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28 Israel then shall dwell in safety alone:

The fountain of Jacob1 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 [or, shall be subdued] unto thee;
And thou shalt tread upon their high places.

Moses dies, and is succeeded by Joshua.

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P Ex. 33. 16: Num. 23. 9; Jer. 23. 6; 33 16. ch. 8. 7,8; Ps. 68. 26. ch. 11. 11; Ge 27.28. eh. 4. 7, 8: Pa. 144. 15; 146. 5.

2 Sam, 7. 23. "Is. 12. 2: 45. 17. Ge. 15. 1; Ps. 115. 9 -IL.

92 Sam. 22. 45; Ps. 18. 44; 66. 3; 81. 15. # ch. 32. 13.

a eh. 32. 49: Num. 27. 12; 33. 47.

beh. 3. 27; Num. 32. 29.33-40.

e Ge. 14. 14.

d ch. 11. 24; Num. 34.
6; Jos. 15. 12.

Judg. 1. 16; 3 13;
2 Chr. 28. 15.
14. 2. 8.

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34 AND Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, 2
to the top of Pisgah [or, the hill], that is over against Jericho. And the LORD
2 showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land
3 of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, “unto the utmost sea, and
the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto
4 Zoar. 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:
have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according
6 to the word of the LORD. 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 an hundred and twenty years old when he died: "his eye was
8 not dim, nor his natural force abated. 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.

9

10

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And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for P Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.

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And there arose not a prophet5 since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the 11 LORD knew face to face, 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 12 land, and in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel.

1 Ancient commentators explain this, 'the people flowing forth from Jacob.'

2 The chain of mountains on the east of Jordan and the Dead Sea seems to have been called Abarim; one mountain, probably a little south-west of Heshbon, was called Nebo; and its peak, fronting the valley, Pisgah.

3 As this name was not given till the time of Judg. xviii. 1, 27-29, it is evident that this account of the death of Moses is a later addition: and vers. 10-12 seem to indicate that it was made at the period when Ezra arranged the Old Testament Scriptures.

12 7: 13, 15; 15.

18; 26. 3; 28. 13; P.. 103, 9-11.

ch. 32 50: Jos. 1. 1,

A ch. 3. 27: 32. 52

2; Mal. 4. 4; Heb. 3. 5.

* Jude 9.

1 ch. 31. 2.

Ge. 27. 1: 48. 10: Jos. 14. 10, 11. "Ge. 50. 3, 10; Num. 20. 29.

11. 2: Dan. & 3. Jos. 1. 16-18.

P Num. 27. 18-23.

see eh. 18. 15, 18. eh. 5. 4: Ex. 33. 11; Nun 12. 6, 8. tch. 4. 34; 7. 19.

4 The burial-place of Moses was probably concealed, that his tomb might not become the occasion of idolatry or superstition. Some suppose this to be referred to in Jude 9. 3 This appendix to the narrative shows how the expectation of the pious Israelite was kept alive by the promise of his great Lawgiver (ch. xviii. 15, 18): and confessedly that promise has not been fulfilled, nor can we see how it can now be accomplished, unless Jesus of Nazareth, 'a Prophet mighty in word and deed before God and all the people,' be the person of whom Moses and all the prophets have spoken.'

CONCLUDING REMARKS ON THE PENTATEUCH.

THE careful reader cannot have reached the end of this
first general division of God's word, without having learned
what is the great design of the whole. He must already
have found it to be a wonderful manifestation of the
Divine attributes, plans, and works, and of the state and
destinies of the human race.

The foregoing books have revealed God as creating and
forming all things, in complete subordination to the pur-
poses of his omniscient and omnipotent mind and will;
thus rebuking all creature-worship and idolatry, and ob-
viously leading to the display of his supremacy in the
enactment of law, and of his justice in its administration.
In the first application of his law to the transgressor
begins the unfolding of that wonderful union of holiness
and love-righteousness and grace-which thenceforward
forms the prominent feature of the whole Bible. It ap-
pears in the sentence upon the tempter, and the respite
granted to the tempted;-in the 'long-suffering' which
waited in the days of Noah while the ark was preparing,'
and the judgment' which 'spared not the old world,'
'bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;'-

as well as in numerous subsequent instances. Nor has God's sovereignty in making, and his faithfulness in keeping his engagements been less clearly shown-in the first promise to fallen man-in the covenant represented in the bow in the cloud-in the call of Abraham, the birth of his long-expected heir, and the multiplication of his familyin the deliverance of Israel from Egypt with great substance, and the judgment upon the Egyptian oppressorin the desired land, beheld, and in part possessed;-all pointing toward the distant fulfilment of higher hopes, and in their very delay illustrating the unchangeableness and eternity of Him who is not slack concerning his promise,' but with whom a thousand years are as one day. Meanwhile, another Divine economy of peculiar significance excites and engrosses our attention. The Sovereign Ruler of the world, passing by other families, selects one, and separates the nation which he raises up from it as a kingdom for himself; the history of which becomes thenceforth the principal subject of the book. Not passing by his rights as Creator (Exod. xx. 11), he is pleased to rest his authority chiefly upon his claims as

Redeemer (Exod. xx. 1, 2); and on this ground proceeds to utter his laws, to appoint his officers and ministers, and to institute all the observances of his court. The worship of God now becomes elaborately ceremonial. The simple teachings of the patriarchal sacrifices (which represented the fearful evil of sin, and typified the substitution of the innocent in the place of the guilty, in order that the guilty might be forgiven) are greatly expanded and augmented, shadowing forth many more of the blessings to be afterwards revealed. God has now a dwelling-place on earth, where he condescends to meet with man. Into it enters the appointed priest, the type of the one Mediator between God and man, bearing the sweet incense, the emblem of intercession, as well as the blood of atonement. The hands made clean by 'divers washings' represent to the worshipper the 'pure heart' with which God is to be approached; whilst days of fast and festival, with their multiplied sin-offerings and peaceofferings, absolve the humble penitent, and confirm and cheer the faithful.

Thus clearly has God made known his perfections, and the essential principles, as well as some of the subordinate peculiarities, of his plan of redemption.

Nor has the devout reader gained less insight into the condition of man. He will have learned that 'God made man upright, but he sought out many inventions.' He will have seen how deeply-seated is his depravity, and how various are the forms which it assumes-in the rapine and violence of the antediluvian world-the pollution and debasement of the cities and tribes of Canaanand the inveterate unbelief and repeated rebellions of the Hebrew wanderers. On the other hand, he will have beheld some of the noblest examples of Divine grace. Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, and especially Moses, exhibit an elevated devotion and heroic faith scarcely surpassed under later dispensations. And the effective grouping of the persons depicted in strong contrasts of light and shade, or in the blended hues of kindred excellences, presents no inadequate delineation of 'what is in man,' both in his unregenerate condition, and when renewed by Divine influence. So that when we mark the two brothers, Cain and Abel-when we observe the ambitious hunter and tyrant of Babel, and the righteous king of Salem-when we witness Joseph's triumphant chastity, and the licentious disorders of Judah and his householdwhen we watch the earnest faith of Caleb and Joshua, and the cowardly unbelief of their colleagues--when we contemplate Moses' noble determination to renounce honour and wealth in Egypt, and boldly to espouse the cause of God's despised but chosen people; as opposed to the base covetousness and insidious schemes of Balaam, 'who loved the wages of unrighteousness;'-we feel that little else than perhaps a deeper colouring and a stronger light is wanting to complete the picture, or to make the exhibition of human character as perfect and instructive as may be found in the further revelations of later ages.

It has, however, been maintained by some that the Old Testament is deficient in tenderness and in spirituality; and that its teachings are, in a great measure, if not wholly, superseded by the instructions of the new dispensation. It is true that ceremonial observances occupy a very prominent position in the law and national records of the Jews; and hence we are apt to lose sight of those frequent declarations which were intended, on this very account, to guard against a merely formal, and to enforce a spiritual religion. While in the method in which God has been pleased to reveal himself to man, the outward seems to come first, yet the inward

ever accompanies it, and is ever ready to present itself to all who seek for it.

What is the law, even the ceremonial law, to one who reads it aright, but a continual enforcement of inward holiness by the most lively symbols of outward purity? It is hard to suppose that the pious Jew, of even ordinary piety and intelligence, could fail to perceive the higher intent of these solemn ceremonial institutions; or could think that his ritual, which seemed to stand outwardly in 'meats, and drinks, and divers baptisms,' had no nobler end than mere bodily health and purity. For what purpose were these washings, and sprinklings, and ceremonial purifications, and separations, but to serve as an impressive representation of God's love of inward purity and of personal holiness?

Nor is it otherwise in respect of the moral precepts. 'The law of love,' or that teaching which sums up all legal requirements and all duty in the cultivation of holy affections, holds a high place on the roll of the ancient lawgiver. This is no new commandment. Our Divine Teacher himself gives the words of Moses (Matt. xxii. 35-40); and in this, as in so many other instances, shows that he thought it not derogatory from his own high claims to cite what was already written in the Holy Scriptures. Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength' (Deut. vi. 5). And thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself:

I am the Lord' (Lev. xix. 18).

It was the spiritual aspect of the law which drew from the devout Israelite those strong expressions of attachment. which abound in the devotional books of the Old Testament; and which, when viewed in reference only to the mere ritual, might seem tumid and extravagant. Compare the varied epithets which occur in the fervent ejacu lations of the 119th Psalm. The writer never seems to be weary in reiterating his admiring and adoring love for the statutes, the ordinances, the testimonies, the judg ments, the precepts, the commandments, the word, the law of Jehovah. Again, in the 19th Psalm, just after that sublime hymn of praise to God for the wondrous arrangements of natural law in the firmament above and the heavenly bodies, how hearty is the transition to the higher theme of adoration—

'The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple,' etc.

So also in those portions of the Old Testament Scriptures in which the character and happiness of the godly are described. How vividly, for example, does the writer of the 1st Psalm present the safety and blessedness of the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord,' and who 'meditates therein day and night!' And it should ever be borne in mind that this law, these statutes, and these testimonies, which elicited such language of devout and ardent attachment, were the very same which are comprised in the writings of the Jewish lawgiver. It was in Holy Scripture as it existed in David's time, that he, and those who felt with him, 'meditated day and night;' and it was there they found all the light, love, holiness, purity, and everlasting truth which good men in ancient days so delighted to extol.

It is obvious that the preceding remarks apply with ever-increasing force to the successive portions of the Old Testament, which grew more full both of evangelical sentiment and of devotional feeling, until the coming of Him who fulfilled and confirmed the whole.

GENERAL REMARKS

ON THE

HISTORICAL BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

THE historical books of Scripture, from Joshua to Esther, contain accounts of the Jewish church and nation, from their first settlement in the promised land, to their return thither after their exile in Babylon; extending over a period of 1000 or 1200 years.

There were great and mighty nations in the world at this time, distinguished by wealth, learning, and valour; yet the records of these are all lost either in silence or in fables: while the inconsiderable nation of the Jews, which 'dwelt alone,' and was 'not reckoned among the nations,' makes so great a figure in the best known, most ancient, and most lasting of all histories; in which no notice is taken of the affairs of other kingdoms and states, except as they are connected with those of the Jews:-for 'the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance' (Deut. xxxii. 9).

It is not, however, strictly speaking, a history of the Jews that we have here, but such a selection from their history, by the Holy Spirit, as was best adapted to exhibit the progressive development of the objects and purposes of the Divine government, and to make us wise unto salvation.' Such political events are related as illustrate the moral state of the times. That which no merely human history could give is here disclosed;men's secret motives are laid bare, stripped of the disguises in which they sought to involve them. While events of great secular importance are sometimes passed by, and long reigns are compressed into a few lines, details of private life are dwelt upon, and subjects are introduced which an ordinary historian would have thought unworthy of notice. For example, immediately after the account of a great political occurrence- the deliverance of three kings and their armies from destruction—an instance is given of God's tender care for the widow of an obscure prophet (see 2 Kings iv.) These subjects are brought forward, because they display to us those things which are most regarded in God's sight, and which it is of most importance for us to know:-the character and attributes of God, the workings of the human heart, and the duties which men owe both towards God and towards their fellow-creatures. And interwoven with the whole history may be traced, as the great leading subject, the preparation made for the coming of the Saviour.

This history is of great use for understanding some other parts of the Scriptures. The account we have here of David's eventful life and reign, is a key to many of his Psalms. And much light is shed on the prophecies by these records.

As the people of Israel were typical of the church of God in the days of the Messiah, their histories, as well as the prophecies concerning them, looked forward to the latter days: for these things happened unto them for ensamples,' 1 Cor. x. 11. By the tenor of this history we are taught three things concerning the church: (1.) That if we see not perfect purity and unity in the church, we are not therefore to be stumbled, though we must be grieved at its corruptions and divisions; for, though it is a Divine institution, its operations have always partaken of the imperfections of those into whose hands its interests have been committed. (2.) That we are not to expect the constant tranquillity and prosperity of the church. The Jewish nation was often

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oppressed, afflicted, and brought low; it had its years of servitude as well as its days of triumph: but God never suffered it to be wholly consumed or destroyed. Let us not, then, be surprised to see the New Testament church sometimes driven into the wilderness, and the powers of darkness seeming to prevail against it. (3.) That we need not fear its utter extirpation. For as the ancient Israel and the earthly Jerusalem, through the gracious care of Divine Providence, outrode all the storms by which they were tossed and threatened, and continued in existence till they were made to resign their honours to the gospel church, of which they were types; so shall that also, notwithstanding all its shocks, be preserved, till the purposes of God are accomplished, and the kingdom of grace is perfected in the kingdom of glory.

Another important use of this history is to afford practical direction in the way of duty. Though many of the individuals whose actions are here related are men of eminent station-judges, kings, or prophets; yet, in their lives, persons of every rank may see the deformity of sin and the beauty of holiness, and may learn to avoid the one and to imitate the other. The failings even of eminently good men are recorded here for our admonition; that he who thinks he stands may 'take heed lest he fall,' and that he who has fallen may not despair of forgiveness.

And as this history shows what God requires of us, so it shows what we may expect from his providence, especially concerning states and kingdoms. By his dispensations towards the Jewish nation it appears that as nations are, so they must expect to fare:-that while princes and people serve the interests of God's kingdom, he will secure and advance theirs; but that, when they rebel against him, and shake off his government, they can look for nothing but an inundation of judgments. It was always so with the Israelites: while they kept close to God, they prospered; when they forsook him, everything went wrong. It has been well observed, that though, as to individuals, the providences of God often appear to be promiscuously administered in this world, because for them another state of reward or punishment is coming; yet it is not so with nations; national virtues being ordinarily rewarded with temporal blessings, and national sins visited with temporal judgments; because public bodies and communities, as such, can be rewarded or punished only in this world. Indeed, so plainly are God's ways of disposing of kingdoms laid before us in this history, that it would be well if it were diligently and wisely studied by Christian statesmen.

There is much uncertainty with regard to the authors of these historical recorde. As historical documents frequently bear a title derived from the personages and subjects treated of, it cannot with any certainty be inferred that these books were written by the persons whose names they bear. It is highly probable that, during a considerable portion of the Hebrew history, there was a succession of Divinely-instructed men, whose office it was to record the leading events of their times in annals or chronicles, which were deposited in the national archives. These appear to have been from time to time connected and arranged by subsequent annalists; who made also, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, such explanations and additions as had become requisite.

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.

THE preceding books have related the frequent rebellions and provocations of the Israelites who came out of Egypt, on account of which they were excluded from the good land which they had despised: this carries on the history of the next generation-those who were under twenty years of age when they left Egypt, and those who had been born and grown up in the wilderness -who appear to have been of a better spirit than their fathers. The trials and discipline they underwent, during their long wanderings, together with the instructions of Moses, had, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, the effect of awakening and humbling them, and fitting them to receive the fulfilment of the promise. It was with this generation that God renewed his covenant, as related in Deut. xxix. And he did great things for them. They believed in God; and, by faith, overcame the armies of the Canaanites, and obtained possession of the land. They showed, in several instances, a fervent zeal for God; as on the occasion of Achan's sin, and when they suspected that the two tribes and a half had set up an altar in opposition to the appointed altar of burnt-offering (ch. xxii.); and their piety is specially commended in ch. xxiii. 8.

The ordinances of Divine worship, which had been instituted at Sinai, were now more completely brought into practice. The tabernacle was permanently set up (ch. xviii. 1); and the people, on their settlement in the land of promise, were put into a condition to observe the various laws and regulations which had been previously given, but which could not be fully carried into effect during their itinerant state.

The character of Joshua is especially worthy of notice, as typical of the Captain of our salvation. The Hebrew word Joshua, which is the same as the Greek word Jesus,

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signifies, One whose salvation is Jehovah. See Acts vii. 45; Heb. iv. 8. And as Joshua conducted the Israelites through all opposition to the promised rest, so our Lord Jesus Christ brings all his people through every difficulty, and even death itself, to the heavenly glory.

We have no certain information either as to the author or the date of this book. It was undoubtedly written before the time of David (comp. ch. xv. 63, with 2 Sam. v. 6-8); and probably by one who was a contemporary (see ch. vi. 25), if not an eye-witness of what he relates. Upon the whole, it appears most likely that it was written either by Joshua himself, or by one of the elders who survived him (ch. xxiv. 31).

This book may be divided into three principal sections: I. THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN: including, the appointment of Joshua, and directions to the people (ch. i.); the spies sent to Jericho (ii.); the passage of the Jordan (iii., iv.); the circumcision and passover at Gilgal (v.); the capture and destruction of Jericho and of Ai, with Achan's sin and punishment (vi.-viii. 29); the reading of the law on Mounts Ebal and Gerizim (viii. 30-35); the wily conduct of the Gibeonites (ix); victories over the Canaanites, first in the south, and then in the north; and the subjugation of the country (x., xi.); with a recapitulation of conquests (xii.)

II. THE DIVISION OF THE COUNTRY, including both the conquered and the unconquered parts; describing the portions of the several tribes (xiii.-xix.); the appointment of the cities of refuge and the Levitical cities (xx., xxi.); the return of the two tribes and a half east of Jordan, and transactions which followed thereupon (xxii.) III. JOSHUA'S FAREWELL ADMONITIONS AND DEATH (xxiii., xxiv.)

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a Ex. 24. 13; Deu. 1.
38.
see refs. Den 34. S
Num.

24, 25

. 16-21.

Ge. 15. 18; Es. 2 31; Num. 34. 3-12

Ex. 3 12

A vers. 9, 17; ch. 3. 7: 62; Den 31. 8, 23; Is. 43. 2, 3

The appointment of Joshua; his directions to the people. NOW after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that 2 the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto 4 ch. 14 9; Deu. 11. 4 you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this1 Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates; all the land of the Hittites, and unto the 5 great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall Deu. 7. 24 not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with 6 Moses, so I will be with thee: 'I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an in7 heritance the land 'which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: "turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper [or, do wisely] whithersoever thou 8 goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and 9 then thou shalt have good success [or, do wisely']. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

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10, 11 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, Pass through the

1 Or, 'yonder;' Lebanon being in the extreme distance | on the north. See note on Gen. xv. 18.

2 The Hittites are here put for all the nations of Canaan, either as occupying the mountains directly opposite, or as living nearest to the wilderness with which the de

i see Deu. 31. 6-8; Heb. 13 5.

* vers. 7,9; Dea. 31. 7,23.

1 Ge. 2. 3

ch. 11. 15; Num. 2.
23: Deu. 31. 7.
"Den. 5 32:28 14
• Den. 29.9; 18: 23
# Deu & 6-9: 17. 18,
19; Ps 37. 31;
30. 21.

9. 1. 23: 119. 11,
15, 97; Pro. 3. 1.
r ver. 7.

ver. ; Den. 31. 7.
8.23

Ps. 27. 1; Jer. 1.7,8

scription of the land in chaps. xiii.-xix. commences. 3 That is, the Mediterranean.

4 Courage would be required not only to prosecute the war; but also to enforce all the commands of God, in spite of the unbelief and rebellion of the people.

12

host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for "within 2 three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.

ch. 3. 2; see Deu. 9.

1; 11. 31.

ch. 22. 2-4; Num. 32. 20-28.

And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, 13 spake Joshua, saying, Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given 14 you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed [marshalled by five], all the mighty men of valour, and help Ex. 13. 18. 15 them; until the LORD have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD's servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising.

16

b

C

And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, 17 and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy God be 18 with thee, as he was with Moses. Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.

Two men sent as spies to Jericho.

2 AND Joshua the son of Nun sent [or, had sent]/out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came

2

into an harlot's✦ house, named * Rahab, and lodged there.

Num. 32. 17-19.

a ch. 22. 4, etc.

b Num. 32. 25.

ver. 5: 1 Sam. 20. 13; 1 Ki. 1. 37.

d Deu. 17. 12; 1 Sam. 11. 12.

Ezra 10. 4.

Num. 13 17-21;

25. 1.

Heb. 11. 31; Jam. 2. 25.

A Mt. 1. 5, Rachab.

30.

And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in P. 127. 1; Pro. 31. 3 hither to-night of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house:5 for they be come to search out all the country.

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And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came 5 men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: and it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. 6 But 'she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the 7 stalks of flax,8 which she had laid in order upon the roof. And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

8

* 2 Sam. 17. 19, 20.

Ex. 1. 17; 2 Sam. 17. 19.

Ge. 35. 5: Ex 23.97; Deu. 2. 25; 11. 25. " Ex. 15. 15.

ch. 4. 23; Ex. 14. 21.

And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; and 9 she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land" faint 10 because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two Num. 21. 24, 34, 35. kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Šihon and Og, whom 11 ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you:

1 Food for a march of some days.

2 Or, and yet three days.' Probably there were to be three whole days after the command was given. See ch. ni. 2. It is not necessary to suppose that Joshua waited for the return of the spies before he moved to the Jordan; as perhaps that is mentioned at the end of ch. ii., only to complete the account of their proceedings.

3 Which was about seven or eight miles from the river. 4 Many Jewish writers say that Rahab was an innkeeper; interpreting the word 'a seller of food.' This is evidently designed to avoid the imputation supposed to be cast upon the whole family of David by her marriage with Salmon; and has been adopted by some Christian authors for a similar reason. But the Septuagint, followed by Matthew (i. 5) and the apostle Paul (Heb. xi. 31), renders the word here, as everywhere else, 'harlot.' And that this is the proper translation will appear, if we consider that neither inns nor innkeepers are known in the east, and that such an occupation would be quite at variance with all the habits of oriental females,-that the public khans, which are the common resort of travellers, would be of all places the worst for concealment,-that Rahab shows how little she knew of right and wrong by the falsehood which she tells in ver. 5,-and that the vice attributed to her by this designation was unhappily

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neither the least common nor the most abominable of those which filled up the iniquity of the Canaanites. And surely it is a signal instance of the condescending grace of God, that he should implant faith in the heart of such a person, leading her to take part with his people, and to hazard her life in protecting them; and should make her the mother (see Matt. i. 5) of a son so distinguished for virtue as Boaz, and through him an ancestor of the Messiah. 5 The proximity of the Hebrew camp caused unusual vigilance on the part of the king.

6 It must be remembered that Rahab lived under the deepest moral darkness: and therefore God approved her faith, though its practical exhibition was connected with so much that was faulty. See 2 Cor. viii. 12. By this we may learn to judge leniently of the deficiencies of converts from heathenism; while we remember that we shall be held accountable for our knowledge of the whole will of God. 7 The roofs of eastern houses, being flat, with a parapet, were very suitable for such a purpose.

8 Which had doubtless just been brought in from the field, and laid out to be dried: for it was the time of flax as well as of barley harvest; both being ripe about the time of the passover (see ch. iii. 15, and note, compared with Exod. ix. 31, and note). The seasons in this part of Palestine are very similar to those of Egypt. 219

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