of the Jews, were expressly declared to be inflicted on account of their abominable sins:-that God had borne with them long:-that He did not proceed to execute His judgments till their wickedness was full-that the Israelites were mere instru ments in the hands of a righteous Providence for effecting the extermination of a people, whom it was necessary to make a publick example to the rest of mankind:-that this extermination, which might have been accomplished by a pestilence, by fire, by earthquakes, was appointed to be done by the hands of the Israelites, as being the clearest and most intelligible method of displaying the power and righteousness of the God of Israel; His power over the pretended gods of other nations, and His righteous hatred of the crimes into which they were fallen. See note on Chap. vii. 24.

CHAP. III.

Verse 11.-is it not in Rabbath] That is, it is kept to be seen in Rabbath, the capital city of the children of Ammon.

- after the cubit of a man.] That is, according to the cubit of an ordinary man, which is a little more than half a yard. It might be supposed perhaps from the dimensions of the bedstead, that Og was not less than about six cubits high. But some allowance may be made for the size of a royal bed or king Og might have been possessed with the same kind of vanity, which occupied the mind of Alexander, when he ordered his soldiers to enlarge the size of their beds, that they might give to the Indians in succeeding ages a great idea of the prodigious stature of a Macedonian.

24.-what God is there in heaven or in earth, &c.] Moses does not here suppose that there was any other God, besides the Lord. But he speaks according to the language of the times, when men worshipped many gods, of several sorts: none of which, he acknowledges, were able to bring to pass such things as the Lord had done.

CHAP. IV.

Verse 2. Ye shall not add unto the word &c.] This prohibition preserved these books from any alteration since the time they were written.

7.-who hath God so nigh unto them,] So ready and able to help them.

19.-hath divided unto all nations] That is, hath distributed the use or benefit of them to all nations.

20.-out of the iron furnace,] That is, out of Egyptian bondage; that most cruel servitude, by which God permitted them to be tried, as metals are in a furnace of iron.

24. the Lord thy God is a consuming fire,]

As He appeared on Mount Sinai, " even a jealous God," who will admit of no rival or partner in the religious worship of His people.

26. I call heaven and earth to witness against you] That is, as sure as there is a beaven above, or the earth under your feet, so surely will the vengeance of God keep pace with your impiety.

32. —usk now of the days that are past,-whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is,] Search the histories of the whole world, ever since it was made, and see whether thou canst find any thing like to that which God hath done for you.

34.-by temptations,] Or trials. For the miracles which God wrought in Egypt, were trials both to the Egyptians and the Israelites, whether they would obey God and trust in Him, or not.

42.-that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live] Yet he was not thereupon exempt from the pursuit of justice. He was to be tried before the judges; and if found innocent, he dwelt safely in the city to which he had retired; if guilty, he was put to death. At the same time, to inspire the greater horror, even of involuntary bloodshed, the law punished it by a kind of banishment: for the manslayer was obliged to dwell in this city, without going out of it, till the death of the high priest. Numb. xxxv. 25-28.

48.-mount Sion,] Not Mount Sion at Jerusalem, but Sirion, the name by which the Sidonians called Hermon. See Chap. iii. 8, 9.

CHAP. V.

Verse 3. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us,] Though many, who were present at Sinai were now dead, many also must have been still living: those only having died in the wilderness, who were twenty years old and upwards, when they offended God by their murmurs; and even of those condemned to die in the wilderness, many might, like Moses, be suffered to behold the land, which they were not to enter. Moses however might perhaps mean only, that God made not that solemn covenant with their forefathers, the Patriarchs, but with the men of his own generation.

4. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount] Openly and distinctly; or by Himself, without the mediation of Moses; but in no visible shape; for that is expressly denied in the foregoing chapter.

9.-visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children In Ezekiel we are told, that "the soul that sinneth, it shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father &c." If it be asked how this is to be reconciled with what is here said of

visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children:" the answer is plain. Whenever God

denounces punishment against any person for the sins of others, we are always to understand by it some temporal punishment, or national calamity; in which the righteous and the wicked are oftentimes equally involved: but when He declares, that every man shall bear his own iniquity, and die for his own sins, He refers chiefly to the future and eternal punishment of sin in the next life; wherein none shall suffer for the offences of others, but " God will render to every man according to his deeds." When therefore we pray in the Litany of our Church, that God will" not remember the offences of our forefathers," we must confine our thoughts to temporal evils and judgments; which we beseech Him not to send upon us, for their sins, any more than for our own.

By "iniquity" is here meant the sin of idolatry in particular, if not that alone.

For further explanation of the ten commandments, see notes on Exod. xx.

22. and he added no more] Then: nor did He deliver any more commands to the people Himself, but communicated His laws to Moses, who imparted them to the people.

CHAP. VI.

Verse 4.-The Lord our God is one Lord:] We are uniformly taught in Scripture that there is but one God. And yet the Son and the Holy Spirit are spoken of as being God, as well as the Father. We are not therefore to conceive that there are three Gods: but that the Godhead consists, as it were, of three distinct Powers or Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and that these Three make One God. This is a sublime mystery, which we are not required to understand farther than Scripture makes it known to us; and most probably, with our present faculties we are not capable of fully understanding it.

8. And thou shalt bind them &c.] See note on Exod. xiii. 9.

9. And thou shalt write them upon the posts &c.] This precept, though it may perhaps be literally understood, seems rather to signify only, that they should think on God's commandment as often as they went out or into their houses, as well as when they sat there.

12. Then beware lest thou forget the Lord,] Men are very apt to forget God in the day of prosperity. Hence it is, that they are warned, at such times of plenty and affluence of worldly things, to "beware." Such things are a great snare, and occasion of pride and haughtiness, and many other

vices.

13.- and shalt swear by his name.] That is, only by His name. Swearing could never be lawful but when it was necessary; and all that the

Verse 2.- nor shew mercy unto them: The Israelites were not to spare them, but utterly to destroy them, lest, if any of the old inhabitants were left, they should prove a snare to those who succeeded them in the country, and seduce them into the vices and corruptions which prevailed among themselves. See note on Chap. ii. 34.

3. Neither shalt thou make marriages with them;] The true reason of providing against a too familiar conversation between the Israelites and their idolatrous neighbours, was not ill-will towards them but it was a measure of self-preservation from a very great evil; no less than a loss of the true religion. "For they will turn away thy son &c." ver. 4.

24.-and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven:] The destruction of the Canaanites exhibits to all nations, in all ages, a signal proof of God's displeasure against sin. The conduct of Moses towards them would have been open to severe animadversion, had he acted by his own authority alone: but it were as reasonable to attribute cruelty and murder to the judge of the land in condemning criminals to death, as to condemn the conduct of Moses in executing the command of God.

25.—it is an abomination to the Lord thy God. Whatsoever had been employed in idolatrous worship, was so detestable to God, that He would not have it converted to any ordinary use, but utterly destroyed. And therefore He commanded them, not to bring any of the silver and gold, which had belonged to idols, which He calls "an abomination," into their houses for any private use whatever. If a man did, he became an accursed thing," that is, was devoted to destruction, as the thing itself was. This appeared afterwards in the example of Achan, Josh. vii.

CHAP. VIII.

Verse 2. to know what was in thine heart,! God knew perfectly how they were disposed towards Him: but it was fit, that they should know themselves better, and that posterity should be instructed by their behaviour.

3.-man doth not live by bread only, &c.] That is, man is not sustained only by the food which he

eats; but whatever God appoints for that end, however unlikely it be, sustains him, as was seen in the Manna. It is the blessing of God that renders our food the support of our life.

4. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee,] God so ordered things that the people obtained whatever was needful for clothing, either by natural means, or, if they failed, by a miraculous interposition.

5.- as a man chasteneth his son,] All the afflictions God sent upon them, were not for their destruction, but for their correction and amend

16. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart,] Satisfy not yourselves in the mere outward badge and character of God's people. Let not your religion rest in external rites and the observances of ceremonial worship: but let your chief aim be, to attain those inward dispositions of mind, and to reform those sinful passions and affections, that are intended and represented by such external ordinances.

17.-nor taketh reward:] One that will not be bribed.

21. He is thy praise,] That is, the subject of thy praise: Him whom you ought to praise.

CHAP. XI.

Verse 1.- keep his charge,] Whatever He has charged thee to keep or observe.

10. For the land,—is not as the land of Egypt,] The land of Canaan has rains, plentiful dews, springs, and brooks, which supply the earth with the moisture necessary to its fruitfulness; whereas Egypt has no river but the Nile; there it seldom or never rains; and the lands which are not within reach of the overflowing of the river, continue parched and barren. To supply this want, ditches are dug, by means of which water is conveyed and distributed throughout the country. Notwithstanding this contrivance, many places have no water; and in the course of the year, the places nearest the Nile require to be watered again by means of art and labour.

and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:] Gardens in Egypt are refreshed by water drawn out of the river by instruments, and lodged in large cisterns; out of which the gardener again conducts the water along trenches to the place intended, and, as occasion requires, stops and diverts the stream by turning the earth against it, by his foot, and opening, at the same time, another trench to receive it. Others think "watering with the foot" alludes to the manner in which the water was raised out of the river. This was done by the help of a machine, described as a kind of broad wheel, which a man turns with the motion of his feet, by ascending successively the several steps within it, holding in his hands a stay, or rail placed before him, which is not moveable.

14.- the first rain and the latter rain,] The first, or the autumnal rain, before seed time, to prepare the ground for being broken up to receive the seed; the latter, or the vernal, before harvest, to fill the ears of corn.

19. And ye shall teach them your children,] The Jews do this so diligently, that as soon as their children are capable of understanding any thing, they make them carefully read the Scriptures and instruct them so, that before they can be called youths, they are acquainted with the whole law of God. In this, we must confess, they shame a great many Christians, who scarce understand as much of their religion, when they are men and women, as the Jews do of theirs, when they are mere children.

21.-as the days of heaven upon the earth.] While the heaven keeps its place over the earth. That is, as long as the world endures.

29.-thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.] Thou shalt direct that the blessing and the curse shall be solemnly pronounced on these two mountains. See Chap. xxvii. 13. and Josh. viii. 23.

T

CHAP. XI.

Verse 4. Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God] That is, not serve Him " upon the mountains, nor in groves, nor under green trees," as the Heathens did.

5.- which the Lord your God shall choose] Or set apart for that purpose, as He did Jerusalem afterwards. "To put His name there;" that is, to dwell, or to be present there, where He is worshipped according to His will. The name of God is put for God Himself.

7.-ye shall eat] Your share of the offerings.

and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto,] Ye shall rejoice in the goodness of God for blessing the labour of your hands; and God will hereupon go on to bless you.

8. Ye shall not do-every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes] This does not mean that there was no good order kept among them, or that they were at liberty to sacrifice where they pleased; but that in such an uncertain state, when they were removing from place to place, many took the liberty in those matters to do as they thought good.

15. Notwithstanding thou mayest kill &c.] For your common food you may kill in any city or house, whatsoever, not being forbid to be eaten, you desire, " according to the blessing of the Lord thy God," that is, according to the estate or wealth which He hath given thee.

may eat thereof,] Of their common food, as for instance, of the roebuck and hart.

CHAP. XIII.

Verse 1.-a dreamer of dreams,] One that pretends God has appeared to him in a dream, and revealed His mind to him.'

3.-the Lord your God proveth you,] He suffereth the false prophet to give a sign, and by the event to confirm his impious doctrine, to try whether you are sincere and steadfast in your love and obedience to Him; and that this your sincerity may be known to yourselves and others.

9.-thou shalt surely kill him;] Thou shalt discover him, and bring him to punishment, which is death in this case, by the sentence of the magistrate: and "thine hand shall be first upon him,” as the witness of his crime.

13.—the children of Belial,] So the most proAigate wretches are called in Scripture, signifying lawless persons who had no regard either to God

or men.

16.--and shalt burn with fire the city,-for the Lord thy God:] To vindicate the honour of God. If the Canaanites, who had never known God, were justly destroyed for their idolatry, it was but rea

sonable that God's own people, who turned from Him to serve false gods, should be treated in like

manner.

CHAP. XIV.

Verse 1.-ye shall not cut yourselves, &c.] As the idolatrous nations were accustomed to do. God would not permit His people to imitate the excessive lamentations and the frantick behaviour of the Gentiles at their funeral rites. And this seems to have been a direction to them, not to sorrow like men without hope, as the Apostle expresses it, but to expect another state besides the present.

3.-any abominable thing] All meats, forbidden by God to be eaten, are called "abominable;" not merely because His prohibition made them so; but because the Gentile superstition had consecrated most of them to their gods.

5.-the pygarg.-and the chamois.] These are supposed to be different species of antelopes.

21.-for thou art an holy people] The people of God were to avoid "unclean meats," as a sign that He had separated them from unclean Gentiles to be "holy unto Himself."

24. And if the way be too long for thee, &c] If they lived at so great a distance from the sanctuary, or the way was so bad, that they could not conveniently carry their tithes in kind, they were allowed to turn them into money, adding a fifth part to it, and with that to buy such provision for the feast at the sanctuary, when they came thither, as they liked best.

28. At the end of three years &c.] At every third year's end, a further tithe, besides what was due to the priests and Levites, was to be kept and spent at home, for entertaining and feasting the poor of the town, in which the owner dwelt, and the Levites belonging to it.

CHAP. XV.

Verse 1.-thou shalt make a release.] Perfectly free their brethren from their debts, which they owed to their creditors. This was an entire acquittance, not of debts contracted by sale of lands or goods, to those who were able to pay, but of money lent to a neighbour or friend, merely to relieve his poverty.

2.- the Lord's release.] A release made in obedience to and honour of Him, who required such charity of them.

CHAP. XVI.

Verse 16. Three times in a year &c.] These "three times" are" the feast of unleavened bread," "the feast of weeks," and "the feast of taber