb and Joshua,
VIII. He reminds them of their foolish and
fruitless attempt to get this sentence reversed when it was too
late. 1. They tried it by their reformation in this particular;
whereas they had refused to go up against the Canaanites, now they
would go up, aye, that they would, in all haste, and they girded on
their weapons of war for that purpose,
Moses, in this chapter, proceeds in the rehearsal
of God's providences concerning Israel in their way to Canaan, yet
preserves not the record of any thing that happened during their
tedious march back to the Red Sea, in which they wore out almost
thirty-eight years, but passes that over in silence as a dark time,
and makes his narrative to begin again when they faced about
towards Canaan (
1 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the Lord spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days. 2 And the Lord spake unto me, saying, 3 Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward. 4 And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore: 5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession. 6 Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink. 7 For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.
Here is, I. A short account of the long
stay of Israel in the wilderness: We compassed Mount Seir many
days,
II. Orders given them to turn towards Canaan. Though God contend long, he will not contend for ever. Though Israel may be long kept waiting for deliverance or enlargement, it will come at last: The vision is for an appointed time, and at the end it shall speak, and not lie.
III. A charge given them not to annoy the Edomites.
1. They must not offer any hostility to
them as enemies: Meddle not with them,
2. They must trade with them as neighbours,
buy meat and water of them, and pay for what they bought,
8 And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Ezion-gaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab. 9 And the Lord said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession. 10 The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; 11 Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims. 12 The Horims also dwelt in Seir beforetime; but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the Lord gave unto them. 13 Now rise up, said I, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered. 14 And the space in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the Lord sware unto them. 15 For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed. 16 So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people, 17 That the Lord spake unto me, saying, 18 Thou art to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day: 19 And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession. 20 (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims; 21 A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the Lord destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead: 22 As he did to the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, when he destroyed the Horims from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day: 23 And the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Azzah, the Caphtorims, which came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)
It is observable here that Moses, speaking
of the Edomites (
I. The account which Moses gives of the
origin of the nations of which he had here occasion to speak, the
Moabites, Edomites, and Ammonites. We know very well, from other
parts of his history, whose posterity they were; but here he tells
us how they came to those countries in which Israel found them;
they were not the aborigines, or first planters. But, 1. The
Moabites dwelt in a country which had belonged to a numerous race
of giants, called Emim (that is, terrible ones), as
tall as the Anakim, and perhaps more fierce,
II. The advances which Israel made towards
Canaan. They passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab
(
III. The caution given them not to meddle
with the Moabites or Ammonites, whom they must not disseize, nor so
much as disturb in their possessions: Distress them not, nor
contend with them,
24 Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle. 25 This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee. 26 And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, 27 Let me pass through thy land: I will go along by the high way, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left. 28 Thou shalt sell me meat for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only I will pass through on my feet; 29 (As the children of Esau which dwell in Seir, and the Moabites which dwell in Ar, did unto me;) until I shall pass over Jordan into the land which the Lord our God giveth us. 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the Lord thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day. 31 And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land. 32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz. 33 And the Lord our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people. 34 And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain: 35 Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took. 36 From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us: the Lord our God delivered all unto us: 37 Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not, nor unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatsoever the Lord our God forbad us.
God having tried the self-denial of his people in forbidding them to meddle with the Moabites and Ammonites, and they having quietly passed by those rich countries, and, though superior in number, not made any attack upon them, here he recompenses them for their obedience by giving them possession of the country of Sihon king of the Amorites. If we forbear what God forbids, we shall receive what he promises, and shall be no losers at last by our obedience, though it may seem for the present to be to our loss. Wrong not others, and God shall right thee.
I. God gives them commission to seize upon
the country of Sihon king of Heshbon,
II. Moses sends to Sihon a message of
peace, and only begs a passage through his land, with a promise to
give his country no disturbance, but the advantage of trading for
ready money with so great a body,
III. Sihon began the war (
IV. Israel was victorious. 1. They put all
the Amorites to the sword, men, women, and children (
Moses, in this chapter, relates, I. The conquest
of Og, king of Bashan, and the seizing of his country,
1 Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 2 And the Lord said unto me, Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon. 3 So the Lord our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining. 4 And we took all his cities at that time, there was not a city which we took not from them, threescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5 All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars; beside unwalled towns a great many. 6 And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city. 7 But all the cattle, and the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey to ourselves. 8 And we took at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites the land that was on this side Jordan, from the river of Arnon unto mount Hermon; 9 (Which Hermon the Sidonians call Sirion; and the Amorites call it Shenir;) 10 All the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, unto Salchah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.
We have here another brave country
delivered into the hand of Israel, that of Bashan; the conquest of
Sihon is often mentioned together with that of Og, to the praise of
God, the rather because in these Israel's triumphs began,
I. How they got the mastery of Og, a very
formidable prince, 1. Very strong, for he was of the remnant of the
giants (
II. How they got possession of Bashan, a
very desirable country. They took all the cities (
12 And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites. 13 And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants. 14 Jair the son of Manasseh took all the country of Argob unto the coasts of Geshuri and Maachathi; and called them after his own name, Bashan-havoth-jair, unto this day. 15 And I gave Gilead unto Machir. 16 And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon half the valley, and the border even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon; 17 The plain also, and Jordan, and the coast thereof, from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, under Ashdoth-pisgah eastward. 18 And I commanded you at that time, saying, The Lord your God hath given you this land to possess it: ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all that are meet for the war. 19 But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle, (for I know that ye have much cattle,) shall abide in your cities which I have given you; 20 Until the Lord have given rest unto your brethren, as well as unto you, and until they also possess the land which the Lord your God hath given them beyond Jordan: and then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I have given you.
Having shown how this country which they
were now in was conquered, in these verses he shows how it was
settled upon the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of
Manasseh, which we had the story of before,
21 And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the Lord do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest. 22 Ye shall not fear them: for the Lord your God he shall fight for you. 23 And I besought the Lord at that time, saying, 24 O Lord God, thou hast begun to show thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? 25 I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon. 26 But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the Lord said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter. 27 Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan. 28 But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see. 29 So we abode in the valley over against Beth-peor.
Here is I. The encouragement which Moses
gave to Joshua, who was to succeed him in the government,
II. The prayer which Moses made for himself, and the answer which God gave to that prayer.
1. His prayer was that, if it were God's will, he might go before Israel over Jordan into Canaan. At that time, when he had been encouraging Joshua to fight Israel's battles, taking it for granted that he must be their leader, he was touched with an earnest desire to go over himself, which expresses itself not in any passionate and impatient complaints, or reflections upon the sentence he was under, but in humble prayers to God for a gracious reversing of it. I besought the Lord. Note, We should never allow any desires in our hearts which we cannot in faith offer up to God by prayer; and what desires are innocent, let them be presented to God. We have not because we ask not. Observe,
(1.) What he pleads here. Two things:—
[1.] The great experience which he had had of God's goodness to him
in what he had done for Israel: "Thou hast begun to show thy
servant thy greatness. Lord, perfect what thou hast begun. Thou
hast given me to see thy glory in the conquest of these two kings,
and the sight has affected me with wonder and thankfulness. O let
me see more of the outgoings of my God, my King! This great work,
no doubt, will be carried on and completed; let me have the
satisfaction of seeing it." Note, the more we see of God's glory in
his works the more we shall desire to see. The works of the Lord
are great, and therefore are sought out more and more of all
those that have pleasure therein. [2.] The good impressions
that had been made upon his heart by what he had seen: For what
God is there in heaven or earth that can do according to thy
works? The more we are affected with what we have seen of God,
of his wisdom, power, and goodness, the better we are prepared for
further discoveries. Those shall see the works of God that admire
him in them. Moses had thus expressed himself concerning God and
his works long before (
(2.) What he begs: I pray thee let me go
over,
2. God's answer to this prayer had in it a mixture of mercy and judgment, that he might sing unto God of both.
(1.) There was judgment in the denial of
his request, and that in something of anger too: The Lord was
wroth with me for your sakes,
(2.) Here is mercy mixed with this wrath in
several things:—[1.] God quieted the spirit of Moses under the
decree that had gone forth by that word (
In this chapter we have, I. A most earnest and
pathetic exhortation to obedience, both in general, and in some
particular instances, backed with a great variety of very pressing
arguments, repeated again and again, and set before them in the
most moving and affectionate manner imaginable,
1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor: for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you. 4 But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day. 5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. 6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; 10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. 11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. 12 And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. 13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. 14 And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. 15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: 16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, 18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: 19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven. 20 But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day. 21 Furthermore the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance: 22 But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land. 23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee. 24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. 25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger: 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. 27 And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you. 28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. 32 For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? 33 Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? 34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him. 36 Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he showed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. 37 And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt; 38 To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day. 39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. 40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever.
This most lively and excellent discourse is so entire, and the particulars of it are so often repeated, that we must take it altogether in the exposition of it, and endeavour to digest it into proper heads, for we cannot divide it into paragraphs.
I. In general, it is the use and
application of the foregoing history; it comes in by way of
inference from it: Now therefore harken, O Israel,
II. The scope and drift of his discourse is to persuade them to keep close to God and to his service, and not to forsake him for any other god, nor in any instance to decline from their duty to him. Now observe what he says to them, with a great deal of divine rhetoric, both by way of exhortation and direction, and also by way of motive and argument to enforce his exhortations.
1. See here how he charges and commands them, and shows them what is good, and what the Lord requires of them.
(1.) He demands their diligent attention to
the word of God, and to the statutes and judgments that were taught
them: Hearken, O Israel. He means, not only that they must
now give him the hearing, but that whenever the book of the law was
read to them, or read by them, they should be attentive to it.
"Hearken to the statutes, as containing the great commands of God
and the great concerns of your own souls, and therefore challenging
your utmost attention." At Horeb God had made them hear his
words (
(2.) He charges them to preserve the divine
law pure and entire among them,
(3.) He charges them to keep God's
commandments (
(4.) He charges them to be very strict and
careful in their observance of the law (
(5.) He charges them particularly to take
heed of the sin of idolatry, that sin which of all others they
would be most tempted to by the customs of the nations, which they
were most addicted to by the corruption of their hearts, and which
would be most provoking to God and of the most pernicious
consequences to themselves: Take good heed, lest in this
matter you corrupt yourselves,
(6.) He charges them to teach their
children to observe the laws of God: Teach them to thy sons, and
thy sons' sons (
(7.) He charges them never to forget their
duty: Take heed lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your
God,
2. Let us see now what are the motives or arguments with which he backs these exhortations. How does he order the cause before them, and fill his mouth with arguments! He has a great deal to say on God's behalf. Some of his topics are indeed peculiar to that people, yet applicable to us. But, upon the whole, it is evident that religion has reason on its side, the powerful charms of which all that are irreligious wilfully stop their ears against.
(1.) He urges the greatness, glory, and
goodness, of God. Did we consider what a God he is with whom we
have to do, we should surely make conscience of our duty to him and
not dare to sin against him. He reminds them here, [1.] That the
Lord Jehovah is the one and only living and true God. This
they must know and consider,
(2.) He urges their relation to this God,
his authority over them and their obligations to him. "The
commandments you are to keep and do are not mine," says Moses, "not
my inventions, not my injunctions, but they are the commandments of
the Lord, framed by infinite wisdom, enacted by sovereign power. He
is the Lord God of your fathers (
(3.) He urges the wisdom of being
religious: For this is your wisdom in the sight of the
nations,
(4.) He urges the singular advantages which
they enjoyed by virtue of the happy establishment they were under,
(5.) He urges God's glorious appearances to
them at Mount Sinai, when he gave them this law. This he insists
much upon. Take heed lest thou forget the day that thou stoodest
before the Lord thy God in Horeb,
(6.) He urges God's gracious appearances
for them, in bringing them out of Egypt, from the iron furnace,
where they laboured in the fire, forming them into a people, and
then taking them to be his own people, a people of
inheritance (
(7.) He urges God's righteous appearance
against them sometimes for their sins. He specifies particularly
the matter of Peor,
(8.) He urges the certain advantage of
obedience. This argument he begins with (
(9.) He urges the fatal consequences of
their apostasy from God, that it would undoubtedly be the ruin of
their nation. This he enlarges upon,
Now let all these arguments be laid together, and then say whether religion has not reason on its side. None cast off the government of their God but those that have first abandoned the understanding of a man.
41 Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; 42 That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live: 43 Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites. 44 And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel: 45 These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, after they came forth out of Egypt, 46 On this side Jordan, in the valley over against Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, after they were come forth out of Egypt: 47 And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; 48 From Aroer, which is by the bank of the river Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which is Hermon, 49 And all the plain on this side Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the springs of Pisgah.
Here is, 1. The nomination of the cities of
refuge on that side Jordan where Israel now lay encamped. Three
cities were appointed for that purpose, one in the lot of Reuben,
another in that of Gad, and another in that of the half tribe of
Manasseh,
In this chapter we have the second edition of the
ten commandments. I. The general intent of them; they were in the
nature of a covenant between God and Israel,
1 And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. 4 The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, 5 (I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to show you the word of the Lord: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,
Here, 1. Moses summons the assembly. He
called all Israel; not only the elders, but, it is likely,
as many of the people as could come within hearing,
6 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me. 8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: 9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, 10 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. 11 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. 13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: 14 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. 15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. 16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 17 Thou shalt not kill. 18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery. 19 Neither shalt thou steal. 20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. 21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's. 22 These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
Here is the repetition of the ten
commandments, in which observe, 1. Though they had been spoken
before, and written, yet they are again rehearsed; for precept must
be upon precept, and line upon line, and all little enough to keep
the word of God in our minds and to preserve and renew the
impressions of it. We have need to have the same things often
inculcated upon us. See
23 And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; 24 And ye said, Behold, the Lord our God hath showed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. 25 Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we shall die. 26 For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it. 28 And the Lord heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. 29 O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! 30 Go say to them, Get you into your tents again. 31 But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it. 32 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.
Here, I. Moses reminds them of the agreement of both the parties that were now treating, in the mediation of Moses.
1. Here is the consternation that the
people were put into by that extreme terror with which the law was
given. They owned that they could not bear it any more: "This
great fire will consume us; this dreadful voice will be fatal
to us; we shall certainly die if we hear it any more,"
2. Their earnest request that God would
henceforth speak to them by Moses, with a promise that they would
hear what he said as from God himself, and do it,
3. God's approbation of their request. (1.)
He commends what they said,
II. Hence he infers a charge to them to
observe and do all that God had commanded them,
Moses, in this chapter, goes on with his charge to
Israel, to be sure to keep up their religion in Canaan. It is much
the same with
1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: 2 That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
Observe here, 1. That Moses taught the
people all that, and that only, which God commanded him to teach
them,
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. 10 And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 12 Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. 14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; 15 (For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. 16 Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
Here is, I. A brief summary of religion,
containing the first principles of faith and obedience,
1. What we are here taught to believe
concerning God: that Jehovah our God is one Jehovah. (1.)
That the God whom we serve is Jehovah, a Being infinitely and
eternally perfect, self-existent, and self-sufficient. (2.) That he
is the one only living and true God; he only is God, and he is but
one. The firm belief of this self-evident truth would effectually
arm them against all idolatry, which was introduced by that
fundamental error, that there are gods many. It is past dispute
that there is one God, and there is no other but he,
2. What we are here taught concerning the
duty which God requires of man. It is all summed up in this as its
principle, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart. He had undertaken (
II. Means are here prescribed for the
maintaining and keeping up of religion in our hearts and houses,
that it might not wither and go to decay. And they are these:—1.
Meditation: These words which I command thee shall be in thy
heart,
III. A caution is here given not to forget
God in a day of prosperity and plenty,
IV. Some special precepts and prohibitions
are here given, which are of great consequence. 1. They must upon
all occasions give honour to God
17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. 18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, 19 To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the Lord hath spoken. 20 And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you? 21 Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: 22 And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: 23 And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers. 24 And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. 25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.
Here, I. Moses charges them to keep God's
commandments themselves: You shall diligently keep God's
commandments,
II. He charges them to instruct their children in the commands of God, not only that they might in their tender years intelligently and affectionately join in religious services, but that afterwards they might in their day keep up religion, and convey it to those that should come after them. Now,
1. Here is a proper question which it is
supposed the children would ask (
2. Here is a full answer put into the
parents' mouths to be given to this good question. Parents and
teachers must give instruction to those under their charge, though
they do not ask it, nay, though they have an aversion to it; much
more must they be ready to answer questions, and to give
instruction when it is desired; for it may be hoped that those who
ask it will be willing to receive it. Did the children ask the
meaning of God's laws? Let them be told that they were to be
observed, (1.) In a grateful remembrance of God's former favours to
them, especially their deliverance out of Egypt,
Moses in this chapter exhorts Israel, I. In
general, to keep God's commandments,
1 When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; 2 And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them: 3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. 5 But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. 6 For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 7 The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8 But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; 10 And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. 11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.
Here is, I. A very strict caution against all friendship and fellowship with idols and idolaters. Those that are taken into communion with God must have no communication with the unfruitful works of darkness. These things they are charged about for the preventing of this snare now before them.
1. They must show them no mercy,
(1.) God here engages to do his part. It is
spoken of as a thing taken for granted that God would bring them
into the land of promise, that he would cast out the nations
before them, who were the present occupants of that land; no room
was left to doubt of that. His power is irresistible, and therefore
he can do it; his promise is inviolable, and therefore he will do
it. Now, [1.] These devoted nations are here named and numbered
(
(2.) He engages them to do their part. Thou
shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them,
2. They must make no marriages with those
of them that escaped the sword,
3. They must destroy all the relics of
their idolatry,
II. Here are very good reasons to enforce this caution.
1. The choice which God had made of this
people for his own,
2. The freeness of that grace which made
this choice. (1.) There was nothing in them to recommend or entitle
them to this favour. In multitude of the people is the king's
honour,
3. The tenour of the covenant into which
they were taken; it was in short this, That as they were to God so
God would be to them. They should certainly find him, (1.) Kind to
his friends,
12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: 13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. 14 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. 15 And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. 16 And thou shalt consume all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee. 17 If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? 18 Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; 19 The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out: so shall the Lord thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid. 20 Moreover the Lord thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed. 21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the Lord thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible. 22 And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. 23 But the Lord thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. 24 And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them. 25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God. 26 Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.
Here, I. The caution against idolatry is
repeated, and against communion with idolaters: "Thou shalt consume
the people, and not serve their gods."
II. The promise of God's favour to them, if they would be obedient, is enlarged upon with a most affecting copiousness and fluency of expression, which intimates how much it is both God's desire and our own interest that we be religious. All possible assurance is here given them,
1. That, if they would sincerely endeavour
to do their part of the covenant, God would certainly perform his
part. He shall keep the mercy which he swore to thy fathers,
2. That if they would love God and serve
him, and devote themselves and theirs to him, he would love them,
and bless them, and multiply them greatly,
3. That, if they would keep themselves pure
from the idolatries of Egypt, God would keep them clear from the
diseases of Egypt,
4. That, if they would cut off the
devoted nations, they should cut them off, and none should
be able to stand before them. Their duty in this matter would
itself be their advantage: Thou shalt consume all the people
which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee—this is the precept
(
Moses had charged parents in teaching their
children to whet the word of God upon them (
1 All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers. 2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. 3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. 4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. 5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. 6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. 7 For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; 8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; 9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.
The charge here given them is the same as
before, to keep and do all God's commandments. Their obedience must
be, 1. Careful: Observe to do. 2. Universal: To do all
the commandments,
I. To look back upon the wilderness through
which God had now brought them: Thou shalt remember all the way
which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the
wilderness,
1. They must remember the straits they were
sometimes brought into, (1.) For the mortifying of their pride; it
was to humble them, that they might not be exalted above
measure with the abundance of miracles that were wrought in their
favor, and that they might not be secure, and confident of being in
Canaan immediately. (2.) For the manifesting of their perverseness:
to prove them, that they and others might know (for God
himself perfectly knew it before) all that was in their heart, and
might see that God chose them not for any thing in them that might
recommend them to his favour, for their whole carriage was untoward
and provoking. Many commandments God gave them which there would
have been no occasion for if they had not been led through the
wilderness, as those relating to the manna (
2. They must remember the supplies which were always granted them.
(1.) God himself took particular care of
their food, raiment, and health; and what would they have more?
[1.] They had manna for food (
(2.) By the method God took of providing
food and raiment for them [1.] He humbled them. It was a
mortification to them to be tied for forty years together to the
same meat, without any varieties, and to the same clothes, in the
same fashion. Thus he taught them that the good things he designed
for them were figures of better things, and that the happiness of
man consists not in being clothed in purple or fine linen,
and in faring sumptuously every day, but in being taken into
covenant and communion with God, and in learning his righteous
judgements. God's law, which was given to Israel in the
wilderness, must be to them instead of food and raiment. [2.] He
proved them, whether they could trust him to provide for them when
means and second causes failed. Thus he taught them to live in a
dependence upon Providence, and not to perplex themselves with care
what they should eat and drink, and wherewithal they
should be clothed. Christ would have his disciples learn the
same lesson (
3. They must also remember the rebukes they
had been under,
II. He directs them to look forward to Canaan, into which God was now bringing them. Look which way we will, both our reviews and our prospects will furnish us with arguments for obedience. Observe,
1. The land which they were now going to
take possession of is here described to be a very good land, having
every thing in it that was desirable,
2. These things are mentioned, (1.) To show the great difference between that wilderness through which God had led them and the good land into which he was bringing them. Note, Those that bear the inconveniences of an afflicted state with patience and submission, are humbled by them and prove well under them, are best prepared for better circumstances. (2.) To show what obligations they lay under to keep God's commandments, both in gratitude for his favours to them and from a regard to their own interest, that the favours might be continued. The only way to keep possession of this good land would be to keep in the way of their duty. (3.) To show what a figure it was of good things to come. Whatever others saw, it is probable that Moses in it saw a type of the better country: The gospel church is the New-Testament Canaan, watered with the Spirit in his gifts and graces, planted with the trees of righteousness, bearing the fruits of righteousness. Heaven is the good land, in which there is nothing wanting, and where there is a fulness of joy.
10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. 11 Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: 12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 18 But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. 19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. 20 As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.
Moses, having mentioned the great plenty they would find in the land of Canaan, finds it necessary to caution them against the abuse of that plenty, which was a sin they would be the more prone to now that they came into the vineyard of the Lord, immediately out of a barren desert.
I. He directs them to the duty of a
prosperous condition,
II. He arms them against the temptations of
a prosperous condition, and charges them to stand upon their guard
against them: "When thou art settled in goodly houses of thy own
building,"
III. He repeats the fair warning he had
often given them of the fatal consequences of their apostasy from
God,
The design of Moses in this chapter is to convince
the people of Israel of their utter unworthiness to receive from
God those great favours that were now to be conferred upon them,
writing this, as it were, in capital letters at the head of their
charter, "Not for your sake, be it known unto you,"
1 Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven, 2 A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak! 3 Understand therefore this day, that the Lord thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath said unto thee. 4 Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee. 5 Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 Understand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.
The call to attention (
I. Moses represents to the people the
formidable strength of the enemies which they were now to
encounter,
II. He assures them of victory, by the
presence of God with them, notwithstanding the strength of the
enemy,
III. He cautions them not to entertain the
least thought of their own righteousness, as if that had procured
them this favour at God's hand: "Say not. For my
righteousness (either with regard to my good character or in
recompence for any good service) the Lord hath brought me in to
possess this land (
IV. He intimates to them the true reasons
why God would take this good land out of the hands of the
Canaanites, and settle it upon Israel, and they are borrowed from
his own honour, not from Israel's deserts. 1. He will be honoured
in the destruction of idolaters; they are justly looked upon as
haters of him, and therefore he will visit their iniquity upon
them. It is for the wickedness of these nations that God
drives them out,
7 Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the Lord. 8 Also in Horeb ye provoked the Lord to wrath, so that the Lord was angry with you to have destroyed you. 9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water: 10 And the Lord delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the Lord spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. 11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. 12 And the Lord said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image. 13 Furthermore the Lord spake unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 14 Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they. 15 So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands. 16 And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the Lord your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the Lord had commanded you. 17 And I took the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and brake them before your eyes. 18 And I fell down before the Lord, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. 19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the Lord was wroth against you to destroy you. But the Lord hearkened unto me at that time also. 20 And the Lord was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time. 21 And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount. 22 And at Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah, ye provoked the Lord to wrath. 23 Likewise when the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you; then ye rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God, and ye believed him not, nor hearkened to his voice. 24 Ye have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you. 25 Thus I fell down before the Lord forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at the first; because the Lord had said he would destroy you. 26 I prayed therefore unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27 Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin: 28 Lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness. 29 Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power and by thy stretched out arm.
That they might have no pretence to think
that God brought them to Canaan for their righteousness,
Moses here shows them what a miracle of mercy it was that they had
not long ere this been destroyed in the wilderness: "Remember,
and forget not, how thou provokedst the Lord thy God (
Now let them lay all this together, and it will appear that whatever favour God should hereafter show them, in subduing their enemies and putting them in possession of the land of Canaan, it was not for their righteousness. It is good for us often to remember against ourselves, with sorrow and shame, our former sins, and to review the records conscience keeps of them, that we may see how much we are indebted to free grace, and may humbly own that we never merited at God's hand any thing but wrath and the curse.
Moses having, in the foregoing chapter, reminded
them of their own sin, as a reason why they should not depend upon
their own righteousness, in this chapter he sets before them God's
great mercy to them, notwithstanding their provocations, as a
reason why they should be more obedient for the future. I. He
mentions divers tokens of God's favour and reconciliation to them,
never to be forgotten. (1.) The renewing of the tables of the
covenant,
1 At that time the Lord said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood. 2 And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark. 3 And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand. 4 And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the Lord spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the Lord gave them unto me. 5 And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me. 6 And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera: there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office in his stead. 7 From thence they journeyed unto Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbath, a land of rivers of waters. 8 At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day. 9 Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance, according as the Lord thy God promised him. 10 And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the Lord hearkened unto me at that time also, and the Lord would not destroy thee. 11 And the Lord said unto me, Arise, take thy journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them.
There were four things in and by which God showed himself reconciled to Israel and made them truly great and happy, and in which God's goodness took occasion from their badness to make him the more illustrious:—
I. He gave them his law, gave it to them in
writing, as a standing pledge of his favour. Though the tables that
were first written were broken, because Israel had broken the
commandments, and God might justly break the covenant, yet when his
anger was turned away the tables were renewed,
II. He led them forward towards Canaan,
though they in their hearts turned back towards Egypt, and he might
justly have chosen their delusions,
III. He appointed a standing ministry among
them, to deal for them in holy things. At that time when Moses went
up a second time to the mount, or soon after, he had orders to
separate the tribe of Levi to God, and to his immediate service,
they having distinguished themselves by their zeal against the
worshippers of the golden calf,
IV. He accepted Moses as an advocate or
intercessor for them, and therefore constituted him their prince
and leader (
12 And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13 To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? 14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. 15 Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: 18 He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. 19 Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. 21 He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen. 22 Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.
Here is a most pathetic exhortation to
obedience, inferred from the premises, and urged with very powerful
arguments and a great deal of persuasive rhetoric. Moses brings it
in like an orator, with an appeal to his auditors And now,
Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee?
I. We are here most plainly directed in our duty to God, to our neighbour, and to ourselves.
1. We are here taught our duty to God, both
in the dispositions and affections of our souls and in the actions
of our lives, our principles and our practices. (1.) We must
fear the Lord our God,
2. We are here taught our duty to our
neighbour (
3. We are here taught our duty to ourselves
(
II. We are here most pathetically persuaded to our duty. Let but reason rule us, and religion will.
1. Consider the greatness and glory of God,
and therefore fear him, and from that principle serve and obey him.
What is it that is thought to make a man great, but great honour,
power, and possessions? Think then how great the Lord our God is,
and greatly to be feared. (1.) He has great honour, a name above
every name. He is God of gods, and Lord of lords,
2. Consider the goodness and grace of God,
and therefore love him, and from that principle serve and obey him.
His goodness is his glory as much as his greatness. (1.) He is good
to all. Whomsoever he finds miserable, to them he will be found
merciful: He executes the judgment of the fatherless and
widow,
With this chapter Moses concludes his preface to
the repetition of the statutes and judgments which they must
observe to do. He repeats the general charge (
1 Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway. 2 And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm, 3 And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land; 4 And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord hath destroyed them unto this day; 5 And what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place; 6 And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel: 7 But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did.
Because God has made thee as the stars
of heaven for multitude (so the preceding chapter concludes),
therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God (so this begins).
Those whom God has built up into families, whose beginning was
small, but whose latter end greatly increases, should use that as
an argument with themselves why they should serve God. Thou shalt
keep his charge, that is, the oracles of his word and
ordinances of his worship, with which they were entrusted and for
which they were accountable. It is a phrase often used concerning
the office of the priests and Levites, for all Israel was a kingdom
of priests, a holy nation. Observe the connection of these two:
Thou shalt love the Lord and keep his charge, since
love will work in obedience, and that only is acceptable obedience
which flows from a principle of love.
Mention is made of the great and terrible
works of God which their eyes had seen,
8 Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; 9 And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey. 10 For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: 11 But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: 12 A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. 13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. 15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. 16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; 17 And then the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.
Still Moses urges the same subject, as loth to conclude till he had gained his point. "If thou wilt enter into life, if thou wilt enter into Canaan, a type of that life, and find it a good land indeed to thee, keep the commandments: Keep all the commandments which I command you this day; love God, and serve him with all your heart."
I. Because this was the way to get and keep
possession of the promised land. 1. It was the way to get
possession (
II. Because the land of Canaan, into which
they were going, had a more sensible dependence upon the blessing
of heaven than the land of Egypt had,
III. Because God would certainly bless them
with an abundance of all good things if they would love him and
serve him (
IV. Because their revolt from God to idols.
would certainly be their ruin: Take heed that your hearts be not
deceived,
18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: 21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. 22 For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; 23 Then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. 24 Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. 25 There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.
Here, I. Moses repeats the directions he
had given for the guidance and assistance of the people in their
obedience, and for the keeping up of religion among them (
II. He repeats the assurances he had before
given them, in God's name, of prosperity and success if they were
obedient. 1. They should have a happy settlement,
26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; 27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: 28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. 29 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal. 30 Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh? 31 For ye shall pass over Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein. 32 And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day.
Here Moses concludes his general exhortations to obedience; and his management is very affecting, and such as, one would think, should have engaged them for ever to God, and should have left impressions upon them never to be worn out.
I. He sums up all his arguments for
obedience in two words, the blessing and the curse
(
II. He appoints a public and solemn
proclamation to be made of the blessing and curse which he had set
before them, upon the two mountains of Gerizim and Ebal,
Moses at this chapter comes to the particular
statues which he had to give in charge to Israel, and he begins
with those which relate to the worship of God, and particularly
those which explain the second commandment, about which God is in a
special manner jealous. I. They must utterly destroy all relics and
remains of idolatry,
1 These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. 2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: 3 And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. 4 Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God.
From those great original truths, That
there is a God, and that there is but one God, arise those great
fundamental laws, That that God is to be worshipped, and he only,
and that therefore we are to have no other God before him: this is
the first commandment, and the second is a guard upon it, or a
hedge about it. To prevent a revolt to false gods, we are forbidden
to worship the true God in such a way and manner as the false gods
were worshipped in, and are commanded to observe the instituted
ordinances of worship that we may adhere to the proper object of
worship. For this reason Moses is very large in his exposition of
the second commandment. What is contained in this and the four
following chapters mostly refers to that. These are statutes and
judgments which they must observe to do (
I. They are here charged to abolish and
extirpate all those things that the Canaanites had served their
idol-gods with,
II. They are charged not to transfer the
rites and usages of idolaters into he worship of God; no, not under
colour of beautifying and improving it (
5 But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: 6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: 7 And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee. 8 Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes. 9 For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the Lord your God giveth you. 10 But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety; 11 Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord: 12 And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you. 13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest: 14 But in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee. 15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart. 16 Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water. 17 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand: 18 But thou must eat them before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto. 19 Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth. 20 When the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. 21 If the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the Lord hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. 22 Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike. 23 Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh. 24 Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water. 25 Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord. 26 Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the Lord shall choose: 27 And thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the Lord thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the Lord thy God, and thou shalt eat the flesh. 28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God. 29 When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; 30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. 31 Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. 32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
There is not any one particular precept (as
I remember) in all the law of Moses so largely pressed and
inculcated as this, by which they are all tied to bring their
sacrifices to that one altar which was set up in the court of the
tabernacle, and there to perform all the rituals of their religion;
for, as to moral services, then, no doubt, as now, men might pray
everywhere, as they did in their synagogues. The command to do
this, and the prohibition of the contrary, are here repeated again
and again, as we teach children: and yet we are sure that there is
in scripture no vain repetition; but all this stress is laid upon
it, 1. Because of the strange proneness there was in the hearts of
the people to idolatry and superstition, and the danger of their
being seduced by the many temptations which they would be
surrounded with. 2. Because of the great use which the observance
of this appointment would be of to them, both to prevent the
introducing of corrupt customs into their worship and to preserve
among them unity and brotherly love, that, meeting all in one
place, they might continue both of one way and of one heart. 3.
Because of the significancy of this appointment. They must keep to
one place, in token of their belief of those two great truths,
which we find together (
Let us now reduce this long charge to its proper heads.
I. It is here promised that when they were
settled in Canaan, when they had rest from their enemies, and
dwelt in safety, God would choose a certain place, which he
would appoint to be the centre of their unity, to which they should
bring all their offerings,
II. They are commanded to bring all their
burnt-offerings and sacrifices to this place that God would choose
(
III. They are commanded to feast upon their
hallowed things before the Lord, with holy joy. They must not only
bring to the altar the sacrifices which were to be offered to God,
but hey must bring to the place of the altar all those things which
they were appointed by the law to eat and drink, to the honour of
God, in token of their communion with him,
IV. They are commanded to be kind to the
Levites. Did they feast with joy? The Levites must feast with them,
and rejoice with them,
V. They are allowed to eat common flesh,
but not the flesh of their offerings, in their own houses, wherever
they dwelt. What was any way devoted to God they must not eat at
home,
VI. They are forbidden to keep up either their own corrupt usages in the wilderness or the corrupt usages of their predecessors in the land of Canaan.
1. They must not keep up those improper
customs which they had got into in the wilderness, and which were
connived at in consideration of the present unsettledness of their
condition (
2. They must not worship the Lord by any of
those rites or ceremonies which the notions of Canaan had made use
of in the service of their gods,
Moses is still upon that necessary subject
concerning the peril of idolatry. In the close of the foregoing
chapter he had cautioned them against the peril that might arise
from their predecessors the Canaanites. In this chapter he cautions
them against the rise of idolatry from among themselves; they must
take heed lest any should draw them to idolatry, I. By the pretence
of prophecy,
1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. 5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.
Here is, I. A very strange supposition,
II. Here is a very necessary charge given in this case,
1. Not to yield to the temptation: "Thou
shalt not hearken to the worlds of that prophet,
2. Not to spare the tempter,
6 If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; 7 Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; 8 Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: 9 But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. 10 And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 11 And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.
Further provision is made by this branch of the statute against receiving the infection of idolatry from those that are near and dear to us.
I. It is the policy of the tempter to send
his solicitations by the hand of those whom we love, whom we least
suspect of any ill design upon us, and whom we are desirous to
please and apt to conform ourselves to. The enticement here is
supposed to come from a brother or child that are near by nature,
from a wife or friend that are near by choice, and are to us as
our own souls,
II. It is our duty to prefer God and
religion before the best friends we have in the world. 1. We must
not, in complaisance to our friends, break God's law (
12 If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the Lord thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying, 13 Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; 14 Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; 15 Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. 16 And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the Lord thy God: and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall not be built again. 17 And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and show thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers; 18 When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord thy God.
Here the case is put of a city revolting from its allegiance to the God of Israel, and serving other gods.
I. The crime is supposed to be committed,
1. By one of the cities of Israel, that lay within the jurisdiction
of their courts. The church then judged those only that were
within,
II. The cause is ordered to be tried with a
great deal of care (
III. If the crime were proved, and the
criminals were incorrigible, the city was to be wholly destroyed.
If there were a few righteous men in it, no doubt they would remove
themselves and their families out of such a dangerous place, and
then all the inhabitants, men, women, and children, must be put to
the sword (
Moses in this chapter teaches them, I. To
distinguish themselves from their neighbours by a singularity, 1.
In their mourning,
1 Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. 2 For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. 3 Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. 4 These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, 5 The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. 6 And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat. 7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you. 8 And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase. 9 These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat: 10 And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you. 11 Of all clean birds ye shall eat. 12 But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, 13 And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind, 14 And every raven after his kind, 15 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, 16 The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, 17 And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant, 18 And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. 19 And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. 20 But of all clean fowls ye may eat. 21 Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
Moses here tells the people of Israel,
I. How God had dignified them, as a
peculiar people, with three distinguishing privileges, which were
their honour, and figures of those spiritual blessings in heavenly
things with which God has in Christ blessed us. 1. Here is
election: The Lord hath chosen thee,
II. How they ought to distinguish themselves by a sober singularity from all the nations that were about them. And, God having thus advanced them, let not them debase themselves by admitting the superstitious customs of idolaters, and, by making themselves like them, put themselves upon the level with them. Be you the children of the Lord your God; so the Seventy read it, as a command, that is, "Carry yourselves as becomes the children of God, and do nothing to disgrace the honour and forfeit the privileges of the relation." In two things particularly they must distinguish themselves:—
1. In their mourning: You shall not cut
yourselves,
2. They must be singular in their meat. Observe,
(1.) Many sorts of flesh which were
wholesome enough, and which other people did commonly eat, they
must religiously abstain from as unclean. This law we had before
(2.) Now as to all these precepts
concerning their food, [1.] It is plain in the law itself that they
belonged only to the Jews, and were not moral, nor of perpetual
use, because not of universal obligation; for what they might not
eat themselves they might give to a stranger, a proselyte of the
gate, that had renounced idolatry, and therefore was permitted to
live among them, though not circumcised; or they might sell it to
an alien, a mere Gentile, that came into their country for trade,
but might not settle it,
22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. 23 And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always. 24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: 25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: 26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, 27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. 28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: 29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.
We have here a part of the statute
concerning tithes. The productions of the ground were twice tithed,
so that, putting both together, a fifth part was devoted to God out
of their increase, and only four parts of five were for their own
common use; and they could not but own they paid an easy rent,
especially since God's part was disposed of to their own benefit
and advantage. The first tithe was for the maintenance of their
Levites, who taught them the good knowledge of God, and ministered
to them in holy things; this is supposed as anciently due, and is
entailed upon the Levites as an inheritance, by that law,
I. They are here charged to separate it,
and set it apart for God: Thou shalt truly tithe all the
increase of they seed,
II. They are here directed how to dispose of it when they had separated it. Let every man lay by as God prospers him and gives him success, and then let him lay out in pious uses as God gives him opportunity; and it will be the easier to lay out, and the proportion will be more satisfying, when first we have laid by. This second tithe may be disposed of,
1. In works of piety, for the first two
years after the year of release. They must bring it up, either in
kind or in the full value of it, to the place of the sanctuary, and
there must spend it in holy feasting before the Lord. If they could
do it with any convenience, they must bring it in kind (
2. Every third year this tithe must be
disposed of at home in works of charity (
In this chapter Moses gives orders, I. Concerning
the release of debts, every seventh year (
1 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. 2 And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the Lord's release. 3 Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release; 4 Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it: 5 Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day. 6 For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee. 7 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: 8 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. 9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee. 10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. 11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
Here is, I. A law for the relief of poor
debtors, such (we may suppose) as were insolvent. Every seventh
year was a year of release, in which the ground rested from being
tilled and servants were discharged from their services; and, among
other acts of grace, this was one, that those who had borrowed
money, and had not been able to pay it before, should this year be
released from it; and though, if they were able, they were
afterwards bound in conscience to repay it, yet thenceforth the
creditor should never recover it by law. Many good expositors think
it only forbids the exacting of the debt in the year of release,
because, no harvest being gathered in that year, it could not be
expected that men should pay their debts then, but that afterwards
it might be sued for and recovered: so that the release did not
extinguish the debt, but only stayed the process for a time. But
others think it was a release of the debt for ever, and this seems
more probable, yet under certain limitations expressed or implied.
It is supposed (
II. Here is a law in favour of poor
borrowers, that they might not suffer damage by the former law. Men
would be apt to argue, If the case of a man be so with his
debtor that if the debt be not paid before the year of release
it shall be lost, it were better not to lend. "No," says this
branch of the statute, "thou shalt not think such a thought." 1. It
is taken for granted that there would be poor among them, who would
have occasion to borrow (
III. Here is a command to give cheerfully
whatever we give in charity: "Thy heart shall not be grieved
when thou givest,
IV. Here is a promise of a recompence in
this life: "For this thing the Lord thy God shall bless
thee." Covetous people say "Giving undoes us;" no, giving
cheerfully in charity will enrich us, it will fill the barns
with plenty (
12 And if thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. 13 And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: 14 Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him. 15 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day. 16 And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee; 17 Then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise. 18 It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee; for he hath been worth a double hired servant to thee, in serving thee six years: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest.
Here is, I. A repetition of the law that
had been given concerning Hebrew servants who had sold themselves
for servants, or were sold by their parents through extreme
poverty, or were sold by the court of judgment for some crime
committed. The law was, 1. That they should serve but six years,
and in the seventh should go out free,
II. Here is an addition to this law,
requiring them to put some small stock into their servants' hands
to set up with for themselves, when they sent them out of their
service,
19 All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep. 20 Thou shalt eat it before the Lord thy God year by year in the place which the Lord shall choose, thou and thy household. 21 And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the Lord thy God. 22 Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart. 23 Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water.
Here is, 1. A repetition of the law
concerning the firstlings of their cattle, that, if they were
males, they were to be sanctified to the Lord (
In this chapter we have, I. A repetition of the
laws concerning the three yearly feasts; in particular, that of the
passover,
1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the Lord thy God: for in the month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. 2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the Lord thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the Lord shall choose to place his name there. 3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. 4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning. 5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee: 6 But at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. 7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. 8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work therein. 9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. 10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: 11 And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there. 12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes. 13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: 14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. 15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose: because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice. 16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty: 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.
Much of the communion between God and his people Israel was kept up, and a face of religion preserved in the nation, by the three yearly feasts, the institution of which, and the laws concerning them, we have several times met with already; and here they are repeated.
I. The law of the passover, so great a
solemnity that it made the whole month, in the midst of which it
was placed, considerable: Observe the month Abib,
II. Seven weeks after the passover the
feast of pentecost was to be observed, concerning which they are
here directed, 1. Whence to number their seven weeks, from the
time thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn (
III. They must keep the feast of
tabernacles,
IV. The laws concerning the three solemn
feasts are summed up (
18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. 20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou shalt make thee. 22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the Lord thy God hateth.
Here is, I. Care taken for the due
administration of justice among them, that controversies might be
determined, matters in variance adjusted, the injured redressed,
and the injurious punished. While they were encamped in the
wilderness, they had judges and officers according to their
numbers, rulers of thousands and hundreds,
II. Care taken for the preventing of all
conformity to the idolatrous customs of the heathen,
The charge of this chapter is, I. Concerning the
purity and perfection of all those animals that were offered in
sacrifice,
1 Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the Lord thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the Lord thy God. 2 If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord thy God, in transgressing his covenant, 3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; 4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel: 5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die. 6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. 7 The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.
Here is, I. A law for preserving the honour
of God's worship, by providing that no creature that had any
blemish should be offered in sacrifice to him,
II. A law for the punishing of those that
worshipped false gods. It was made a capital crime to seduce others
to idolatry (
1. What the crime was against which this
law was levelled, serving or worshipping other gods,
2. How it must be tried. Upon information
given of it, or any ground of suspicion that any person whatsoever,
man or woman, had served other gods, (1.) Enquiry must be made,
3. What sentence must be passed and
executed. So great a punishment as death, so great a death as
stoning, must be inflicted on the idolater, whether man or woman,
for the infirmity of the weaker sex would be no excuse,
8 If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose; 9 And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment: 10 And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall show thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee: 11 According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall show thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. 12 And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. 13 And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
Courts of judgment were ordered to be
erected in every city (
14 When thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; 15 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. 16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. 17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. 18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
After the laws which concerned subjects fitly followed the laws which concern kings; for those that rule others must themselves remember that they are under command. Here are laws given,
I. To the electors of the empire, what
rules they must go by in making their choice,
II. Laws are here given to the prince that should be elected for the due administration of the government.
1. He must carefully avoid every thing that
would divert him from God and religion. Riches, honours, and
pleasures are the three great hindrances of godliness (the lusts
of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life),
especially to those in high stations: against these therefore the
king is here warned. (1.) He must not gratify the love of honour by
multiplying horses,
2. He must carefully apply himself to the law of God, and make that his rule. This must be to him better than all riches, honours, and pleasures, than many horses or many wives, better than thousands of gold and silver.
(1.) He must write himself a copy of the
law out of the original, which was in the custody of the priests
that attended the sanctuary,
(2.) Having a Bible by him of his own
writing, he must not think it enough to keep it in his cabinet, but
he must read therein all the days of his life,
(3.) His writing and reading were all
nothing if he did not reduce to practice what he wrote and read,
In this chapter, I. The rights and revenues of the
church are settled, and rules given concerning the Levites'
ministration and maintenance,
1 The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and his inheritance. 2 Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the Lord is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them. 3 And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. 4 The firstfruits also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him. 5 For the Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever. 6 And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the Lord shall choose; 7 Then he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, which stand there before the Lord. 8 They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony.
Magistracy and ministry are two divine institutions of admirable use for the support and advancement of the kingdom of God among men. Laws concerning the former we had in the close of the foregoing chapter, directions are in this given concerning the latter. Land-marks are here set between the estates of the priests and those of the people.
I. Care is taken that the priests entangle
not themselves with the affairs of this life, nor enrich themselves
with the wealth of this world; they have better things to mind.
They shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel, that
is, no share either in the spoils taken in war or in the land that
was to be divided by lot,
II. Care is likewise taken that they want not any of the comforts and conveniences of this life. Though God, who is a Spirit, is their inheritance, it does not therefore follow that they must live upon the air; no,
1. The people must provide for them. They
must have their due from the people,
2. The priests must not themselves stand in
one another's light. If a priest that by the law was obliged to
serve at the altar only in his turn, and was paid for that, should,
out of his great affection to the sanctuary, devote himself to a
constant attendance there, and quit the ease and pleasure of the
city in which he had his lot for the satisfaction of serving the
altar, the priests whose turn it was to attend must admit him both
to join in the work and to share in the wages, and not grudge him
either the honour of the one or the profit of the other, though it
might seem to break in upon them,
9 When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. 13 Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God. 14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.
One would not think there had been so much
need as it seems there was to arm the people of Israel against the
infection of the idolatrous customs of the Canaanites. Was it
possible that a people so blessed with divine institutions should
ever admit the brutish and barbarous inventions of men and devils?
Were they in any danger of making those their tutors and directors
in religion whom God had made their captives and tributaries? It
seems they were in danger, and therefore, after many similar
cautions, they are here charged not to do after the abominations of
those nations,
I. Some particulars are specified; as, 1.
The consecrating of their children to Moloch, an idol that
represented the sun, by making them to pass through the
fire, and sometimes consuming them as sacrifices in the fire,
II. Some reasons are given against their
conformity to the customs of the Gentiles. 1. Because it would make
them abominable to God. The things themselves being hateful to him,
those that do them are an abomination; and miserable is that
creature that has become odious to its Creator,
15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16 According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17 And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. 18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. 20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. 21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
Here is, I. The promise of the great prophet, with a command to receive him, and hearken to him. Now,
1. Some think it is the promise of a
succession of prophets, that should for many ages be kept up in
Israel. Besides the priests and Levites, their ordinary ministers,
whose office it was to teach Jacob God's law, they should have
prophets, extraordinary ministers, to reprove them for their
faults, remind them of their duty, and foretel things to come,
judgments for warning and deliverances for their comfort. Having
these prophets, (1.) They need not use divinations, nor consult
with familiar spirits, for they might enquire of God's prophets
even concerning their private affairs, as Saul did when he was in
quest of his father's asses,
2. Whether a succession of prophets be
included in this promise or not, we are sure that it is primarily
intended as a promise of Christ, and it is the clearest promise of
him that is in all the law of Moses. It is expressly applied to our
Lord Jesus as the Messiah promised (
(1.) What it is that is here promised
concerning Christ. What God promised Moses at Mount Sinai (which he
relates,
(2.) The agreeableness of this designed
dispensation to the people's avowed choice and desire at Mount
Sinai,
(3.) A charge and command given to all
people to hear and believe, hear and obey, this great prophet here
promised: Unto him you shall hearken (
II. Here is a caution against false
prophets, 1. By way of threatening against the pretenders
themselves,
The laws which Moses had hitherto been repeating
and urging mostly concerned the acts of religion and devotion
towards God; but here he comes more fully to press the duties of
righteousness between man and man. This chapter relates, I. To the
sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill,"
1 When the Lord thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses; 2 Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it. 3 Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither. 4 And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past; 5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: 6 Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. 7 Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee. 8 And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers; 9 If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the Lord thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three: 10 That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. 11 But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities: 12 Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13 Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.
It was one of the precepts given to the
sons of Noah that whoso sheddeth man's blood by man shall his
blood be shed, that is, by the avenger of blood,
I. That the cities of refuge should be a
protection to him that slew another casually, so that he should not
die for that as a crime which was not his voluntary act, but only
his unhappiness. The appointment of these cities of refuge we had
before (
1. The appointing of three cities in Canaan
for this purpose. Moses had already appointed three on that side
Jordan which he saw the conquest of; and now he bids them, when
they should be settled in the other part of the country, to appoint
three more,
2. The use to be made of these cities,
3. The appointing of three cities more for
this use in case God should hereafter enlarge their territories and
the dominion of their religion, that all those places which came
under the government of the law of Moses in other instances might
enjoy the benefit of that law in this instance,
II. It is provided that the cities of
refuge should be no sanctuary or shelter to a wilful murderer, but
even thence he should be fetched, and delivered to the avenger of
blood,
14 Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it. 15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. 16 If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; 17 Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; 18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; 19 Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. 20 And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. 21 And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Here is a statute for the preventing of frauds and perjuries; for the divine law takes care of men's rights and properties, and has made a hedge about them. Such a friend is it to human society and men's civil interest.
I. A law against frauds,
II. A law against perjuries, which enacts
two things:—1. That a single witness should never be admitted to
give evidence in a criminal cause, so as that sentence should be
passed upon his testimony,
This chapter settles the militia, and establishes
the laws and ordinances of war, I. Relating to the soldiers. 1.
Those must be encouraged that were drawn up to battle,
1 When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 2 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, 3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; 4 For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. 5 And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. 6 And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it. 7 And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her. 8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart. 9 And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.
Israel was at this time to be considered rather as a camp than as a kingdom, entering upon an enemy's country, and not yet settled in a country of their own; and, besides the war they were now entering upon in order to their settlement, even after their settlement they could neither protect nor enlarge their coast without hearing the alarms of war. It was therefore needful that they should have directions given them in their military affairs; and in these verses they are directed in managing, marshalling, and drawing up their own forces. And it is observable that the discipline of war here prescribed is so far from having any thing in it harsh or severe, as is usual in martial law, that the intent of the whole is, on the contrary, to encourage the soldiers, and to make their service easy to them.
I. Those that were disposed to fight must be encouraged and animated against their fears.
1. Moses here gives a general
encouragement, which the leaders and commanders in the war must
take to themselves: "Be not afraid of them,
2. This encouragement must be particularly
addressed to the common soldiers by a priest appointed, and, the
Jews say, anointed, for that purpose, whom they call the
anointed of the war, a very proper title for our anointed
Redeemer, the captain of our salvation: This priest, in God's name,
was to animate the people; and who so fit to do that as he whose
office it was as priest to pray for them? For the best
encouragements arise from the precious promises made to the prayer
of faith. This priest must, (1.) Charge them not to be afraid
(
II. Those that were indisposed to fight must be discharged, whether the indisposition did arise,
1. From the circumstances of a man's
outward condition; as, (1.) If he had lately built or purchased a
new house, and had not taken possession of it, had not dedicated it
(
2. If a man's indisposition to fight arose
from the weakness and timidity of his own spirit, he had leave to
return from the war,
III. It is here ordered that, when all the
cowards were dismissed, then captains should be nominated
(
10 When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. 11 And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee. 12 And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it: 13 And when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: 14 But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given thee. 15 Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations. 16 But of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: 17 But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee: 18 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the Lord your God. 19 When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege: 20 Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.
They are here directed what method to take
in dealing with the cities (these only are mentioned,
I. Even to the proclamation of war must be
subjoined a tender of peace, if they would accept of it upon
reasonable terms. That is (say the Jewish writers), "upon condition
that they renounce idolatry, worship the God of Israel, as
proselytes of the gate that were not circumcised, pay to their new
masters a yearly tribute, and submit to their government:" on these
terms the process of war should be stayed, and their conquerors,
upon this submission, were to be their protectors,
II. If the offers of peace were not
accepted, then they must proceed to push on the war. And let those
to whom God offers peace know that if they reject the offer, and
take not the benefit of it within the time limited, judgment will
rejoice against mercy in the execution as much as now mercy
rejoices against judgment in the reprieve. In this case, 1. There
is a promise implied that they should be victorious. It is taken
for granted that the Lord their God would deliver it into their
hands,
III. The nations of Canaan are excepted
from the merciful provisions made by this law. Remnants might be
left of the cities that were very far off (
IV. Care is here taken that in the
besieging of cities there should not be any destruction made of
fruit-trees,
In this chapter provision is made, I. For the
putting away of the guilt of blood from the land, when he that shed
it had fled from justice,
1 If one be found slain in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him: 2 Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain: 3 And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke; 4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley: 5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried: 6 And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley: 7 And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. 8 Be merciful, O Lord, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them. 9 So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord.
Care had been taken by some preceding laws
for the vigorous and effectual persecution of a wilful murderer
(
I. The case supposed is that one is
found slain, and it is not known who slew him,
II. Directions are given concerning what is to be done in this case. Observe,
1. It is taken for granted that a diligent
search had been made for the murderer, witnesses examined, and
circumstances strictly enquired into, that if possible they might
find out the guilty person; but if, after all, they could not trace
it out, not fasten the charge upon any, then, (1.) The elders of
the next city (that had a court of three and twenty in it) were
to concern themselves about this matter. If it were doubtful which
city was next, the great sanhedrim were to send commissioners to
determine that matter by an exact measure,
2. This solemnity was appointed, (1.) That
it might give occasion to common and public discourse concerning
the murder, which perhaps might some way or other occasion the
discovery of it. (2.) That it might possess people with a dread of
the guilt of blood, which defiles not only the conscience of him
that sheds it (this should engage us all to pray with David,
Deliver me from blood—guiltiness), but the land in which it
is shed; it cries to the magistrate for justice on the criminal,
and, if that cry be not heard, it cries to heaven for judgment on
the land. If there must be so much care employed to save the land
from guilt when the murderer was not known, it was certainly
impossible to secure it from guilt if the murderer was known and
yet protected. All would be taught, by this solemnity, to use their
utmost care and diligence to prevent, discover, and punish murder.
Even the heathen mariners dreaded the guilt of blood,
10 When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, 11 And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; 12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; 13 And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife. 14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.
By this law a soldier is allowed to marry his captive if he pleased. For the hardness of their hearts Moses gave them this permission, lest, if they had not had liberty given them to marry such, they should have taken liberty to defile themselves with them, and by such wickedness the camp would have been troubled. The man is supposed to have a wife already, and to take this wife for a secondary wife, as the Jews called them. This indulgence of men's inordinate desires, in which their hearts walked after their eyes, is by no means agreeable to the law of Christ, which therefore in this respect, among others, far exceeds in glory the law of Moses. The gospel permits not him that has one wife to take another, for from the beginning it was not so. The gospel forbids looking upon a woman, though a beautiful one, to lust after her, and commands the mortifying and denying of all irregular desires, though it be as uneasy as the cutting off of a right hand; so much does our holy religion, more than that of the Jews, advance the honour and support the dominion of the soul over the body, the spirit over the flesh, consonant to the glorious discovery it makes of life and immortality, and the better hope.
But, though military men were allowed this liberty, yet care is here taken that they should not abuse it, that is,
I. That they should not abuse themselves by
doing it too hastily, though the captive was ever so desirable:
"If thou wouldest have her to thy wife (
II. That they should not abuse the poor
captive. 1. She must have time to bewail her father and
mother, from whom she was separated, and without whose consent
and blessing she is now likely to be married, and perhaps to a
common soldier of Israel, though in her country ever so nobly born
and bred. To force a marriage till these sorrows were digested, and
in some measure got over, and she was better reconciled to the land
of her captivity by being better acquainted with it, would be very
unkind. She must not bewail her idols, but be glad to part with
them; to her near and dear relations only her affection must be
thus indulged. 2. If, upon second thoughts, he that had brought her
to his house with a purpose to marry her changed his mind and would
not marry her, he might not make merchandise of her, as of his
other prisoners, but must give her liberty to return, if she
pleased, to her own country, because he had humbled her and
afflicted her, by raising expectations and then disappointing them
(
15 If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: 16 Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: 17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.
This law restrains men from disinheriting their eldest sons out of mere caprice, and without just provocation.
I. The case here put (
II. The law in this case is still binding
on parents; they must give their children their right without
partiality. In the case supposed, the eldest son, though the son of
the less-beloved wife, must have his birthright privilege, which
was a double portion of the father's estate, because he was the
beginning of his strength that is, in him his family began to be
strengthened and his quiver began to be filled with the arrows
of a mighty man (
18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: 19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. 21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. 22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: 23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
Here is, I. A law for the punishing of a rebellious son. Having in the former law provided that parents should not deprive their children of their right, it was fit that it should next be provided that children withdraw not the honour and duty which are owing to their parents, for there is no partiality in the divine law. Observe,
1. How the criminal is here described. He
is a stubborn and rebellious son,
2. How this criminal is to be proceeded
against. His own father and mother are to be his prosecutors,
3. What judgment is to be executed upon
him: he must publicly stoned to death by the men of his
city,
II. A law for the burying of the bodies of
malefactors that were hanged,
The laws of this chapter provide, I. For the
preservation of charity and good neighbourship, in the care of
strayed or fallen cattle,
1 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother. 2 And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again. 3 In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother's, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself. 4 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
The kindness that was commanded to be shown
in reference to an enemy (
5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God. 6 If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: 7 But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days. 8 When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence. 9 Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled. 10 Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. 11 Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together. 12 Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.
Here are several laws in these verses which seem to stoop very low, and to take cognizance of things mean and minute. Men's laws commonly do not so: De minimis non curat lex—The law takes no cognizance of little things; but because God's providence extends itself to the smallest affairs, his precepts do so, that even in them we may be in the fear of the Lord, as we are under his eye and care. And yet the significancy and tendency of these statutes, which seem little, are such that, notwithstanding their minuteness, being fond among the things of God's law, which he has written to us, they are to be accounted great things.
I. The distinction of sexes by the apparel
is to be kept up, for the preservation of our own and our
neighbour's chastity,
II. In taking a bird's-nest, the dam must
be let go,
III. In building a house, care must be
taken to make it safe, that none might receive mischief by falling
from it,
IV. Odd mixtures are here forbidden,
V. The law concerning fringes upon their
garments, and memorandums of the commandments, which we had before
(
13 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, 14 And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: 15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: 16 And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; 17 And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. 18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; 19 And they shall amerce him in a hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days. 20 But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: 21 Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you. 22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel. 23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; 24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you. 25 But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: 26 But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter: 27 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her. 28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; 29 Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days. 30 A man shall not take his father's wife, nor discover his father's skirt.
These laws relate to the seventh commandment, laying a restraint by laying a penalty upon those fleshly lusts which war against the soul.
I. If a man, lusting after another woman,
to get rid of his wife slander her and falsely accuse her, as not
having the virginity she pretended to when he married her, upon the
disproof of his slander he must be punished,
II. If the woman that was married as a
virgin was not found to be one she was to be stoned to death at her
father's door,
III. If any man, single or married, lay
with a married woman, they were both to be put to death,
IV. If a damsel were betrothed and not
married, she was from under the eye of her intended husband, and
therefore she and her chastity were taken under the special
protection of the law. 1. If her chastity were violated by her own
consent, she was to be put to death, and her adulterer with her,
V. If a damsel not betrothed were thus
abused by violence, he that abused her should be fined, the father
should have the fine, and, if he and the damsel did consent, he
should be bound to marry her, and never to divorce her, how much
soever she was below him, and how unpleasing soever she might
afterwards be to him, as Tamar was to Amnon after he had forced
her,
VI. The law against a man's marrying his
father's widow, or having any undue familiarity with his father's
wife, is here repeated (
The laws of this chapter provide, I. For the
preserving of the purity and honour of the families of Israel, by
excluding such as would be a disgrace to them,
1 He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord. 2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord. 3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever: 4 Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee. 5 Nevertheless the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee. 6 Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever. 7 Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land. 8 The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the Lord in their third generation.
Interpreters are not agreed what is here
meant by entering into the congregation of the Lord, which
is here forbidden to eunuchs and to bastards, Ammonites and
Moabites, for ever, but to Edomites and Egyptians only till the
third generation. 1. Some think they are hereby excluded from
communicating with the people of God in their religious services.
Though eunuchs and bastards were owned as members of the church,
and the Ammonites and Moabites might be circumcised and proselyted
to the Jewish religion, yet they and their families must lie for
some time under marks of disgrace, remembering the rock whence they
were hewn, and must not come so near the sanctuary as others might,
nor have so free a communion with Israelites. 2. Others think they
are hereby excluded from bearing office in the congregation: none
of these must be elders or judges, lest the honour of the
magistracy should thereby be stained. 3. Others think they are
excluded only from marrying with Israelites. Thus the learned
bishop Patrick inclines to understand it; yet we find that when
this law was put in execution after the captivity they separated
from Israel, not only the strange wives, but all the mixed
multitude, see
It is plain, in general, that disgrace is here put,
I. Upon bastards and eunuchs,
II. Upon Ammonites and Moabites, the
posterity of Lot, who, for his outward convenience, had separated
himself from Abraham,
III. The Edomites and Egyptians had not so
deep a mark of displeasure put upon them as the Moabites and
Ammonites had. If an Edomite or Egyptian turned proselyte, his
grand-children should be looked upon as members of the congregation
of the Lord to all intents and purposes,
9 When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing. 10 If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp: 11 But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again. 12 Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad: 13 And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee: 14 For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
Israel was now encamped, and this vast army was just entering upon action, which was likely to keep them together for a long time, and therefore it was fit to give them particular directions for the good ordering of their camp. And the charge is in one word to be clean. They must take care to keep their camp pure from moral, ceremonial, and natural pollution.
I. From moral pollution (
II. From ceremonial pollution, which might
befal a person when unconscious of it, for which he was bound to
wash his flesh in water, and look upon himself as unclean until
the evening,
III. From natural pollution; the camp of
the Lord must have nothing offensive in it,
15 Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee: 16 He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him. 17 There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. 18 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the Lord thy God. 19 Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury: 20 Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. 22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. 23 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth. 24 When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel. 25 When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn.
Orders are here given about five several things which have no relation one to another:—
I. The land of Israel is here made a
sanctuary, or city of refuge, for servants that were wronged and
abused by their masters, and fled thither for shelter from the
neighbouring countries,
II. The land of Israel must be no shelter
for the unclean; no whore, no Sodomite, must be suffered to live
among them (
III. The matter of usury is here settled,
IV. The performance of the vows wherewith
we have bound our souls is here required; and it is a branch of the
law of nature,
V. Allowance is here given, when they
passed through a cornfield or vineyard, to pluck and eat of the
corn or grapes that grew by the road-side, whether it was done for
necessity or delight, only they must carry none away with them,
In this chapter we have, I. The toleration of
divorce,
1 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. 3 And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; 4 Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
This is that permission which the Pharisees
erroneously referred to as a precept,
5 When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken. 6 No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man's life to pledge. 7 If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you. 8 Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do. 9 Remember what the Lord thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt. 10 When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. 11 Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee. 12 And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: 13 In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God.
Here is, I. Provision made for the
preservation and confirmation of love between new-married people,
II. A law against man-stealing,
III. A memorandum concerning the leprosy,
IV. Some necessary orders given about
pledges for the security of money lent. They are not forbidden to
take such securities as would save the lender from loss, and oblige
the borrower to be honest; but, 1. They must not take the millstone
for a pledge (
14 Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates: 15 At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee. 16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. 17 Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge: 18 But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing. 19 When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. 20 When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. 21 When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. 22 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.
Here, I. Masters are commanded to be just
to their poor servants,
II. Magistrates and judges are commanded to
be just in their administrations. 1. In those which we call
pleas of the crown a standing rule is here given, that
the fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the
children for the fathers,
III. The rich are commanded to be kind and
charitable to the poor. Many ways they are ordered to be so by the
law of Moses. The particular instance of charity here prescribed is
that they should not be greedy in gathering in their corn, and
grapes, and olives, so as to be afraid of leaving any behind them,
but be willing to overlook some, and let the poor have the
gleanings,
Here is, I. A law to moderate the scourging of
malefactors,
1 If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked. 2 And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number. 3 Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee. 4 Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.
Here is, I. A direction to the judges in
scourging malefactors,
II. A charge to husbandmen not to hinder
their cattle from eating when they were working, if meat were
within their reach,
5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her. 6 And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. 7 And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother. 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her; 9 Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house. 10 And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed. 11 When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets: 12 Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her.
Here is, I. The law settled concerning the
marrying of the brother's widow. It appears from the story of
Judah's family that this had been an ancient usage (
II. A law for the punishing of an immodest
woman,
13 Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small. 14 Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small. 15 But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 16 For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the Lord thy God. 17 Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; 18 How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. 19 Therefore it shall be, when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.
Here is, I. A law against deceitful weights
and measures: they must not only not use them, but they must not
have them, not have them in the bag, not have them in the house
(
II. A law for the rooting out of Amalek. Here is a just weight and a just measure, that, as Amalek had measured to Israel, so it should be measure to Amalek again.
1. The mischief Amalek did to Israel must
be here remembered,
2. This mischief must in due time be
revenged,
With this chapter Moses concludes the particular
statutes which he thought fit to give Israel in charge at his
parting with them; what follows is by way of sanction and
ratification. In this chapter, I. Moses gives them a form of
confession to be made by him that offered the basket of his
first-fruits,
1 And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; 2 That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there. 3 And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the Lord thy God, that I am come unto the country which the Lord sware unto our fathers for to give us. 4 And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God. 5 And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: 6 And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: 7 And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression: 8 And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: 9 And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. 10 And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God: 11 And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.
Here is, I. A good work ordered to be done,
and that is the presenting of a basket of their first-fruits to God
every year,
II. Good words put into their mouths to be
said in the doing of this good work, as an explication of the
meaning of this ceremony, that it might be a reasonable service.
The offerer must begin his acknowledgment before he delivered his
basket to the priest, and then must go on with it, when the priest
had set down the basket before the altar, as a present to God their
great landlord,
1. He must begin with a receipt in full for
the good land which God had given them (
2. He must remember and own the mean origin
of that nation of which he was a member. How great soever they were
now, and he himself with them, their beginning was very small,
which ought thus to be kept in mind throughout all the ages of
their church by this public confession, that they might not be
proud of their privileges and advantages, but might for ever be
thankful to that God whose grace chose them when they were so low
and raised them so high. Two things they must own for this
purpose:—(1.) The meanness of their common ancestor: A Syrian
ready to perish was my father,
3. He must thankfully acknowledge God's
great goodness, not only to himself in particular, but to Israel in
general. (1.) In bringing them out of Egypt,
4. He must offer to God his basket of
first-fruits (
III. The offerer is here appointed, when he
has finished the service, 1. To give glory to God: Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God. His first-fruits were not accepted
without further acts of adoration. A humble, reverent, thankful
heart is that which God looks at and requires, and, without this,
all we can put in a basket will not avail. If a man would give
all the substance of his house to be excused from this, or in
lieu of it, it would utterly be contemned. 2. To take the
comfort of it to himself and family: Thou shalt rejoice in every
good thing,
12 When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled; 13 Then thou shalt say before the Lord thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them: 14 I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean use, nor given ought thereof for the dead: but I have hearkened to the voice of the Lord my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me. 15 Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
Concerning the disposal of their tithe the
third year we had the law before,
I. They must make a solemn protestation to
this purport,
II. To this solemn protestation they must
add a solemn prayer (
16 This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. 17 Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice: 18 And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; 19 And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken.
Two things Moses here urges to enforce all
these precepts:—1. That they were the commands of God,
Moses having very largely and fully set before the
people their duty, both to God and one another, in general and in
particular instances,—having shown them plainly what is good, and
what the law requires of them,—and having in the close of the
foregoing chapter laid them under the obligation both of the
command and the covenant, he comes in this chapter to prescribe
outward means, I. For the helping of their memories, that they
might not forget the law as a strange thing. They must write all
the words of this law upon stones,
1 And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you this day. 2 And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaster them with plaster: 3 And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee. 4 Therefore it shall be when ye be gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaster them with plaster. 5 And there shalt thou build an altar unto the Lord thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them. 6 Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God of whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord thy God: 7 And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the Lord thy God. 8 And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly. 9 And Moses and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God. 10 Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day.
Here is, I. A general charge to the people
to keep God's commandments; for in vain did they know them, unless
they would do them. This is pressed upon them, 1. With all
authority. Moses with the elders of Israel, the rulers of
each tribe (
II. A particular direction to them with
great solemnity to register the words of this law, as soon
as they came into Canaan. It was to be done but once, and at their
entrance into the land of promise, in token of their taking
possession of it under the several provisos and conditions
contained in this law. There was a solemn ratification of the
covenant between God and Israel at Mount Sinai, when an altar was
erected, with twelve pillars, and the book of the covenant was
produced,
1. They must set up a monument on which
they must write the words of this law. (1.) The monument
itself was to be very mean, only rough unhewn stone plastered over;
not polished marble or alabaster, nor brass tables, but common
plaster upon stone,
2. They must also set up an altar. By the
words of the law which were written upon the plaster, God spoke
to them; by the altar, and the sacrifices offered upon it, they
spoke to God; and thus was communion kept up between them and God.
The word and prayer must go together. Though they might not, of
their own heads, set up any altar besides that at the tabernacle,
yet, by the appointment of God, they might upon a special
occasion. Elijah built a temporary altar of twelve unhewn stones,
similar to this, when he brought Israel back to the covenant which
was now made,
11 And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, 12 These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin: 13 And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14 And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice, 15 Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen. 16 Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. 17 Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen. 18 Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen. 19 Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen. 20 Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife; because he uncovereth his father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen. 21 Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen. 22 Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. 23 Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen. 24 Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen. 25 Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen. 26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.
When the law was written, to be seen and
read by all men, the sanctions of it were to be published,
which, to complete the solemnity of their covenanting with God,
they were deliberately to declare their approbation of. This they
were before directed to do (
I. Something is to be observed, in general,
concerning this solemnity, which was to be done, but once and not
repeated, but would be talked of to posterity,. 1. God appointed
which tribes should stand upon Mount Gerizim and which on Mount
Ebal (
II. Let us now observe what are the particular sins against which the curses are here denounced.
1. Sins against the second commandment.
This flaming sword is set to keep that commandment first,
2. Against the fifth commandment,
3. Against the eighth commandment. The
curse of God is here fastened, (1.) Upon an unjust neighbour that
removes the land-marks,
4. Against the seventh commandment. Incest
is a cursed sin, with a sister, a father's wife, or a
mother-in-law,
5. Against the sixth commandment. Two of
the worst kinds of murder are here specified:—(1.) Murder unseen,
when a man does not set upon his neighbour as a fair adversary,
giving him an opportunity to defend himself, but smites him
secretly (
6. The solemnity concludes with a general
curse upon him that confirmeth not, or, as it might be read,
that performeth not, all the words of this law to do them,
This chapter is a very large exposition of two
words in the foregoing chapter, the blessing and the curse. Those
were pronounced blessed in general that were obedient, and those
cursed that were disobedient; but, because generals are not so
affecting, Moses here descends to particulars, and describes the
blessing and the curse, not in their fountains (these are out of
sight, and therefore the most considerable, yet least considered,
the favour of God the spring of all the blessings, and the wrath of
God the spring of all the curses), but in their streams, the
sensible effects of the blessing and the curse, for they are real
things and have real effects. I. He describes the blessings that
should come upon them if they were obedient; personal, family, and
especially national, for in that capacity especially they are here
treated with,
1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. 3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. 6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 7 The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. 8 The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 9 The Lord shall establish thee a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. 10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. 11 And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee. 12 The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. 13 And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: 14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
The blessings are here put before the curses, to intimate, 1. That God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy: he has said it, and sworn, that he would much rather we would obey and live than sin and die. It is his delight to bless. 2. That though both the promises and the threatenings are designed to bring and hold us to our duty, yet it is better that we be allured to that which is good by a filial hope of God's favour than that we be frightened to it by a servile fear of his wrath. That obedience pleases best which comes from a principle of delight in God's goodness. Now,
I. We have here the conditions upon which
the blessing is promised. 1. It is upon condition that they
diligently hearken to the voice of God (
II. The particulars of this blessing.
1. It is promised that the providence of
God should prosper them in all their outward concerns. These
blessings are said to overtake them,
(1.) Several things are enumerated in which
God by his providence would bless them:—[1.] They should be safe
and easy; a blessing should rest upon their persons wherever they
were, in the city, or in the field,
(2.) From the whole we learn (though it
were well if men would believe it) that religion and piety are the
best friends to outward prosperity. Though temporal blessings do
not take up so much room in the promises of the New Testament as
they do in those of the Old, yet it is enough that our Lord Jesus
has given us his word (and surely we may take his word) that if we
seek first the kingdom of God, and the righteousness thereof,
all other things shall be added to us, as far as Infinite
Wisdom sees good; and who can desire them further?
2. It is likewise promised that the grace
of God should establish them a holy people,
15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: 16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 19 Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 20 The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. 21 The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. 22 The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. 23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. 24 The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. 25 The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away. 27 The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. 28 The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: 29 And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee. 30 Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build a house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. 31 Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them. 32 Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand. 33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: 34 So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. 35 The Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head. 36 The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. 37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee. 38 Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. 39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. 40 Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit. 41 Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. 42 All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. 43 The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. 44 He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
Having viewed the bright side of the cloud, which is towards the obedient, we have now presented to us the dark side, which is towards the disobedient. If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which is as comprehensive of all misery as the blessing is of all happiness. Observe,
I. The equity of this curse. It is not a
curse causeless, nor for some light cause; God seeks not occasion
against us, nor is he apt to quarrel with us. That which is here
mentioned as bringing the curse is, 1. Despising God, refusing to
hearken to his voice (
II. The extent and efficacy of this curse.
1. In general, it is declared, "All
these curses shall come upon thee from above, and shall
overtake thee; though thou endeavour to escape them, it is to
no purpose to attempt it, they shall follow thee whithersoever thou
goest, and seize thee, overtake thee, and overcome thee,"
2. Many particular judgments are here
enumerated, which would be the fruits of the curse, and with which
God would punish the people of the Jews for their apostasy and
disobedience. These judgments threatened are of divers kinds, for
God has many arrows in his quiver, four sore judgments
(
45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: 46 And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. 47 Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; 48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. 49 The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; 50 A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the young: 51 And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. 52 And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee. 53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: 54 So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: 55 So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. 56 The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, 57 And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates. 58 If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; 59 Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. 60 Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. 61 Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. 62 And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the Lord thy God. 63 And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. 64 And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. 65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: 66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: 67 In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. 68 And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
One would have thought that enough had been
said to possess them with a dread of that wrath of God which
is revealed from heaven against the ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men. But to show how deep the treasures of
that wrath are, and that still there is more and worse behind,
Moses, when one would have thought that he had concluded this
dismal subject, begins again, and adds to this roll of curses many
similar words: as Jeremiah did to his,
I. What is here said in general of the wrath of God, which should light and lie upon them for their sins.
1. That, if they would not be ruled by
the commands of God, they should certainly be ruined by his
curse,
2. That, if they would not serve God with
cheerfulness, they should be compelled to serve their
enemies (
3. That, if they would not give glory to
God by a reverential obedience, he would get him honour upon
them by wonderful plagues,
II. How the destruction threatened is
described. Moses is here upon the same melancholy subject that our
Saviour is discoursing of to his disciples in his farewell sermon
(
1. Five things are here foretold as steps to their ruin:—
(1.) That they should be invaded by a
foreign enemy (
(2.) That the country should be laid waste,
and all the fruits of it eaten up by this army of foreigners, which
is the natural consequence of an invasion, especially when it is
made, as that by the Romans was, for the chastisement of rebels: He
shall eat the fruits of thy cattle and land (
(3.) That their cities should be besieged,
and that such would be the obstinacy of the besieged, and such the
vigour of the besiegers, that they would be reduced to the last
extremity, and at length fall into the hands of the enemy,
(4.) That multitudes of them should perish,
so that they should become few in number,
(5.) That the remnant should be scattered
throughout the nations. This completes their woe: The Lord shall
scatter thee among all people,
2. In the close, God threatens to leave
them as he found them, in a house of bondage (
3. Upon the whole matter, (1.) The accomplishment of these predictions upon the Jewish nation shows that Moses spoke by the Spirit of God, who certainly foresees the ruin of sinners, and gives them warning of it, that they may prevent it by a true and timely repentance, or else be left inexcusable. (2.) Let us all hence learn to stand in awe and not to sin. I have heard of a wicked man, who, upon reading the threatenings of this chapter, was so enraged that he tore the leaf out of the Bible, as Jehoiakim cut Jeremiah's roll; but to what purpose is it to deface a copy, while the original remains upon record in the divine counsels, by which it is unalterably determined that the wages of sin is death, whether men will hear or whether they will forbear?
The first words of this chapter are the contents
of it, "These are the words of the covenant" (
1 These are the words of the covenant, which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb. 2 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; 3 The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles: 4 Yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. 5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. 6 Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the Lord your God. 7 And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them: 8 And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh. 9 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.
Now that Moses had largely repeated the
commands which the people were to observe as their part of the
covenant, and the promises and threatenings which God would make
good (according as they behaved themselves) as part of the
covenant, the whole is here summed up in a federal transaction. The
covenant formerly made is here renewed, and Moses, who was before,
is still, the mediator of it (
I. It is usual for indentures to begin with a recital; this does so, with a rehearsal of the great things God had done for them, 1. As an encouragement to them to believe that God would indeed be to them a God, for he would not have done so much for them if he had not designed more, to which all he had hitherto done was but a preface (as it were) or introduction; nay, he had shown himself a God in what he had hitherto done for them, which might raise their expectations of something great and answering the vast extent and compass of that pregnant promise, that God would be to them a God. 2. As an engagement upon them to be to him an obedient people, in consideration of what he had done for them.
II. For the proof of what he here advances
he appeals to their own eyes (
III. These things he specifies, to show the
power and goodness of God in his appearances for them. 1. Their
deliverance out of Egypt,
IV. By way of inference from these memoirs,
1. Moses laments their stupidity: Yet
the Lord has not given you a heart to perceive,
2. Moses charges them to be obedient:
Keep therefore, and do,
10 Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, 11 Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water: 12 That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day: 13 That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 14 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath; 15 But with him that standeth here with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day: 16 (For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by; 17 And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:) 18 Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; 19 And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: 20 The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven. 21 And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law: 22 So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the Lord hath laid upon it; 23 And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath: 24 Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? 25 Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt: 26 For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them: 27 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book: 28 And the Lord rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day. 29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
It appears by the length of the sentences
here, and by the copiousness and pungency of the expressions, that
Moses, now that he was drawing near to the close of his discourse,
was very warm and zealous, and very desirous to impress what he
said upon the minds of this unthinking people. To bind them the
faster to God and duty, he here, with great solemnity of expression
(to make up the want of the external ceremony that was used
(
I. The parties to this covenant. 1. It is
the Lord their God they are to covenant with,
II. The summary of this covenant. All the
precepts and all the promises of the covenant are included in the
covenant-relation between God and them,
III. The principal design of the renewing of this covenant at this time was to fortify them against temptations to idolatry. Though other sins will be the sinner's ruin, yet this was the sin that was likely to be their ruin. Now concerning this he shows,
1. The danger they were in of being tempted
to it (
2. The danger they were in if they yielded to the temptation. He gives them fair warning: it was at their peril if they forsook God to serve idols. If they would not be bound and held by the precepts of the covenant, they would find that the curses of the covenant would be strong enough to bind and hold them.
(1.) Idolatry would be the ruin of
particular persons and their families,
[1.] The sinner described,
[2.] His security in the sun. He promises
himself impunity, though he persists in his impiety,
[3.] God's just severity against him for
the sin, and for the impious affront he put upon God in saying he
should have peace though he went on, so giving the lie to eternal
truth,
(2.) Idolatry would be the ruin of their nation; it would bring plagues upon the land that connived at this root of bitterness and received the infection; as far as the sin spread, the judgment should spread likewise.
[1.] The ruin is described. It begins with
plagues and sicknesses (
[2.] The reason of it is enquired into, and
assigned. First, It would be enquired into by the
generations to come (
[3.] He concludes his prophecy of the Jews'
rejection just as St. Paul concludes his discourse on the same
subject, when it began to be fulfilled (
One would have thought that the threatenings in
the close of the foregoing chapter had made a full end of the
people of Israel, and had left their case for ever desperate; but
in this chapter we have a plain intimation of the mercy God had in
store for them in the latter days, so that mercy at length rejoices
against judgment, and has the last word. Here we have, I.
Exceedingly great and precious promises made to them, upon their
repentance and return to God,
1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, 2 And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. 4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: 5 And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. 7 And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. 8 And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. 9 And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: 10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
These verses may be considered either as a conditional promise or as an absolute prediction.
I. They are chiefly to be considered as a conditional promise, and so they belong to all persons and all people, and not to Israel only; and the design of them is to assure us that the greatest sinners, if they repent and be converted, shall have their sins pardoned, and be restored to God's favour. This is the purport of the covenant of grace, it leaves room for repentance in case of misdemeanour, and promises pardon upon repentance, which the covenant of innocency did not. Now observe here,
1. How the repentance is described which is
the condition of these promises. (1.) It begins in serious
consideration,
2. What the favour is which is promised
upon this repentance. Though they are brought to God by their
trouble and distress, in the nations whither they were driven
(
3. It is observable how Moses here calls
God the Lord thy God twelve times in
II. This may also be considered as a
prediction of the repentance and restoration of the Jews: When
all these things shall have come upon thee (
11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
Moses here urges them to obedience from the consideration of the plainness and easiness of the command.
I. This is true of the law of Moses. They
could never plead in excuse of their disobedience that God had
enjoined them that which was either unintelligible or
impracticable, impossible to be known or to be done (
II. This is true of the gospel of Christ,
to which the apostle applies it, and makes it the language of the
righteousness which is of faith,
15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16 In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
Moses here concludes with a very bright light, and a very strong fire, that, if possible, what he had been preaching of might find entrance into the understanding and affections of this unthinking people. What could be said more moving, and more likely to make deep and lasting impressions? The manner of his treating with them is so rational, so prudent, so affectionate, and every way so apt to gain the point, that it abundantly shows him to be in earnest, and leaves them inexcusable in their disobedience.
I. He states the case very fairly. He
appeals to themselves concerning it whether he had not laid the
matter as plainly as they could wish before them. 1. Every man
covets to obtain life and good, and to escape death and evil,
desires happiness and dreads misery. "Well," says he, "I have shown
you the way to obtain all the happiness you can desire and to avoid
all misery. Be obedient, and all shall be well, and nothing amiss."
Our first parents ate the forbidden fruit, in hopes of getting
thereby the knowledge of good and evil; but it was a miserable
knowledge they got, of good by the loss of it, and of evil by the
sense of it; yet such is the compassion of God towards man that,
instead of giving him to his own delusion, he has favoured him by
his word with such a knowledge of good and evil as will make him
for ever happy if it be not his own fault. 2. Every man is moved
and governed in his actions by hope and fear, hope of good and fear
of evil, real of apparent. "Now," says Moses, "I have tried both
ways; if you will be either drawn to obedience by the certain
prospect of advantage by it, or driven to obedience by the no less
certain prospect of ruin in case you be disobedient—if you will be
wrought upon either way, you will be kept close to God and your
duty; but, if you will not, you are utterly inexcusable." Let us,
then, hear the conclusion of the whole matter. (1.) If they and
theirs would love God and serve him, they should live and be happy,
II. Having thus stated the case, he fairly
puts them to their choice, with a direction to them to choose well.
He appeals to heaven and earth concerning his fair and faithful
dealing with them,
III. In the
In this chapter Moses, having finished his sermon,
I. Encourages both the people who were now to enter Canaan
(
1 And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. 2 And he said unto them, I am a hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the Lord hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. 3 The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said. 4 And the Lord shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed. 5 And the Lord shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. 8 And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Loth to part (we say) bids oft
farewell. Moses does so to the children of Israel: not because
he was loth to go to God, but because he was loth to leave them,
fearing that when he had left them they would leave God. He had
finished what he had to say to them by way of counsel and
exhortation: here he calls them together to give them a word of
encouragement, especially with reference to the wars of Canaan, in
which they were now to engage. It was a discouragement to them that
Moses was to be removed at a time when he could so ill be spared:
though Joshua was continued to fight for them in the valley, they
would want Moses to intercede for them on the hill, as he did,
I. He encourages the people; and never
could any general animate his soldiers upon such good grounds as
those on which Moses here encourages Israel. 1. He assures them of
the constant presence of God with them (
II. He encourages Joshua,
9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and unto all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, 11 When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: 13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
The law was given by Moses; so it is said,
I. Moses wrote this law,
II. Having written it, he committed it to
the care and custody of the priests and elders. He delivered one
authentic copy to the priests, to be laid up by the ark (
III. He appointed the public reading of
this law in a general assembly of all Israel every seventh year.
The pious Jews (it is very probable) read the laws daily in their
families, and Moses of old time was read in the synagogue every
sabbath day,
1. When this solemn reading of the law must
be, that the time might add to the solemnity; it must be done, (1.)
In the year of release. In that year the land rested, so that they
could the better spare time to attend this service. Servants who
were then discharged, and poor debtors who were then acquitted from
their debts, must know that, having the benefit of the law, it was
justly expected they should yield obedience to it, and therefore
give up themselves to be God's servants, because he had loosed
their bonds. The year of release was typical of gospel grace, which
therefore is called the acceptable year of the Lord; for our
remission and liberty by Christ engage us to keep his commandments,
2. To whom it must be read: To all
Israel (
3. By whom it must be read: Thou shalt
read it (
4. For what end it must be thus solemnly
read. (1.) That the present generation might hereby keep up their
acquaintance with the law of God,
14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation. 15 And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. 16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? 18 And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. 19 Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. 20 For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant. 21 And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.
Here, I. Moses and Joshua are summoned to
attend the divine majesty at the door of the tabernacle,
II. God graciously gives them the meeting:
He appeared in the tabernacle (as the shechinah used to
appear) in a pillar of a cloud,
III. He tells Moses that, after his death,
the covenant which he had taken so much pains to make between
Israel and their God would certainly be broken. 1. That Israel
would forsake God,
IV. He directs Moses to deliver them a
song, in the composing of which he should be divinely inspired, and
which should remain a standing testimony for God as faithful to
them in giving them warning, and against them as persons false to
themselves in not taking the warning,
22 Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel. 23 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee. 24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, 25 That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, 26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. 27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the Lord; and how much more after my death? 28 Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them. 29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands. 30 And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.
Here, I. The charge is given to Joshua,
which God has said (
II. The solemn delivery of the book of the
law to the Levites, to be deposited in the side of the ark, is here
again related (
III. The song which follows in the next
chapter is here delivered to Moses, and by him to the people. He
wrote it first (
In this chapter we have, I. The song which Moses,
by the appointment of God, delivered to the children of Israel, for
a standing admonition to them, to take heed of forsaking God. This
takes up most of the chapter, in which we have, 1. The preface,
1 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. 2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: 3 Because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. 5 They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation. 6 Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?
Here is, I. A commanding preface or
introduction to this song of Moses,
II. An awful declaration of the greatness
and righteousness of God,
1. He begins with this, and lays it down as
his first principle, (1.) To preserve the honour of God, that no
reproach might be cast upon him for the sake of the wickedness of
his people Israel; how wicked and corrupt soever those are who are
called by his name, he is just, and right, and all that is good,
and is not to be thought the worse of for their badness. (2.) To
aggravate the wickedness of Israel, who knew and worshipped such a
holy god, and yet were themselves so unholy. And, (3.) To justify
God in his dealings with them; we must abide by it, that God is
righteous, even when his judgments are a great deep,
2. Moses here sets himself to publish
the name of the Lord (
III. A high charge exhibited against the
Israel of God, whose character was in all respects the reverse of
that of the God of Israel,
IV. A pathetic expostulation with this
provoking people for their ingratitude (
7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will show thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee. 8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. 9 For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. 10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. 11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: 12 So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. 13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; 14 Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.
Moses, having in general represented God to
them as their great benefactor, whom they were bound in gratitude
to observe and obey, in these verses gives particular instances of
God's kindness to them and concern for them. 1. Some instances were
ancient, and for proof of them he appeals to the records (
Three things are here enlarged upon as instances of God's kindness to his people Israel, and strong obligations upon them never to forsake him:—
I. The early designation of the land of
Canaan for their inheritance; for herein it was a type and figure
of our heavenly inheritance, that it was of old ordained and
prepared in the divine counsels,
1. When the earth was divided among the
sons of men, in the days of Peleg, after the flood, and each family
had its lot, in which it must settle, and by degrees grow up into a
nation, then God had Israel in his thoughts and in his eye; for,
designing this good land into which they were now going to be in
due time an inheritance for them, he ordered that the posterity of
Canaan, rather than any other of the families then in being, should
be planted there in the meantime, to keep possession, as it were,
till Israel was ready for it, because those families were under the
curse of Noah, by which they were condemned to servitude and ruin
(
2. The reason given for the particular care
God took for this people, so long before they were either born or
thought of (as I may say), in our world, does yet more magnify the
kindness, and make it obliging beyond expression (
II. The forming of them into a people, that
they might be fit to enter upon this inheritance, like an heir of
age, at the time appointed of the Father. And herein also Canaan
was a figure of the heavenly inheritance; for, as it was from
eternity proposed and designed for all God's spiritual Israel, so
they are, in time (and it is a work of time), fitted and made meet
for it,
1. He found him in a desert land,
2. He led him about and instructed
him. When God had them in the wilderness he did not bring them
directly to Canaan, but made them go a great way about, and so he
instructed them; that is, (1.) by this means he took time to
instruct them, and gave them commandments as they were able to
receive them. Those whose business it is to instruct others must
not expect it will be done of a sudden; learners must have time to
learn. (2.) By this means he tried their faith, and patience, and
dependence upon God, and inured them to the hardships of the
wilderness, and so instructed them. Every stage had something in it
that was instructive; even when he chastened them, he thereby
taught them out of his law. It is said (
3. He kept him as the apple of his eye, with all the care and tenderness that could be, from the malignant influences of an open sky and air, and all the perils of an inhospitable desert. The pillar of cloud and fire was both a guide and a guard to them.
4. He did that for them which the eagle
does for her nest of young ones,
III. The settling of them in a good land.
This was done in part already, in the happy planting of the two
tribes and a half, an earnest of what would speedily and certainly
be done for the rest of the tribes. 1. They were blessed with
glorious victories over their enemies (
15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. 16 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. 17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. 18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
We have here a description of the apostasy of Israel from God, which would shortly come to pass, and to which already they had a disposition. One would have thought that a people under so many obligations to their God, in duty, gratitude, and interest, would never have turned from him; but, alas! they turned aside quickly. Here are two great instances of their wickedness, and each of them amounted to an apostasy from God:—
I. Security and sensuality, pride and
insolence, and the other common abuses of plenty and prosperity,
II. Idolatry was the great instance of their apostasy, and which the former led them to, as it made them sick of their religion, self-willed, and fond of changes. Observe,
1. What sort of gods they chose and offered
sacrifice to, when they forsook the God that made them,
2. What a great affront this was to Jehovah
their God. (1.) It was justly interpreted a forgetting of him
(
19 And when the Lord saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. 20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. 21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. 22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. 23 I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them. 24 They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. 25 The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.
The method of this song follows the method
of the predictions in the foregoing chapter, and therefore, after
the revolt of Israel from God, described in the
I. He had delighted in them, but now he
would reject them with detestation and disdain,
II. He had given them the tokens of his
presence with them and his favour to them; but now he would
withdraw and hide his face from them,
III. He had done every thing to make them
easy and to please them, but now he would do that against them
which should be most vexatious to them. The punishment here answers
the sin,
IV. He had planted them in a good land, and
replenished them with all good things; but now he would strip them
of all their comforts, and bring them to ruin. The judgments
threatened are very terrible,
26 I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men: 27 Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the Lord hath not done all this. 28 For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. 29 O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end! 30 How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up? 31 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. 32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: 33 Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. 34 Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures? 35 To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. 36 For the Lord shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left. 37 And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted, 38 Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your protection.
After many terrible threatenings of deserved wrath and vengeance, we have here surprising intimations of mercy, undeserved mercy, which rejoices against judgment, and by which it appears that God has no pleasure in the death of sinners, but would rather they should turn and live.
I. In jealousy for his own honour, he will
not make a full end of them,
II. In concern for their welfare, he
earnestly desires their conversion; and, in order to that, their
serious consideration of their latter end,
III. He calls to mind the great things he
had done for them formerly, as a reason why he should not quite
cast them off. This seems to be the meaning of that (
IV. He resolves upon the destruction of
those at last that had been their persecutors and oppressors. When
the cup of trembling goes round, the king of Babel shall pledge it
at last,
1. In displeasure against their wickedness,
which he takes notice of, and keeps an account of,
2. He will do it in compassion to his own
people, who, though they had greatly provoked him, yet stood in
relation to him, and their misery appealed to his mercy (
3. He will do it in contempt and to the
reproach of idol-gods,
39 See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. 40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. 41 If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. 42 I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy. 43 Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.
This conclusion of the song speaks three things:
I. Glory to God,
II. Terror to his enemies,
III. Comfort to his own people (
44 And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun. 45 And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel: 46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. 47 For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. 48 And the Lord spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, 49 Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: 50 And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: 51 Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. 52 Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel.
Here is, I. The solemn delivery of this
song to the children of Israel,
II. An earnest charge to them to mind these and all the rest of the good words that Moses had said to them. How earnestly does he long after them all, how very desirous that the word of God might make deep and lasting impressions upon them, how jealous over them with a godly jealousy, lest they should at any time let slip these great things!
1. The duties he charges upon them are,
(1.) Carefully to attend to these themselves: "Set your hearts both
to the laws, and to the promises and threatenings, the blessings
and curses, and now at last to this song. Let the mind be closely
applied to the consideration of these things; be affected with
them; be intent upon your duty, and cleave to it with full purpose
of heart." (2.) Faithfully to transmit these things to those that
should come after them: "What interest you have in your children,
or influence upon them, use it for this purpose; and command
them (as your father Abraham did,
2. The arguments he uses to persuade them
to make religion their business and to persevere in it are, (1.)
The vast importance of the things themselves which he had charged
upon them (
III. Orders given to Moses concerning his
death. Now that this renowned witness for God had finished his
testimony, he must go up to Mount Nebo and die; in the prophecy of
Christ's two witnesses there is a plain allusion to Moses and Elias
(
Yet Moses has not done with the children of
Israel; he seemed to have taken final leave of them in the close of
the foregoing chapter, but still he has something more to say. He
had preached them a farewell sermon, a very copious and pathetic
discourse. After sermon he had given out a psalm, a long psalm; and
now nothing remains but to dismiss them with a blessing; that
blessing he pronounces in this chapter in the name of the Lord, and
so leaves them. I. He pronounces them all blessed in what God had
done for them already, especially in giving them his law,
1 And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2 And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. 3 Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words. 4 Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. 5 And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.
The
He begins his blessing with a lofty description of the glorious appearances of God to them in giving them the law, and the great advantage they had by it.
I. There was a visible and illustrious
discovery of the divine majesty, enough to convince and for ever
silence atheists and infidels, to awaken and affect those that were
most stupid and careless, and to put to shame all secret
inclinations to other gods,
II. He gave them his law, which is, 1.
Called a fiery law, because it was given them out of the
midst of the fire (
III. He disposed them to receive the law
which he gave them: They sat down at thy feet, as scholars
at the feet of their master, in token of reverence, in attendance
and humble submission to what is taught; so Israel sat at the foot
of Mount Sinai, and promised to hear and do whatever God should
say. They were struck to thy feet, so some read it; namely,
by the terrors of Mount Sinai, which greatly humbled them for the
present,
1. They are taught to speak with great
respect of the law, and to call it the inheritance of the
congregation of Jacob. They looked upon it, (1.) As peculiar to
them, and that by which they were distinguished from other nations,
who neither had the knowledge of it (
2. They are taught to speak with great
respect of Moses; and they were the more obliged to keep up his
name because he had not provided for the keeping of it up in his
family; his posterity were never called the sons of Moses,
as the priests were the sons of Aaron. (1.) They must own
Moses a great benefactor to their nation, in that he commanded
them the law; for, though it came from the hand of God, it went
through the hand of Moses. (2.) He was king in Jeshurun. Having
commanded them the law, as long as he lived he took care to see
it observed and put in execution; and they were very happy in
having such a king, who ruled them, and went in and out before them
at all times, but did in a special manner look great when the
heads of the people were gathered together in parliament, as
it were, and Moses was president among them. Some understand this
of God himself; he did then declare himself their King when he gave
them the law, and he continued so long as they were
Jeshurun, an upright people, and till they rejected him,
6 Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few. 7 And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou a help to him from his enemies.
Here is, I. The blessing of Reuben. Though
Reuben had lost the honour of his birthright, yet Moses begins with
him; for we should not insult over those that are disgraced, nor
desire to perpetuate marks of infamy upon any, though ever so
justly fastened at first,
II. The blessing of Judah, which is put
before Levi because our Loud sprang out of Judah, and (as
Dr. Lightfoot says) because of the dignity of the kingdom above the
priesthood. The blessing (
8 And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; 9 Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant. 10 They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar. 11 Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.
In blessing the tribe of Levi, Moses expresses himself more at large, not so much because it was his own tribe (for he takes no notice of his relation to it) as because it was God's tribe. The blessing of Levi has reference.
I. To the high priest, here called God's
holy one (
II. To the inferior priests and Levites,
1. He commends the zeal of this tribe for
God when they sided with Moses (and so with God) against the
worshippers of the golden calf (
2. He confirms the commission granted to
this tribe to minister in holy things, which was the recompence of
their zeal and fidelity,
3. He prays for them,
12 And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders. 13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, 14 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, 15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, 16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. 17 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
Here is, I. The blessing of Benjamin,
II. The blessing of Joseph, including both
Manasseh and Ephraim. In Jacob's blessing (
1. Great plenty,
(1.) He enumerates many particulars which
he prays may contribute to the wealth and abundance of those two
tribes, looking up to the Creator for the benefit and
serviceableness of all the inferior creatures, for they are all
that to us which he makes them to be. He prays, [1.] For seasonable
rains and dews, the precious things of heaven; and so
precious they are, though but pure water, that without them the
fruits of the earth would all fail and be cut off. [2.] For
plentiful springs, which help to make the earth fruitful, called
here the deep that coucheth beneath; both are the rivers
of God (
(2.) He crowns all with the good-will, or
favourable acceptance, of him that dwelt in the bush
(
2. Great power Joseph is here blessed with,
18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents. 19 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand. 20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head. 21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments with Israel.
Here we have, I. The blessings of Zebulun and Issachar put together, for they were both the sons of Jacob by Leah, and by their lot in Canaan they were neighbours; it is foretold,
1. That they should both have a comfortable
settlement and employment,
2. That they should both be serviceable in
their places to the honour of God and the interests of religion in
the nation (
(1.) They shall invite others to his
service. Call the people to the mountain. [1.] Zebulun shall
improve his acquaintance and commerce with the neighbouring
nations, to whom he goes out, for this noble purpose, to propagate
religion among them, and to invite them into the service of the God
of Israel. Note, Men of great business, or large conversation,
should wisely and zealously endeavour to recommend the practice of
serious godliness to those with whom they converse and among whom
their business lies. Such are blessed, for they are blessings. It
were well if the enlargement of trade with foreign countries might
be made to contribute to the spreading of the gospel. This prophecy
concerning Zebulun perhaps looks as far as the preaching of Christ
and his apostles, which began in the land of Zebulun (
(2.) They shall not only invite others to
the service of God, but they shall abound in it themselves:
There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness. They
shall not send others to the temple and stay at home themselves,
under pretence that they cannot leave their business; but, when
they stir up others to go speedily to pray before the Lord,
they shall say, We will go also, as it is
II. The blessing of the tribe of Gad comes
next,
1. He foretells what this tribe would be,
2. He commends this tribe for what they had
done and were now doing,
22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan. 23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the Lord: possess thou the west and the south. 24 And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. 25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
Here is, I. The blessing of Dan,
II. The blessing of Naphtali,
III. The blessing of Asher,
26 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. 27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. 28 Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. 29 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
These are the last words of all that ever Moses, that great writer, that great dictator, either wrote himself or had written from his dictation; they are therefore very remarkable, and no doubt we shall find them very improving. Moses, the man of God (who had as much reason as ever any mere man had to know both), with his last breath magnifies both the God of Israel and the Israel of God. They are both incomparable in his eye; and we are sure that in this his judgment of both his eye did not wax dim.
I. No God like the God of Israel. None of
the gods of the nations were capable of doing that for their
worshippers which Jehovah did for his: There is none like unto
the God of Jeshurun,
II. No people like the Israel of God.
Having pronounced each tribe happy, in the close he pronounces all
together very happy, so happy in all respects that there was no
nation under the sun comparable to them (
1. Never were people so well seated and
sheltered (
2. Never were people so well supported and
borne up: Underneath are the everlasting arms; that is, the
almighty power of God is engaged for the protection and consolation
of all that trust in him, in their greatest straits and distresses,
and under the heaviest burdens. The everlasting arms shall support,
(1.) The interests of the church in general, that they shall not
sink, or be run down; underneath the church is that rock of ages on
which it is built, and against which the gates of hell shall never
prevail,
3. Never were people so well commanded and
led on to battle: "He shall thrust out the enemy from before
thee by his almighty power, which will make room for thee; and
by a commission which will bear thee out he shall say, Destroy
them." They were now entering upon a land that was in the full
possession of a strong and formidable people, and who, being its
first planters, looked upon themselves as its rightful owners; how
shall Israel justify, and how shall they accomplish, the expulsion
of them? (1.) God will give them a commission to destroy the
Canaanites, and that will justify them, and bear them out in it,
against all the world. He that is sovereign Lord of all lives and
all lands not only allowed and permitted, but expressly commanded
and appointed the children of Israel both to take possession of the
land of Canaan and to put the sword to the people of Canaan, which,
being thus authorized, they might not only lawfully but honourably
do, without incurring the least stain or imputation of theft by the
one or murder by the other. (2.) God will give them power and
ability to destroy them; nay, he will in effect do it to their
hands: he will thrust out the enemy from before them; for
the very fear of Israel shall put them to flight. God drive out
the heathen to plant his people,
4. Never were people so well secured and
protected (
5. Never were people so well provided for: The fountain of Jacob (that is, the present generation of that people, which is as the fountain to all the streams that shall hereafter descend and be derived from it) shall now presently be fixed upon a good land. The eye of Jacob (so it might be read, for the same word signifies a fountain and an eye) is upon the land of corn and wine, that is, where they now lay encamped they had Canaan in their eye, it was just before their faces, on the other side the river, and they would have it in their hands and under their feet quickly. This land upon which they had set their eye was blessed both with the fatness of the earth and the dew of heaven; it was a land of corn and wine, substantial and useful productions: also his heavens (as if the heavens were particularly designed to be blessings to that land) shall drop down dew, without which, though the soil were ever so good, the corn and wine would soon fail. Every Israelite indeed has his eye, the eye of faith, upon the better country, the heavenly Canaan, which is richly replenished with better things than corn and wine.
6. Never were people so well helped. If
they were in any strait, God himself rode upon the heavens for
their help,
7. Never were people so well armed. God
himself was the shield of their help by whom they were armed
defensively, and sufficiently guarded against all assailants: and
he was the sword of their excellency, by whom they were
armed offensively, and made both formidable and successful in all
their wars. God is called the sword of their excellency
because, in fighting for them, he made them to excel other people,
or because in all he did for them he had an eye to his sanctuary
among them, which is called the excellency of Jacob,
8. Never were people so well assured of
victory over their enemies: They shall be found liars unto
thee; That is, "shall be forced to submit to thee sorely
against their will, so that it will be but a counterfeit
submission; yet the point shall be gained, for thou shalt tread
upon their necks" (so the LXX.), which we find done,
Now lay all this together, and then you will say, Happy art thou, O Israel! Who is like unto thee, O people! Thrice happy the people whose God is the Lord.
Having read how Moses finished his testimony, we
are told here how he immediately after finished his life. This
chapter could not be written by Moses himself, but was added by
Joshua or Eleazar, or, as bishop Patrick conjectures, by Samuel,
who was a prophet, and wrote by divine authority what he found in
the records of Joshua, and his successors the judges. We have had
an account of his dying words, here we have an account of his dying
work, and that is work we must all do shortly, and it had need be
well done. Here is, I. The view Moses had of the land of Canaan
just before he died,
1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, 2 And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, 3 And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. 4 And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
Here is, I. Moses climbing upwards towards
heaven, as high as the top of Pisgah, there to die; for that was
the place appointed,
II. Moses looking downward again towards
this earth, to see the earthly Canaan into which he must never
enter, but therein by faith looking forwards to the heavenly Canaan
into which he should now immediately enter. God had threatened that
he should not come into the possession of Canaan, and the
threatening is fulfilled. But he had also promised that he should
have a prospect of it, and the promise is here performed: The
Lord showed him all that good land,
5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. 6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. 7 And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. 8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
Here is, I. The death of Moses (
II. His burial,
III. His age,
IV. The solemn mourning that there was for
him,
9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses. 10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 In all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, 12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel.
We have here a very honourable encomium passed both on Moses and Joshua; each has his praise, and should have. It is ungrateful so to magnify our living friends as to forget the merits of those that are gone, to whose memories there is a debt of honour due: all the respect must not be paid to the rising sun; and, on the other hand, it is unjust so to cry up the merits of those that are gone as to despise the benefit we have in those that survive and succeed them. Let God be glorified in both, as here.
I. Joshua is praised as a man admirably
qualified for the work to which he was called,
II. Moses is praised (
1. He was indeed a very great man,
especially upon two accounts:—(1.) His intimacy with the God of
nature: God knew him face to face, and so he knew God. See
2. He was greater than any other of the
prophets of the Old Testament. Though they were men of great
interest in heaven and great influence upon earth, yet they were
none of them to be compared with this great man; none of them
either so evidenced or executed a commission from heaven as Moses
did. This encomium of Moses seems to have been written long after
his death, yet then there had not arisen any prophet like unto
Moses, nor did there arise any such between that period and the
sealing up of the vision and prophecy by Moses God gave the
law, and moulded and formed the Jewish church; by the other
prophets he only sent particular reproofs, directions, and
predictions. The last of the prophets concludes with a charge to
remember the law of Moses,
Genesis
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33:10-11 33:12 33:12-15 33:13-14 33:15 33:16 33:16-20 33:19 33:19-20 33:20 33:20 34:1 34:1-5 34:1-31 34:1-31 34:2 34:4 34:5 34:6-19 34:7 34:7 34:9-10 34:11-12 34:14 34:15-16 34:16 34:17 34:18-19 34:20-24 34:23 34:23 34:25-31 34:26 34:27 34:30 34:30 35:1 35:1 35:1-5 35:2 35:2-3 35:3 35:4 35:5 35:6-7 35:7 35:7 35:7 35:8 35:8 35:8 35:9 35:9-13 35:10 35:11 35:11 35:12 35:13 35:14 35:14 35:14-15 35:15 35:16-20 35:17 35:19 35:21 35:21-22 35:22 35:22 35:22 35:23-26 35:27 35:27-29 35:29 36:1 36:1 36:1-5 36:6-8 36:8 36:8 36:9-14 36:15-19 36:15-19 36:20 36:20-30 36:24 36:29 36:29 36:31-43 36:43 37:1 37:1-2 37:2 37:2 37:3 37:3-4 37:5-11 37:6-7 37:8 37:8 37:9 37:9 37:10 37:10 37:10-11 37:12-17 37:13 37:18 37:18-24 37:19 37:20 37:20 37:21-22 37:23 37:25 37:25 37:25 37:25-28 37:26 37:29-35 37:30 37:32 37:32 37:35 37:35 37:35 37:36 37:36 38:1 38:1-11 38:2 38:7 38:8 38:11 38:12-23 38:14 38:15 38:23 38:24 38:24-26 38:25-26 38:27-30 39:1 39:1 39:2-3 39:2-6 39:4 39:5 39:6 39:6 39:7 39:7-12 39:8-9 39:9 39:10 39:10 39:11 39:11 39:12 39:13-15 39:13-18 39:17-18 39:19-20 39:19-20 39:21 39:21-23 39:22-23 39:23 40:1-4 40:4 40:5-19 40:6 40:7 40:8 40:12-13 40:14-15 40:14-15 40:15 40:15 40:18-19 40:20-22 40:23 40:23 41:1 41:1-8 41:8 41:9 41:9-13 41:14 41:14-36 41:15 41:16 41:29-31 41:32 41:33 41:37 41:37-45 41:38 41:39 41:40 41:41 41:43 41:44 41:44 41:45-46 41:46-57 41:47 41:48-49 41:50-52 41:52 41:54 41:54 42:1-2 42:1-6 42:3 42:6 42:6 42:7 42:7-20 42:8 42:9 42:9 42:10 42:13 42:16 42:17 42:18 42:18 42:18 42:21 42:21 42:21 42:21 42:21-24 42:22 42:22 42:22 42:22 42:24 42:24 42:25-38 42:28 42:35 42:36 42:37 42:38 42:38 43:1-2 43:1-14 43:3 43:5 43:8-9 43:11 43:11 43:14 43:14 43:15-34 43:18 43:23 43:24 43:26 43:28 43:29 43:30 43:32 43:32 43:32 43:32 43:33 43:34 44:1-17 44:5 44:7 44:8 44:9-10 44:16 44:18-34 44:20 44:20 44:21 44:22 44:22 44:23 44:26 44:29 44:30 44:31 44:33 44:34 45:1 45:1 45:1-15 45:2 45:4 45:5 45:5 45:6 45:7 45:8 45:8 45:9 45:9 45:10 45:11 45:12 45:13 45:14 45:15 45:16 45:16-24 45:18 45:20 45:21 45:22 45:23 45:24 45:25-28 45:26 45:28 46:1 46:1-4 46:1-34 46:2 46:3 46:3-4 46:5 46:5-27 46:6 46:7 46:11 46:21 46:21 46:23 46:26 46:27 46:27 46:28 46:28-34 46:30 46:31 46:32 46:33 46:34 47:1 47:1-10 47:3 47:3 47:4 47:5-6 47:7 47:7 47:8 47:9 47:9 47:10 47:11 47:11-12 47:12 47:13 47:13-26 47:14 47:15 47:17 47:19 47:21 47:22 47:22 47:25 47:26 47:27-28 47:27-31 47:29 47:29 47:31 48:1 48:1-2 48:2 48:3 48:3 48:3 48:3-7 48:4 48:5 48:5 48:6 48:7 48:8-16 48:9 48:10 48:10 48:10 48:11 48:12-13 48:14 48:15 48:15 48:15-16 48:16 48:16 48:17-18 48:17-20 48:19 48:21 48:21 48:21-22 48:22 49:1 49:1 49:1 49:1-2 49:1-27 49:2 49:2 49:3 49:3 49:3 49:3-4 49:3-28 49:4 49:4 49:4 49:5 49:5 49:5 49:7 49:7 49:8 49:8 49:8 49:9 49:10 49:10 49:10 49:10 49:11-12 49:13 49:13 49:14-15 49:14-15 49:16-17 49:17 49:18 49:19 49:20 49:21 49:21 49:22 49:22 49:23 49:23 49:23-24 49:24 49:25 49:26 49:26 49:27 49:28 49:29 49:29 49:29-32 49:30 49:31 49:32 49:32 49:33 49:33 50:1 50:1-6 50:2 50:3 50:4-6 50:5 50:6 50:7-14 50:10-11 50:11 50:15 50:15-21 50:16 50:17 50:17 50:17 50:18 50:19 50:20 50:21 50:22 50:22-26 50:23 50:24 50:24 50:25 50:25-26 50:26
Exodus
1:1-7 1:1-19:25 1:5 1:6 1:7 1:8 1:8-14 1:9 1:9-10 1:10 1:11 1:11 1:12 1:13 1:13 1:14 1:15-16 1:15-22 1:17 1:18 1:19 1:20 1:21 1:22 2:1-4 2:3 2:4 2:4 2:5-6 2:5-6 2:5-10 2:7-9 2:10 2:11 2:11 2:11-12 2:11-14 2:13 2:14 2:14 2:15 2:15-22 2:16 2:18 2:19 2:20 2:21 2:22 2:23 2:23 2:23-25 2:24 2:24-25 3:1 3:1-5 3:2 3:2 3:2 3:3 3:4 3:5 3:6 3:6 3:6 3:7 3:7 3:7 3:7-9 3:8 3:9 3:9 3:9 3:10 3:10 3:11 3:11-12 3:12 3:12 3:12 3:12 3:13 3:13-18 3:14 3:14 3:15 3:16 3:16-17 3:17 3:18 3:18 3:18 3:18 3:18 3:19 3:19-22 3:20 3:20 3:21-22 4:1 4:1 4:1 4:2-4 4:2-5 4:3 4:5 4:6-7 4:6-8 4:9 4:9 4:10 4:10 4:11 4:11-12 4:12 4:13 4:13 4:14 4:14 4:14 4:14-16 4:16 4:17 4:17 4:18 4:18 4:19 4:19 4:19 4:20 4:20 4:21 4:21-23 4:22-23 4:23 4:24-25 4:24-26 4:24-26 4:25 4:25-26 4:27-28 4:27-28 4:28 4:29-31 4:29-31 4:31 5:1 5:1 5:2 5:2 5:2 5:3 5:3 5:3 5:4 5:4-9 5:4-9 5:9 5:10-14 5:12 5:13 5:14 5:15 5:15-19 5:16 5:17 5:18 5:19 5:20-21 5:20-21 5:21 5:22 5:22-23 5:22-23 6:1 6:1 6:2-3 6:2-8 6:3 6:3 6:3 6:3 6:4 6:5 6:6 6:6-8 6:7 6:8 6:9 6:9 6:10-11 6:11 6:12 6:12 6:13 6:13 6:13 6:14-25 6:15 6:16 6:16-20 6:20 6:23 6:26 6:26-27 6:27 6:29 6:30 6:30 7:1 7:1 7:1 7:1 7:1-7 7:4-5 7:6 7:7 7:8-13 7:10 7:10 7:11-12 7:12 7:14 7:14-25 7:15 7:19-20 7:21 7:22 7:23 7:24 7:25 7:26 8:1-2 8:1-4 8:3-4 8:5-6 8:7 8:7 8:8 8:8 8:8-14 8:9 8:10 8:12 8:13 8:14 8:15 8:15 8:16-17 8:16-17 8:18 8:18 8:18-19 8:19 8:19 8:19 8:20 8:20-21 8:22 8:22-23 8:22-23 8:23 8:24 8:24 8:25 8:25-29 8:26 8:27 8:28 8:29 8:30-31 8:31 8:32 8:32 9:1 9:1-7 9:2-3 9:4 9:4 9:5 9:6 9:6-7 9:8 9:8-12 9:10 9:11 9:12 9:12 9:13 9:13-21 9:14-15 9:16 9:17 9:18 9:19 9:20 9:20-21 9:21 9:22 9:22-23 9:22-23 9:22-26 9:23-24 9:25 9:26 9:27-28 9:27-35 9:29 9:30 9:31-32 9:33 9:33 9:34-35 10:1-2 10:1-2 10:3 10:3-6 10:4-6 10:6 10:6 10:7 10:7-9 10:8 10:9 10:10-11 10:10-11 10:11 10:12 10:12-15 10:13 10:15 10:15 10:16-17 10:16-17 10:17 10:18-19 10:18-20 10:20 10:21 10:21-23 10:23 10:23 10:23 10:23 10:24 10:26 10:26-29 10:28 10:28 10:29 11:1 11:1-2 11:2 11:3 11:3 11:4 11:4-6 11:4-8 11:5 11:7 11:7 11:8 11:8 11:9 11:9 11:10 11:10 12:1-2 12:1-6 12:2 12:3 12:3 12:5 12:5 12:6 12:6 12:6-9 12:7 12:7 12:7 12:7 12:8 12:8-11 12:10 12:11 12:11 12:11 12:12-13 12:13 12:13 12:14-20 12:14-20 12:16 12:17 12:19 12:21-23 12:22 12:22 12:22 12:23 12:24-27 12:25 12:26-27 12:26-27 12:27 12:27 12:28 12:29-30 12:29-30 12:31 12:31 12:31 12:31-33 12:32 12:32 12:33 12:34 12:34 12:34 12:35-36 12:35-36 12:35-36 12:37 12:37-38 12:38 12:38 12:39 12:40-42 12:42 12:43 12:43-49 12:44 12:45 12:46 12:46 12:47 12:48 12:48 12:48-49 12:49 12:50-51 12:50-51 13:1-2 13:1-22 13:2 13:2 13:2 13:3 13:3 13:3-4 13:5-7 13:5-7 13:7 13:8 13:8-10 13:9 13:11 13:11-13 13:13 13:13 13:14 13:14 13:14-16 13:14-16 13:15 13:16 13:16 13:17 13:17-18 13:17-18 13:18 13:18 13:18 13:19 13:19 13:20 13:20 13:20-22 13:21-22 13:22 14:1-2 14:1-4 14:3 14:4 14:5 14:5-9 14:6-7 14:8 14:9 14:10 14:10 14:10-12 14:11 14:11-12 14:13 14:13-14 14:14 14:15 14:15-18 14:16 14:16-18 14:17 14:17-18 14:19-20 14:19-20 14:21 14:21 14:22 14:22 14:23 14:23-25 14:24 14:24-25 14:26-28 14:27-28 14:29 14:29 14:29 14:30 14:30-31 14:31 14:31 14:31 15:1 15:1 15:1-19 15:1-21 15:1-17:16 15:2 15:2 15:3 15:4 15:5 15:6 15:7 15:8 15:8 15:9 15:9 15:10 15:10 15:11 15:11 15:11 15:12 15:12 15:13 15:13 15:14 15:14 15:14-16 15:15 15:16 15:17 15:18 15:19 15:19 15:20 15:20 15:20-21 15:20-21 15:22 15:22 15:23 15:23-24 15:23-24 15:24 15:25 15:25-26 15:26 15:27 15:27 16:1-3 16:2 16:2-3 16:3 16:3 16:4 16:4 16:4-12 16:5 16:6 16:7-8 16:8 16:9 16:10 16:10 16:12 16:12 16:12 16:13 16:13-15 16:14-15 16:15 16:16-21 16:18 16:19 16:20 16:20 16:21 16:21 16:22 16:22 16:22-26 16:23 16:23 16:23 16:23 16:24 16:25-26 16:27 16:27-31 16:28 16:28 16:29 16:32-34 16:32-36 16:35 16:36 17:1 17:1 17:1-2 17:1-16 17:2 17:2 17:2 17:2-3 17:3 17:3 17:4 17:4 17:4 17:4 17:4 17:5-6 17:5-6 17:6 17:7 17:7 17:7 17:7 17:7 17:8 17:8-12 17:9 17:9 17:10 17:11 17:12 17:12 17:12 17:13 17:13 17:14 17:14 17:14 17:14 17:14 17:14-16 17:15 17:15 17:16 17:16 17:19 17:25 18:1 18:1-6 18:1-27 18:3 18:4 18:5-6 18:7 18:7 18:8 18:8-11 18:9 18:9 18:10 18:11 18:11 18:11 18:11 18:12 18:12 18:12 18:13 18:13 18:13-23 18:14 18:14 18:15 18:15 18:16 18:16 18:17 18:18 18:19 18:20 18:21 18:22 18:22 18:23 18:23 18:24 18:24-26 18:25 18:25 18:27 18:27 18:27 19:1 19:1-2 19:1-25 19:3 19:3-6 19:4 19:4 19:5 19:5-6 19:6 19:6 19:7 19:7-8 19:8 19:8 19:8 19:9 19:9 19:9 19:10 19:10 19:10-13 19:11 19:11 19:12-13 19:13 19:14 19:14-15 19:15 19:16 19:16 19:16 19:16-20 19:17 19:18 19:18 19:19 19:19 19:20 19:20 19:21 19:21 19:21 19:21-25 19:22 19:22-24 19:23 19:24 20:1 20:1-17 20:1-26 20:1-40:38 20:2 20:3 20:4-5 20:5-6 20:7 20:8 20:8-11 20:10 20:13 20:14 20:15 20:16 20:17 20:18 20:18-21 20:19 20:19 20:19 20:20 20:21 20:22-23 20:22-26 20:23 20:24 20:24 20:24 20:24 20:24-25 20:24-25 20:26 21:1 21:2 21:2 21:2-3 21:2-6 21:5-6 21:6 21:7-11 21:7-11 21:10 21:12 21:12-14 21:13 21:13 21:13 21:14 21:14 21:15 21:15 21:15 21:16 21:16 21:17 21:17 21:17 21:18-19 21:18-19 21:20 21:20-21 21:21 21:22-23 21:22-23 21:24-25 21:26 21:26-27 21:28 21:28 21:28-29 21:28-32 21:29-32 21:33-34 21:33-34 21:35 21:35-36 21:36 22:1 22:1-4 22:2 22:3 22:3 22:4 22:4-5 22:5 22:5 22:6 22:6 22:7-13 22:7-13 22:11 22:14-15 22:14-15 22:16-17 22:16-17 22:18 22:18 22:19 22:19 22:20 22:20 22:21 22:21 22:21-24 22:22 22:23 22:24 22:25 22:25 22:26-27 22:26-27 22:28 22:28 22:29-30 22:29-30 22:30 22:30 22:30 22:31 22:31 23:1 23:1 23:1-32 23:2 23:2-3 23:3 23:3 23:4-5 23:4-5 23:4-5 23:5 23:6 23:6-8 23:7 23:8 23:8 23:8 23:9 23:9 23:10-11 23:10-11 23:12 23:12 23:13 23:13 23:14-17 23:14-17 23:15 23:15 23:16 23:16 23:16 23:16 23:16 23:17 23:17-18 23:18 23:19 23:20 23:20-24 23:21 23:21 23:22 23:22 23:23 23:24 23:24-26 23:25-26 23:27 23:27-31 23:29 23:29-30 23:29-30 23:30 23:31 23:32-33 23:32-33 24:1 24:1 24:1 24:1-2 24:1-8 24:1-8 24:2 24:3 24:3 24:3 24:4 24:4 24:4-7 24:4-8 24:5 24:5-6 24:6 24:7 24:7 24:7 24:8 24:8 24:8 24:9 24:9-11 24:10 24:11 24:12 24:12 24:12 24:12 24:12-13 24:13 24:14 24:14 24:14 24:15-16 24:15-17 24:16 24:16 24:16 24:17 24:18 24:18 25:1 25:1-9 25:1-40 25:3-7 25:8 25:9 25:10 25:10-16 25:10-22 25:17 25:18 25:21 25:22 25:22 25:23-30 25:29 25:30 25:30 25:31 25:31-40 25:37 25:40 26:1 26:1-6 26:6 26:7 26:7-13 26:14 26:14 26:15-30 26:24 26:26 26:29 26:31 26:31-35 26:33 26:36-37 26:36-37 27:1-2 27:1-2 27:1-8 27:2 27:3 27:4-5 27:6-7 27:8 27:9-19 27:9-19 27:16 27:20-21 27:20-21 28:1 28:1 28:1-29:46 28:2 28:2-5 28:3 28:5 28:6-8 28:6-14 28:9-12 28:10 28:12 28:13-14 28:15-29 28:16 28:17-21 28:22 28:28 28:29 28:29 28:30 28:30 28:31-35 28:31-35 28:36-37 28:36-39 28:38 28:39 28:40 28:40-43 28:41 28:42 28:43 29:1-37 29:1-46 29:1-46 29:4 29:4 29:5-6 29:7 29:8 29:9 29:9 29:9 29:10 29:10-14 29:14 29:15-18 29:20 29:20-21 29:21 29:22 29:22 29:23 29:24 29:24-25 29:26 29:26 29:26-28 29:30 29:31-33 29:35 29:36 29:36-37 29:38 29:38-39 29:38-41 29:38-41 29:42-46 29:43 29:43-44 29:43-44 29:45-46 30:1-5 30:1-10 30:1-38 30:6 30:6 30:7-8 30:8 30:9 30:9 30:10 30:10 30:11 30:11-16 30:13 30:15 30:16 30:17 30:17-21 30:18 30:19 30:19-21 30:22 30:22-33 30:22-38 30:23-25 30:25 30:25-29 30:26-30 30:30 30:31 30:32-33 30:34 30:34 30:34-35 30:37 30:38 31:1-11 31:2 31:3 31:6 31:6 31:6 31:7 31:12-17 31:13 31:13-14 31:13-17 31:14 31:14 31:14 31:15 31:15 31:16 31:16 31:17 31:17 31:17 31:17 31:18 31:18 32:1 32:1 32:1-4 32:1-35 32:2 32:3-4 32:4 32:5 32:5-6 32:6 32:6 32:7 32:7 32:7-8 32:7-8 32:9-10 32:9-10 32:10 32:10 32:11 32:11-13 32:11-13 32:12 32:12 32:13 32:13 32:14 32:14 32:14 32:14 32:15-16 32:15-19 32:17-18 32:19 32:19 32:20 32:20 32:21 32:21-24 32:22 32:23 32:24 32:25 32:25-29 32:26 32:26 32:26-28 32:27 32:27 32:28 32:28 32:30 32:30 32:30-32 32:31 32:32 32:33 32:33-35 32:34 32:35 33:1 33:1-3 33:2 33:2-3 33:3 33:3 33:4 33:4 33:4 33:5 33:5 33:5 33:5 33:5 33:6 33:6 33:7 33:7 33:7 33:7-11 33:8 33:8 33:9 33:9 33:9 33:9 33:10 33:11 33:12 33:12 33:12-17 33:13 33:14 33:14 33:15 33:16 33:17 33:17 33:18 33:18-23 33:19 33:20 33:21-22 33:22 33:23 33:23 33:23 34:1 34:1-4 34:2 34:3 34:4 34:5 34:5-9 34:6-7 34:6-7 34:8 34:9 34:10-11 34:10-28 34:12 34:12 34:13 34:13 34:14 34:14 34:15-16 34:17 34:18-20 34:21 34:22 34:22 34:23 34:23 34:24 34:24 34:25-26 34:27 34:28 34:28-29 34:29 34:29 34:29 34:29-35 34:30 34:30 34:32 34:33 34:34 34:35 35:1 35:1-3 35:2-3 35:4-9 35:5 35:5-9 35:10 35:10-19 35:11-19 35:20 35:20-29 35:21 35:21 35:22 35:22 35:25 35:26 35:27 35:27 35:29 35:30-31 35:30-35 35:32 35:34 35:35 36:1 36:1-4 36:2 36:3 36:3 36:4-5 36:5 36:5-7 36:6-7 36:8-13 36:14-19 36:14-19 36:20-30 36:20-34 36:31-34 36:35-36 36:35-36 36:37-38 36:37-38 37:1 37:1-9 37:10-16 37:17 37:17-24 37:22 37:25-28 37:29 37:29 38:1-7 38:1-7 38:8 38:8 38:9-20 38:17 38:21 38:21-31 38:22-23 38:25-26 38:25-26 38:26 38:27 39:1 39:1-5 39:5 39:6-7 39:7 39:8-21 39:21 39:22-26 39:26 39:27-29 39:29 39:30-31 39:31 39:32 39:32-43 39:33 39:38 39:42 39:43 40:1-8 40:2 40:2 40:3 40:4-5 40:6-7 40:9-11 40:9-11 40:12-15 40:12-15 40:16-33 40:17 40:21 40:23 40:25 40:27 40:29 40:34 40:34-35 40:34-38 40:35 40:36-37 40:38
Leviticus
1:1 1:3-9 1:4 1:5 1:6-9 1:10 1:10-13 1:11 1:14-17 1:23 1:25 2:1 2:1 2:1-2 2:1-16 2:2 2:2 2:2 2:2-3 2:3 2:4 2:4 2:4-7 2:5-6 2:7 2:8 2:8-10 2:9 2:9 2:9 2:10 2:11 2:11 2:11-12 2:12 2:13 2:13 2:14 2:14-16 2:16 3:1 3:1-5 3:2 3:3-5 3:6-11 3:9 3:11 3:12-17 3:16 3:16 3:17 3:17 3:17 4:1-12 4:2 4:2-3 4:3 4:3 4:4 4:5-7 4:8-10 4:11-12 4:13 4:13-21 4:14 4:17 4:20 4:21 4:21 4:22 4:22-26 4:23 4:23 4:25 4:26 4:27 4:27-35 4:27-35 4:28 4:31 4:35 5:1 5:1 5:2-3 5:2-3 5:3-5 5:4 5:4 5:5-6 5:5-6 5:6 5:7 5:7-10 5:11 5:11-13 5:14-16 5:15 5:15 5:15-16 5:16 5:17 5:17-19 6:2-3 6:2-4 6:3 6:4 6:4-5 6:4-5 6:5 6:6-7 6:8 6:8-13 6:9 6:9 6:9 6:10-11 6:11-18 6:12 6:13 6:13 6:15 6:16 6:17 6:18 6:18 6:19-23 6:20 6:23 6:24-30 6:25 6:26 6:27 6:28 6:29 6:30 6:30 7:1-7 7:6 7:6 7:7 7:8 7:8-10 7:9 7:10 7:11-21 7:11-34 7:12 7:15 7:15-16 7:16 7:16 7:16 7:16-18 7:17 7:18 7:18 7:19 7:20 7:20 7:20-21 7:21 7:22 7:22-27 7:23-25 7:24 7:26 7:26-27 7:28-34 7:29 7:30-34 7:32-34 7:35-36 7:35-38 7:38 8:1-4 8:1-36 8:1-9:24 8:2-3 8:4 8:5 8:5 8:6 8:6-9 8:7-9 8:8 8:10 8:10-11 8:10-12 8:11 8:12 8:13 8:13 8:14 8:14-17 8:18-21 8:18-21 8:22 8:22-30 8:23-24 8:31-32 8:31-36 8:33 8:34 8:35 8:35 8:36 9:1 9:1-7 9:2 9:3 9:4 9:6 9:7 9:8 9:8 9:8-14 9:10-20 9:15 9:15 9:15-22 9:16 9:17 9:18 9:22 9:23 9:23 9:23 9:23 9:24 9:24 9:24 9:24 9:24 10:1 10:1 10:1-2 10:1-20 10:2 10:2-3 10:3 10:3 10:3 10:3 10:3 10:4 10:4-5 10:4-7 10:5 10:6 10:7 10:7 10:8 10:8 10:8-11 10:9 10:9 10:10 10:10 10:10-11 10:11 10:12 10:12 10:12 10:12-13 10:12-15 10:12-20 10:13 10:16 10:16 10:17 10:17 10:17 10:18 10:18 10:19 10:20 10:23 11:1-8 11:2 11:9-10 11:9-12 11:10-12 11:13-19 11:14 11:20 11:20-28 11:21-22 11:24-28 11:29-30 11:29-43 11:32 11:33 11:35 11:36 11:39 11:41-42 11:43 11:44 11:44 11:44 11:44-47 11:45 11:45 11:46-47 12:1-5 12:2 12:4-5 12:5 12:6 12:6-8 13:1-17 13:1-59 13:3 13:4 13:4-5 13:6 13:6 13:7-8 13:10-11 13:12-13 13:14 13:18 13:18-23 13:24 13:24-28 13:29-37 13:30-37 13:38-39 13:38-41 13:40-44 13:44 13:45 13:45-46 13:46 13:47-59 13:52 13:57 13:58 14:1-9 14:3 14:5 14:6-7 14:6-7 14:8 14:8 14:9 14:10-32 14:11 14:12 14:12 14:14 14:19-20 14:21-22 14:33-53 14:34 14:35 14:40-41 14:44-45 14:49 14:54-57 15:1-18 15:2 15:2 15:4-12 15:13-15 15:16 15:17 15:19-24 15:19-33 15:25 15:26-27 15:28-29 15:31 16:1 16:1-2 16:1-34 16:2 16:2 16:3 16:3 16:4 16:4 16:5 16:6 16:6-11 16:7 16:7-9 16:10 16:10 16:11 16:12 16:12-14 16:14 16:15 16:15-17 16:16 16:16 16:16 16:17 16:17 16:18-19 16:18-19 16:18-19 16:20-21 16:20-22 16:21 16:22 16:23-24 16:23-25 16:25 16:26 16:27 16:28 16:29 16:29 16:29-34 16:31 16:33 16:34 17:1-9 17:3-4 17:3-4 17:4 17:5 17:7 17:7 17:10 17:10 17:10-16 17:11 17:11 17:12 17:13 17:14 17:14 17:15 17:15-16 18:1 18:1-5 18:1-30 18:3 18:3 18:4 18:4-5 18:5-6 18:6 18:6-18 18:8 18:12 18:16 18:18 18:18 18:19 18:19-23 18:20 18:21 18:21 18:21 18:22-23 18:24 18:24 18:24-30 18:25 18:25 18:25 18:27 18:28 18:28 18:29 18:30 18:30 18:30 19:2 19:2 19:2 19:3 19:3 19:3 19:3 19:4 19:4 19:5-8 19:5-8 19:6-7 19:8 19:9 19:9-10 19:9-10 19:11 19:11 19:11 19:12 19:12 19:13 19:13 19:14 19:14 19:15 19:15 19:16 19:16 19:17 19:17 19:17 19:17 19:17 19:17-18 19:18 19:18 19:19 19:19 19:19 19:20-22 19:20-22 19:21 19:23-25 19:23-25 19:23-25 19:26 19:26 19:26-28 19:26-28 19:27-28 19:28 19:29 19:29 19:30 19:30 19:31 19:31 19:32 19:32 19:32 19:33-34 19:33-34 19:35 19:35-36 19:35-36 19:36 19:37 19:37 20:1-5 20:2 20:2 20:2-3 20:3 20:4-5 20:6 20:6 20:7-8 20:7-8 20:8 20:9 20:9 20:9 20:10 20:10 20:10 20:10 20:11 20:11 20:11-12 20:12 20:13 20:13 20:14 20:14 20:15 20:15 20:16 20:16 20:17 20:17 20:18 20:18 20:19-21 20:19-21 20:22 20:22 20:22-26 20:23 20:23 20:24 20:24 20:24 20:25 20:25 20:26 20:26 20:26 20:27 20:27 21:1-3 21:1-9 21:4 21:5 21:6 21:7 21:7 21:8 21:9 21:10 21:10 21:10 21:10-12 21:10-15 21:11 21:11 21:11 21:12 21:12 21:13-14 21:14 21:15 21:16-24 21:17 21:21 21:22 21:23 22:1-9 22:2 22:2 22:3 22:4 22:6 22:9 22:10 22:10 22:10-13 22:11 22:12 22:14 22:14-16 22:14-16 22:15 22:16 22:17-25 22:20-21 22:22 22:23 22:24 22:25 22:26-27 22:26-28 22:27 22:28 22:29-30 22:29-33 22:31-32 23:2 23:3 23:3 23:4 23:4-8 23:5 23:6 23:7 23:7 23:7-8 23:9-14 23:10 23:10 23:10 23:11 23:11 23:12 23:12 23:14 23:15-22 23:17 23:17 23:18 23:18-20 23:21 23:22 23:23-25 23:23-25 23:24 23:24-25 23:26-32 23:27 23:28 23:29 23:30 23:31 23:32 23:32 23:33-44 23:34 23:34-44 23:35-36 23:37-38 23:39 23:39 23:40 23:40 23:40 23:42 23:43 23:44 24:1-9 24:1-23 24:2 24:2 24:3-4 24:4 24:5-6 24:5-10 24:7 24:8 24:9 24:10 24:10-14 24:11 24:11 24:11 24:14 24:15-16 24:15-16 24:17 24:17-23 24:18 24:19-20 24:21 24:21 24:23 24:23 25:1-7 25:4 25:5 25:5-7 25:8 25:8 25:8-17 25:8-22 25:9 25:10 25:10 25:11-12 25:13 25:14-17 25:15 25:15-16 25:18 25:18-22 25:19 25:21 25:23 25:23-28 25:24 25:25 25:26 25:27 25:28 25:29-30 25:29-34 25:32-33 25:34 25:35 25:35-38 25:36-37 25:38 25:39 25:39-46 25:41 25:42 25:42 25:43 25:44 25:46 25:47-55 25:48 25:48-49 25:50-52 25:53 25:54 26:1 26:1-2 26:1-2 26:1-46 26:2 26:3-13 26:4 26:5 26:5 26:5 26:6 26:6 26:6 26:7-8 26:9 26:9 26:9 26:10 26:11 26:11 26:12 26:12 26:13 26:14 26:14-39 26:15 26:16 26:16 26:16 26:17 26:17 26:17 26:18 26:18 26:19 26:19 26:20 26:21 26:21 26:21 26:22 26:23 26:24 26:24 26:25 26:25 26:26 26:27 26:27 26:28 26:28 26:29 26:30 26:30 26:31 26:32 26:33 26:34 26:34-35 26:36 26:37-38 26:39 26:40-41 26:40-46 26:41 26:42 26:42 26:43 26:43-44 26:45 26:45 26:46 26:46 27:2 27:2-8 27:3-4 27:5 27:6 27:7 27:8 27:8 27:9-10 27:9-13 27:11-12 27:11-13 27:14 27:15 27:15-25 27:16 27:16 27:17 27:18 27:19 27:20-21 27:22 27:24 27:25 27:26 27:26-27 27:27 27:28 27:28-29 27:29 27:30 27:30-34 27:31 27:32 27:33 27:34 33:36
Numbers
1:1 1:1 1:1-4 1:1-54 1:1-54 1:1-2:34 1:1-4:49 1:2-3 1:3 1:5 1:5-16 1:16 1:17-43 1:18 1:25 1:27 1:32-33 1:35 1:44-46 1:47-54 1:49 1:50 1:50-51 1:51 1:53 2:1-2 2:3-9 2:10 2:10-16 2:17 2:17 2:17 2:18 2:18-24 2:20 2:25-31 2:31 2:32 2:34 3:1 3:1-4 3:3 3:4 3:4 3:4 3:4 3:5-9 3:6 3:6 3:7 3:9 3:10 3:10 3:11-13 3:12 3:13 3:14-16 3:15 3:15 3:17-20 3:17-26 3:23 3:24 3:25-26 3:27-32 3:29 3:30 3:30 3:31 3:31-32 3:33-39 3:35 3:35 3:36-37 3:38 3:39 3:39 3:40-45 3:42-43 3:43 3:46-51 4:2-20 4:3 4:5 4:6 4:6 4:8 4:10 4:11 4:12 4:13 4:14 4:15 4:16 4:16 4:18 4:20 4:22-26 4:23 4:24-28 4:27 4:28 4:28 4:29-33 4:31-32 4:34-49 4:47-48 5:1-4 5:1-6:27 5:2-3 5:4 5:4 5:5-8 5:6 5:7 5:8 5:8 5:8 5:9-10 5:9-10 5:11-31 5:12-14 5:19 5:19-22 5:21-22 5:23 5:24 5:25-26 5:27 5:28 6:1-8 6:2 6:3-4 6:5 6:6-7 6:8 6:9 6:9 6:9 6:9-12 6:10-11 6:12 6:12 6:13 6:13-21 6:14 6:14 6:15 6:16 6:17 6:18 6:19-20 6:21 6:22-27 6:23 6:23 6:24 6:24-26 6:25 6:25 6:26 6:27 7:1 7:1-9 7:1-89 7:1-8:26 7:2 7:3 7:7 7:8 7:9 7:10-88 7:11 7:12 7:84-88 7:89 7:89 8:1-4 8:3 8:5-8 8:6 8:9-10 8:10 8:10 8:11 8:11 8:11-18 8:12 8:14 8:15 8:16-18 8:19 8:19 8:19 8:19 8:20 8:20-22 8:23-26 8:24 8:24 8:25 9:1-5 9:1-10:36 9:4 9:5 9:6 9:6-14 9:7 9:8 9:10-11 9:12 9:13 9:14 9:15 9:17 9:17 9:19 9:19-20 9:21 9:22 10:1-10 10:2 10:5 10:5-6 10:7 10:8 10:9 10:10 10:10 10:11 10:11 10:11 10:11 10:11-28 10:13 10:14-16 10:17 10:18-20 10:21 10:22-24 10:25-27 10:29 10:29 10:29-32 10:30 10:31-32 10:32 10:33 10:33 10:35 10:36 11:1 11:1-3 11:1-35 11:1-14:45 11:2 11:3 11:4 11:4 11:4 11:4 11:4-9 11:5 11:5 11:6 11:7-9 11:10-15 11:12 11:13 11:14 11:15 11:15 11:16 11:16-17 11:17 11:18 11:18-23 11:19-20 11:21-22 11:22 11:22-23 11:23 11:24 11:24-30 11:25 11:26 11:27 11:28 11:29 11:29 11:30 11:31 11:31-32 11:32 11:33 11:33-35 11:34 12:1 12:1 12:1-3 12:2 12:2 12:3 12:4-5 12:4-9 12:6-8 12:6-8 12:7 12:8 12:8 12:8 12:9 12:10 12:10 12:11 12:11-12 12:11-13 12:12 12:12 12:13 12:13 12:14 12:14-16 12:15 13:1-2 13:1-16 13:1-14:45 13:4-15 13:16 13:17 13:17-20 13:18 13:19 13:20 13:21 13:21-25 13:22 13:23-24 13:26-33 13:27 13:28 13:28 13:28 13:28 13:29 13:29 13:30 13:31 13:31 13:32 13:32 13:33 13:33 13:33 13:33 14:1 14:1 14:1 14:1 14:1-4 14:1-45 14:2 14:2 14:2 14:2-3 14:3 14:3 14:3 14:3 14:4 14:5 14:5 14:5-10 14:7 14:7-9 14:8 14:9 14:9 14:9 14:9 14:10 14:10 14:11 14:11-12 14:12 14:13 14:13-16 14:13-19 14:14 14:14 14:15 14:16 14:17-18 14:19 14:19 14:19 14:20 14:20 14:20-25 14:20-35 14:21 14:22 14:22 14:23 14:23 14:24 14:25 14:26-35 14:27 14:27 14:28-29 14:29 14:30 14:30 14:31 14:32 14:33 14:33-34 14:34 14:35 14:36 14:36-37 14:36-39 14:37 14:38 14:40 14:40 14:40-45 14:41-43 14:44 14:45 15:1-12 15:2 15:3 15:3-5 15:4 15:6-7 15:7 15:8-10 15:9 15:10 15:13-16 15:13-16 15:17-21 15:18 15:20-21 15:22-23 15:22-29 15:24 15:24 15:24 15:25 15:25-26 15:27 15:28 15:29 15:30 15:30 15:30 15:30 15:30 15:30-31 15:31 15:31 15:32 15:32-36 15:33-34 15:35 15:36 15:37-41 15:38 15:38-39 16:1 16:1-15 16:1-50 16:1-17:13 16:2 16:3 16:3 16:4 16:4-11 16:5-7 16:6-7 16:7 16:8 16:9-10 16:11 16:12 16:12 16:12-15 16:13 16:14 16:14 16:15 16:16-17 16:16-22 16:18-19 16:19 16:19 16:21 16:22 16:22 16:23-34 16:24 16:24 16:25 16:26 16:27 16:27 16:28-30 16:31 16:32 16:33 16:34 16:35 16:35 16:37 16:37-40 16:38-40 16:41 16:41 16:41-43 16:42 16:43 16:45 16:45 16:46 16:46-50 16:49 17:1-7 17:5 17:5 17:7 17:8-9 17:8-9 17:10-11 17:10-11 17:12-13 17:12-13 17:13 18:1 18:1-7 18:1-19:22 18:2 18:2 18:2-4 18:4 18:4 18:5 18:6 18:7 18:7 18:8 18:8 18:8 18:8-19 18:9-10 18:11-13 18:12 18:12 18:15-16 18:16 18:17-18 18:17-18 18:19 18:20 18:20-24 18:21 18:22 18:23 18:24 18:24 18:25-32 18:26 18:28 18:30 18:31 18:32 19:1-10 19:2 19:4 19:5 19:7 19:8 19:8 19:9 19:10 19:10 19:11 19:11 19:11-16 19:12-19 19:14 19:14-16 19:17-22 19:18 19:20 19:21-22 20:1 20:1 20:1 20:1-26:65 20:2 20:2 20:2 20:2 20:3 20:3-4 20:3-5 20:4-5 20:6 20:6 20:6-9 20:8 20:8 20:8 20:9 20:10-11 20:10-12 20:11 20:12 20:12 20:12 20:12-13 20:13 20:13 20:14-17 20:14-17 20:16 20:16 20:17 20:18 20:18 20:18 20:18-21 20:19 20:20 20:20 20:20 20:21 20:22 20:24 20:27 20:29 21:1 21:1-3 21:1-3 21:2 21:3 21:4 21:4-9 21:5 21:5 21:6 21:7 21:7 21:8-9 21:10 21:10 21:10-20 21:13 21:13-15 21:14 21:16 21:16 21:17 21:18 21:18 21:18 21:18 21:21 21:21-32 21:23 21:24-25 21:26 21:26 21:26-27 21:27 21:27-30 21:28 21:29 21:30 21:33 21:33-35 21:34 22:1-4 22:2 22:2-4 22:3 22:3 22:3 22:4 22:4 22:5 22:5-14 22:6 22:6 22:7 22:8 22:9-11 22:12 22:13 22:14 22:15 22:15-21 22:16 22:17 22:18 22:18 22:19 22:20 22:21 22:22 22:22-35 22:23 22:23 22:23 22:23 22:24-25 22:26-27 22:28 22:28 22:29 22:30 22:31 22:31 22:32-33 22:34 22:35 22:36 22:36-41 22:37 22:38 22:38 22:40 22:41 23:1-3 23:3 23:3 23:4 23:4-5 23:5 23:6 23:7 23:7 23:7-10 23:8 23:8 23:9 23:9 23:10 23:11 23:11-12 23:12 23:13 23:13-26 23:14-15 23:16 23:16-17 23:17 23:18 23:19 23:20 23:21 23:22 23:22 23:23 23:24 23:25 23:26 23:27 23:27-30 23:29-30 24:1 24:1 24:1-9 24:2 24:3-4 24:3-4 24:3-4 24:3-9 24:4 24:5 24:5 24:6 24:6 24:7 24:7 24:8 24:8 24:9 24:9 24:9 24:10 24:10-13 24:11 24:12-13 24:14 24:14 24:14-25 24:15 24:17 24:17 24:17 24:18 24:19 24:20 24:20 24:21 24:22 24:23 24:24 24:50-51 25:1 25:1-3 25:3 25:3 25:4 25:4-5 25:5 25:6 25:7-8 25:8 25:8 25:8 25:8 25:9 25:9 25:10-13 25:11 25:12 25:12-13 25:13 25:14 25:14 25:15 25:15 25:15 25:16-18 25:17 25:18 26:1-3 26:1-4 26:1-65 26:5-50 26:5-65 26:9 26:9-11 26:10 26:11 26:11 26:42 26:42-43 26:47 26:51 26:52-56 26:53 26:54 26:55 26:57-62 26:59 26:63-65 26:64-65 27:1-11 27:1-23 27:2 27:3 27:4 27:5 27:7 27:7 27:8 27:9-11 27:12 27:12-14 27:13 27:13 27:14 27:14 27:15-17 27:18 27:18 27:18-23 27:19 27:20 27:21 27:21 27:22-23 27:33 28:1-2 28:1-29:40 28:2 28:3 28:3-8 28:6 28:7 28:9-10 28:9-10 28:10 28:11-15 28:11-15 28:15 28:16-25 28:17-25 28:18 28:19 28:26 28:26-31 28:27-30 29:1 29:1-6 29:2-6 29:7-11 29:8 29:8-10 29:11 29:12 29:12-38 29:12-39 29:39 29:39-40 30:1-2 30:1-16 30:3 30:3-5 30:4 30:6-7 30:6-8 30:6-8 30:6-16 30:8 30:9 30:9 30:10-14 30:13 30:15 31:1-2 31:1-32:42 31:2 31:2 31:3 31:3-6 31:7 31:7-12 31:8 31:9 31:9 31:10 31:11 31:12 31:13 31:13 31:14 31:14-18 31:15 31:16 31:19 31:19-20 31:19-24 31:21-23 31:24 31:25-47 31:29 31:30 31:48 31:48-54 31:49 31:50 31:50 31:50-53 31:54 32:1 32:1-5 32:1-42 32:2 32:2 32:5 32:6-7 32:6-15 32:8-13 32:14-15 32:16 32:16-19 32:17 32:18 32:19 32:20-21 32:20-42 32:22 32:23 32:23 32:25 32:25 32:27 32:27 32:28-30 32:31 32:31-32 32:33 32:38 32:39 33:1 33:1-49 33:1-56 33:2 33:3 33:4 33:4 33:6 33:8 33:11 33:14 33:15 33:16 33:38-39 33:40 33:50-56 33:52 33:53 33:53-54 33:55 33:56 34:1-15 34:1-36:13 34:2-12 34:3 34:3 34:5 34:6 34:8 34:12 34:12 34:13 34:14-15 34:16-29 34:17 35:1-8 35:2 35:2 35:3 35:4-5 35:4-5 35:8 35:9-15 35:10-15 35:15 35:16 35:16 35:16-21 35:17 35:18 35:19 35:20 35:20 35:21 35:21 35:22 35:22-24 35:23 35:24 35:25 35:25-34 35:26-27 35:26-28 35:27 35:30 35:30 35:30 35:31 35:33 36:1-4 36:1-13 36:2 36:2 36:3 36:5 36:5-7 36:7 36:8 36:8-9 36:10-12 36:10-12 36:13 36:13 38:4
Deuteronomy
1:1 1:1-2 1:1-46 1:3 1:3 1:3-4 1:5 1:5 1:6 1:6-7 1:6-7 1:6-8 1:7 1:8 1:9 1:9 1:9-18 1:10 1:11 1:12 1:13 1:14 1:15 1:16-17 1:16-17 1:17 1:19 1:19-33 1:20-21 1:20-21 1:22 1:22 1:24-25 1:26 1:27 1:28 1:29 1:29-30 1:30 1:30 1:31 1:32 1:33 1:34-38 1:34-46 1:37 1:38 1:39 1:41 1:42 1:43 1:44 1:45 2:1 2:1-3 2:4 2:4-5 2:4-5 2:4-8 2:5 2:6 2:7 2:8 2:8 2:9 2:9 2:9 2:9 2:9 2:9 2:9 2:10-11 2:10-12 2:11 2:12 2:12 2:13 2:13-16 2:14 2:15 2:16 2:17-23 2:19 2:19 2:20-21 2:21 2:22 2:22 2:23 2:24-25 2:24-25 2:26-29 2:26-32 2:30 2:30 2:32 2:33-34 2:33-37 2:34 2:35 2:36 3:1 3:1-11 3:2 3:3 3:4 3:5 3:7 3:8 3:10 3:11 3:11 3:12-17 3:14 3:15 3:18-20 3:18-20 3:21-22 3:21-22 3:23-25 3:24-25 3:25 3:26 3:26 3:26 3:26-29 3:27 3:28 4:1 4:1 4:1 4:1-40 4:1-40 4:2 4:2 4:2 4:2 4:3-4 4:5 4:5 4:5 4:6 4:6 4:7 4:7 4:7-8 4:8 4:9 4:9 4:10 4:10 4:10 4:11 4:12 4:12 4:13 4:14 4:15 4:15 4:15-16 4:15-18 4:19 4:19 4:20 4:20 4:21-22 4:23 4:23 4:24 4:25 4:25-31 4:26 4:27 4:28 4:28 4:29-31 4:31 4:32 4:32-33 4:33 4:33 4:33 4:33 4:34 4:36 4:36 4:37 4:37 4:38 4:39 4:40 4:40 4:41-43 4:41-43 4:44-46 4:44-49 4:47 5:1 5:1-5 5:4 5:5 5:6-21 5:15 5:22 5:22 5:23-27 5:25 5:27 5:28 5:28-31 5:29 5:29 5:31 5:32-33 5:32-33 6:1 6:1 6:1-3 6:2 6:2 6:2 6:3 6:3 6:4 6:4-5 6:5 6:6 6:6 6:6-9 6:7 6:7 6:7 6:8-9 6:10 6:10 6:10-11 6:10-12 6:10-24 6:11 6:12 6:13 6:13 6:14 6:14-15 6:15 6:16 6:16-18 6:17-19 6:20 6:20-25 6:21-23 6:24 7:1 7:1-2 7:2 7:2 7:2 7:2-3 7:3 7:3-4 7:3-4 7:5 7:6 7:7 7:7 7:8 7:9 7:10 7:12 7:13-14 7:15 7:16 7:16 7:17 7:18 7:18 7:18-19 7:20 7:21 7:21 7:22 7:23 7:25 7:25-26 7:26 8:1 8:1 8:1 8:1-2 8:2 8:2 8:2 8:2 8:2-5 8:3 8:3 8:3 8:3-4 8:4 8:4 8:5 8:6 8:6 8:6 8:6 8:6 8:7-8 8:7-9 8:7-9 8:8 8:9-10 8:10 8:10-14 8:11 8:11-12 8:12 8:12-15 8:13 8:14 8:14 8:15 8:15 8:15 8:15 8:16 8:16 8:16 8:16 8:17 8:17 8:17-26 8:18 8:18 8:18 8:19-20 8:19-20 8:24 8:25 8:26 9:1 9:1 9:1-3 9:2 9:3 9:4 9:4 9:4-6 9:5 9:5 9:6 9:7 9:7 9:7-24 9:8 9:8 9:8-21 9:12 9:13-14 9:14 9:16 9:17 9:17 9:17 9:18 9:19 9:20 9:20 9:20 9:21 9:21 9:22 9:22-23 9:23 9:24 9:24 9:24 9:25 9:25 9:26 9:27 9:27 9:28 10:1-2 10:1-5 10:3 10:4 10:5 10:6 10:6 10:6 10:6-7 10:6-7 10:8 10:8-9 10:8-9 10:10 10:10-11 10:10-11 10:12 10:12 10:12 10:12-22 10:13 10:14 10:15 10:16 10:17 10:17 10:18 10:18 10:19 10:20 10:20 10:20 10:20 10:20 10:21 10:21-22 11:1 11:2 11:2 11:2-7 11:3 11:4 11:5 11:6 11:7 11:8 11:8-15 11:9 11:10-11 11:10-11 11:10-12 11:13-15 11:15 11:16-17 11:16-17 11:18-20 11:18-21 11:21 11:22 11:22-25 11:23-24 11:25 11:26 11:26-32 11:27 11:28 11:29 11:29-30 11:29-30 11:30 11:31 11:32 12:1 12:1-3 12:1-26:19 12:2 12:2-3 12:4 12:4-5 12:6 12:6 12:6-7 12:7 12:7 12:7 12:7 12:8-9 12:8-11 12:10-11 12:11 12:11 12:12 12:12 12:12 12:12 12:12 12:12 12:13 12:13 12:14 12:14 12:15 12:15 12:15-16 12:16 12:17 12:17 12:18 12:18 12:18 12:18 12:18 12:19 12:19 12:20-22 12:20-26 12:21 12:22 12:23 12:24 12:25 12:26-28 12:27 12:29-32 12:29-32 12:30-31 12:31 12:32 13:1-2 13:1-2 13:1-3 13:1-5 13:1-18 13:3 13:3 13:3 13:4 13:5 13:5 13:6 13:6-11 13:7 13:8 13:8-9 13:9 13:9 13:9 13:10 13:11 13:12-18 13:14 13:15 13:16 13:17 13:17 14:1 14:1 14:1 14:1-2 14:2 14:2 14:3-21 14:4 14:4-5 14:5 14:9-10 14:11-20 14:21 14:22 14:22-29 14:23 14:23 14:24-25 14:27 14:28-29 14:28-29 15:1-2 15:1-6 15:2 15:2-3 15:3 15:4 15:4 15:4 15:4 15:4-6 15:6 15:6 15:6 15:7 15:7 15:7 15:7-11 15:8 15:9 15:10 15:10 15:11 15:11 15:12 15:12-18 15:13-14 15:15 15:16-17 15:17 15:18 15:19 15:19 15:19-23 15:20 15:21 15:22 15:23 16:1 16:1 16:1-8 16:2 16:2 16:3 16:3-4 16:5-7 16:6 16:7 16:8 16:9 16:9 16:9-12 16:10 16:10 16:11 16:12 16:13-15 16:13-15 16:14 16:15 16:16-17 16:16-17 16:18 16:18-20 16:19 16:20 16:21-22 16:21-22 17:1 17:1 17:1-19:21 17:2 17:2-7 17:3 17:4 17:4 17:5 17:6 17:6 17:6 17:8 17:8-13 17:9 17:9 17:10 17:11 17:11 17:12 17:12 17:12-13 17:14-15 17:14-20 17:16 17:16 17:17 17:18 17:19 17:19-20 18:1 18:1-8 18:2 18:3 18:4 18:5 18:6-8 18:9 18:9-14 18:10 18:10-11 18:12 18:13-14 18:15 18:15 18:15-18 18:16-17 18:18 18:18 18:19 18:19 18:20 18:20 18:20 18:21 18:21-22 18:22 19:1-3 19:1-13 19:4-6 19:7 19:8-10 19:10 19:11-13 19:11-13 19:14 19:14 19:14 19:15 19:15 19:15-21 19:17 19:18 19:19 19:20 19:21 20:1 20:1-4 20:3 20:3 20:4 20:5 20:5 20:5-7 20:6 20:7 20:8 20:8-9 20:9 20:10 20:10 20:10-11 20:10-15 20:13 20:13 20:13 20:14 20:15 20:16 20:16 20:16-18 20:17 20:18 20:19-20 20:19-20 21:1 21:1-9 21:2-3 21:3-4 21:5 21:5 21:6-7 21:8 21:8 21:10-11 21:10-14 21:12-13 21:14 21:15 21:15 21:15 21:15-17 21:16-17 21:17 21:18 21:18-21 21:19-20 21:20 21:21 21:22 21:22-23 22:1-2 22:1-4 22:3 22:4 22:5 22:5 22:6 22:6-7 22:6-7 22:8 22:8 22:9-10 22:9-11 22:11 22:12 22:12 22:13-19 22:13-19 22:18-19 22:20-21 22:20-21 22:22 22:22 22:23-24 22:23-24 22:23-27 22:24-27 22:28-29 22:28-29 22:30 22:30 23:1-2 23:1-8 23:4 23:4 23:5 23:5 23:5 23:6 23:7 23:7-8 23:9 23:9-14 23:10-11 23:12-14 23:15 23:15-16 23:17-18 23:17-18 23:19-20 23:19-20 23:21-23 23:21-23 23:23 23:24-25 23:25 24:1 24:1 24:1-4 24:2 24:3-4 24:5 24:5 24:5 24:6 24:6 24:7 24:7 24:7 24:8 24:8-9 24:8-9 24:8-9 24:10-11 24:10-13 24:12-13 24:14-15 24:14-15 24:16 24:16 24:17 24:17 24:17-18 24:18 24:19 24:19-22 25:1-3 25:1-3 25:3 25:4 25:4 25:5 25:5 25:5-6 25:5-10 25:7 25:8-10 25:11-12 25:11-12 25:13-14 25:13-16 25:15 25:16 25:17-18 25:17-18 25:17-19 25:19 25:19 26:1-2 26:1-11 26:2 26:3 26:3-4 26:5 26:5 26:6 26:7 26:7-8 26:9 26:10 26:11 26:12 26:12-15 26:13 26:13-14 26:15 26:16 26:16 26:17 26:17-18 26:17-19 26:18-19 26:19 26:19 27:1 27:1-10 27:1-28:68 27:2 27:2-3 27:3 27:3 27:4 27:4 27:5 27:6-7 27:7 27:8 27:9 27:9 27:11 27:11-26 27:12 27:12-13 27:15 27:15-26 27:16 27:17 27:18 27:18 27:19 27:20 27:21 27:22 27:23 27:24 27:25 27:26 28:1 28:1-2 28:1-14 28:1-20 28:2 28:3 28:3 28:4 28:4 28:5 28:6 28:7 28:8 28:8 28:9 28:9 28:10 28:10 28:11 28:11 28:12 28:12 28:12 28:13 28:13 28:14 28:15 28:15 28:15-44 28:15-68 28:16 28:16 28:17-18 28:19 28:20 28:20 28:21 28:22 28:23-24 28:25 28:25 28:26 28:27 28:27 28:27 28:28-29 28:30 28:31 28:32 28:34 28:35 28:36 28:37 28:38 28:39 28:40 28:41 28:42 28:43-44 28:44 28:45-46 28:45-68 28:47-48 28:49-50 28:51 28:52 28:53 28:54-55 28:56-57 28:57 28:58-59 28:58-59 28:59 28:60 28:60 28:61 28:62 28:63 28:64 28:65 28:65 28:66 28:67 28:68 28:68 29:1 29:1 29:1 29:1-30:20 29:2 29:2 29:2-3 29:2-8 29:4 29:5-6 29:7-8 29:9 29:9 29:9 29:9 29:10 29:10-11 29:11 29:12 29:12-13 29:13 29:14 29:15 29:15 29:16-17 29:16-17 29:18 29:18-21 29:18-28 29:19 29:19 29:20 29:20-21 29:22 29:22 29:23 29:23 29:24 29:25 29:26 29:27 29:28 29:29 29:29 30:1 30:1 30:1 30:1 30:1-10 30:1-10 30:1-20 30:2 30:2 30:2 30:2 30:3 30:3 30:4 30:4 30:5 30:5 30:5 30:6 30:6 30:7 30:8 30:8 30:8 30:9 30:9 30:10 30:10 30:11 30:11 30:11-14 30:12 30:13 30:14 30:15-20 30:16 30:17-18 30:19 30:19 30:20 31:1-6 31:1-29 31:2 31:3 31:3 31:3 31:4 31:5 31:6 31:6 31:7 31:7-8 31:7-8 31:9 31:9 31:9 31:9-13 31:10-11 31:10-13 31:11 31:11 31:12 31:12 31:13 31:14 31:14 31:14-15 31:15 31:16 31:16 31:16 31:16-18 31:17 31:17 31:18 31:18 31:19 31:19-21 31:20 31:21 31:21 31:22 31:22 31:22 31:23 31:23 31:24-26 31:24-27 31:26 31:27 31:28 31:28 31:28-30 31:29 31:29 31:30 32:1-2 32:1-2 32:1-52 32:2 32:2 32:2 32:3 32:3-4 32:3-6 32:4 32:5 32:5 32:6 32:7 32:7-18 32:8 32:8 32:8 32:8 32:8 32:9 32:10 32:10 32:10 32:10 32:11 32:11 32:11-12 32:11-12 32:13 32:13 32:14 32:14 32:15 32:15-16 32:16 32:16-17 32:18 32:19 32:19-33 32:20 32:20 32:21 32:22 32:22-25 32:23 32:23-39 32:24 32:24 32:25 32:26-28 32:27 32:28 32:29 32:30-31 32:31 32:32-33 32:32-33 32:34 32:34-35 32:36 32:36 32:36 32:36 32:36-43 32:37-38 32:39 32:40 32:40-42 32:41-47 32:43 32:44 32:44-45 32:47 32:48 32:48-52 32:49-50 32:49-50 32:50 32:51 32:51 33:1 33:1-29 33:1-29 33:2 33:2 33:2 33:2 33:2-5 33:3 33:4-5 33:5 33:5 33:6 33:6 33:7 33:7 33:8 33:8-9 33:8-11 33:9 33:9 33:9-10 33:9-11 33:10 33:10 33:10 33:10 33:11 33:12 33:13-16 33:13-17 33:14 33:14 33:15 33:16 33:16 33:16 33:16 33:17 33:17 33:18 33:18-19 33:19 33:20 33:20-21 33:20-21 33:21 33:22 33:22 33:23 33:23 33:24-25 33:24-25 33:26 33:26 33:26-29 33:27 33:27 33:28 33:29 33:29 33:29 33:32 33:33 33:42 34:1 34:1 34:1-4 34:4 34:5 34:5-6 34:6 34:7 34:7 34:8 34:8 34:9 34:9 34:9 34:10 34:10 34:10-12 34:10-12
Joshua
1:12 1:16 2:9-10 2:9-10 2:10 3:4 4:1 4:12 4:13 4:19 5:1 5:2 5:10 5:11 6:2 6:16 6:17 7:9 7:10 7:13 7:20 8:34-35 9:23 10:24 11:20 13:1 13:21 14:9 14:12 14:13 17:3-4 18:3 18:28 19:9 19:11 21:1-45 22:7 22:12 24:2 24:2 24:4 24:12 24:14 24:15 24:15 24:15 24:26 24:32 24:32
Judges
1:2 1:7 1:7 1:16 1:16 1:28 1:30 1:33 1:35 2:11-18 3:1 3:4 3:15 3:20 4:2 5:1-2 5:5 5:10 5:18 6:3 6:5 6:5-6 6:21 6:21-22 6:24 6:26 6:33 6:36-40 7:3 7:7 7:13-14 7:16 8:1 9:8 9:23 10:14 10:14 10:16 10:16 10:16 11:1-2 11:15-23 11:20 11:23-24 12:1 12:14 13:4 13:5 13:17 13:18 13:19 13:19 13:19-20 13:21 13:23 13:24-25 13:25 17:13 18:24 18:27 20:12-13 20:14 20:16 20:27-28 21:9-10
Ruth
1 Samuel
1:5 1:6 1:7-8 1:10-11 1:11 1:11 1:18 2:5 2:8 2:9 2:9 2:18 2:18 2:29 2:30 2:30 2:35 3:14 3:18 3:18 3:19-20 6:3 6:6 6:20 7:3 7:9 7:10 7:12 7:17 9:6 9:9 9:13 9:24 10:2 10:6 10:11 11:15 12:12 12:12 12:23 13:8 13:8-9 14:6 14:6 14:12 14:27 14:32 14:32-33 15:1-35 15:1-35 15:6 15:6 15:27 15:30 16:6 16:6-7 16:7 17:37 17:43 18:6-7 19:23 21:6 22:18 22:18 23:6 23:6 24:13 25:11 25:32-33 25:32-33 26:19 26:21 26:25 30:1-31 30:6 30:16-17 30:24-25
2 Samuel
1:1 2:26 3:29 6:8 6:14 7:18 7:18 7:18 7:18-19 7:23 8:2 8:11-12 8:12 13:12 13:12 13:15 13:22 13:31 15:25-26 19:24 21:9 21:14 22:1 23:1-3 23:16 24:8 24:15 24:18 24:24
1 Kings
1:50 2:28 3:27 4:20 4:22 4:22-28 4:33 6:1 8:31 8:41-42 8:56 9:8-9 10:28-29 11:1 11:1-4 12:4 12:33 13:6 15:15 17:1 17:13 18:23 18:27 18:28 18:31-32 18:36 18:36 18:38 18:43-44 20:5-6 20:11 20:28 20:31 21:3 21:3 21:9 21:29 22:6 22:34
2 Kings
1:39 2:17 2:23 2:24 2:24 4:23 5:1 5:10 5:12-14 5:23 5:23 5:23 6:5 6:26 6:28-29 7:2 7:3 7:4 8:20 8:22 9:32 12:14 14:6 15:29 17:6 17:24 17:31 18:4 20:8-10 20:19 21:13 22:20 22:20 23:6 24:3-4 24:15 24:15 25:7 25:12 25:21
1 Chronicles
1:35-54 4:43 5:1-2 5:18-22 5:19-20 5:22 7:2 9:30 10:13 12:8 12:8 12:32 15:13 17:24 22:14 23:24 24:2 26:5 26:26-27 28:3 29:4 29:14
2 Chronicles
1:7 2:14 3:1 5:12 5:13 6:1 6:5 6:8 7:1 7:1 7:12 9:26 9:26 12:8 12:8 13:11 13:12 13:14-15 16:9 16:9 17:8-9 19:5 19:6 19:8 20:6 20:21 21:8 22:11 24:22 24:22 25:16 25:16 26:16 26:21 28:20 28:22 29:17 29:21 29:27 29:36 30:15 30:23-24 31:1 31:5 32:31 34:3 34:7 34:14 34:30 35:17 36:12 36:16 36:21 36:21
Ezra
2:63 3:8 4:12 6:9-10 6:10 7:20-22 8:35 9:1-2 9:1-15 9:1-10:44 9:4
Nehemiah
1:9 5:5 5:7 5:8 5:15 5:15 5:15 6:3 6:10 8:3 8:7-8 8:8 8:10 8:15 9:2 9:5-6 9:13 9:17 9:19 9:19 9:20 10:29 13:1 13:1-2 13:1-31 13:17
Esther
1:4 2:8 3:8 4:11 5:12-13 9:1 9:19
Job
1:5 1:5 1:5 1:5 1:21 2:10 3:11 3:20-22 4:12-13 4:16-21 4:19 5:14-15 5:23 5:23 5:26 7:2 7:2 7:4 8:4 8:7 9:15 9:18-19 9:23 10:9 10:22 10:22 11:10 11:10 11:16 12:7 12:9 12:14 12:14 12:15 12:16 12:16 12:23 13:26 14:1 14:1 14:13 15:20-21 15:25 16:4-5 17:14 18:5-6 18:15 18:18 19:25 19:25 20:14 20:27 20:27 20:27 21:7 21:9 21:10 21:12-13 21:19 21:25 21:28-30 21:32-33 22:12 22:15-16 22:20 22:23 22:23 22:28 23:3 23:4 23:6 23:16 24:1 24:15 24:24 25:4 26:7 26:8 26:9 26:9 26:9 26:9 26:12 26:13 26:13 26:14 27:16-17 27:20 27:22 28:2 28:5 28:5 28:25 28:28 29:13 30:1 30:12 31:1 31:1 31:3 31:3 31:7 31:11 31:13 31:13 31:13 31:13-14 31:13-15 31:15 31:17 31:28 31:33 31:33 31:37 31:39 32:6-7 32:8 32:9 32:14-15 33:4 33:6 33:6-7 33:14 33:15 33:15-16 33:23 33:23-24 34:10-11 34:19 34:19 34:19-20 35:6 35:10 35:11 36:13 36:13 36:14 37:11 37:12-13 37:18 38:4 38:6-7 38:9-11 38:10-11 38:10-11 38:19 38:22-23 38:22-23 38:22-23 38:24 38:36 39:6 39:9-10 39:20 40:11-14 40:12 40:12-13 41:1 41:34 42:8-10
Psalms
1:2 1:2 1:2 1:3 1:3 2:1 2:1-3 2:4 2:8 2:11 2:12 4:4 4:6 4:7-8 4:8 4:8 5:3 5:3 7:12 7:12 7:12-13 7:16 8:3 8:3-4 9:15 10:4 10:8-9 10:17 10:17 11:6 11:7 11:8 12:4 12:5 14:1-3 15:1 15:4 15:5 16:4 16:5-6 16:10 16:15 17:8 17:14 17:14 18:7-9 18:8-9 18:11 18:12-13 18:16 18:28 18:33 18:40 19:1-3 19:1-6 19:10 19:12 19:12 20:1 20:5 20:7 21:7-8 21:8 21:8 21:12 21:12 22:4-5 22:9-10 22:9-10 22:12 22:26 22:29 23:4 24:1 24:3-4 24:3-4 25:11 25:14 25:14 26:4 26:6 26:6 26:6 26:6 26:6 27:4 27:4 27:4 27:4-5 27:4-5 27:5 27:5 27:10 27:11 27:13 28:4 28:26 30:1-12 30:6-7 31:7 31:20 31:22 32:5 32:5 32:5 32:6 32:7 32:8 32:8 33:6 33:7 33:13 33:15 33:17 34:7 34:7 34:7 34:10 35:13 36:1 36:6 36:6 36:6 36:8 37:6 37:12-13 37:16 37:19 37:19 37:23 37:23 37:37 38:13 38:13-15 38:13-15 39:1-2 39:2 39:3 39:4 39:5 40:6 42:1-2 42:7 44:2 44:3 44:3 44:20-21 44:20-21 44:25 44:25 45:2 45:10-11 45:13 45:14 46:1 46:4 46:5 46:5 46:8 47:4 47:4 47:4 48:12 48:14 49:6-8 49:6-8 49:14 49:14 49:18 49:18 50:3-4 50:5 50:5 50:5 50:6 50:9 50:20 50:20 51:2 51:4 51:5 51:5 51:6 51:9 51:12 51:17 53:5 53:5 55:6 55:9 55:15 56:8 58:3 59:11 60:6-7 60:7 62:10 63:1 64:7 64:8 64:8 65:9 65:9 65:9 65:9-10 66:1-3 66:6 66:13-14 66:13-14 66:18 67:6 68:1 68:4-5 68:6 68:12 68:17 68:17 68:18 68:18 69:2 69:2-15 69:9 69:14 69:15 69:22 69:33 72:6 72:10 72:14 72:14 72:14 72:15 73:17 73:21 73:24 73:25 74:14 74:14 74:16 74:20 76:1 76:2-3 76:8-9 76:10 76:11 77:11 77:16 77:19 78:3-4 78:6 78:7 78:9-10 78:12 78:14 78:14 78:15-16 78:18 78:18 78:19 78:19-20 78:19-20 78:21 78:26 78:27 78:30-31 78:32 78:34 78:38 78:39 78:45 78:47-48 78:49 78:49 78:54 78:61 78:71 79:9 80:1 80:1 80:2 80:2 80:4 80:8-9 80:19 81:3 81:3 81:9 81:14 82:3 83:3-13 83:4 83:7 83:8 83:15 83:16 84:2 84:6 84:6 84:10 84:10 86:8 86:16 86:17 87:5 88:8-18 89:6 89:15 89:15 89:15 89:15 89:20 89:20-28 89:37 90:1 90:1-17 90:8 90:10 90:10 90:10 90:11 90:12 90:12 91:1 91:1 91:1-16 91:5-6 91:6 91:6-7 91:7 91:7 91:7-8 91:11 91:13 92:4 92:6 92:12-14 92:15 93:5 94:8 94:9 94:12 94:16 95:5 95:7-11 95:10 95:10 95:11 98:1 99:6 99:6 99:8 100:4 101:6 101:8 102:6 102:28 103:1 103:3 103:7 103:10 103:12 103:14 103:18 103:20-21 104:3 104:6-9 104:7 104:9 104:9 104:13 104:13-15 104:14 104:14 104:25 104:28 104:29 104:31 104:33 105:2 105:12 105:13-15 105:14-15 105:14-15 105:15 105:17 105:18 105:19 105:22 105:28 105:28 105:28 105:29 105:32-33 105:34-35 105:39 105:39 105:44-45 106:7 106:7-13 106:9 106:12 106:19 106:19 106:20 106:23 106:23 106:24 106:28 106:29 106:31 106:32-33 106:33 106:35 106:39-40 106:46 106:46 107:1-43 107:4 107:7 107:7 107:7 107:7 107:7 107:34 107:38-39 107:38-39 107:41 107:41 107:43 108:1 109:18 110:2 110:3 110:3 110:3 111:2 112:2 112:9 112:10 113:6 113:6 113:7-8 113:9 114:3 114:4 114:8 115:16 115:16 116:7 116:7 116:12 116:12 116:16 116:16 116:16 119 119:6 119:6 119:30 119:49 119:49 119:59 119:60 119:74 119:89-91 119:105 119:111 119:115 119:120 119:120 119:126 119:128 119:130 120:5 120:6 120:6-7 120:7 121:2 121:4 121:4 121:6 121:8 122:1 122:1 122:1 124:8 124:8 125:2 126:1 126:1-2 127:3 127:4 127:4-5 128:2 128:6 128:6 131:15 132:9 132:9 132:14 132:16 133:1 133:2 135:7 135:11 135:19 136:9 136:13-14 136:19-20 136:19-20 136:25 136:25 137:1 138:2 138:4-5 138:7 139:1 139:1-16 139:7-13 139:14 139:15 139:15-16 139:21-22 141:2 141:5 141:5 141:6 142:2 142:2 142:3 144:15 145:10 145:11-12 146:7 146:7 146:9 146:9 146:9 146:9 147:2 147:19-20 147:19-20 147:19-20 147:20 148:6 148:8 148:8 148:14
Proverbs
1:9 1:10 1:11-12 1:17 1:23 1:24-25 1:28 1:32 2:17 2:17 3:6 3:6 3:9 3:9 3:10 3:32 3:33 3:33 4:1 4:15 4:18 4:23 5:11 5:18 5:19 6:6-8 6:22 6:23 6:32-33 6:34 6:34 7:1-3 7:14-15 7:19 7:19 7:23 7:26 8:26 8:30 8:30 8:31 8:36 9:8 9:12 9:12 9:17 10:4 10:4 10:22 10:22 10:22 11:1 11:13 11:26 11:26 11:31 12:10 13:15 13:20 13:22 13:22 14:7 14:9 14:28 14:34 15:1 15:8 15:8 15:8 15:8 15:8 15:8 15:8 15:30 15:32 16:7 16:7 16:9 16:31 17:6 17:8 17:8 17:15 17:17 18:10 18:10 18:16 18:16 19:3 19:3 19:14 19:27 20:10 20:19 20:23 20:25 21:14 21:14 21:27 21:30 22:2 22:7 23:1-3 23:1-3 23:2-3 23:6 23:6-7 23:20 23:31 23:31 23:32 23:32 23:35 23:35 24:11-12 24:11-12 25:16 25:21-22 25:27 26:2 26:2 27:4 27:4 27:4 27:5-6 27:5-6 27:8 27:18 27:22 27:23 27:23 28:1 28:1 28:1 28:13 28:17 29:1 29:10 29:16 29:21 29:24 30:4 30:4 30:4 30:9 30:17 30:17 30:21-23 31:4 31:5 31:5 31:5 31:8 31:11 31:11 31:13 31:19 31:26
Ecclesiastes
1:7 2:18-19 2:21 3:11 3:11 3:11 3:14 3:14 3:14 3:14 3:14 3:15 3:15 3:18 3:21 4:1 4:4 4:4 4:9 4:9-10 4:13 5:1 5:1 5:2 5:4 5:4 5:4 5:4 5:5 5:6 5:6 5:7 5:9 5:11 5:19 7:1 7:6 7:14 7:14 7:14 7:17 7:21-22 7:26 7:29 8:6-7 8:10 8:11 8:11 8:12 8:15 9:1 9:1-2 9:2 9:5 9:10 9:11 9:12 9:15 9:17 10:1 10:4 10:4 10:7 10:19 10:20 11:3 11:5 11:7 12:3 12:5 12:5 12:7 12:13
Song of Solomon
1:3 1:3 1:5 1:6 2:11-12 3:4 4:15 6:10 6:13 7:5 7:11 7:13 8:6 8:6
Isaiah
1:3 1:3 1:5-7 1:11 1:13 1:13 1:13 1:13 1:13 1:15 1:16-18 1:16-18 1:16-18 1:18 1:24 1:24 1:24 1:24 2:2 2:3 2:5 2:20 2:20 3:5 3:5 3:9 3:9 3:18 3:18-24 4:2 4:3 4:4 4:5 4:5-6 4:5-6 4:6 5:7 5:8 5:8 6:3 6:3 6:5-6 6:5-6 6:7 6:7 6:9-10 6:13 7:11-12 7:13 7:18 8:8 8:9-10 8:12 8:13 8:16 8:20 8:21-22 9:3 9:6 10:1 10:3 10:5-6 10:7 10:7 10:7 10:17 10:23 11:3 11:6 11:6-7 11:10 11:10 11:12 11:15 12:2 13:6 13:19 14:14 14:14-15 14:29 14:29 16:4 16:12 16:14 17:10-11 19:1 19:1 19:10 19:25 19:25 21:10 21:12 22:21 23:7 23:18 23:18 25:7 26:10 26:11 26:20-21 26:20-21 26:20-21 26:21 27:3 27:3 27:4 27:4 27:7 27:7 27:11 27:13 27:13 28:7 28:7 28:10 28:12 28:16 28:17 28:17 28:17 28:20 28:26 28:26 29:22 29:24 30:7 30:17 30:22 30:22 30:23 30:33 31:9 32:8 33:1 33:14-15 33:15 33:16 33:20 34:5 34:11 34:11 34:13-14 34:16-17 35:8 37:10 37:11 37:23 37:24-25 37:29 38:17 38:17 40:11 40:11 40:12 40:13 40:15 40:18 40:28 40:31 41:2 41:2 41:4 41:10 41:14-15 41:17-18 41:23 42:1 42:4 42:4 42:21 43:2 43:3 43:3-4 43:4 43:4 43:4 43:4 43:10-11 43:11 43:13 43:15 43:20 43:21 43:23 43:23 43:24 43:25 43:25 44:26 45:4 45:7 45:7 45:7 45:7 45:13-15 45:19 45:22 45:23 46:1-2 46:1-2 46:1-2 46:4 46:6 46:8 46:10 47:12-13 47:12-14 47:13 48:8 48:8 48:10 49:6 49:8 49:15-16 49:16 49:16 49:23 50:4 50:4 50:7-9 50:11 50:11 51:1 51:2 51:2 51:9-10 51:13 51:20 51:22-23 51:22-23 52:4-5 52:11 52:12 52:12 52:15 52:15 53:2 53:6 53:8 53:10 53:10 53:11 54:1 54:2 54:2 54:2-3 54:9 54:10 54:10 54:11 54:11-12 54:17 55:1 55:1 55:9 55:10-11 55:10-11 56:2 56:3 56:3 56:3 56:6-7 56:6-7 56:6-7 56:12 57:1 57:1 57:10 57:11 57:17 57:17 58:1 58:6-7 58:7 58:8 58:9 58:10-11 58:13 59:1-2 59:16 59:16 59:17-18 59:18 59:18 60:5 60:9 60:14 60:17 60:22 61:2 61:5 61:8 61:9 61:10 62:1 62:2 63:3 63:8 63:9 63:9 63:10-11 63:11 63:11 63:13-14 63:14 63:14 64:1 64:6 64:8 65:1 65:4 65:4 65:8 65:8 65:13 65:13 65:13 65:16 65:24 66:3 66:3 66:5 66:8 66:9 66:10 66:21 66:21 66:23 66:24 66:24
Jeremiah
2:6 2:13 2:14 2:18 2:19 2:21 2:23 2:27 2:27 2:27-28 2:32 3:1 3:8 3:22 3:22 3:23 4:23 5:1 5:4 5:31 6:15 6:16 6:16 6:16 6:16 6:29 7:16 7:23 7:29 8:12 9:4 9:5 9:26 10:23 11:4 11:7 11:14 11:15 12:1 12:4 12:9 13:11 13:17 14:1 14:11 14:19 14:21 15:10 15:19 15:19 17:1 17:12 17:12 17:12 18:9 18:17 20:7-9 22:8-9 22:15 22:28 23:6 23:24 23:25 23:35 24:5 24:8 24:9 25:22 25:26 28:8-9 29:11 29:11 30:7 30:21 30:21 31:18 31:20 31:20 31:26 31:35 33:8-9 33:20-21 34:10-11 34:18-19 35:6 36:32 42:6 43:2 44:28 45:4-5 48:7 49:16 49:17-18 50:5 50:20 50:35-37 50:38 51:9 51:26 52:16
Lamentations
1:9 1:9 3:24 3:26 3:32 3:37-38 3:39 4:2 4:3 4:7 4:9 4:9 4:10
Ezekiel
1:10 1:26 2:7 3:1 3:1-2 3:4 3:4 3:10 3:14 3:14 3:17 3:17 3:18 3:18 3:20 5:12 5:13 6:9 6:9 7:16 9:4 10:4 11:23 13:6 13:9 14:14 14:14 14:21 14:21 14:21 16:5-6 16:10 16:20 16:20 16:48 16:49 16:49 18:4 18:25 20:6 20:8 20:8 20:8 20:40 22:9 23:48 24:17 24:21 31:18 33:10 33:13 34:16 34:17 36:17 36:32 36:37 37:9 37:26-27 41:22 43:7 43:11 43:26-27 44:21 44:22 44:23-24 44:30 44:30 45:11 45:12 46:4-5
Daniel
1:7 1:15 2:27 2:30 2:34 2:34-35 2:44 3:6 3:15 3:19 4:7 4:26 4:35 5:8 5:19 5:22 5:22 6:4 7 7:25 8:5 8:9 8:11 8:17 9:1-27 9:11-12 9:11-14 9:21 9:26 9:26 10:3 10:7 10:9 10:15 10:19 10:19 10:21 11:24 11:32 12:1 12:3 12:4 12:13 15 35 1700
Hosea
2:2 2:7 2:8-9 2:9 2:9 2:9 2:14 2:14 2:17 2:21-22 2:23 3:5 3:5 4:5 4:8 4:10 4:14 4:16-17 4:17 6:1-2 6:3 6:5 6:5 7:1 7:5 7:9 8:4 8:6 8:11 8:12 8:12 9:4 9:13 10:4 10:11 10:14 11:1 11:8 11:8-9 11:8-9 11:9 11:9 11:9 12:4 12:4 12:4 12:4 12:4 12:8 12:12 12:12 13:9 13:12 14:2 14:3 14:4 14:5 14:5-7 14:8 14:8-9 14:9 14:9
Joel
1:4 1:9 1:15 2:1 2:2 2:11 2:14 2:15 2:16 2:28
Amos
1:1 1:13 2:7 2:11 2:12 2:13 3:2 3:2 3:2 3:3 3:7 3:7 4:1 4:6 4:7 4:7 4:12 5:18 5:25 6:5 6:6 7:8 8:2 8:5 8:5 9:6 9:13 9:15 24:6
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
2:13 4:3 4:11-13 4:12 4:13 5:7 5:7 5:7 6:3 6:3 6:4 6:4 6:4 6:5 6:6-7 6:7 7:1 7:17 7:18 7:19 7:20 7:20
Habakkuk
1:11 1:12 1:16 2:1 2:1 2:1 2:1 2:2 2:3 2:3 2:3 2:6 2:11 2:13 2:13 2:15 2:15-16 2:18 3:2 3:3-4 3:6 3:10 3:17-18 3:17-18 7:21
Zephaniah
Haggai
1:4 1:6 1:9 1:9 1:9 1:9 1:9 2:11-13 2:12
Zechariah
1:18-21 2:5 3:3-4 3:7 4:2-3 4:2-3 4:6 4:7 4:10 4:11-12 5:4 5:4 6:8 6:11 6:12 6:13 8:21 8:23 8:23 8:23 8:23 8:23 9:12 11:10 11:14 12:1 12:3 12:6 12:6 12:10 12:12 13:1 13:1 13:7 14:16 14:18 14:18 14:18 14:20-21
Malachi
1:6 1:7 1:8 1:8 1:11 1:11 1:11 1:12 1:12 1:13 1:14 1:14 2:1 2:5 2:5 2:5 2:7 2:7 2:7 2:10 2:13 2:15 2:15 2:15 2:15 2:15 3:6 3:10 3:14 3:17 3:17 3:17 3:18 4:4
Matthew
1:1 1:1-17 1:1-17 1:3 1:3 1:3 1:4 1:5 2:2 2:13 3:6 3:9 3:17 3:17 4:1-11 4:3-4 4:4 4:4 4:4 4:6 4:7 4:7 4:10 4:14-15 5:3-11 5:6 5:14 5:14-15 5:15 5:16 5:17-18 5:19 5:21-22 5:21-22 5:21-22 5:22 5:22 5:23-24 5:28 5:28 5:29 5:29-30 5:33 5:33 5:38 5:38-39 5:39 5:39-40 5:44 5:44-45 5:45 6:9-13 6:25 6:25 6:25 6:26 6:33 7:1 7:6 7:12 7:22 7:22 7:24 8:2 8:4 8:8 8:10 8:21-22 8:22 8:25 9:20 9:36 9:38 10:11 10:15 10:16 10:19 10:37 10:41 10:42 11:2-3 11:12 11:25 11:29 12:3-4 12:7 12:12 12:28 12:34-35 12:47-48 12:48 12:48 12:50 13:12 14:19-20 15:4 15:4-6 15:5-6 15:7-9 15:11 15:14 15:19 15:27 16:2-3 16:18 17:5 17:5 17:27 18:6 18:6 18:15 18:16 19:3 19:4 19:4-5 19:4-5 19:5 19:5 19:7 19:8 19:17 19:29 19:29 19:29 20:8 20:23 20:23 20:26 20:27 21:29 21:45 22:5 22:12-13 22:24-33 22:31 22:39 23:4 23:5 23:17-19 23:19 23:32 23:35 23:35 23:35 23:35 23:37 23:37 23:37 24:4-28 24:14 24:14 24:15 24:24 24:28 24:31 25:8-9 25:11 25:21 25:29 25:31-32 25:32 25:37 26:6 26:13 26:52 26:63-64 26:75 27:24 27:51 28:19-20 28:20 28:20 28:20 28:20 28:20
Mark
1:44 3:5 6:21 7:11 7:11 8:4 9:26 9:38 9:49 9:49-50 10:19 10:23-24 12:32 12:33 12:33 12:34 12:41 16:16 16:16 16:18
Luke
1:6 1:9 1:10 1:10 1:15 1:18 1:46-47 1:51-52 1:58 1:73-75 1:74 1:74 1:74-75 1:74-75 1:80 2:1 2:8 2:8 2:22-24 2:37 2:40 2:46 2:51 3:1-38 3:21 3:36-38 6:35 6:35 7:12 7:27 7:29 7:46 8:16 9:29 9:46-50 9:52 10:1-24 10:5-6 10:18 10:21 10:40-41 11:2-4 11:5 11:20 11:44 11:52 12:4-5 12:6 12:6 12:13 12:15 12:17 12:18 12:20 12:47-48 12:49 12:51 13:9 13:9 13:24 13:25 13:25-27 13:33-34 14:8 14:14 14:21 14:26 14:26 14:26 15:17 15:20 15:22 15:28-32 16:10 16:25 16:25 17:3 17:12-13 17:14 17:26-27 17:27 17:31-32 17:32 18:1 18:1 18:8 18:10 18:11-12 18:13 18:13 19:8 19:9 19:9 19:40 19:42 20:34-36 20:37 20:37 21:4 21:4 21:15 21:20 21:34 21:34 22:24-27 22:25 22:26 22:28-29 22:30 22:30 22:35 23:18 23:29 24:31-32 24:45 24:50 24:51
John
1:1 1:1 1:1-18 1:3 1:9 1:10 1:14 1:14 1:14 1:14 1:17 1:18 1:18 1:29 1:29 1:51 3:2 3:8 3:14-15 3:21 3:26-36 3:29 3:31 3:36 3:36 3:36 4:5 4:14 4:21 4:23 4:34 5:4-6 5:14 5:17 5:36 5:39 5:46 5:46 6:14 6:27 6:32 6:32 6:38 6:48 6:49 6:49-51 6:53 6:53-55 6:68 7:5 7:16 7:17 7:32 7:37 7:37 7:38 7:38-39 8:3-11 8:6 8:12 8:33 8:34 8:41 8:53 8:56 8:56 9:3 9:4 9:5 9:24 9:36 10:3 10:11 10:14 10:18 10:28 10:32 10:32 11:6 11:9 11:15 11:42 11:51 11:51-52 11:52 12:13 12:24 12:24 12:28 12:28 12:32 12:33-34 12:37-38 12:48 13:8 13:10 13:10 13:10 14:21 14:22 14:22 14:26 14:26 14:31 15:15 15:16 15:16 16:4 16:6-7 16:13 16:21 16:32 16:32 16:33 17:1-26 17:4-5 17:11 17:17 17:19 17:19 17:19 17:19 17:24 17:24 17:24 17:26 18:13 18:24 19:17 19:31 19:33 19:34 19:36 21:22
Acts
1:4 1:7 2:1 2:1-13 2:1-13 2:3 2:3 2:23 2:23 2:24 2:38-40 2:40 2:40 2:44 2:47 3:22 3:26 4:12 4:13 4:19 5:4 5:4 5:13 5:17 5:29 5:33 6:1 6:3 6:4 6:6 7:2 7:4 7:4 7:5 7:8 7:8 7:8 7:14 7:16 7:20 7:22 7:22 7:23-53 7:25 7:27 7:37 7:38 7:39-40 7:41-42 7:42 7:44 7:51 7:53 7:53 8:2 8:10 8:31 9:5 9:21-22 9:31 9:39 10:4 10:15 10:34 10:34-35 12:9 12:12 13:18 13:50 14:16 14:17 15:10 15:10 15:18 15:18 15:21 15:29 15:39-40 17:24 17:24-25 17:24-26 17:26 17:26 17:26 18:18 18:24 19:19 19:19 20:24 21:13 21:13 21:16 21:24 21:24-25 21:27 23:5 24:15 26:6-7
Romans
1:16 1:18 1:23-25 1:24 1:25 1:26-27 2:1 2:7-9 2:16 2:21 2:23 2:29 2:29 2:29 2:29 3:4 3:5-6 3:5-6 3:15-16 3:19-20 4:4 4:6-7 4:11 4:16-17 4:17 4:19-21 4:20 5:1-2 5:11 5:11 5:11 5:11 5:12 5:12 5:14 5:19 5:20 6:6 6:7 6:12 6:12 6:14 6:21 6:21 6:22 7:1 7:1-5 7:4 7:7 7:11 7:13 7:16 7:22 7:25 8:1 8:1 8:3 8:3 8:3 8:14 8:15 8:18 8:20 8:20 8:20 8:20 8:20-21 8:21-22 8:22 8:22 8:22 8:26 8:29 8:37 8:39 9:4 9:5 9:7 9:8 9:9 9:11 9:12 9:15 9:16 9:17 9:18 9:31 9:32 10:4 10:5 10:6-8 10:8 10:16 10:17 10:19 11:1 11:2 11:8 11:8-9 11:8-10 11:10 11:11-24 11:19 11:22 11:28 11:28 11:29 11:33 12:1 12:1 12:1 12:7 12:9 12:19 12:20 13:1 13:4 13:4 13:9-10 14:11 14:13 14:13 14:14 14:22 15:4 15:6 15:10 15:16 16:3 16:20 16:20 16:25
1 Corinthians
1:12-13 1:21 1:26-27 1:30 2:3 2:9 2:13 2:13-14 3:1 3:12 3:13 3:16-17 3:17 3:17 3:17 3:22 3:22 5:1 5:1 5:1 5:1 5:2 5:5 5:7 5:7 5:7 5:7 5:7-8 5:8 5:8 5:12-13 5:12-13 5:13 5:13 6:7-8 6:11 6:13 6:13 6:19 7:2 7:5 7:15 7:16 7:16 7:21 7:23 7:23 7:24 7:24 7:33-34 7:33-34 8:4 8:8 8:9 8:13 9:7 9:7 9:9 9:9 9:9-10 9:9-10 9:10 9:11 9:11 9:12 9:13 9:13-14 9:19 10:1-2 10:1-2 10:2 10:2 10:3 10:4 10:4 10:6 10:7 10:7 10:9 10:10 10:11 10:12 10:13 10:13 10:20 10:21-22 10:31 11:5 11:5-6 11:7 11:8-9 11:10 11:10 11:10 11:14 11:16 11:19 11:23 11:23 12:2 12:4 12:4 12:6 12:7-21 12:11 12:17 12:21 12:21 12:21 12:21 12:23-24 12:23-24 12:24 12:24 12:28 13:5 13:12 14:8 14:22 14:24-25 14:25 15:10 15:20 15:23 15:24 15:29 15:47 15:52 16:1-2 16:2 16:2 16:2 16:2 16:2 16:2
2 Corinthians
1:5 1:12 2:6 2:7 2:7-8 2:10 2:11 2:15 3:3 3:9 3:10-11 3:13 3:13-14 3:13-14 3:13-15 3:16 3:18 3:18 3:18 3:18 3:18 4:4 4:6 4:6-7 4:8 4:17 5:1 5:5 5:9 5:9 5:9 5:9 5:20 5:21 5:21 6:14 6:14 6:14 6:14 6:14 6:14 6:15 6:17 6:17 7:1 7:5 7:5 7:11 7:11 7:11 8:3 8:3-4 8:12 8:12 8:14 9:2 9:7 9:7 9:7 9:7 9:7 10:10 10:16 11:2 11:2 11:24 12:1 12:7 12:9 12:10 13:14
Galatians
1:8 1:15-16 1:15-16 2:7 2:16 3:1 3:4 3:6 3:10 3:10 3:12 3:13 3:13 3:13 3:14 3:14 3:14 3:16 3:17 3:19 3:21-22 3:28 3:28 3:28 3:28 4:1 4:2-3 4:4 4:4 4:9 4:23 4:24 4:24 4:24 4:25 4:25 4:27 4:27 4:29 4:29 4:29 4:30 4:30 4:31 5:3 5:14 5:17 6:1 6:1 6:1 6:6 6:6 6:7 6:16 6:16 6:17
Ephesians
1:4 1:4 1:9 1:10 1:10 1:11 1:11 1:11 1:14 2:6 2:6 2:14-15 2:20 2:21-22 2:21-22 3:9 3:11 3:12 3:15 3:17 3:20 4:8 4:11 4:12 4:12-13 4:16 4:17-18 4:20 4:24 5:2 5:2 5:6 5:11 5:24 5:25-26 5:27 5:28 5:33 6:1-3 6:3 6:3 6:4 6:9 6:11 6:13 6:14 6:16 6:16-17
Philippians
1:12-13 1:13 1:16 1:21 2:4 2:4 2:4 2:14 2:15-16 2:17 2:20-21 2:21 3:1 3:1 3:1 3:1 3:3 3:5 3:5 3:9 3:13-14 3:19 3:21 4:3 4:3 4:6 4:18 4:18 4:19
Colossians
1:12 1:12-13 1:16 1:20 2:3 2:5 2:11 2:11-12 2:14 2:15 2:15 2:18 2:19 2:21-22 3:5 3:9 3:10 3:11 3:11 3:11 3:11 3:16 3:24-25 3:25 3:25 4:1 4:6
1 Thessalonians
1:9 2:12 2:13 2:16 4:6 4:6 4:6 4:13 4:13 5:13 5:22
2 Thessalonians
1:9 1:9 2:9 2:13 3:2 3:10 3:10 3:15 3:15 3:15
1 Timothy
1:4 1:4 1:10 1:12 1:13 1:18 2:5 2:8 2:9-10 2:11-12 2:11-12 2:13 2:14 2:15 2:15 3:1 3:3 3:5 3:6 3:10 3:11 3:13 3:15 4:1 4:3-4 4:4 4:4 4:5 4:5 4:8 4:8 4:12 4:16 5:4 5:8 5:17-18 5:22 5:23 5:24 5:25 6:1 6:8 6:9 6:13 6:16 6:16
2 Timothy
1:5 1:13-14 2:3 2:3-4 2:12 2:19 2:19 2:25 3:8 3:9 3:16 3:17 4:1 4:18
Titus
1:5 1:15 1:15 1:15 2:3 2:4 2:5 2:5 2:5 2:10 2:14 2:14
Philemon
Hebrews
1:1 1:1-2 1:2 1:2 1:2 1:2 1:14 1:14 2:2 2:5 2:10 2:11 2:14 2:14 2:14 2:17 3:1-6 3:2 3:5 3:5 3:5-6 3:6 3:7-19 3:8 3:12 3:13 3:13-14 4:1 4:1 4:2 4:2 4:2 4:8 4:9 4:9 4:11 4:12 4:14-16 4:16 4:16 5:2-3 5:4 5:4 5:4-5 5:9 5:13-14 6:2 6:7 6:8 6:10 6:10 6:10 6:10 6:10 6:13 6:16 6:17 6:17 6:17-18 6:18 6:18 6:18 7:1-10 7:3 7:3 7:4 7:8 7:11 7:13-14 7:14 7:14 7:14 7:19 7:23-25 7:26 7:27-28 7:28 8:2 8:2 8:10 8:10 8:12 8:12 8:13 8:13 9:1 9:2 9:4 9:4 9:5 9:6 9:7 9:7 9:8-9 9:9-10 9:10 9:10 9:11 9:11 9:12 9:12 9:12 9:12 9:13-14 9:14 9:19-20 9:22 9:22 9:23 9:23 9:24 9:24 9:26 10:1 10:1 10:1-2 10:1-2 10:1-3 10:7 10:14 10:19 10:19-20 10:19-20 10:20 10:22 10:22 10:22 10:22 10:25 10:25 10:26 10:26-27 10:27 10:27-31 10:28 10:28-29 10:29 10:29 10:29 10:30 10:38 10:38 11:2 11:3 11:4 11:4 11:5 11:7 11:7 11:7 11:8 11:8 11:8-14 11:11 11:11 11:11 11:13 11:13 11:13 11:13 11:13-14 11:14 11:14 11:14-16 11:15 11:15-16 11:16 11:16 11:16 11:16 11:16 11:16 11:17 11:20 11:21 11:21 11:21 11:22 11:23 11:24-26 11:24-26 11:27 11:28 11:29 12:1 12:2 12:9 12:9 12:9 12:15 12:15 12:16 12:16 12:16-17 12:17 12:17 12:18 12:18 12:18 12:18 12:19 12:21 12:23 12:23 12:24 12:24 12:25 12:28 12:28 12:28-29 13:2 13:5 13:5 13:10 13:10 13:10-12 13:11-13 13:12 13:13-14 13:13-14 13:14 13:16 13:18
James
1:7 1:7 1:14 1:15 1:17 1:17 1:19 1:20 1:20 1:21 1:23 1:26 2:1 2:1 2:1-4 2:10 2:10-11 2:15-16 2:21 2:26 3:2 3:9 3:9 4:8 4:11 5:2-3 5:4 5:4 5:14 5:17-18 5:19 5:19-20 9:7
1 Peter
1:2 1:2 1:2 1:3-4 1:5 1:6-7 1:7 1:11 1:12 1:15-16 1:16 1:19 1:19 1:19 1:23 1:23 2:1-2 2:2 2:5 2:5 2:5 2:5 2:5 2:5 2:9 2:12 2:13 2:20 2:24 3:3 3:3-4 3:4 3:4 3:5-6 3:6 3:7 3:7 3:7 3:8 3:18-20 3:19-20 3:20-21 4:3 4:7 4:8 4:10 4:17 4:17 4:17-18
2 Peter
1:4 1:14 1:19 1:19 1:19 1:21 2:4 2:5 2:5-6 2:6 2:6-8 2:7-8 2:10 2:14 2:15 2:16 2:16 2:20 2:21 3:1 3:4 3:6-7 3:6-7 3:7 3:10
1 John
1:1 1:1 1:3 1:3 1:3 1:5 1:7 2:1 2:1 2:1-2 2:1-2 2:2 2:16 2:17 2:21 2:27 2:27 2:27 3:2 3:2 3:7 3:9 3:12 3:13 3:15 3:15 3:15 3:16 3:21 3:23 4:10 4:13 4:20 5:3 5:4 5:6 5:7 5:10 5:18 5:20
3 John
Jude
1:3 1:6 1:7 1:7 1:7 1:8 1:9 1:11 1:11 1:11 1:11 1:14 1:14 1:15 1:23 1:23
Revelation
1:5-6 1:5-6 1:6 1:8 1:8 1:13 1:16 1:17 2:1 2:2 2:5 2:5 2:7 2:14 2:14 2:14 2:17 2:17 2:24 2:24 2:26-27 3:7 3:9 3:9 3:9 3:16 3:16 3:17-18 3:20 3:20 3:20 3:20 4:3 4:4 4:4 4:5 4:5 4:5 4:6 4:6 4:8 4:11 5:5 5:6 5:8 5:8-9 5:9 5:11 6:7-8 6:8 6:10 6:15 6:16 7:3 7:3 7:3 7:4 7:9 7:9 7:9 7:13 8:3 8:3 8:5 8:6 9:5-6 9:13 10:1 10:1 10:11 11:3 11:6 11:6 11:10 11:10 11:14 11:19 11:19 12:3 12:3-4 12:7 12:9 12:16 13:8 14:4 14:6-7 14:6-7 14:7 14:7 14:10 14:13 14:20 15:2-3 16:3-4 16:6 16:10 16:10 16:13 16:14 16:15 16:16 16:21 17:6 18:4 18:4 18:23 19:1-2 19:3 19:8 19:8 19:17-18 20:2 20:9 20:10 20:14 21:9 21:12 21:12 21:18 21:19 21:27 22:1 22:2 22:9 22:9 22:13 22:15 22:18-19
Wisdom of Solomon
Prayer of Manasseh
Genesis
1 1:1-2 1:3-5 1:6-8 1:9-13 1:14-19 1:20-23 1:24-25 1:26-28 1:29-30 1:31 2 2:1-3 2:4-7 2:8-15 2:16-17 2:18-20 2:21-25 3 3:1-5 3:6-8 3:9-10 3:11-13 3:14-15 3:16 3:17-19 3:20 3:21 3:22-24 4 4:1-2 4:3-5 4:6-7 4:8 4:9-12 4:13-15 4:16-18 4:19-22 4:23-24 4:25-26 5 5:1-5 5:6-20 5:21-24 5:25-27 5:28-32 6 6:1-2 6:3 6:4-5 6:6-7 6:8-10 6:11-12 6:13-21 6:22 7 7:1-4 7:5-10 7:11-12 7:13-16 7:17-20 7:21-24 8 8:1-3 8:4-5 8:6-12 8:13-14 8:15-19 8:20-22 9 9:1-7 9:8-11 9:12-17 9:18-23 9:24-27 9:28-29 10 10:1-5 10:6-14 10:15-20 10:21-32 11 11:1-4 11:5-9 11:10-26 11:27-32 12 12:1-3 12:4-5 12:6-9 12:10-13 12:14-20 13 13:1-4 13:5-9 13:10-13 13:14-18 14 14:1-12 14:13-16 14:17-20 14:21-24 15 15:1 15:2-6 15:7-11 15:12-16 15:17-21 16 16:1-3 16:4-6 16:7-9 16:10-14 16:15-16 17 17:1-3 17:4-6 17:7-14 17:15-22 17:23-27 18 18:1-8 18:9-15 18:16-22 18:23-33 19 19:1-3 19:4-11 19:12-14 19:15-23 19:24-25 19:26 19:27-29 19:30-38 20 20:1-2 20:3-7 20:8-13 20:14-18 21 21:1-8 21:9-13 21:14-21 21:22-32 21:33-34 22 22:1-2 22:3-10 22:11-14 22:15-19 22:20-24 23 23:1-2 23:3-15 23:16-20 24 24:1-9 24:10-28 24:29-53 24:54-61 24:62-67 25 25:1-10 25:11-18 25:19-28 25:29-34 26 26:1-5 26:6-11 26:12-25 26:26-33 26:34-35 27 27:1-5 27:6-17 27:18-29 27:30-40 27:41-46 28 28:1-5 28:6-9 28:10-15 28:16-22 29 29:1-8 29:9-14 29:15-30 29:31-35 30 30:1-13 30:14-24 30:25-36 30:37-43 31 31:1-16 31:17-24 31:25-35 31:36-42 31:43-55 32 32:1-2 32:3-8 32:9-12 32:13-23 32:24-32 33 33:1-4 33:5-15 33:16-20 34 34:1-5 34:6-17 34:18-24 34:25-31 35 35:1-5 35:6-15 35:16-20 35:21-29 36 36:1-8 36:9-19 36:20-30 36:31-43 37 37:1-4 37:5-11 37:12-22 37:23-30 37:31-36 38 38:1-11 38:12-23 38:24-30 39 39:1-6 39:7-12 39:13-18 39:19-23 40 40:1-4 40:5-19 40:20-23 41 41:1-8 41:9-16 41:17-32 41:33-45 41:46-57 42 42:1-6 42:7-20 42:21-28 42:29-38 43 43:1-10 43:11-14 43:15-25 43:26-34 44 44:1-17 44:18-34 45 45:1-15 45:16-24 45:25-28 46 46:1-4 46:5-27 46:28-34 47 47:1-12 47:13-26 47:27-31 48 48:1-7 48:8-22 49 49:1-4 49:5-7 49:8-12 49:13-21 49:22-27 49:28-33 50 50:1-6 50:7-14 50:15-21 50:22-26
Exodus
1 1 1:1-7 1:8-14 1:15-22 2 2 2 2:1-4 2:5-10 2:11-15 2:16-22 2:23-25 3 3 3 3:1-6 3:7-10 3:11-15 3:16-22 4 4 4 4:1-9 4:10-17 4:18-23 4:24-31 5 5 5 5:1-2 5:3-9 5:10-14 5:15-23 6 6 6 6:1-9 6:10-13 6:14-30 7 7 7:1-7 7:8-13 7:14-25 8 8 8:1-15 8:16-19 8:20-32 9 9 9:1-7 9:8-12 9:13-21 9:22-35 10 10 10:1-11 10:12-20 10:21-29 11 11:1-3 11:4-10 12 12:1-20 12:21-28 12:29-36 12:37-42 12:43-51 13 13 13 13:1-10 13:11-16 13:17-22 14 14 14 14:1-9 14:10-14 14:15-20 14:21-31 15 15:1-21 15:22-27 16 16 16:1-12 16:13-21 16:22-31 16:32-36 17 17:1-7 17:8-16 18 18 18:1-6 18:7-12 18:13-27 19 19 19:1-8 19:9-15 19:16-25 20 20 20 20:1-11 20:12-17 20:18-21 20:22-26 21 21 21:1-11 21:12-21 21:22-36 22 22 22:1-6 22:7-15 22:16-24 22:25-31 23 23 23:1-9 23:10-19 23:20-33 24 24 24:1-8 24:9-11 24:12-18 25 25 25:1-9 25:10-22 25:23-30 25:31-40 26 26 26:1-6 26:7-14 26:15-30 26:31-37 27 27:1-8 27:9-19 27:20-21 28 28 28:1-5 28:6-14 28:15-30 28:31-39 28:40-43 29 29:1-37 29:38-46 30 30 30 30:1-10 30:11-16 30:17-21 30:22-38 31 31 31:1-11 31:12-18 32 32 32:1-6 32:7-14 32:15-20 32:21-29 32:30-35 33 33 33:1-6 33:7-11 33:12-23 34 34 34 34:1-4 34:5-9 34:10-17 34:18-27 34:28-35 35 35:1-19 35:20-29 35:30-35 36 36 36:1-7 36:8-13 36:14-34 36:35-38 37 37 37:1-9 37:10-24 37:25-29 38 38:1-8 38:9-20 38:21-31 39 39:1-31 39:32-43 40 40 40:1-15 40:16-33 40:34-38
Leviticus
1 1 1:1-2 1:3-9 1:10-17 2 2 2:1-10 2:11-16 3 3:1-5 3:6-17 4 4 4:1-12 4:13-21 4:22-26 4:27-35 5 5 5:1-6 5:7-13 5:14-19 6 6 6:1-7 6:8-13 6:14-23 6:24-30 7 7 7:1-10 7:11-34 7:35-38 8 8 8:1-13 8:14-30 8:31-36 9 9:1-7 9:8-22 9:23-24 10 10 10:1-2 10:3-7 10:8-11 10:12-20 11 11:1-8 11:9-19 11:20-42 11:43-47 12 12:1-5 12:6-8 13 13 13:1-17 13:18-37 13:38-46 13:47-59 14 14 14:1-9 14:10-20 14:21-32 14:33-53 14:54-57 15 15 15:1-18 15:19-33 16 16 16:1-4 16:5-14 16:15-19 16:20-28 16:29-34 17 17 17:1-9 17:10-16 18 18 18:1-5 18:6-18 18:19-30 19 19 19 19:1-10 19:11-18 19:19-29 19:30-37 20 20 20:1-9 20:10-21 20:22-27 21 21 21 21:1-9 21:10-15 21:16-24 22 22 22 22:1-9 22:10-16 22:17-33 23 23 23:1-3 23:4-14 23:15-22 23:23-32 23:33-44 24 24 24:1-9 24:10-23 25 25:1-7 25:8-22 25:23-38 25:39-55 26 26 26:1-13 26:14-39 26:40-46 27 27 27:1-13 27:14-25 27:26-34
Numbers
1 1 1:1-16 1:17-43 1:44-46 1:47-54 2 2:1-2 2:3-34 3 3 3:1-13 3:14-39 3:40-51 4 4:1-20 4:21-33 4:34-49 5 5 5:1-10 5:11-31 6 6:1-21 6:22-27 7 7 7:1-9 7:10-89 8 8:1-4 8:5-26 9 9 9:1-14 9:15-23 10 10 10:1-10 10:11-28 10:29-36 11 11 11:1-3 11:4-15 11:16-23 11:24-30 11:31-35 12 12 12:1-3 12:4-9 12:10-16 13 13:1-20 13:21-25 13:26-33 14 14 14:1-4 14:5-10 14:11-19 14:20-35 14:36-45 15 15:1-21 15:22-29 15:30-36 15:37-41 16 16 16:1-11 16:12-22 16:23-34 16:35-40 16:41-50 17 17:1-7 17:8-13 18 18:1-7 18:8-19 18:20-32 19 19 19:1-10 19:11-22 20 20 20:1-13 20:14-21 20:22-29 21 21 21:1-3 21:4-9 21:10-20 21:21-35 22 22 22:1-14 22:15-21 22:22-35 22:36-41 23 23 23:1-12 23:13-30 24 24 24 24:1-9 24:10-14 24:15-25 25 25 25:1-5 25:6-15 25:16-18 26 26:1-4 26:5-51 26:52-56 26:57-62 26:63-65 27 27 27 27:1-11 27:12-14 27:15-23 28 28 28:1-8 28:9-15 28:16-31 29 29 29:1-11 29:12-40 30 30:1-2 30:3-16 31 31 31:1-6 31:7-12 31:13-24 31:25-47 31:48-54 32 32 32:1-15 32:16-27 32:28-42 33 33:1-49 33:50-56 34 34 34:1-15 34:16-29 35 35:1-8 35:9-34 36 36:1-4 36:5-13
Deuteronomy
1 1 1:1-8 1:9-18 1:19-46 2 2:1-7 2:8-23 2:24-37 3 3 3:1-11 3:12-20 3:21-29 4 4:1-40 4:41-49 5 5:1-5 5:6-22 5:23-33 6 6 6:1-3 6:4-16 6:17-25 7 7 7:1-11 7:12-26 8 8 8:1-9 8:10-20 9 9:1-6 9:7-29 10 10 10:1-11 10:12-22 11 11 11:1-7 11:8-17 11:18-25 11:26-32 12 12:1-4 12:5-32 13 13 13:1-5 13:6-11 13:12-18 14 14:1-21 14:22-29 15 15 15 15:1-11 15:12-18 15:19-23 16 16 16:1-17 16:18-22 17 17 17:1-7 17:8-13 17:14-20 18 18 18:1-8 18:9-14 18:15-22 19 19 19:1-13 19:14-21 20 20 20:1-9 20:10-20 21 21 21 21 21:1-9 21:10-14 21:15-17 21:18-23 22 22 22:1-4 22:5-12 22:13-30 23 23 23:1-8 23:9-14 23:15-25 24 24 24:1-4 24:5-13 24:14-22 25 25 25:1-4 25:5-12 25:13-19 26 26 26 26:1-11 26:12-15 26:16-19 27 27 27:1-10 27:11-26 28 28 28:1-14 28:15-44 28:45-68 29 29 29:1-9 29:10-29 30 30 30 30:1-10 30:11-14 30:15-20 31 31 31:1-8 31:9-13 31:14-21 31:22-30 32 32 32 32:1-6 32:7-14 32:15-18 32:19-25 32:26-38 32:39-43 32:44-52 33 33 33 33:1-5 33:6-7 33:8-11 33:12-17 33:18-21 33:22-25 33:26-29 34 34:1-4 34:5-8 34:9-12
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 46 47 48 49 50 51 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 75 76 77 78 78 79 80 81 82 83 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 99 100 101 102 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 110 111 112 113 114 115 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 121 122 123 124 125 127 127 128 129 130 131 131 132 133 134 135 136 136 137 138 139 140 141 141 142 143 144 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 158 159 160 161 162 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 178 179 180 181 182 183 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 197 198 199 200 200 201 202 203 204 204 205 206 208 209 209 210 211 212 212 213 214 215 216 217 217 218 219 220 220 221 222 223 224 224 225 226 227 227 228 229 230 231 232 232 233 234 235 236 236 237 238 239 240 240 241 242 243 243 244 245 246 247 247 248 249 250 250 251 253 254 255 255 256 257 258 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 270 271 272 273 274 448 562 562