Deuteronomy · Chapter 1

V. 1. All Israel-Namely, by the heads or elders of the several tribes, who were to communicate these discourses to all the people. In the wilderness-In the plain of Moab, as may appear by comparing this with Deuteronomy 1:5, and Numbers 22:1, and Deuteronomy 34:8. The word Suph here used does not signify the Red-Sea, which is commonly called jam-suph, and which was at too great a distance, but some oiher place now unknown to us, (as also most of the following places are) so called from the reeds or flags, or rushes (which that word signifies) that grew in or near it. Paran-Not that Numbers 10:12, which there and elsewhere is called the Wilderness of Paran, and which was too remote, but some other place called by the same name. Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab-These places seem to be the several bounds, not of the whole country of Moab, but of the plain of Moab, where Moses now was.

Verse 1. These be the words which Moses spake] The five first verses of this chapter contain the introduction to the rest of the book: they do not appear to be the work of Moses, but were added probably either by Joshua or Ezra.

On this side Jordan] בעבר beeber, at the passage of Jordan, i.e., near or opposite to the place where the Israelites passed over after the death of Moses. Though rb[ eber is used to signify both on this side and on the other side, and the connection in which it stands can only determine the meaning; yet here it signifies neither, but simply the place or ford where the Israelites passed over Jordan.

In the plain] That is, of Moab; over against the Red Sea-not the Red Sea, for they were now farther from it than they had been: the word sea is not in the text, and the word ãws suph, which we render red, does not signify the Red Sea, unless joined with ים yam, sea; here it must necessarily signify a place in or adjoining to the plains of Moab. Ptolemy mentions a people named Sophonites, that dwelt in Arabia Petræa, and it is probable that they took their name from this place; but see the note from Lightfoot, see Clarke “Numbers 20:28”, at the end.

Paran] This could not have been the Paran which was contiguous to the Red Sea, and not far from Mount Horeb; for the place here mentioned lay on the very borders of the promised land, at a vast distance from the former.

Dizahab.] The word should be separated, as it is in the Hebrew, bhz yd Di Zahab. As Zahab signifies gold, the Septuagint have translated it ta crusia, the gold mines; and the Vulgate ubi aurum est plurimum, where there is much gold. It is more likely to be the name of a place.

Verse 1. These be the words which Moses spake — In the last encampment of the Israelites, which was in the plains of Moab, there being now but two months before the death of Moses, and their passage into the land of Canaan. Moses spent this last part of his time in laying before them an account of their travels, and of the many singular providences, mercies, and judgments which had attended them; in repeating and enlarging upon the several laws which God had prescribed for their civil and religious conduct in that promised country; and in the most pressing applications, and earnest persuasions, to a grateful and dutiful obedience. These things, here termed words, with his last prophetic blessing upon their tribes, constitute the subject of this book. Unto all Israel — Namely, by their heads or elders, who were to communicate these discourses to all the people. In the wilderness — over against the Red sea — This is undoubtedly a wrong translation, for they were now at a vast distance from the Red sea, and in no sense over against it. ãws, Suph, here rendered Red sea, is, no doubt, the name of a town or district in the country of Moab, of which see Numbers 21:14. The Red sea is never expressed by Suph alone, but always by ãws µy, Jam Suph. This place seems to have been near the Dead sea, and to have had its name Suph, a rush, from the many flags or rushes which grew there. Between Paran — This cannot well be meant of the wilderness of Paran, mentioned Numbers 10:12, for that was far remote from hence; but of some place in the country of Moab, as Suph was, and the rest of the places which here follow. And Dizahab — Hebrew, bhz yd, Di zahab, which the Vulgate renders, Where there is much gold, as the words signify. Perhaps it had its name from some mines of gold that were there; which circumstance seems to have determined the Seventy to render it katacrusea, golden places, or gold mines.

Verse 1. In the plain over against the Red sea. ãws Suph, red, not being joined in the text with µy Yam, sea, should not be rendered the Red sea. Zuph being the name of a town, and also of a district in Moab, many think that the latter is here to be understood.

PREVIOUS TEACHINGS CONFIRMED, 1-5.

1, 2. These verses form a connexion between this and the preceding books. These… words… Moses spake — Referring, not to the discourses in this book, but to the laws and regulations heretofore recorded. The names of the localities that are given indicate this; and they are introduced with a special significance. The Jewish interpreters speak of them as being mentioned because they were places where the people had especially sinned against Jehovah. Moses thus reminds them of their rebellious acts, and emphasizes the thought that their long wandering was the result of their own sin. On this side Jordan — The Hebrew expression which is used here is in other places translated beyond Jordan; and it was unquestionably employed as a geographical term for the region east of the Jordan, which in the time of our Saviour was called Perea. The term does not indicate the location of the writer, whether he lived on the east or west side of the river. In this connexion it is equivalent to the expression before they crossed the Jordan. In the wilderness — That region north of the Sinaitic peninsula, extending to the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains of Judah on the north, and from the isthmus of Suez to the Arabah. It bears at the present time the name Badut et Tih, literally signifying the “Desert of the Wandering.” — In the plain — The Hebrew word here translated plain is used as a proper name — in the Arabah. The broad valley which extends from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Akabah, a distance of about a hundred miles, is now called el Arabah. Over against the Red sea — Rather, over against Sufah. Our version adds, improperly, we think, the word sea. Knobel supposes the pass Sufah is meant. It was probably near Ain el Weibeh, not far from the southern border of Palestine. Between Paran, and Tophel — In Numbers 10:12, we read: “The children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai, and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.” It is generally held that the wilderness of Paran comprised the whole of the desert of et Tih, and that Mount Paran was the southernmost portion of the mountain plateau in the northeast part of it. Paran was associated with remembrances of Jehovah’s manifestations to his people: “He shined forth from Mount Paran.” Deuteronomy 33:2. So the prophet Habakkuk, in his sublime ode, Habakkuk 3:3: “God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran.” Tophel — This is identified with the modern Tufileh, located in the mountains of Edom, southeast of the Dead Sea. It is surrounded with groves of fruit trees, which are abundantly watered by numerous fountains. The inhabitants furnish supplies to the caravans. It is thought that this is the place where the Israelites purchased food of the Edomites. Deuteronomy 2:29. Laban — Thought to be the same as Libnah. Numbers 33:20. “It may, perhaps, have been the place referred to in Numbers 16, where the rebellion of the company of Korah occurred.” — Keil. Hazeroth — Literally, enclosures. It may be the place mentioned in Numbers 11:35, where Aaron and Miriam spake against Moses, and where Miriam became leprous. Numbers 12:10. “We may without difficulty identify Hazeroth with Ain Hudherah, not only in the Semitic orthography of the name, but also in being situated exactly a day’s journey from Erweis el Eberrig.” — Desert of the Exodus. Erweis el Eberrig has been identified with Kibroth-hattaavah, or “graves of lust.” Numbers 11:34. Dizahab — This name means a place of gold. Robinson thought it might be Dahab, a place on a tongue of land on the west coast of the Gulf of Akabah. The sense of the passage is, that what has been narrated in the preceding books Moses spoke to the people before they crossed the Jordan, while they were in the Desert of Wandering, and in the Arabah opposite Sufah, as they journeyed between Paran and Tophel, and when they were at Libnah and at Hazeroth and at Dizahab. The discourses that are to follow were spoken “in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, near Jericho.” Numbers 33:48. Eleven days’ journey from Horeb — This parenthetical sentence seems to be introduced to call the mind of the reader to the fact that while Kadesh, on the southern border of the Promised Land, is only eleven days distant from Horeb, the scene of the establishment of the covenant, yet, in the fortieth year, the people, owing to their rebellion, have not yet entered the land. On Horeb see note on Exodus 3:1. Kadesh-barnea — See on Numbers 13:26.

V. 2. There are eleven days journey-This is added to shew that the reason why the Israelites, in so many years were advanced no farther from Horeb, than to these plains, was not the distance of the places but because of their rebellions. Kadesh-barnea-Which was not far from the borders of Canaan.

Verse 2. There are eleven days’ journey] The Israelites were eleven days in going from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea, where they were near the verge of the promised land; after which they were thirty-eight years wandering up and down in the vicinity of this place, not being permitted, because of their rebellions, to enter into the promised rest, though they were the whole of that time within a few miles of the land of Canaan!

Verse 2. There are eleven days’ journey — This is added, to show that the reason why the Israelites in so many years were advanced no farther from Horeb than to these plains, was not the distance of the places, but because of their rebellions. Kadesh-barnea — Which was not far from the borders of Canaan.

PREVIOUS TEACHINGS CONFIRMED, 1-5.

1, 2. These verses form a connexion between this and the preceding books. These… words… Moses spake — Referring, not to the discourses in this book, but to the laws and regulations heretofore recorded. The names of the localities that are given indicate this; and they are introduced with a special significance. The Jewish interpreters speak of them as being mentioned because they were places where the people had especially sinned against Jehovah. Moses thus reminds them of their rebellious acts, and emphasizes the thought that their long wandering was the result of their own sin. On this side Jordan — The Hebrew expression which is used here is in other places translated beyond Jordan; and it was unquestionably employed as a geographical term for the region east of the Jordan, which in the time of our Saviour was called Perea. The term does not indicate the location of the writer, whether he lived on the east or west side of the river. In this connexion it is equivalent to the expression before they crossed the Jordan. In the wilderness — That region north of the Sinaitic peninsula, extending to the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains of Judah on the north, and from the isthmus of Suez to the Arabah. It bears at the present time the name Badut et Tih, literally signifying the “Desert of the Wandering.” — In the plain — The Hebrew word here translated plain is used as a proper name — in the Arabah. The broad valley which extends from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Akabah, a distance of about a hundred miles, is now called el Arabah. Over against the Red sea — Rather, over against Sufah. Our version adds, improperly, we think, the word sea. Knobel supposes the pass Sufah is meant. It was probably near Ain el Weibeh, not far from the southern border of Palestine. Between Paran, and Tophel — In Numbers 10:12, we read: “The children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai, and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.” It is generally held that the wilderness of Paran comprised the whole of the desert of et Tih, and that Mount Paran was the southernmost portion of the mountain plateau in the northeast part of it. Paran was associated with remembrances of Jehovah’s manifestations to his people: “He shined forth from Mount Paran.” Deuteronomy 33:2. So the prophet Habakkuk, in his sublime ode, Habakkuk 3:3: “God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran.” Tophel — This is identified with the modern Tufileh, located in the mountains of Edom, southeast of the Dead Sea. It is surrounded with groves of fruit trees, which are abundantly watered by numerous fountains. The inhabitants furnish supplies to the caravans. It is thought that this is the place where the Israelites purchased food of the Edomites. Deuteronomy 2:29. Laban — Thought to be the same as Libnah. Numbers 33:20. “It may, perhaps, have been the place referred to in Numbers 16, where the rebellion of the company of Korah occurred.” — Keil. Hazeroth — Literally, enclosures. It may be the place mentioned in Numbers 11:35, where Aaron and Miriam spake against Moses, and where Miriam became leprous. Numbers 12:10. “We may without difficulty identify Hazeroth with Ain Hudherah, not only in the Semitic orthography of the name, but also in being situated exactly a day’s journey from Erweis el Eberrig.” — Desert of the Exodus. Erweis el Eberrig has been identified with Kibroth-hattaavah, or “graves of lust.” Numbers 11:34. Dizahab — This name means a place of gold. Robinson thought it might be Dahab, a place on a tongue of land on the west coast of the Gulf of Akabah. The sense of the passage is, that what has been narrated in the preceding books Moses spoke to the people before they crossed the Jordan, while they were in the Desert of Wandering, and in the Arabah opposite Sufah, as they journeyed between Paran and Tophel, and when they were at Libnah and at Hazeroth and at Dizahab. The discourses that are to follow were spoken “in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, near Jericho.” Numbers 33:48. Eleven days’ journey from Horeb — This parenthetical sentence seems to be introduced to call the mind of the reader to the fact that while Kadesh, on the southern border of the Promised Land, is only eleven days distant from Horeb, the scene of the establishment of the covenant, yet, in the fortieth year, the people, owing to their rebellion, have not yet entered the land. On Horeb see note on Exodus 3:1. Kadesh-barnea — See on Numbers 13:26.

V. 3. The eleventh month-Which was but a little before his death. All that the Lord had given him in commandment-Which shews not only that what he now delivered was in substance the same with what had formerly been commanded, but that God now commanded him to repeat it. He gave this rehearsal and exhortation by divine direction: God appointed him to leave this legacy to the church.

Verse 3. The fortieth year] This was a melancholy year to the Hebrews in different respects; in the first month of this year Miriam died, Numbers 20:1; on the first day of the fifth month Aaron died, Numbers 33:38; and about the conclusion of it, Moses himself died.

Verses 3, 4. The eleventh month — Which was but a little before his death. All that the Lord had given him in command — Which shows not only that what he now delivered was in substance the same with what had formerly been commanded, but that God now commanded him to repeat it. He gave this rehearsal and exhortation by divine direction: God appointed him to leave this legacy to the church. Og — His palace or mansion-house was at Astaroth, and he was slain at Edrei.

Ver. 3. In the eleventh month. The Deuteronomy comprises only the space of a single month.

3-5. The time and place of the delivery of the discourses that constitute this book are now mentioned. In the early part of this fortieth year Miriam had died. Numbers 20:1. Aaron died on the first day of its fifth month. Numbers 33:38. Moses is left almost alone; and he is soon to die at the command of Jehovah, (Deuteronomy 34:5.) The time is significant, also, from the fact that Moses had conquered the kings Sihon and Og. Numbers 21:21, 33. Jehovah is giving assurance of the fulfilling of his promises. The place is full of interest. In the plains of Moab, near the crossing of Jordan, with Jericho in sight, Moses undertook to expound the law.

DISCOURSES BY MOSES.

First Discourse, Deuteronomy 1:6-4:40.

Addressing the people, with the Promised Land in their sight, Moses reviews the events that have occurred in their march from Horeb to the plains of Moab. He reminds them how God had fulfilled his promises, and how they had sinned, and by their unbelief and rebellion had been kept from entering into the promised possession; and he admonishes them not to forfeit by new transgressions the land they are destined to conquer.

V. 4. Og-His palace or mansion-house was at Astaroth, and he was slain at Edrei.

Verses 3, 4. The eleventh month — Which was but a little before his death. All that the Lord had given him in command — Which shows not only that what he now delivered was in substance the same with what had formerly been commanded, but that God now commanded him to repeat it. He gave this rehearsal and exhortation by divine direction: God appointed him to leave this legacy to the church. Og — His palace or mansion-house was at Astaroth, and he was slain at Edrei.

3-5. The time and place of the delivery of the discourses that constitute this book are now mentioned. In the early part of this fortieth year Miriam had died. Numbers 20:1. Aaron died on the first day of its fifth month. Numbers 33:38. Moses is left almost alone; and he is soon to die at the command of Jehovah, (Deuteronomy 34:5.) The time is significant, also, from the fact that Moses had conquered the kings Sihon and Og. Numbers 21:21, 33. Jehovah is giving assurance of the fulfilling of his promises. The place is full of interest. In the plains of Moab, near the crossing of Jordan, with Jericho in sight, Moses undertook to expound the law.

DISCOURSES BY MOSES.

First Discourse, Deuteronomy 1:6-4:40.

Addressing the people, with the Promised Land in their sight, Moses reviews the events that have occurred in their march from Horeb to the plains of Moab. He reminds them how God had fulfilled his promises, and how they had sinned, and by their unbelief and rebellion had been kept from entering into the promised possession; and he admonishes them not to forfeit by new transgressions the land they are destined to conquer.

Verse 5. Began Moses to declare this law] Began, lyawh hoil, willingly undertook; to declare, rab beer, to make bare, clear, &c., fully to explain, this law. See the conclusion of the preface.

3-5. The time and place of the delivery of the discourses that constitute this book are now mentioned. In the early part of this fortieth year Miriam had died. Numbers 20:1. Aaron died on the first day of its fifth month. Numbers 33:38. Moses is left almost alone; and he is soon to die at the command of Jehovah, (Deuteronomy 34:5.) The time is significant, also, from the fact that Moses had conquered the kings Sihon and Og. Numbers 21:21, 33. Jehovah is giving assurance of the fulfilling of his promises. The place is full of interest. In the plains of Moab, near the crossing of Jordan, with Jericho in sight, Moses undertook to expound the law.

DISCOURSES BY MOSES.

First Discourse, Deuteronomy 1:6-4:40.

Addressing the people, with the Promised Land in their sight, Moses reviews the events that have occurred in their march from Horeb to the plains of Moab. He reminds them how God had fulfilled his promises, and how they had sinned, and by their unbelief and rebellion had been kept from entering into the promised possession; and he admonishes them not to forfeit by new transgressions the land they are destined to conquer.

Verse 6. Ye have dwelt long enough, &c.] They came to Sinai in the third month after their departure from Egypt, Exodus 19:1, 2; and left it the twentieth of the second month of the second year, so it appears they had continued there nearly a whole year.

Verse 6. Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount They had stayed at mount Sinai, or Horeb, almost a year, receiving the law, erecting the tabernacle, numbering the people, ranking them under their standards, &c. And so, being fitted for an orderly march, they were commanded to depart thence, and proceed to the nearest borders of Canaan.

Ver. 6. Ye have dwelt long enough; that is, about a year, in Horeb.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

V. 7. To the mount of the Amorites-That is, to the mountainous country where the Amorites dwelt, which is opposed to the plain, where others of them dwelt. And this is the first mentioned, because it was in the borders of the land.

Verse 7. Go to the mount of the Amorites] On the south of the land of Canaan, towards the Dead Sea.

Land of the Canaanites] That is, Phœnicia, the country of Sidon, and the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea from the country of the Philistines to Mount Libanus. The Canaanites and Phœnicians are often confounded. The river Euphrates] Thus Moses fixes the bounds of the land, to which on all quarters the territories of the Israelites might be extended, should the land of Canaan, properly so called, be found insufficient for them. Their SOUTH border might extend to the mount of the Amorites; their WEST to the borders of the Mediterranean Sea; their NORTH to Lebanon; and their EAST border to the river Euphrates: and to this extent Solomon reigned; see 1 Kings 4:21. So that in his time, at least, the promise to Abraham was literally fulfilled; see below.

Verses 7, 8. To the mount of the Amorites — That is, to the mountainous country on the south part of Canaan, inhabited chiefly by the Amorites, verses 19, 20, 44. The country to which Moses directed the spies to go up, Numbers 13:17. This order is not mentioned in the book of Numbers, nor a great many other things, for a knowledge of which we are indebted to this supplemental book of Deuteronomy. Behold, I have set the land before you — Hebrew, before your faces; it is open to your view, and to your possession; there is no impediment in your way. And thus is the heavenly Canaan, and the kingdom of grace which leads to it, laid open to the view and enjoyment of all believers. Which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Genesis 15:18, and 17:7, and 28:13. It is not indeed said in any of these places that God confirmed his promise with an oath; but he did what was equivalent thereto; he engaged his veracity by the solemn transaction of a covenant, which is called the oath of God, Genesis 26:3.

7. Mount of the Amorites — Denoting all the mountainous region inhabited by the Amorites, extending into the Negeb, or south country. This nation, as the most powerful, often stands for all the people of Canaan. All the places nigh — Literally, all its neighbours. The whole land is more specifically mentioned according to its natural divisions. The plain… the hills — The modern Ghor, or Jordan valley. The mountain or highlands, afterward called the mountains of Judah and Ephraim. The vale — The lowlands, the low, level country lying between the mountains of Judah and the Mediterranean Sea, extending from Carmel to Gaza. The south — The Negeb, or south country. The sea side — The narrow strip of coast from Joppa almost to Tyre, here denominated the land of the Canaanites. Lebanon — The boundary, as laid down in Numbers 34:7-9. The great river — The Euphrates is mentioned as the extreme eastern boundary in the covenant Jehovah made with Abraham when he said, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.” Genesis 15:18.

V. 8. Before you-Heb. Before your faces; it is open to your view, and to your possession; there is no impediment in the way.

Verses 7, 8. To the mount of the Amorites — That is, to the mountainous country on the south part of Canaan, inhabited chiefly by the Amorites, verses 19, 20, 44. The country to which Moses directed the spies to go up, Numbers 13:17. This order is not mentioned in the book of Numbers, nor a great many other things, for a knowledge of which we are indebted to this supplemental book of Deuteronomy. Behold, I have set the land before you — Hebrew, before your faces; it is open to your view, and to your possession; there is no impediment in your way. And thus is the heavenly Canaan, and the kingdom of grace which leads to it, laid open to the view and enjoyment of all believers. Which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Genesis 15:18, and 17:7, and 28:13. It is not indeed said in any of these places that God confirmed his promise with an oath; but he did what was equivalent thereto; he engaged his veracity by the solemn transaction of a covenant, which is called the oath of God, Genesis 26:3.

8. I have set the land before you — It was, at the time of which Moses speaks, accessible. If obedient, under Jehovah’s guidance the Israelites could have marched from Horeb into the Land of Promise, entering it at the south, and conquering it in the order of the divisions given in the preceding verse.

THE APPOINTMENT OF JUDGES AND THE ASSIGNMENT OF THEIR DUTIES, 9-18.

For a more particular statement see Exodus 18:13-26, where it is said Moses adopted this plan at the counsel of Jethro. He tells the people he had provided, for the organization of the nation, a government by men of their own choice, but to be installed by himself and to receive directions as to their duties from him. They were well organized for their onward march. And to remind them of God’s faithfulness to his word, he tells them of the increase of the nation as Jehovah had promised to Abraham, Genesis 15:5.

V. 9. At that time-That is, about that time, namely, a little before their coming to Horeb.

Verse 9. I spake unto you — Unto your fathers, who were alive at the time here referred to, but now dead, Numbers 26:64. At that time — That is, about that time, a little before their coming to Horeb. See Exodus 18. This was by the advice of Jethro, his father-in-law.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

Verse 10. Ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.] This was the promise God made to Abraham, Genesis 15:5, 6; and Moses considers it now as amply fulfilled. But was it really so? Many suppose the expression to be hyperbolical; and others, no friends to revelation, think it a vain empty boast, because the stars, in their apprehension, amount to innumerable millions. Let us consider this subject. How many in number are the stars which appear to the naked eye? for it is by what appears to the naked eye we are to be governed in this business, for God brought Abraham forth abroad, i.e., out of doors, and bade him look towards heaven, not with a telescope, but with his naked eyes, Genesis 15:5. Now I shall beg the objector to come forth abroad, and look up in the brightest and most favourable night, and count the stars-he need not be terrified at their abundance; the more they are, the more he can count; and I shall pledge myself to find a male Israelite in the very last census taken of this people, Num. xxvi., for every star he finds in the whole upper hemisphere of heaven. The truth is, only about 3,010 stars can be seen by the naked eye in both the northern and southern hemispheres; and the Israelites, independently of women and children, were at the above time more than 600,000. And suppose we even allow that, from the late discoveries of Dr. Herschel and others with telescopes which have magnified between 35 and 36,000 times, there may be 75 millions of stars visible by the help of such instruments, which is the highest calculation ever made, yet still the Divine word stands literally true: St. Matthew says, Matthew 1:17, that the generations from Abraham to Christ were 42; now we find at the second census that the fighting men among the Hebrews amounted to 603,000; and the Israelites, who have never ceased to be a distinct people, have so multiplied as far to exceed the number of all the fixed stars taken together.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

V. 12. Your burden-The trouble of ruling and managing so perverse a people. Your strife-Your contentions among yourselves, for the determination whereof the elders were appointed.

Verses 12, 13. How can I alone bear your burden? — The trouble of ruling and managing so perverse a people. Your strife — Your contentions among yourselves, for the determination whereof the elders were appointed. Take ye wise men and understanding — Persons of knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Known among your tribes — Hebrew, to your tribes; men had in reputation for ability and integrity; for to such they would more readily submit.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

Verse 13. Take you wise men] חכמים chachamim, such as had gained knowledge by great labour and study. Understanding נבנים nebonim, persons of discernment, judicious men. Known, ידעים yeduim, persons practised in the operations of nature, capable of performing curious and important works.

Verses 12, 13. How can I alone bear your burden? — The trouble of ruling and managing so perverse a people. Your strife — Your contentions among yourselves, for the determination whereof the elders were appointed. Take ye wise men and understanding — Persons of knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Known among your tribes — Hebrew, to your tribes; men had in reputation for ability and integrity; for to such they would more readily submit.

Ver. 13. Take you wise men. The people elected the rulers, and God, who alone has all power, invested them with authority. From the seventy elders, down to the people, there was a vast gradation of magistrates and officers. The appointment of good and religious magistrates is among the first and best cares of a prince.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

V. 15. Officers-Inferior officers, that were to attend upon the superior magistrates, and to execute their decrees.

Verse 15. Captains over thousands, &c.] What a curious and well-regulated economy was that of the Israelites! See its order and arrangement: 1. GOD, the KING and Supreme Judge; 2. Moses, God’s prime minister; 3. The priests, consulting him by Urim and Thummim; 4. The chiefs or princes of the twelve tribes; 5. Chilliarchs, or captains over thousands; 6. Centurions, or captains over hundreds; 7. Tribunes, or captains over fifty men; 8. Decurions, or captains over ten men; and, 9. Officers, persons who might be employed by the different chiefs in executing particular commands. All these held their authority from God, and yet were subject and accountable to each other. See the notes on Num. ii.

Verse 15. So I took the chief — Not in authority, but in endowments for governing. And officers — Inferior officers, that were to attend upon the superior magistrates, and to execute their decrees.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

V. 16. The stranger-That converseth or dealeth with him. To Such God would have justice equally administered as to his own people, partly for the honour of religion, and partly for the interest which every man hath in matters of common right.

Verse 16. The stranger — That converseth or dealeth with him. To such God would have justice equally administered as to his own people, partly for the honour of religion, and partly for the interest which every man hath in matters of common right.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

V. 17. Respect persons-Heb. Not know, or acknowledge faces, that is, not give sentence according to the outward qualities of the person, as he is poor or rich, your friend or enemy, but purely according to the merit of the cause. For which reason some of the Grecian law-givers ordered that the judges should give sentence in the dark where they could not see mens faces. The judgment is God’s-It is passed in the name of God, and by commission from him, by you as representing his person, and doing his work; who therefore will defend you therein against all your enemies, amid to whom you must give an exact account.

Verse 17. Ye shall not respect persons] Heb. faces. Let not the bold, daring countenance of the rich or mighty induce you to give an unrighteous decision; and let not the abject look of the poor man induce you either to favour him in an unrighteous cause, or to give judgment against him at the demand of the oppressor. Be uncorrupt and incorruptible, for the judgment is God’s; ye minister in the place of God, act like HIM.

Verse 17. Respect persons — Hebrew, not know, or acknowledge faces; that is, not give sentence according to the outward qualities of the person, as he is poor or rich, your friend or enemy, but purely according to the merit of the cause. For which reason some of the Grecian lawgivers ordered that the judges should give sentence in the dark, where they could not see men’s faces. The judgment is God’s — It is passed in the name of God, and by commission from him, by you, as representing his person, and doing his work; who therefore will defend you therein against all your enemies, and to whom you must give an exact account.

Ver. 17. Ye shall not respect persons. A judge must come into court with clean hands, and know the case only, and not the persons.

17. The judgment is God’s — It is to be administered in the name of God, who is the source of all justice, and who, by implication, is supposed to so aid that the judgment is essentially his.

V. 18. All the things which ye shall do-I delivered unto you, and especially unto your judges, all the laws, statutes, and judgments revealed unto me by the lord in Horeb.

Verse 18. I commanded you, &c. — I instructed you in your duty, by delivering to you, and especially to your judges, the laws, statutes, and judgments revealed unto me by the Lord in Horeb.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

Verse 19. Great and terrible wilderness — Great, because it extended a great way; and terrible, because mostly desolate, or only inhabited by wild beasts. By the way of the mountain of the Amorites — All the way you went toward that mountain.

19. Terrible wilderness, which ye saw — Had full experience of: the wilderness of Paran, called to-day et Tih — the Wandering. See Numbers 10:12.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

Verse 22. We will send men before us] See on Numbers 13:1-3.

22. Send men before us — Let us send men, etc. Comparing this passage with Numbers 13:1, 2, we infer that the proposal of sending men to explore the land originated with the people, and that Jehovah approved it when it was submitted to him by Moses.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

V. 24. Eshcol-That is, of grapes, so called from the goodly cluster of grapes which they brought from thence.

Verses 24, 25. Eshcol — That is, grapes, so called from the goodly cluster of grapes which they brought from thence. It is a good land — So they said unanimously, Numbers 13:27. Only they added, that they were not a match for the inhabitants of it, as is intimated verse 28.

24, 25. It is a good land — Moses mentions here only so much of the report brought back as will enable him to set in marked contrast the rebellion of the people against the command of God. For the full statement of the exploration and report, see Numbers 13:21-33, and notes.

Verses 24, 25. Eshcol — That is, grapes, so called from the goodly cluster of grapes which they brought from thence. It is a good land — So they said unanimously, Numbers 13:27. Only they added, that they were not a match for the inhabitants of it, as is intimated verse 28.

24, 25. It is a good land — Moses mentions here only so much of the report brought back as will enable him to set in marked contrast the rebellion of the people against the command of God. For the full statement of the exploration and report, see Numbers 13:21-33, and notes.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

Verse 27. Because the Lord hated us — This shows what dishonourable and unworthy thoughts they had entertained of God, to imagine him capable of being actuated by hatred to his own creatures. Their sins, indeed, he could not but view with hatred; just as every good and wise parent must dislike all evil dispositions and practices in his children: but God, infinitely good, can no more hate any thing that he has made, than a tender mother can be hardened against her sucking child.

27. Ye murmured in your tents — It is true that the great majority of the murmurers had died since that time; but Moses speaks to the nation as still containing the elements of unbelief, ingratitude, and disloyalty. These discourses abound in reproofs and warnings to the generations then existing and the generations to come, based on the sins of those who left their bones in the wilderness.

V. 28. Greater-In number and strength and valour.

Verse 28. Cities-walled up to heaven] That is, with very high walls which could not be easily scaled. High walls around houses, &c., in these parts of Arabia are still deemed a sufficient defence against the Arabs, who scarcely ever attempt any thing in the way of plunder but on horseback. The monastery on Mount Sinai is surrounded with very high walls without any gate; in the upper part of the wall there is a sort of window, or opening, from which a basket is suspended by a pulley, by which both persons and goods are received into and sent from the place. It is the same with the convent of St. Anthony, in Egypt; and this sort of wall is deemed a sufficient defence against the Arabs, who, as we have already observed, scarcely ever like to alight from their horses.

Verse 28. The people is greater — In number, and strength, and valour. The cities are great, and walled up to heaven — An hyperbole, signifying that their cities were fenced with very high walls, which Moses himself allows to be true, Deuteronomy 9:1. But, however strong they were, the Israelites had no reason to fear, since they were assured of the divine protection and aid in the execution of his command.

Ver. 28. The Anakims, giants, thought to be so called because of the large golden torques which they wore about their necks. The word literally is, born of the earth.

28. Our brethren have discouraged our heart — The report of the men sent to explore the land had doubtless magnified the size of the cities and the stature of the inhabitants.

29-33. Then I said unto you — Moses here relates his attempt to inspire the disheartened people with confidence in Jehovah their God, by reminding them of what was done for them in Egypt and in the wilderness.

Verse 30. The Lord-shall fight for you] In the Targum of Onkelos, it is, the WORD of the Lord shall fight for you. In a great number of places the Targums or Chaldee paraphrases use the term yyd armym meimera dayeya or Yehovah, the Word of the Lord, exactly in the same way in which St. John uses the term Logov Logos in the first chapter of his Gospel. Many instances of this have already occurred.

Verse 30. Shall fight for you according to all that he did in Egypt — This was one of the strongest arguments possible to beget in them a firm reliance on the protection and help of God; since they could not but own that the same power which had redeemed them out of Egypt, was no less able to bring them into Canaan; yet even this proved to be of no avail.

29-33. Then I said unto you — Moses here relates his attempt to inspire the disheartened people with confidence in Jehovah their God, by reminding them of what was done for them in Egypt and in the wilderness.

V. 31. Bare thee-Or, carried thee, as a father carries his weak and tender child in his arms, through difficulties and dangers, gently leading you according as you are able to go, and sustaining you by his power and goodness.

Verses 31-34. Bare thee — Or carried thee, as a father carries his weak and tender child in his arms, through difficulties and dangers, gently leading you according as you were able to go, and sustaining you by his power and goodness. Ye did not believe the Lord — So they could not enter in, because of unbelief. It was not any other sin that shut them out of Canaan, but their disbelief of that promise which was typical of gospel grace; to signify that no sin will ruin us but unbelief, which is a sin against the remedy, and therefore without remedy. Your words — That is to say, your murmurings, your unthankful, impatient, distrustful, and rebellious speeches.

29-33. Then I said unto you — Moses here relates his attempt to inspire the disheartened people with confidence in Jehovah their God, by reminding them of what was done for them in Egypt and in the wilderness.

V. 32. Ye did not believe the Lord-So they could not enter in, because of unbelief. It was not any other sin shut them out of Canaan, but their disbelief of that promise, which was typical of gospel grace: to signify that no sin will ruin us but unbelief, which is a sin against the remedy; and therefore without remedy.

Verses 31-34. Bare thee — Or carried thee, as a father carries his weak and tender child in his arms, through difficulties and dangers, gently leading you according as you were able to go, and sustaining you by his power and goodness. Ye did not believe the Lord — So they could not enter in, because of unbelief. It was not any other sin that shut them out of Canaan, but their disbelief of that promise which was typical of gospel grace; to signify that no sin will ruin us but unbelief, which is a sin against the remedy, and therefore without remedy. Your words — That is to say, your murmurings, your unthankful, impatient, distrustful, and rebellious speeches.

29-33. Then I said unto you — Moses here relates his attempt to inspire the disheartened people with confidence in Jehovah their God, by reminding them of what was done for them in Egypt and in the wilderness.

V. 33. Your words-That is to say, your murmurings, your unthankful, impatient, distrustful and rebellious speeches.

Verses 31-34. Bare thee — Or carried thee, as a father carries his weak and tender child in his arms, through difficulties and dangers, gently leading you according as you were able to go, and sustaining you by his power and goodness. Ye did not believe the Lord — So they could not enter in, because of unbelief. It was not any other sin that shut them out of Canaan, but their disbelief of that promise which was typical of gospel grace; to signify that no sin will ruin us but unbelief, which is a sin against the remedy, and therefore without remedy. Your words — That is to say, your murmurings, your unthankful, impatient, distrustful, and rebellious speeches.

29-33. Then I said unto you — Moses here relates his attempt to inspire the disheartened people with confidence in Jehovah their God, by reminding them of what was done for them in Egypt and in the wilderness.

Verse 34. The Lord-was wroth] That is, his justice was incensed, and he evidenced his displeasure against you; and he could not have been a just God if he had not done so.

Verses 31-34. Bare thee — Or carried thee, as a father carries his weak and tender child in his arms, through difficulties and dangers, gently leading you according as you were able to go, and sustaining you by his power and goodness. Ye did not believe the Lord — So they could not enter in, because of unbelief. It was not any other sin that shut them out of Canaan, but their disbelief of that promise which was typical of gospel grace; to signify that no sin will ruin us but unbelief, which is a sin against the remedy, and therefore without remedy. Your words — That is to say, your murmurings, your unthankful, impatient, distrustful, and rebellious speeches.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

35. Joshua the son of Nun — In Deuteronomy 34:9, Joshua takes the place of Moses, and he, under God, causes Israel to inherit the land.

V. 36. Save Caleb-Under whom Joshua is comprehended, though not here expressed, because he was not now to be one of the people, but to be set over them as a chief governor.

Verse 36. Caleb-wholly followed the Lord.] See Clarke on “Numbers 14:24”.

Verses 36, 37. Save Caleb — Under whom Joshua is comprehended, though not here expressed, because he was not now to be one of the people, but to be set over them as a chief governor: we are also to except Eleazar and some other Levites. For your sakes — Upon occasion of your wickedness and perverseness, by which you provoked me to speak unadvisedly.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

V. 37. For your sakes-Upon occasion of your wickedness and perverseness, by which you provoked me to speak unadvisedly.

Verse 37. The Lord was angry with me] See on Clarke “Numbers 20:12”, &c., where a particular account is given of the sin of Moses.

Verses 36, 37. Save Caleb — Under whom Joshua is comprehended, though not here expressed, because he was not now to be one of the people, but to be set over them as a chief governor: we are also to except Eleazar and some other Levites. For your sakes — Upon occasion of your wickedness and perverseness, by which you provoked me to speak unadvisedly.

37. Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes — The occasion here referred to was during the second stay at Kadesh. Looking back over the forty years of wandering, after speaking of the rebellion of the people which excluded them from entering the land, how natural that Moses should also mention the occasion of his own exclusion. “Moses,” says Keil, “did not intend to teach the people history and chronology, but to set before them the holiness of the judgments of God.” By using the expression for your sakes we are not to understand that he seeks to exculpate himself, for in Deuteronomy 32:48-51, his sin is related. Compare Psalm 106:32, 33: “They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sake: because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.”

V. 38. Who standeth-Who is now thy servant.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

40. By the way of the Red Sea — That is, take the route toward the Red Sea. Comp. Numbers 14:25.

41. Ye were ready to go up into the hill — The Hebrew reads, You acted frivolously to go up.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

43. Went presumptuously up — You acted rashly and went up, and met with signal defeat.

V. 44. As bees-As bees which being provoked come out of their hives in great numbers, and with great fury pursue their adversary and disturber.

Verse 44. The Amorites-chased you] See Clarke’s note on “Numbers 14:40”; as bees do-by irresistible numbers.

Verse 44. As bees — As bees, which, being provoked, come out of their hives in great numbers, and with great fury pursue their adversary and disturber.

44. The Amorites — Called also the Canaanites, in Numbers 14:43. Hormah — Comp. Numbers 14:45. See note on Numbers 26:3.

Verses 45, 46. The Lord would not hearken to you — Your sorrow not proceeding from a penitent mind, or from a concern that God was displeased with you, but from this, that you yourselves could not do as you desired, God would not listen to your cry, as he always doth to the cry of those who pray to him in sincerity, and weep from genuine, godly sorrow. Ye abode in Kadesh many days — Near a whole year, not being now permitted to make any further progress toward Canaan.

FROM HOREB TO KADESH, 6-46.

6. In Horeb — Horeb is supposed to indicate the mountain-range, Sinai the summit on which the law was given. “The constant use of the name Horeb,” says Keil, “to designate the mountain group, instead of the special name Sinai, is in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book.” Dwelt long enough in this mount — They came to it in the third month of the first year of the wandering, (Exodus 19:1, 2,) and stayed till the twentieth day of the second month of the second year. Numbers 10:11, 12.

Verse 46. According unto the days that ye abode there.] They had been a long time at this place, see Numbers 13:27; 20:1, 14, 21. And some think that the words mean, “Ye abode as long at Kadesh, when you came to it the second time, as ye did at the first.” Or, according to others, “While ye were in that part of the desert, ye encamped at Kadesh.”

1. As one grand object of the law of God was to instruct the people in those things which were calculated to promote their peace and insure their prosperity; and as they were apt to lose sight of their spiritual interests, without a due attention to which their secular interest could not be promoted; Moses, not only in this chapter, but through the whole book, calls upon them to recollect their former miserable situation, in which they held neither life nor property but at the will of a merciless tyrant, and the great kindness and power of God manifested in their deliverance from a bondage that was as degrading as it was oppressive. These things properly remembered would lead them to prize their blessings, and duly appreciate the mercy of their Maker.

2. But it was not only this general display of God’s kindness, in the grand act of their deliverance from Egypt, that he wished them to keep constantly in view, but also that gracious providence which was manifested in every step they took; which directed all their movements, provided for all their wants, continually showing what they should do, how they should do it, and also the most proper time and place for every act, whether religious or civil. By bringing before them in one point of view the history of almost forty years, in which the strangest and most stupendous occurrences had taken place that had ever been exhibited to the world, he took the readiest way to impress their minds, not only with their deep obligation to God, but also to show them that they were a people on whom their Maker had set his heart to do them good, and that if they feared him they should lack nothing that was good. He lays out also before them a history of their miscarriages and rebellion, and the privations and evils they had suffered in consequence, that this might act as a continual warning, and thus become, in the hands of God, a preventive of crimes.

3. If every Christian were thus to call his past life into review, he would see equal proofs of God’s gracious regards to his body and soul; equal proofs of eternal mercy in providing for his deliverance from the galling yoke and oppressive tyranny of sin, as the Israelites had in their deliverance from Egypt; and equal displays of a most gracious providence, that had also been his incessant companion through all the changes and chances of this mortal life, guiding him by its counsel, that he might be at last received into glory. O reader, remember what God has done for thee during thy forty, fifty, &c., years! He has nourished, fed, clothed, protected, and saved thee. How often and how powerfully has his Spirit striven with thee! How often and how impressively thou hast heard his voice in his Gospel and in his providences! Remember the good resolutions thou hast made, the ingratitude and disobedience that have marked thy life; how his vows are still upon thee, and how his mercy still spares thee! And wilt thou live so as to perish for ever? God forbid! He still waits to be gracious, and rejoices over thee to do thee good. Learn from what is before thee how thou shouldst fear, love, believe in, and obey thy God. The Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world, is still before the throne; and whosoever cometh unto God through him shall in nowise be cast out. He who believes these things with an upright heart will soon be enabled to live a sanctified life.

DEUTERONOMY

Verses 45, 46. The Lord would not hearken to you — Your sorrow not proceeding from a penitent mind, or from a concern that God was displeased with you, but from this, that you yourselves could not do as you desired, God would not listen to your cry, as he always doth to the cry of those who pray to him in sincerity, and weep from genuine, godly sorrow. Ye abode in Kadesh many days — Near a whole year, not being now permitted to make any further progress toward Canaan.

46. Abode in Kadesh many days — This verse has been variously interpreted. Some understand it to mean that the Israelites remained there after their discomfiture as many days as they had been there before the return of the spies; some, that they abode there as long as they abode in all other stations — that is, half the time of their years of wandering; others, that a portion of the people abode at Kadesh permanently, while Moses and the rest journeyed southward; and the change of the subject to the first person in the next chapter is held to sustain this latter view. From the data that we have, it is impossible to determine how long they abode there. Probably Kadesh was the central point for the whole people, the place of meeting on appointed days. Here the tabernacle may have been kept, and here Moses chiefly dwelt. “Next to Sinai, the most important of all the resting-places of the children of Israel is Kadesh.” — STANLEY’S Sinai and Palestine. “There is something mournfully solemn and emphatic in the words, ‘Ye abode in Kadesh.’ Ye were on the very borders of Canaan, but instead of passing the frontier and entering into the Land of Promise ye abode at Kadesh; and when you moved from it, it was not to go northward into Canaan, but southward in the opposite direction; and after thirty-seven years’ weary wandering ye had only arrived at Kadesh again. Such were the consequences of disobedience.” — Wordsworth.