A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob

In view of our current turmoil in Butler County, here’s a Prophecy for reflection:

“The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart; and thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness” Deuteronomy 28:28-29

Genesis 15

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¹ After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, “Fear not, Abram. I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.”

— up to this time Abram had received only general promises of offspring, and of the land being the possession of his seed; where is that land? and years were passing by, and the fulfilment of Abram’s hopes remained distant as ever;

— but the war with the Elamite king he had also made for himself powerful enemies; and though the immediate result was fortunate, yet many Canaanite nations may have witnessed with displeasure so remarkable an exhibition of the power and energy of an intruder, an “immigrant!”

— and thus the time had come when the patriarch needed and obtained more formal assurances, first, of the bestowal upon him of offspring (Genesis 15:1-6), and, secondly, of the future possession of that land, now called Palestine (Genesis 15:18-21);

² And Abram said, “Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go childless and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?” — Abram is still childless and landless;

— what wilt thou give me? there is a slight tone of complaint in these words. God promised Abram a “reward great exceedingly”

— Abram answers that no reward can really be great so long as he has no heir.

³ And Abram said, “Behold, to me Thou hast given no seed; and lo, one born in my house is mine heir.” — “What wilt thou give me?” Of what use will land or wealth be to me, the immediate reward specified by the promise?

⁴ And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, “This shall not be thine heir, but he that shall come forth out of thine own loins shall be thine heir.” — but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir; that is, one shall inherit all thou hast, that shall be begotten by thee;

— an own son of Abram’s, and not a servant born in his house; one that should spring out of his own loins: one “out of thy womb”, that is, out of his wife’s, which was his; the phrase designs a genuine and legitimate son, who would be legally his heir.

⁵ And He brought him forth outdoors and said, “Look now toward heaven and count the stars, if thou be able to number them.” And He said unto him, “So shall thy seed be.” — Abram’s seed according to the flesh were like the “dust of the earth,” Genesis 13:16, and his spiritual seed are like the stars of heaven.

⁶ And he believed in the Lord; and He accounted it to him for righteousness. — Abram believed the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abram’s faith, and that faith made him right with God.

⁷ And He said unto him, “I am the Lord who brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give thee this land to inherit it.” — the Lord next confirms and explains the promise of “the land” to Abram and further assurance was given tohim of “this land ” the land of Canaan for an inheritance.

⁸ And he said, “Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” — he asks for a sign, not out of distrust of God’s promise, for he was strong in faith, but for further assurance and confirmation.

⁹ And He said unto him, “Take Me a heifer of three years old, and a shegoat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” — the sign to Abram is the sign of the covenant:

— take me an heifer; offer me a sacrifice, a occasion of great importance, when two or more parties join in a compact, they either observe precisely the same rites as Abram did, or, where they do not, they invoke the lamp as their witness;

¹⁰ And he took unto Him all these, and divided them in the midst and laid each piece one against another; but the birds divided he not. — divided them in the midst; that is, the three animals, the heifer, goat, and ram into two equal parts; this was done for two reasons:

• to ratify God’s covenant with Abram and his seed; for this was a rite used in making covenants, as appears both from Scripture, Jeremiah 34:18, and other authors;
• to represent the torn and distracted condition in which his seed was to lie for a season;

— laid each piece one against another, one half against the other, the left side against the right, shoulder against shoulder, and leg against leg, so that they might seem to join;

— partly in hope they would join together, that God would in his time put those parts together, and unite those dry bones, (to which the Israelites are compared, Ezekiel 37:1-28), and clothe them with flesh; and partly that the persons entering into covenant might pass between those parts, and so testify their union and conjunction in one and the same sacrifice.

— but the birds divided he not; but laid them one against another, as the pieces were laid; so the birds used in sacrifice under the law were not to be divided, Leviticus 1:17; which may signify that when the people of the Jews, in the latter day, are brought together into their own land, when they will better answer the character of turtles and doves than they ever did, will be no more divided and separated from each other;

— but the intended offerings were not burnt, hence, perhaps, God’s commitment of “I am thy shield!” is debatable; or conditional?

¹¹ And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away. — and when the birds of prey came down upon the carcases, Abram scared them away;

— had there been a sacrifice the fire would have kept the vultures from approaching; but the bodies lay exposed, and Abram therefore kept guard over them, lest the purpose of the ceremonial should be frustrated by any want of respect shown to the outward symbols.

¹² And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. — when the sun was going down; the time described was the evening following the night on which he had received the assurance that his seed should be countless as the stars.

¹³ And He said unto Abram, “Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years. — thy seed shall be strangers; so they were in Canaan first and afterward in Egypt: before they were lords of their own land, they were strangers in a strange land;

— only by entering under Joshua 400 years later would the land be theirs, otherwise they were only strangers to the land;

¹⁴ And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge, and afterward shall they come out with great substance. — that nation; had it been expressly revealed that the country that would afflict them was Egypt, the principal seat of their servitude, and the instrument of their sorest bondage;

— will I judge: that is, punish after judgement, which prediction was in due course fulfilled – and afterward shall they come out with great substance;

¹⁵ And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried at a good old age. — and thou shall go to thy fathers in peace; or die, which is a going the way of all flesh;

¹⁶ But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” — for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full; from this sentence we have much to learn:

— the Amorites in Amos 2:9, “whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from beneath.“ Perhaps like Hamas today;

— first; the Lord foreknows the moral character of people; second. In his providence he administers the affairs of nations on the principle of moral rectitude; third. Nations are spared until their iniquity is full; fourth; they are then cut off in retributive justice in due time. 

¹⁷ And it came to pass that when the sun went down and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a burning lamp passed between those pieces. — behold a smoking furnace; this signified the affliction of his seed in Egypt: they were there in the furnace of affliction, and labouring in the very fire;

— a burning lamp; this speaks comfort in this affliction: and this God showed Abram at the same time with the smoking furnace. The lamp indicates direction in the smoke; God’s word was their lamp, a light shining in a dark place.

¹⁸ On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates:

— from the river of Egypt; the river of Egypt is the Nile, which overflowed annually and made the basin fruitful; so the Targum of Jonathan calls it the Nile of Egypt; it was rendered, “from the Nile of Mizraim” or Egypt to the great river, Euphrates;

— Keil and Delitzsch: the river (נהר) of Egypt is the Nile, and not the brook (נחל) of Egypt (Numbers 34:5); the character of the promise, the two large rivers, the Nile and the Euphrates, are mentioned as the boundaries within which the seed of Abram would possess the promised land,

— and from hence to the river Euphrates, the eastern boundary, was the utmost extent of it in which it was ever possessed, as it was in the times of David and Solomon, II Samuel 8:3.

¹⁹ the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites, — the Kenites; thought to be the Idumeans, who sprung from Kenaz of Esau’s posterity; found among the Amalekites in the south (1 Samuel 15:6); note that Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, was a Kenite (Judges 1:16); he was also the priest of Midian; and they dwelt among the Midianites; so they were very mixed by comparing Exodus 3:1 with Judges 1:16;

— the Kenizzites are also supposed by some to be the descendants of Kenaz, a grandson of Esau, Genesis 36:11; but then they must be so called here by anticipation, or  that is, the land they were anticipated to live there; since Kenaz was not then born; Caleb, the head of the tribe of Judah, was a Kenizzite, Numbers 32:12, Joshua 14:6;

and from Deuteronomy 2:5:

Meddle not with them [the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir]; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth, because I have given Mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

— the Kadmonites; elsewhere the Kadmonites are never mentioned again; probably dwellers on the eastern desert frontier of the Jordan, an eastern or an ancient people, of whom we know nothing;

— besides, none of the land of the children of Esau, at least of those that dwelt about Mount Seir (Deuteronomy 2:5) was to be given to the children of Israel; henced could the Edomites or Idumeans (at least a portion of them had left, some remained) have moved away while the children of Israel were in Egypt?

²⁰ and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim, — the Hittites, who had their name from Heth, a son of Canaan, see Genesis 10:15; they dwelt about Hebron, in the south of the land of Canaan:

— the Perizzites and the Rephaim; probably these are included in the common name of Canaanites, those that lived in the land of Canaan; 

²¹ and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” —  v16 above; “for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full” but soon it would be full, like Hamas today;

— the Jebusites; who inhabited Jerusalem and its surroundings, which was first called Jebus, from the founder of this nation;

— in this and the previous verses ten nations are reckoned as occupying the land of Canaan at that time, whereas only seven are mentioned in the times of Moses and Joshua; Deuteronomy 7:1; Joshua 3:10;

— although the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates,” that seed were meant to be the whole house of Israel. Hence, during the Exodus, Moses was tasked of bringing the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, for “I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers” Exodus 6:4.

“When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee — the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou” Deuteronomy 7:1

And Joshua said, “Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites” Joshua 3:10.

and from MSG

When the sun was down and it was dark, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch moved between the split carcasses. That’s when God made a covenant with Abram: “I’m giving this land to your children, from the Nile River in Egypt to the River Euphrates in Assyria—the country of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

— and from another perspective, the reason is given in the Book of Jubilees:

And Ham and his sons went into the land which he was to occupy, which he acquired as his portion in the land of the south.

And Canaan saw the land of Lebanon to the river of Egypt that it was very good, and he went not into the land of his inheritance to the west (that is to) the sea,

and he dwelt in the land of Lebanon, eastward and westward from the border of Jordan and from the border of the sea.

And Ham, his father, and Cush and Mizraim, his brothers, said unto him: “Thou hast settled in a land which is not thine, and which did not fall to us by lot:

do not do so; for if thou dost do so, thou and thy sons will fall in the land and (be) accursed through sedition;

for by sedition ye have settled, and by sedition will thy children fall, and thou shalt be rooted out for ever.

Dwell not in the dwelling of Shem; for to Shem and to his sons did it come by their lot.

Cursed art thou, and cursed shalt thou be beyond all the sons of Noah, by the curse by which we bound ourselves by an oath in the presence of the holy judge, and in the presence of Noah our father.”

But he (Canaan) did not hearken unto them, and dwelt in the land of Lebanon from Hamath to the entering of Egypt, he and his sons until this day.
And for this reason that land is named Canaan. Book of Jubilees Chapter 10:40-48

— again, the commitment earlier by an oath; from the Book of Jubilees:

And thus the sons of Noah divided unto their sons in the presence of Noah their father, and he bound them all by an oath, imprecating a curse on every one that sought to seize the portion which had not fallen (to him) by his lot.

And they all said, “So be it; so be it,” for themselves and their sons for ever throughout their generations Book of Jubilees Chapter 9:18-19

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— Deuteronomy 7:1; Joshua 3:10; and these three – the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites- were not among them. Perhaps they were all from the children of Esau, a posterity of Shem (whereas the others are mostly posterity of Ham, and of Canaan), and during this time interval of over 400 years, they had already moved north and eventually settled in Spain and then westward onto the New World;

— note, too, that in the New World, several states of the United States (namely Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and California) have the Spanish Mexicans settled there first, then later during the Mexican-American War from 1846 to 1848, the American zionists took over, which accounted for a loss of 55% of Mexico’s territory;

— for a more indepth study of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

Genesis 16

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the intent of His thought; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20

¹ Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children; and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. —  the marriage of Hagar to Abram, who was his secondary wife; and though he may be excused, he cannot be justified; for from the beginning it was not so;

² And Sarai said unto Abram, “Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing. I pray thee, go in unto my maid. It may be that I may obtain children by her.” And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. — Sarah, despairing of bearing a son herself, as she was now seventy-five, and had been ten years in Canaan, concluded that her heir was to be born of a substitute.

³ And Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. — after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan; so that he was now eighty five years of age;

⁴ And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. — her mistress was despised in her eyes; thus began the ill consequences of Abram’s marriage to Hagar;

⁵ And Sarai said unto Abram, “My wrong be upon thee. I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. The Lord judge between me and thee.”

— my wrong be upon thee; that is, may the wrong done to me be avenged upon thee; Sarai’s act had been one of self-denial for Abram’s sake, and now that it has led to her being treated insolently she makes Abram answerable for it.

⁶ But Abram said unto Sarai, “Behold, thy maid is in thy hand. Do to her as it pleaseth thee.” And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her face. — do to her as it pleaseth thee: not giving her liberty to take away her life, nor to use her cruelly,

— but to deal with her as a mistress might lawfully do with a servant, or however exercise that power which a first wife had over a second;

⁷ And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur. — by the fountain in the way to Shur; a place before or back to Egypt, from whence the wilderness had its name;

⁸ And he said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? And whither wilt thou go?” And she said, “I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.” — by this title he admonisheth her, that though she was Abram’s wife, yet she was Sarai’s maid;

⁹ And the angel of the Lord said unto her, “Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.” — the angel of the Lord interrogates her, and requires her to return to her mistress, and humble herself under her hands.

¹⁰ And the angel of the Lord said unto her, “I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.” — the Hagarenes, Saracens, and various other tribes of Arabs were descended from Ishmael, and they have been, and still are, a great multitude of people.

¹¹ And the angel of the Lord said unto her, “Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son and shalt call his name Ishmael [that is, God shall hear], because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. — Ishmael; that is, God will hear; and the reason is, because the Lord hath heard; he hath, and therefore he will.

¹² And he will be a wild man. His hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” — his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; signifying, that he would be of a quarrelsome temper and warlike disposition, continually engaged in fighting with his neighbours;

— and they with him in their own defence; and such the Arabs his posterity always have been, and still are, given to rapine and plunder, harassing their neighbours by continual excursions and robberies, and pillaging passengers of all nations, which they think they have a right to do;

— and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren; the sons of Abram by Keturah, the Midianites, and others; and the Edomites that sprung from Esau, the son of his brother Isaac; and the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob, another son of Isaac; and his kinsmen the Moabites and Ammonites, upon all which he and his posterity bordered;

¹³ And she called the name of the Lord who spoke unto her: “Thou God seest me.” For she said, “Have I also here looked upon Him that seeth me?” — looked after him that seeth me, that is, seen the face of my gracious God! That God should appear to me in my master’s house,  that I should have such a favour;

¹⁴ Therefore the well was called Beerlahairoi [that is, The well of Him that liveth and seeth me]. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. — behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered; Kadesh is the same with Kadesh Barnea in the wilderness;

— the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan call it Rekam, the same with Petra, the chief city of Arabia Petraea, near the wilderness of Kadesh, which in his times was inhabited by Saracens, inhabited in later times by the Nabathaeans, the posterity of Ishmael;

¹⁵ And Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called his son’s name, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. — and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael; that Hagar upon her return reported to Abram the whole of the conversation she had with the angel; wherefore Abram believing what she said, in obedience to the order and command of the angel, gave him this name.

¹⁶ And Abram was fourscore and six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram. — and Abram was eighty years old when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram. Which is easily reckoned, for he was seventy five years of age when he left Haran, Genesis 12:4

— and he had been ten years in Canaan when Hagar was given him by Sarai for his wife, Genesis 16:3; and so must be then eighty five years of age, and of course must be eighty six when Ishmael was born.

Posted in Books of Moses

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the intent of His thought; in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20

Genesis 13

¹ And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.

— ‘Get thee out from thy father’s house, and from thy country, and from thy kindred,’ was the command to Abram, and to most others called;

— and Lot with him; Lot accompanied him into Egypt, because he comes with him out of it; into the south; that is, into the Negev;

² And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. — and Abram was very rich; he was rich; in cattle, in silver, and in gold; cattle are mentioned first, as being the principal part of the riches of men in those days, such as sheep and oxen;

³ And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, — he went on to Beth-el; because there he had formerly had an altar, and although the altar had fallen down,

— between Bethel and Ai, or Hai; afterwards called Mount Ephraim, and was four miles from Jerusalem on the north; see Genesis 12:8.

⁴ unto the place of the altar which he had made there at the first; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. — unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first; when he first came to that place, and before he went down to Egypt;

⁵ And Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. — Lot; he, too, had possibly received presents in Egypt, for we find him rivalling his uncle in wealth;

⁶ And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together; for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. — both arises from a large increase of riches, that relations and friends are obliged to part; what one would think would make them more comfortable together, is the cause and occasion of their separation;

⁷ And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle; and the Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelled then in the land. — and there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle; not between the two masters, but between their servants;

⁸ And Abram said unto Lot, “Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen; for we are brethren. — for we be brethren, that is, both by nature near kinsmen, as the word brother is oft used, and in the faith and religion too, amongst whom contentions are very indecent and scandalous.

⁹ Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.” — the Targum of Jonathan says, “if thou wilt go to the north, I will go to the south, or if thou wilt go to the south, I will go to the north:’

¹⁰ And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah), even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as thou comest unto Zoar. — all the plain of Jordan; a great plain so called, because there the pleasant river Jordan divided itself into divers little streams or rivulets;

¹¹ Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves the one from the other. — and Lot journeyed east; and that part of the land on which Sodom and Gomorrah stood, were to the east of Bethel;

¹² Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. — Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan; in that part of the land where the family of the Canaanites had their abode;

¹³ But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly. — the men of Sodom were wicked; exceeding great sinners, guilty of the most notorious crimes, and addicted to the most scandalous and unnatural lusts; and these they committed openly and publicly in the sight of God;

¹⁴ And the Lord said unto Abram after Lot was separated from him, “Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and eastward and westward;

¹⁵ for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed for ever. — on top of Mount Ephraim: all the land which thou seest; so extensive a survey of the country, in all directions,

— northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; all point in the neighborhood; and those plains and hills, then lying desolate before the eyes of the solitary patriarch, were to be peopled with a mighty nation “like the dust of the earth in number”

¹⁶ And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. — and to thy seed for ever; the meaning is, that he gave it to his posterity to be enjoyed; in the days of Solomon, and as they will be in the latter day;

¹⁷ Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee.” — Arise, walk through the land; enter and take possession, for thy posterity; survey the land, and it will appear better than upon a distant prospect;

¹⁸ Then Abram removed his tent and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord. — the city Hebron was called Mamre; an ancient city built seven years before Zoan or Tanis in Egypt, Numbers 13:22.

Genesis 14

¹ And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, — and it came to pass, in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar; or Babylon, as Onkelos, says, where Nimrod began his kingdom,

² that these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. — the cities Sodom and Gomorrah were well established by then; even after the confusion of tongues and that they had dispersed;

³ All these were joined together in the Vale of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea. — the Salt Sea; as afterwards so called, not at this time, but the Dead Sea, being 1300 feet below the level of the Mediterranean; for then it would not have been fit for armies to be drawn up in battle array in it;

⁴ Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. — they served; that is, paid a yearly tribute in those days;

⁵ And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, — in the fourteenth year; after some pause and preparation, Chedorlaomer, in conjunction with his allies, set himself to punish the revolters;

⁶ and the Horites in their Mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness. — the Horites were the aboriginal inhabitants of Mount Seir, where they dwelt in caves; such as are still to be seen in Petra and other places around; they were centuries later absorbed into the Edomites.

⁷ And they returned and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites and also the Amorites, who dwelt in Hazezontamar. — flashing forward, the country of the Amalekites; they were later inhabited by the prosterity of Esau;

⁸ And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar), and they joined battle with them in the Vale of Siddim, — five kings came out and joined battle with the four in the dale of Siddim;

⁹ against Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and against Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar — four kings against five.

¹⁰ And the Vale of Siddim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there, and those who remained fled to the mountain. — the five initiated the fight against the four but the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits, hence the four prevailed against the five;

¹¹ And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their victuals, and went their way. — and they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah; they entered these cities and pillaged them, and carried off everything valuable in them;

¹² And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods and departed. — the victors plundered the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and carried off Lot, who dwelt in Sodom, and all his possessions, along with the rest of the captives, probably taking the route through the valley of the Jordan up to Damascus;

¹³ And there came one who had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt on the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram. — the plain of Mamre; these were confederate with Abram; probably there was also a league for mutual defence between him and them.

¹⁴ And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house (three hundred and eighteen), and pursued them unto Dan. — and when Abram heard that his brother; regard Lot as his brother’s son, or at the same time his brother-in-law; or just brother;

¹⁵ And he divided himself against them, he and his servants by night, and smote them and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. — Hobah, on the left of Damascus, was over 200 miles toward the north from Hebron;

¹⁶ And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also and the people. — he brought back all the goods which the victorious kings had taken from the princes and people mentioned earlier;

¹⁷ And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (which is the King’s Dale) after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and of the kings who were with him. — the king of Sodom, who had fled, came down from the mountain whither he had escaped, came down to meet Abram;

¹⁸ And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the Most High God. — and Melchizedek king of Salem; both the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem say, this is Shem, the son of Noah;

— though it is highly probable Shem was living at this time, yet it is not easy to account for it why his name should be changed, or that he should reign in a country in the possession of his brother’s son; or that he should meet Abram, and congratulate him on the slaughter of one of his own descendants;

— some have thought him to be more than a mere man, even the Son of God himself, but he is manifestly distinguished from him in Hebrews 7:

“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham, who was returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him.

To him also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, Melchizedek first being by interpretation “king of righteousness,” and after that also king of Salem, which means “king of peace.”

Without father, without mother and without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, he abideth a priest continually.” Hebrews 7:1-3

¹⁹ And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth; — and Melchizedek blessed Abram, which was one part of his office as a priest; and said, blessed be Abram of the most high God;

²⁰ and blessed be the Most High God, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.” And he gave him tithes of all. — and he gave him tithes of all; not Melchizedek to Abram, but Abram to Melchizedek, and these tithes were given not out of the goods that were recovered;

²¹ And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for thyself.” — Grive me the persons; to this day it is the custom among the people there, that, if a camp be plundered, his own subjects that had been taken and carried away by the four kings, anyone who recovers the booty gives up only the persons, and takes the rest for himself.

²² And Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth, — I have lifted up my hand; this is a serious matter with Abram, either before, or then and there, he made an oath before God, that he would not touch the property of Sodom.

²³ that I will not take from a thread even to a shoe strap, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say,‘I have made Abram rich’” — even to a shoelatchet; that is, from a thread used in sewing garments to, a shoelatchet, or the string which fastens the shoes to the foot,

²⁴ except only that which the young men have eaten and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” — the young men have eaten; his three hundred and eighteen trained servants, and those of his confederates;

— who having recovered the victuals taken away from the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, had eaten of it for their refreshment, as it was but just and right.

Posted in Books of Moses

In view of our current turmoil in Butler County, here’s a Prophecy for reflection:

And to the others He said in mine hearing, “Go ye after him through the city and smite. Let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity.
Slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” Then they began with the elder men who were before the house.
And He said unto them, “Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go ye forth.” And they went forth and slew in the city. Ezekiel 9:5-7

Genesis 11

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¹ And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. — the whole earth; that is, all mankind at that time;

— after giving the connection of the various races of the then known world: consisting of Armenia, the regions watered by the Tigris and Euphrates, the Arabian peninsula, the Nile valley, with the districts closely bordering on the Delta, Palestine, the Levant, and the islands of Cyprus, Rhodes, and Crete;

— the whole earth was of one language; this even heathen writers acknowledge; and that language was, probably, the Hebrew; as the Targum of Jonathan says: “in the holy language spake they, that by which the world had been created at the beginning;”

² And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. — “from the east” or “they journeyed east” or another version (AMP) “and as people journeyed eastward”

— Josephus (Antiquities: book I, chapter 4, section 1) explained that God admonished them again to send out colonies; to cultivate a great part of the earth, but they, imagining the prosperity they enjoyed in the cities as before, did not obey him, began to build cities.

³ And they said one to another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. — let us make brick, for in that low and fat soil they had no quarries of stones; the heathen writers agree that Babylon’s walls were made of brick;

⁴ And they said, “Come, let us build us a city and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” — whose top may reach unto heaven: not that they imagined such a thing could be literally be done;

— but that it should be raised exceeding high, like the cities in Canaan, said to be walled up to heaven, Deuteronomy 1:28 hyperbolically speaking;

⁵ And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men built. — and the Lord came down to see the city; this is an expression after the manner of men; he knew it as clearly as men know that which they come upon the place to view;

⁶ And the Lord said, “Behold, the people are one and they have all one language, and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be withheld from them which they have imagined to do. — nothing will be withholden from them; they will be baulked with no limits; if they mount up to heaven, their arrogance will soon make them endeavour to rival God.

⁷ Come, let Us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” — and the Lord said “let Us” not to the angels or to the spirit, but rather the Father to the Son;

⁸ So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth; and they left off building the city. — they brought upon themselves the very thing they feared, and that more speedily and more mischievously to themselves; for now they were not only divided in place, but in language too;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

And the Word of the Lord was revealed against the city, and with Him seventy angels, having reference to seventy nations, each having its own language, and thence the writing of its own hand:

and He dispersed them from thence upon the face of all the earth into seventy languages. And one knew not what his neighbour would say: but one slew the other; and they ceased from building the city. Jonathan

⁹ Therefore is the name of it called Babel [that is, Confusion], because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth; and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. — confound their language; it was a failure in utterance, occasioning a difference in dialect which was intelligible only to those of the same tribe.

¹⁰ These are the generations of Shem: Shem was a hundred years old and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood; — Shem was one hundred years old, and begat Arphexad two years after the flood; by which it is pretty plain that he was younger than Japheth;

— for Noah was five hundred years old when he began to beget sons, Genesis 5:32 he was six hundred when he went into the ark, Genesis 7:11 two years after the flood Shem begat Arphaxad, when he was one hundred years old, and Noah six hundred and two, Genesis 11:10 so that Shem must be born when Noah was five hundred and two years old;

— these are the generations of Shem; here also, as in Genesis 5, there is a very considerable divergence between the statements of the Hebrew, the Samaritan, and the Septuagint. According to the Hebrew, the total number of years from Shem to the birth of Abram was 390, according to the Samaritan, 1,040, and according to the LXX, 1,270 1,140

— Masoretic: Shem (100 Gen 11:10); Arphaxad (35 Gen 11:12); Salah (30 Gen 11:14); Eber (34 Gen 11:16); Peleg (30 Gen 11:18); Reu (32 Gen 11:20); Serug (30 Gen 11:22); Nahor (29 Gen 11:24); Terah (70 Gen 11:26); Abram = 390

— Septuagint: Shem (100 Gen 11:10); Arphaxad (135 Gen 11:12); Salah (130 Gen 11:14); Eber (134 Gen 11:16); Peleg (130 Gen 11:18); Reu (132 Gen 11:20); Serug (130 Gen 11:22); Nahor (179 Gen 11:24); Terah (70 Gen 11:26); Abram = 1,140

— Samaritan: Shem (100 Gen 11:10); Arphaxad (135 Gen 11:12); Salah (130 Gen 11:14); Eber (134 Gen 11:16); Peleg (130 Gen 11:18); Reu (132 Gen 11:20); Serug (130 Gen 11:22); Nahor (79 Gen 11:24); Terah (70 Gen 11:26); Abram = 1,040

— Targum of Jonathan: Shem (100 Gen 11:10); Arphaxad (35 Gen 11:12); Salah (30 Gen 11:14); Eber (34 Gen 11:16); Peleg (30 Gen 11:18); Reu (32 Gen 11:20); Serug (30 Gen 11:22); Nahor (29 Gen 11:24); Terah (70 Gen 11:26); Abram = 390

— Josephus (Antiquities l. 1. c. 6. sect. 5) his figures go along mostly with the Septuagint and the Samaritan:

I will now treat of the Hebrews. The son of Phaleg, whose father Was Heber, was Ragau; whose son was Serug, to whom was born Nahor; his son was Terah, who was the father of Abraham, who accordingly was the tenth from Noah, and was born in the two hundred and ninety-second year after the deluge; for Terah begat Abram in his seventieth year.

Nahor begat Haran when he was one hundred and twenty years old; Nahor was born to Serug in his hundred and thirty-second year; Ragau had Serug at one hundred and thirty; at the same age also Phaleg had Ragau; Heber begat Phaleg in his hundred and thirty-fourth year; he himself being begotten by Sala when he was a hundred and thirty years old, whom Arphaxad had for his son at the hundred and thirty-fifth year of his age. Arphaxad was the son of Shem, and born twelve years after the deluge.

Now Abram had two brethren, Nahor and Haran: of these Haran left a son, Lot; as also Sarai and Milcha his daughters; and died among the Chaldeans, in a city of the Chaldeans, called Ur; and his monument is shown to this day.

These married their nieces. Nabor married Milcha, and Abram married Sarai. Now Terah hating Chaldea, on account of his mourning for Ilaran, they all removed to Haran of Mesopotamia, where Terah died, and was buried, when he had lived to be two hundred and five years old; for the life of man was already, by degrees, diminished, and became shorter than before, till the birth of Moses; after whom the term of human life was one hundred and twenty years, God determining it to the length that Moses happened to live.

Now Nahor had eight sons by Milcha; Uz and Buz, Kemuel, Chesed, Azau, Pheldas, Jadelph, and Bethuel. These were all the genuine sons of Nahor; for Teba, and Gaam, and Tachas, and Maaca, were born of Reuma his concubine: but Bethuel had a daughter, Rebecca, and a son, Laban. Josephus (Antiquities l. 1. c. 6. sect. 5)

¹¹ and Shem lived after he begot Arphaxad five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. — and Shem lived, after he begat Arphaxad, five hundred years; so that his whole age was six hundred years, and therefore must live to the times of Abraham; which only true if the Masoretic Text is considered;

— and even throughout the life of Abraham, or near the end of it; and if he was the same with Melchizedek, as is the general beliefs of the Jews, they would have interrelation with each other; but what if the Samaritan and the Septuagint is true instead? Then Melchizedek won’t live until Abraham’s birth;

¹² And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years and begot Salah;

¹³ and Arphaxad lived after he begot Salah four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.

¹⁴ And Salah lived thirty years and begot Eber;

¹⁵ and Salah lived after he begot Eber four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.

¹⁶ And Eber lived four and thirty years and begot Peleg;

¹⁷ and Eber lived after he begot Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.

¹⁸ And Peleg lived thirty years and begot Reu;

¹⁹ and Peleg lived after he begot Reu two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters.

²⁰ And Reu lived two and thirty years and begot Serug;

²¹ and Reu lived after he begot Serug two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.

²² And Serug lived thirty years and begot Nahor;

²³ and Serug lived after he begot Nahor two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

²⁴ And Nahor lived nine and twenty years and begot Terah;

²⁵ and Nahor lived after he begot Terah one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters.

²⁶ And Terah lived seventy years and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

— Terah was a idol-worshipper:

And Joshua said unto all the people, “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: ‘Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the river in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor; and they served other gods. Joshua 234:2

— and here is an abridged story about Abraham’s righteousness: from Bereshit Rabbah 38

Abraham’s father, Terah was an idol manufacturer and worshipper. He operated a shop selling idols; and while he was away, Abraham was asked to look after the shop, but he took a hammer, smashed the idols and placed the hammer in the hand of the largest idol.

When Terah returned, he asked what happened to all the idols, Abraham told him that the idols fought among themselves and then the largest idol took the hammer and smashed all the others. When his father challenged him, saying, “That’s ridiculous, idols are only statues and cannot move!”

Abraham replied, “Then why do you worship them?”

— Josephus wrote:

“Terah, who was the father of Abraham, who accordingly was the tenth from Noah, and was born in the two hundred and ninety-second year after the deluge” (Antiquities: book I, chapter 6, section 5);

— that is, the year 1948 (according to Jewish reckoning).

²⁷ Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begot Lot. — and Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Abram, though named first, does not appear to be the eldest, but rather Nahor or more probably Haran;

— it seems pretty plain that Abram was not born until the 130th year of his father’s life, for Terah was 205 years old when he died, Genesis 11:32 and Abram was 75 of age when he went out of Haran to Canaan, Genesis 12:4 and that was after his father had died and buried there; so that if 75 years are taken out from 205, Terah would be 130, in which year Abram was born, assuming Abram journeyed on soon after Terah’s death;

And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran. Genesis 11:32 

So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him, and Lot went with him; and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. Genesis 12:4

— from here, Abram was born when Terah was 130 years, and not 70 as we believe; and secondly from this case, it proves that the names mentioned first in biblical genealogy may not necessarily be the eldest;

— hypothetically, if Abram’s departure from Haran had been delayed by, say, 2 years after his father’s death, then Terah would be 132 when Abram was born;

²⁸ And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldeans. — Haran died in Ur before his father Terah; thus Abram took Lot as an orphan with him when they left Haran to go to Canaan;

— Abram’s brethren were, Nahor, out of whose family both Isaac and Jacob had their wives; and Haran, the father of Lot, who died before his father. Children cannot be sure that they shall outlive their parents. Haran died in Ur, before the happy removal of the family out of that idolatrous country;

²⁹ And Abram and Nahor took for themselves wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

³⁰ But Sarai was barren; she had no child. — Joseph says as Abram has no son of his own, he adopted Lot, his brother Haran’s son, and his wife Sarai’s brother; (Antiquities: book I, chapter 7, section 1)

³¹ And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran and dwelt there.

— Abram and Nabor his brother married their nieces. Nabor married Milcha and Abram married Sarai, both daughters of Haran, who died in Ur;

³² And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

— concerning Abram’s courage, Jewish writings say:

Now Abram had two brethren, Nahor and Haran: of these Haran left a son, Lot; as also Sarai and Milcha his daughters; and died among the Chaldeans, in a city called Ur of the Chaldees, where, he adds, his grave is shown to this day:

the Jews have a fable concerning the death of Haran; they say that Terah was not only an idolater, but a maker and seller of images; and that one day going abroad, he left his son Abraham in the shop to sell them, who, during his father’s absence, broke them all to pieces,

except one; upon which, when Terah returned and found what was done, he had him [Abram] before Nimrod, who ordered him [Abram] to be cast into a burning furnace, and he should see whether the God he worshipped would come and save him; and while he was in it, they asked his brother Haran in whom he believed?

he [Haran] answered, if Abraham overcomes, he would believe in his God, but if not, in Nimrod; wherefore, they cast him [Haran] into the furnace, and he was burnt; and with respect to this it is said, “and Haran died before the face of Terah his father”; but Abraham came out safe before the eyes of them all. Now Terah, hating what he had witnessed, and on account of his mourning for his son, they all removed to Haran of Mesopotamia. (Bereshit Rabbah 38);

— Joshua 24:2 “even Terah, the father of Abraham, served other gods.”

Genesis 12

¹ Now the Lord had said unto Abram, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee. — Abram was expressly commanded to leave “his kindred and his father’s house,” but Nahor wasn’t asked to, so Nahor didn’t join Abram;

² And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. — In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed; henceforward Abram and the nation sprung from him were to be the intermediaries between God and mankind;

³ And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” — and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed; that is, through his seed;

⁴ So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him, and Lot went with him; and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. — and Lot, being an orphan, went with him; of his own accord, and he only, besides Adram’s wife Sarai and his servants, for Terah was dead, and Nahor and his family stayed behind;

⁵ And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls whom they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan, and into the land of Canaan they came. — into the land of Canaan they came; with all their substance that they had gathered; either in Ur of the Chaldees, or from Haran, or both;

⁶ And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. — Shechem; this name signifies “shoulder,” and was the name of the ridge uniting Mounts Ebal and Gerizim, the summits of which are about two miles apart;

— and the Canaanites were already then in the land; this simply implies that the land was not open for Abram to enter upon immediate possession without a challenge;

⁷ And the Lord appeared unto Abram and said, “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” And there built he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him. — Unto thy seed will I give this land; the whole of it inhabited by Canaanites and others; no place or condition can shut us out from God’s gracious gifts;

⁸ And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord. — and the life of God’s calling is ever a pilgrim life, and Bethel has soon to be the home instead of Shechem; here, too, Abram keeps outside the city, and pitches his tent;

— and there he builded an altar unto the Lord: as he had done at Shechem; for wherever he went he worshipped God, and offered sacrifice unto him;

⁹ And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. — going on still toward the south; the southern part of the land of Canaan, which lay nearest Egypt, into which he is said to go next;

¹⁰ And there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was grievous in the land. — there was a famine in the land; this famine must have happened within a few years after Abram reached Canaan;

— for he was seventy-five years of age on leaving Haran, and as Ishmael, his son by an Egyptian slave-woman, was thirteen years old when Abram was ninety-nine, only about eight years are left for the events recorded in Genesis 12-16.

¹¹ And it came to pass, when he had come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, “Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon. — though sixty five years of age, being ten years younger than her husband; yet might still be a fair woman, having a good complexion and comely features;

— Sarai’s complexion, coming from a mountainous country, would be fresh and fair compared with the faces of Egyptian women which were of unhealthy pale brown;

¹² Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. — Sarai then was sixty-five years of age and beauty does not vanish with middle age; but that Sarai’s age corresponds with twenty to thirty years in modern times,

¹³ Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister, that it may be well with me for thy sake, and my soul shall live because of thee.” — Say thou art my sister; as his niece; for nephews and nieces are in Scripture called brethren and sisters; as Genesis 13:8

¹⁴ And it came to pass, when Abram had come into Egypt, that the Egyptians beheld the woman, that she was very fair. — the Egyptians beheld the woman, that she was very fair; Abram knew that Sarai was fair; but in the eyes of the Egyptians she was very fair; perhaps, they there were none of such fairness in Egypt.

¹⁵ The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. — the woman was taken into the royal palace of Pharaoh; kings have for ages claimed the privilege of taking to their harem any unmarried woman whom they like;

¹⁶ And he treated Abram well for her sake; and he had sheep and oxen and heasses, and menservants and maidservants, and sheasses and camels. — and he entreated Abram well for her sake; Pharaoh was very complaisant to him, showed him great respect,

— and bestowed many favours on him on account of Sarai, whom he took to be his sister, and which were done, that he would consent that she might be his wife; and Abram were given sheep, and oxen, and heasses, and menservants, and maidservants, and sheasses, and camels; 

¹⁷ And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. — not only Pharaoh was plagued, but those of his household also, his courtiers and servants, who were accessary to the bringing of Sarai into his house; for all this was because of Sarai, Abram’s wife;

— Jewish writings and Rashi have a notion, that an angel stood by Sarai with a scourge in his hand, and when Sarai bid the angel to smite Pharaoh, he smote him; signifying not just Pharaoh but his courtiers as well; because she was taken by these courtiers and detained in Pharaoh’s house, and designed Sarai to be made his wife or concubine; and thus for evil intentions was this punishment inflicted to all involved;

— but Josephus says it slightly different:

“but God put a stop to his unjust inclinations, by sending upon him a distemper, and a sedition against his government. And when he inquired of the priests how he might be freed from these calamities, they told him that this his miserable condition was derived from the wrath of God, upon account of his inclinations to abuse the stranger’s wife.

He then, out of fear, asked Sarai who she was, and who it was that she brought along with her. And when he had found out the truth, he excused himself to Abram, that supposing the woman to be his sister, and not his wife, he set his affections on her, as desiring an affinity with him by marrying her, but not as incited by lust to abuse her.

He also made him a large present in money, and gave him leave to enter into conversation with the most learned among the Egyptians; from which conversation his virtue and his reputation became more conspicuous than they had been before.” (Antiquities l. 1. c. 8. sect. 1)

¹⁸ And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this that thou hast done unto me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? — what is this that thou hast done unto me? to impose upon me, and deceive me after this manner, by giving out that Sarai was thy sister;

— when she is thy wife; by which means I have been led to prepare to take her for my wife, and have brought plagues upon myself and family? and thus he resented it as an injury done him, as he well might;

¹⁹ Why saidst thou, ‘She is my sister,’ so I might have taken her to me for a wife? Now therefore behold thy wife; take her and go thy way.” — now therefore, behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way; Sarai it seems was present at this interview, who was delivered to her husband untouched;

²⁰ And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. — and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had;

— they did not drive him out by force, or in any disgraceful manner, but being committed to a guard of men, appointed by the king, he had safe conduct out of the land, with his family, and all that he had; all that he brought with him, and all the increase he had made there, and all the gifts he had received of the king.

Posted in Books of Moses

The Targum was started by Ezra for those returning from the Babylon exile and for these returnees they could only understand the Scriptures in Aramaic. That is, the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us today from the Hebrew Bible quoted.

Genesis 9

¹ And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. — God blessed Noah and his sons; assuring them of his goodwill and his gracious intentions;

— and said unto them, be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth; depopulated by the flood: this is a renewal of the blessing on Adam;

² And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. — and the fear of you and the dread of you; this not only reestablishes man’s dominion over the animals, but also incorporate the fear of humans;

— Jewish writings, however, say a new stage is reached where man hereafter is invested with the right to take the life of animals for food; perhaps this was also when certain animals or beasts became wild; lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, wolves and foxes;

³ Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. — the grant of sustenance is no longer confined to just vegetable, but extended to the animal kinds, with two solemn restrictions;

— animals were slain for sacrifice from the earliest times; but whether they were used for food before this time we are not certain; but now “every creeper that is alive” is granted for food.

— “every moving thing” is everything that moves with the body living, and therefore this seems to describe any animal, clean or unclean; the phrase “that is alive” seems to exclude animals that have died a natural death, or were killed by wild beasts, from being used as food.

⁴ “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. — the animal must be slain before any part of it is used for food; and as it lives so long as the blood flows in its veins, the life-blood must be drawn before its flesh may be eaten;

— Gill explains it another way: not that the blood is of itself the life, but because it is a means of life, should not be eaten; but blood properly let out, and dressed, or mixed with other things, might be eaten, only that it could not to be eaten with the flesh, though it might separately;

— the Targum of Jonathan says, “but flesh which is torn of the living beast, what time the life is in it, or that torn from a slaughtered animal before all the breath has gone forth, you shall not eat.”

⁵ And surely your blood of your lives will I require. At the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. — your blood of your lives; or your blood, which is for your souls;

⁶ Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man. — whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; that is, he that is guilty of wilful murder shall surely be put to death;

— in the image of God made he man; so that murder is not only an offence against man, but also an injury to God, and a contempt of that image of God which all men are obliged to reverence and maintain;

⁷ And you, be ye fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.” — and you, be ye fruitful and multiply; instead of taking away the lives of men, the great concern should be to multiply them;

⁸ And God spoke unto Noah and to his sons with him, saying,

⁹ “And I, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your seed after you, — and I, behold, I establish my covenant with you; my covenant of the preservation of the creatures in common, a promise that they should not be destroyed any more by a flood;

¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you — of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you, from all that go out of the ark to every beast of the earth. — of every fowl, of every cattle, and of every beast of the earth, but no dinosaur exist as living creatures today; hence the obvious conclusion is that the dinosaurs were not among these “cattles” or beasts; otherwise they would be alive today;

¹¹ And I will establish My covenant with you: Neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.” — again, the obvious conclusion is that the dinosaurs were not among these “cattles” or beasts; otherwise, today, they would be in our zoos, or reserves, and not in our museums;

¹² And God said, “This is the token of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: — the covenant is made between God and Noah (and his posterity) and every living creature that is with you;

— that is, any creature that have survived through the Flood, in the ark, would be alive today, but the dinosaurs are only bones and skeletons today; destroyed amass millions of years ago;

— the Targum of Jonathan says,

“I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your children after you; and with every living soul that is with you, of birds, and of cattle, and of every beast of the earth that is with you, of all that go forth from the ark, of every beast of the earth.

And I will establish my covenant with you, and will not again cause all flesh to perish by the waters of a flood; and there shall not again be a flood to destroy the earth.

And the Lord said, This is the sign of the covenant which I establish between My Word and between you and every living soul that is with you, unto the generations of the world.” Genesis 9:9-12 Jonathan

— the Message Bible says:

Then God spoke to Noah and his sons: “I’m setting up my covenant with you including your children who will come after you, along with everything alive around you—birds, farm animals, wild animals—that came out of the ship with you. I’m setting up my covenant with you that never again will everything living be destroyed by floodwaters; no, never again will a flood destroy the Earth.” Genesis 9:8-11 MSG

God continued, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I’m putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth.

From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth.” Genesis 9:12-16 MSG

¹³ I do set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth. — I set my bow in the clouds; the rainbow, was seen in the clouds before, but was never a seal of the covenant till now;

¹⁴ And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud. — that the bow shall be seen in the cloud; for the rainbow is always in a thin, not a thick cloud; after the heavy showers are fallen from the thick clouds, and a small thin one remains, then the rainbow is seen;

¹⁵ And I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. — and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh; this is repeated to remove those fears which would be repeated as God would remember his covenant, which he can never forget;

¹⁶ And the rainbow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.” — and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth;

¹⁷ And God said unto Noah, “This is the token of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” — unfortunately, “all flesh” doesn’t include the dinosaurs, otherwise they would still be alive today, in our zoos or in the wild;

¹⁸ And the sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth; and Ham is the father of Canaan. — and the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham and Japheth, who are here again mentioned as the heads of the nations into which the family of man developed;

— and Ham is the father of Canaan; this is observed for the sake of the following history, concerning the behaviour of the one to Noah, and of the ultimate curse on Canaan;

¹⁹ These are the three sons of Noah, and from them was the whole earth overspread. — these are the three sons of Noah; and his only ones; and if he had any more, they left no posterity behind them; and of them was the whole earth overspread, with inhabitants, by them and their posterity only;

²⁰ And Noah began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard. — Noah began to be an husbandman; or rather, Noah, being a husbandman, began to plant a vineyard;

²¹ And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. — SDAs (Seventh-day Adventists, over twenty millions of them spread all over the world) claim the use of grape juice in ancient times were masquerading as wine; but have they ever come to their senses and ask how could unfermented grape juice make Noah drunk?

— having already two great disappointments in quick succession in the 1840s might make a third less disappointing and painful than the first two;

²² And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brethren outside. — and Ham saw the nakedness of his father; he looked with pleasure and delight on his father’s nakedness; not offering to cover him; instead he just went off and told his brethren withside;

²³ And Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. — and Shem and Japheth took a garment; they not only would not see it themselves, but provided that no one else might see it; herein setting an example of good deeds with reference to other men’s sin and shame;

²⁴ And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. — now Ham was not the youngest son, but Shem; but only younger, compared to Japheth; and it is not Ham who is cursed, but Canaan, Ham’s fourth or youngest son.

²⁵ And he said, “Cursed be Canaan! A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.” — Cursed be Canaan; Noah declares a curse on Canaan, the son of Ham; perhaps this grandson of his was more guilty than the rest; a servant of servants, that is, the vilest and worst of servants; but why?

²⁶ And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. — Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; Abraham and all his posterity were included in the descendants of Shem;

²⁷ God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.” — God shall enlarge Japheth; it is the God of the universe to enlarge Japheth with the most numerous posterity; as most of the inhabitants of northern and eastern parts of Asia are descended from Japheth;

— other definitions or meanings for “enlarge” pathah H6601 (2) to be spacious, wide or open: Genesis 9:27 may God make wide for Japhet (give him an extensive inheritance); (3) entice or seduces as a man seduces a virgin;

— and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; inhabit the countries belonging to the posterity of Shem; the Targum of Jonathan says “the Lord shall beautify the borders of Japhet, and his sons shall be proselyted and dwell in the schools of Shem;”

— or from a more modern version of Jonathan:

“May the Lord enlarge the territory of Japheth, and may his descendants convert and dwell in the study hall of Shem, and let Canaan be a servant to them.” ChatGPT

“The Lord shall beautify the borders of Japhet, and his sons shall be proselyted and dwell in the schools of Shem, and Canaan shall be a servant to them.” CoPilot

Voice: May God make plenty of room for Japheth’s family and give them homes among Shem’s tents.

²⁸ And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. — and Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years; so that he not only saw the old wicked world, and its destruction, but another wickedness again: the building of the tower of Babel;

²⁹ And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died. — Noah lived twenty years more than Adam did, and within nineteen of Methuselah, and his age must be called a good old age; and what is honourable of all the patriarchs is also applicable to him.

Genesis 10

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¹ Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and unto them were sons born after the flood. — this chapter shows concerning the three sons of Noah, where the whole population were spread from one of these seventy, has come.

² The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. — the sons of Japheth; Japheth is placed first, because he was, the oldest brother: Genesis 9:24; Genesis 10:21; of seven sons and his descendants were the most numerous and most widely spread from the birthplace of mankind;

— they seem to have been settled north of the Caspian, and to have wandered north and east from that point;

³ And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah.

⁴ And the sons of Javan: Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim.

⁵ By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided into their lands, every one after his own tongue, according to their families, into their nations. — from these were distributed the tribes of the islands of the Gentiles, every one according to his language, to his kindred in their nations.

— the grandchildren of Noah are identified according to Josephus (Antiquities 1:6.1):

Now they were the grandchildren of Noah, in honor of whom names were imposed on the nations by those that first seized upon them. Japhet, the son of Noah, had seven sons: they inhabited so, that, beginning at the mountains Taurus and Amanus, they proceeded along Asia, as far as the river Tansis, and along Europe to Cadiz; and settling themselves on the lands which they light upon, which none had inhabited before, they called the nations by their own names.

For Gomer founded those whom the Greeks now call Galatians, [Galls,] but were then called Gomerites. Magog founded those that from him were named Magogites, but who are by the Greeks called Scythians. Now as to Javan and Madai, the sons of Japhet; from Madai came the Madeans, who are called Medes, by the Greeks; but from Javan, Ionia, and all the Grecians, are derived. Thobel founded the Thobelites, who are now called Iberes; and the Mosocheni were founded by Mosoch; now they are Cappadocians.

There is also a mark of their ancient denomination still to be shown; for there is even now among them a city called Mazaca, which may inform those that are able to understand, that so was the entire nation once called. Thiras also called those whom he ruled over Thirasians; but the Greeks changed the name into Thracians. And so many were the countries that had the children of Japhet for their inhabitants.

Of the three sons of Gomer, Aschanax founded the Aschanaxians, who are now called by the Greeks Rheginians. So did Riphath found the Ripheans, now called Paphlagonians; and Thrugramma the Thrugrammeans, who, as the Greeks resolved, were named Phrygians.

Of the three sons of Javan also, the son of Japhet, Elisa gave name to the Eliseans, who were his subjects; they are now the Aeolians. Tharsus to the Tharsians, for so was Cilicia of old called; the sign of which is this, that the noblest city they have, and a metropolis also, is Tarsus, the tau being by change put for the theta.

Cethimus possessed the island Cethima: it is now called Cyprus; and from that it is that all islands, and the greatest part of the sea-coasts, are named Cethim by the Hebrews: and one city there is in Cyprus that has been able to preserve its denomination; it has been called Citius by those who use the language of the Greeks, and has not, by the use of that dialect, escaped the name of Cethim.

And so many nations have the children and grandchildren of Japhet possessed. Now when I have premised somewhat, which perhaps the Greeks do not know, I will return and explain what I have omitted; for such names are pronounced here after the manner of the Greeks, to please my readers; for our own country language does not so pronounce them: but the names in all cases are of one and the same ending; for the name we here pronounce Noeas, is there Noah, and in every case retains the same termination.

⁶ And the sons of Ham: Cush and Mizraim, and Put and Canaan.

⁷ And the sons of Cush: Seba and Havilah, and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah: Sheba, and Dedan.

— the Targum of Jonathan says

And the sons of Kush, Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raama, and Sabteka, and the name of their provinces, Sinirai, and Hindiki, and Semadi, and Lubai, and Zingai. And the sons of Mauritinos, Zmargad and Mezag.

⁸ And Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth.

⁹ He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.”

¹⁰ And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

¹¹ Out of that land he went forth to Assyria, and built Nineveh and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

¹² and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; the same is a great city.

¹³ And Mizraim begot Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim — Mizraim has seven sons, most of the descendants of Mizraim settled in Africa, with the exception of the Philistines, who migrated into the country to which they gave their name; Palestine;

¹⁴ and Pathrusim and Casluhim (out of whom came the Philistines) and Caphtorim.

— the Philistines; were originally Egyptians, since they descended from Mizraim; they sprung from both the Casluhim and the Pathrusim; Rashi says they exchanged the intimacy of their wives with one another, hence the Philistines sprung from them both;

— they had five principal cities – Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron; but today, they are still dominating the Gaza strip;

¹⁵ And Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; — today a city of Sidon (or Zidon); the firstborn, and is in Lebanon; where Joshua smote them: Joshua 11:8, 19:28;

— and Tyre, for that was built by the Sidonians; today they are part of Lebanon, and both cities are dominated by the Hezbollah;

¹⁶ and the Jebusite and the Amorite, and the Girgashite

¹⁷ and the Hivite, and the Arkite and the Sinite,

¹⁸ and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite; and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.

¹⁹ And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; and as thou goest unto Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admah and Zeboiim, even unto Lasha.

²⁰ These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their tongues, in their countries and in their nations.

— the children of Ham are identified according to Josephus (Antiquities 1:6.2):

The children of Ham possessed the land from Syria and Amanus, and the mountains of Libanus; seizing upon all that was on its sea-coasts, and as far as the ocean, and keeping it as their own. Some indeed of its names are utterly vanished away; others of them being changed, and another sound given them, are hardly to be discovered; yet a few there are which have kept their denominations entire.

For of the four sons of Ham, time has not at all hurt the name of Chus; for the Ethiopians, over whom he reigned, are even at this day, both by themselves and by all men in Asia, called Chusites. The memory also of the Mesraites is preserved in their name; for all we who inhabit this country [of Judea] called Egypt Mestre, and the Egyptians Mestreans.

Phut also was the founder of Libya, and called the inhabitants Phutites, from himself: there is also a river in the country of Moors which bears that name; whence it is that we may see the greatest part of the Grecian historiographers mention that river and the adjoining country by the apellation of Phut: but the name it has now has been by change given it from one of the sons of Mesraim, who was called Lybyos. We will inform you presently what has been the occasion why it has been called Africa also.

Canaan, the fourth son of Ham, inhabited the country now called Judea, and called it from his own name Canaan. The children of these [four] were these: Sabas, who founded the Sabeans; Evilas, who founded the Evileans, who are called Getuli; Sabathes founded the Sabathens, they are now called by the Greeks Astaborans; Sabactas settled the Sabactens; and Ragmus the Ragmeans; and he had two sons, the one of whom, Judadas, settled the Judadeans, a nation of the western Ethiopians, and left them his name; as did Sabas to the Sabeans: but Nimrod, the son of Chus, staid and tyrannized at Babylon, as we have already informed you.

Now all the children of Mesraim, being eight in number, possessed the country from Gaza to Egypt, though it retained the name of one only, the Philistim; for the Greeks call part of that country Palestine. As for the rest, Ludieim, and Enemim, and Labim, who alone inhabited in Libya, and called the country from himself, Nedim, and Phethrosim, and Chesloim, and Cephthorim, we know nothing of them besides their names; for the Ethiopic war which we shall describe hereafter, was the cause that those cities were overthrown. The sons of Canaan were these: Sidonius, who also built a city of the same name; it is called by the Greeks Sidon

Amathus inhabited in Amathine, which is even now called Amathe by the inhabitants, although the Macedonians named it Epiphania, from one of his posterity: Arudeus possessed the island Aradus: Arucas possessed Arce, which is in Libanus. But for the seven others, [Eueus,] Chetteus, Jebuseus, Amorreus, Gergesus, Eudeus, Sineus, Samareus, we have nothing in the sacred books but their names, for the Hebrews overthrew their cities; and their calamities came upon them on the occasion following.

²¹ Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.

²² The children of Shem: Elam and Asshur, and Arphaxad and Lud and Aram.

²³ And the children of Aram: Uz and Hul, and Gether and Mash.

²⁴ And Arphaxad begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber.

²⁵ And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.

²⁶ And Joktan begot Almodad and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth and Jerah,

²⁷ and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah,

²⁸ and Obal and Abimael and Sheba,

²⁹ and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.

³⁰ And their dwelling was from Mesha as thou goest unto Sephar, a mount of the east.

³¹ These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their tongues, in their lands, according to their nations.

— the children of Shem are identified according to Josephus (Antiquities 1:6.4):

Shem, the third son of Noah, had five sons, who inhabited the land that began at Euphrates, and reached to the Indian Ocean. For Elam left behind him the Elamites, the ancestors of the Persians.

Ashur lived at the city Nineve; and named his subjects Assyrians, who became the most fortunate nation, beyond others. Arphaxad named the Arphaxadites, who are now called Chaldeans. Aram had the Aramites, which the Greeks called Syrians; as Laud founded the Laudites, which are now called Lydians.

Of the four sons of Aram, Uz founded Trachonitis and Damascus: this country lies between Palestine and Celesyria. Ul founded Armenia; and Gather the Bactrians; and Mesa the Mesaneans; it is now called Charax Spasini.

Sala was the son of Arphaxad; and his son was Heber, from whom they originally called the Jews Hebrews. Heber begat Joetan and Phaleg: he was called Phaleg, because he was born at the dispersion of the nations to their several countries; for Phaleg among the Hebrews signifies division. 

Now Joctan, one of the sons of Heber, had these sons, Elmodad, Saleph, Asermoth, Jera, Adoram, Aizel, Decla, Ebal, Abimael, Sabeus, Ophir, Euilat, and Jobab. These inhabited from Cophen, an Indian river, and in part of Asiaadjoining to it. And this shall suffice concerning the sons of Shem.

³² These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and by these were the nations divided on the earth after the flood.

Posted in Books of Moses

Genesis 7

¹ And the Lord said unto Noah, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation. — thou and all thy family; which consisted only of eight persons; Noah and his three sons, and their four wives, Genesis 6:18.

² Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female; and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. — of every clean beast; of all clean cattle, thou shalt take to thee by sevens; or seven pairs.

³ Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female, to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. — of every clean fowls; by sevens or seven pairs.

⁴ For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.” — yet seven days; or after seven days;

— and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights: this was not an ordinary but an extraordinary rain, and the quantity of water that fell;

⁵ And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him. — and Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him; he prepared for his entrance into the ark, and all the creatures with him; got everything ready for them, the rooms for their habitation, and food for their sustenance;

⁶ And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. — Noah was six hundred years old; it follows that Shem was about one hundred years of age (Genesis 5:32), and his two brothers were all married, though apparently without children;

⁷ And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. — and Noah went in, and his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark;

— within the space of the seven days, between the command of God to go into it, and the coming of the flood; or rather on the seventh day, on which it began to rain; when he saw it was coming on;

⁸ Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, — of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean; there were no mention of a distinction between clean and not clean in the beasts, birds and the creeping things; or, perhaps, distinction were made but were not written down;

— the behemoth (H930 ḇə·hê·mō·wṯ), or known as as dinosaur in Job 40:15, is not mentioned in this verse or anywhere hereabout; indicating they were not in the ark;

⁹ there went in two by two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female as God had commanded Noah. — there went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, being impressed with an instinct from God so to do; or by the ministry of angels;

¹⁰ And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. — and it came to pass after seven days; were ended, or on the seventh day, after God had given the orders to Noah, to prepare for his going into the ark, with his family, and all the creatures;

¹¹ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, that same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. — the second month; either of the one sacred, for the celebration of feasts, beginning in March; or the other civil, for men’s political or civil affairs, beginning in September;

— Masoretic, the Flood was 1656 after the creation of Adam: Seth (130 Gen 5:3); Enosh (105 Gen 5:6); Cainan (90 Gen 5:9); Mahalalee (70 Gen 5:12); Jared (65 Gen 5:15); Enoch (162 Gen 5:18); Methuselah (65 Gen 5:21); Lamech (187 Gen 5:25); Noah (182 Gen 7:28-29) Noah (600 Gen 7:6,11) = 1656

— Septuagint, the Flood was 2242 after the creation of Adam: Seth (230 Gen 5:3); Enosh (205 Gen 5:6); Cainan (190 Gen 5:9); Mahalalee (170 Gen 5:12); Jared (165 Gen 5:15); Enoch (162 Gen 5:18); Methuselah (165 Gen 5:21); Lamech (167 Gen 5:25); Noah (188 Gen 5:28-29); Noah (600 Gen 7:6,11) = 2242 (a difference of 586 years)

— Samaritan, the Flood was 1407 after the creation of Adam: Seth (130 Gen 5:3); Enosh (105 Gen 5:6); Cainan (90 Gen 5:9); Mahalalee (70 Gen 5:12); Jared (65 Gen 5:15); Enoch (162 Gen 5:18); Methuselah (65 Gen 5:21); Lamech (67 Gen 5:25); Noah (53 Gen 7:28-29) Noah (600 Gen 7:6,11) = 1407 (a difference of 249 years from the Masoretic Text)

— Targum of Jonathan and the Peshitta both went along with the Masoretic figures; whereas the Armenian largely went along with the Greek Septuagint; both are of Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

¹² And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. — forty days and forty nights; so long it was falling upon it, after the windows of heaven were opened.

¹³ In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark — a threefold description of the entrance of Noah and his retinue into the ark, first in the command, next in the actual process during the seven days, and, lastly, in the completed act on the seventh day;

¹⁴ they, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. — they, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind; all sorts of beasts and cattle, reckoned one hundred and thirty sorts, by some one hundred and fifty, including serpents;

¹⁵ And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two by two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life. — two by two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life; they that went by sevens; being seven couples, as they went by pairs;

¹⁶ And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in. — went in male and female of all flesh; that is, two by two;

¹⁷ And the flood was forty days upon the earth, and the waters increased and bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. — the flood was increasing for forty days; the waters rose so high, that the tops of the highest mountains were overflowed;

Orthodox Judaism says this happens in the year 1656 from Adam; but Josephus says 2656 from Adam, (Antiquities: book 1 chapter 3, section 3); a difference of a thousand years;

— a difference of a thousand years to reconcile:

¹⁸ And the waters prevailed and were increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark went upon the face of the waters. — it raised the ark above the earth and above the mountains, and, on the other, destroyed every living being upon the dry land, from man to cattle, creeping things and birds;

¹⁹ And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were covered. — all the high hills, and the mountains were covered; there were hills and mountains before the flood, and that these were not caused by the deluge.

²⁰ Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail, and the mountains were covered. — fifteen cubits would be about twenty-two feet;

²¹ And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl and of cattle and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: — all the men, women, and children, that were in the world, excepting those in the ark, died;

²² all in whose nostrils was the breath of life, all that was on the dry land, died. — all flesh, fowl, cattle, and creeping thing, died;

²³ And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man and cattle, and the creeping things and the fowl of the heaven, and they were destroyed from the earth. And Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. — of the millions of creatures that were upon the earth (except those who dwell in the sea), none was left, the flood came and destroyed them all;

²⁴ And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days. — fifty and a hundred days; these, and the forty days of rain, make one hundred and ninety days: about six lunar months and thirteen days;

— this number “one hundred and ninety days” coincides with Ezekiel 4 in the Septuagint version where Ezekiel was asked to sleep for the iniquity for Israel: for more, see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years

Genesis 8

¹ And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters were assuaged. — Noah, who having heard nothing of him for five months, and having been perhaps longer in the ark than expected, might begin to think that he was forgotten of God; but God remembered him;

² The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. — the subterraneous waters in great quantity upon the earth, and the clouds of heaven, which poured down water upon it like spouts, were stopped from sending forth any more;

³ And the waters returned from off the earth continually, and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. — the waters returned from off the earth; a vast wave from the sea had swept over the land, in addition to the forty days of rain; now it has return back to the ocean;

⁴ And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. — the ark rested upon one of the mountains of Ararat; some, Josephus and the Targum of Jonathan, think one of those mountains in Armenia, for other loose cannons, in Turkey;

⁵ And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. — the ark rested; it is stranded on some hill in Ararat; this country forms part of Armenia;

⁶ And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. — at the end of forty days; it is easy to imagine the ardent longing Noah and his family must have felt to enjoy again the sight of land as well as breathe the fresh air;

⁷ And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. — Noah sent forth a raven; through the window of the ark; which wentback and forth; until the waters were dried up from the earth;

⁸ Also he sent forth a dove from him to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; — Noah sent forth the dove a second time, probably seven days after the first time, and the third time was after seven days too after the sending forth of the raven;

⁹ but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. Then he put forth his hand and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. — the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot; because the tops of the hills which then could not be landed;

¹⁰ And he stayed yet another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. — and he stayed yet other seven days; as he had stayed seven days between the sending out of the raven and the dove, so he stayed seven days more after he had sent out the dove, and it returned to him;

¹¹ And the dove came in to him in the evening, and lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off; so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. — so Noah knew the waters were abated from off the earth: by this he perceived not only that they were gone off the mountains, but the lower grounds, at least the hills on which olive trees delight to grow;

¹² And he stayed yet another seven days and sent forth the dove, which returned not again unto him any more. — which returned not again unto him any more: the earth being dry, it found rest for the sole of its feet, sufficient food to eat; and liking to be at liberty in the open air, chose not to return to the ark;

¹³ And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.

— and, behold, the face of the ground was dry; the ground or surface of the earth looked dry; but was not so dry and hard as to bear heavy bodies, or the foot to tread on it, being soft and tender;

¹⁴ And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. — Noah delays apparently another month, and, on the first day of the new year, ventures to remove the covering of the ark;

¹⁵ And God spoke unto Noah, saying, — and God spake unto Noah, saying; whether in a dream or vision, or by an articulate voice, appearing in an human form, or by an impulse on his mind, is not certain;

¹⁶ “Go forth from the ark, thou and thy wife, and thy sons and thy sons’ wives with thee. — Go forth of the ark; though the earth was dry and fit to be inhabited, yet they would not go out without orders, as he had to go in; which he waited for before he would, and now he has them;

¹⁷ Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both of fowl and of cattle and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth.”

— Question: how could these creatures which came out of the ark in Asia get thence to America, Australia, like the slow moving koalas or to the islands remote from the continent? A: perhaps with the help of angels;

¹⁸ And Noah went forth, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. — and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him: in all eight persons, and no more were saved in the ark;

— interestingly the Chinese symbol for “boat” or 船 is made of 舟 (which means vessel), 八 (meaning eight) and 口 (meaning mouth); 船 literally translate “eight people in the boat.” This character was used in the ancient Chinese story of Noah’s ark.

¹⁹ Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. — after their kind; not in a confused disorderly manner, mixing with one another; but as they went in by pairs, male and female of every sort, so they came forth in like manner;

²⁰ And Noah built an altar unto the Lord, and took of every clean beast and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. — Noah builded an altar; literally, “a high place” probably a mound of earth, on which a sacrifice was offered;

²¹ And the Lord smelled a sweet savor; and the Lord said in His heart, “I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake, for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. — the Lord said in his heart; same as “I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth” Isaiah 54:9.

²² While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” — while the earth remaineth; literally, as yet, all the days of the earth, that is, henceforth, so long as the earth continues.

Posted in Books of Moses

The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant. Psalm 25:14

Genesis 5

¹ This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made He him. — in the likeness of God; man is now a fallen being, yet these words are repeated to show that the Divine likeness was not lost, nor the primæval blessing bestowed at his creation revoked.

² Male and female created He them, and blessed them and called their name Adam in the day when they were created. — he called their name Adam; he gave this name both to the man and the woman, being at first one by nature, and afterward one by marriage, it was fit they should both have the same name in token of their union.

³ And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth. — in his own likeness, after his image; that is, Adam handed down to his posterity that Divine likeness which he had himself received.

⁴ And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters. — and the days of Adam, after he had begotten Seth, were eight hundred years; the Septuagint has it as seven hundred; probably counting a hundred years later where Adam began to have other children; which Josephus agrees (Antiquities of the Jews: book I, chapter 2, section 3)

— and he begat sons and daughters; not only after the birth of Seth, but before, though we have no account from the Scriptures of any; and what their number is, either before or after;

— but Josephus says the number of children Adam had, according to the old tradition, was thirty three sons and twenty three daughters. Joseph. Antiquities of the Jews: book I, chapter 2, section 3, footnote 8

— below is from Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews: book I, chapter 2, section 3:

Now Adam, who was the first man, and made out of the earth, [for our discourse must now be about him,] after Abel was slain, and Cain fled away, on account of his murder, was solicitous for posterity, and had a vehement desire of children, he being two hundred and thirty years old; after which time he lived other seven hundred, and then died. He had indeed many other children,⁸ but Seth in particular.

As for the rest, it would be tedious to name them; I will therefore only endeavor to give an account of those that proceeded from Seth. Now this Seth, when he was brought up, and came to those years in which he could discern what was good, became a virtuous man; and as he was himself of an excellent character, so did he leave children behind him who imitated his virtues. 

All these proved to be of good dispositions. They also inhabited the same country without dissensions, and in a happy condition, without any misfortunes falling upon them, till they died. They also were the inventors of that peculiar sort of wisdom which is concerned with the heavenly bodies, and their order.

And that their inventions might not be lost before they were sufficiently known, upon Adam’s prediction that the world was to be destroyed at one time by the force of fire, and at another time by the violence and quantity of water, they made two pillars, the one of brick, the other of stone: they inscribed their discoveries on them both, that in case the pillar of brick should be destroyed by the flood, the pillar of stone might remain, and exhibit those discoveries to mankind; and also inform them that there was another pillar of brick erected by them. Now this remains in the land of Siriad to this day.

⁵ And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. — he was from thence sentenced the sentence of death, and liable to it; yea, death seized upon him till it brought him to the dust of it; his life, though so long protracted, was a dying life, and at last he submitted to the stroke of death, as all his posterity ever since;

— the MSG has these verses as:

When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son who was just like him, his very spirit and image, and named him Seth. After the birth of Seth, Adam lived another 800 years, having more sons and daughters. Adam lived a total of 930 years. And he died. Genesis 5:3-5 MSG

⁶ And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. — and Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos. Not that this was his firstborn, no doubt but he had other children before this time; but this is only mentioned, because it carried the lineage and descent directly from Adam to Noah;

⁷ And Seth lived after he begot Enosh eight hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. — and begat sons and daughters; very probably both before and after Enos was born; but how many is not said;

⁸ And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died. — and all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years;

— Seth, according to Josephus (Antiquities: book 1 chapter 2, section 3), was a very good man, and brought up his children well, who trod in his steps, and who studied the nature of the heavenly bodies; and that the knowledge of these things they had acquired might not be lost, remembering a prophecy of Adam, that the world should be destroyed both by fire and by water;

⁹ And Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan. — and Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan, but according to the Septuagint, a hundred and ninety years;

¹⁰ And Enosh lived after he begot Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begot sons and daughters. — and Enos lived, after he begat Cainan, eight hundred and fifteen years; the Septuagint is seven hundred and fifteen;

¹¹ And all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died. — he died in the year of his age nine hundred and five; and according to Gill, is AM 1340, and was buried in the holy mountain; 

¹² And Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalaleel. — and Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel; here the Septuagint adds an hundred years, as before;

¹³ And Cainan lived after he begot Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begot sons and daughters. — eight hundred and forty years; the Septuagint has seven hundred and forty, which, when added to the years given him before, makes the same sum;

¹⁴ And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died.

¹⁵ And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begot Jared. — and Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared. A hundred and sixty, according to the Septuagint version;

¹⁶ And Mahalaleel lived after he begot Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.

¹⁷ And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years; and he died.

¹⁸ And Jared lived a hundred sixty and two years, and he begot Enoch. — and Jared lived an hundred and sixty two years, and he begat Enoch. Here the Septuagint agrees with the Hebrew text, and the Samaritan version differs, reading only sixty two;

¹⁹ And Jared lived after he begot Enoch eight hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. — and Jared lived, after he begat Enoch, eight hundred years; and so, the Septuagint version, but the Samaritan is seven hundred and eighty five;

²⁰ And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years; and he died.

²¹ And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begot Methuselah. — and Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah; here the Septuagint version adds again an hundred years;

²² And Enoch walked with God after he begot Methuselah three hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. — and Enoch walked with God, after he begat Methuselah, three hundred years; the Septuagint version is two hundred;

²³ And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years. — their lives a getting shorter, and now approximately half the age of those older patriarchs;

²⁴ And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. — and he was not, for God took him; instead of the mournful refrain when one died, we have here an early removal into another world, suggesting Enoch, in this special case, may have the highest form of blessing;

— “another world” may mean into heaven, where God’s throne is, where he is with the holy angels and other saints; Revelation: he could be one of the 24 Elders in Revelation?

— the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it; “behold, he was not with the sojourners of the earth; for he was withdrawn, and he ascended to the firmament by the Word before the Lord,”

Who are the 24 Elders in Revelation?

²⁵ And Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and begot Lamech. — and Methuselah lived an hundred and eighty and seven years, and beget Lamech; the Septuagint version is an hundred and sixty seven;

²⁶ And Methuselah lived after he begot Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begot sons and daughters. — and Methuselah lived, after he begat Lamech, seven hundred eighty and two years; but the Septuagint version is eight hundred and two years, and so makes the sum total of his life the same;

²⁷ And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years; and he died. — and all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty nine years, and he died; this was the oldest man that ever lived, no man ever lived to a thousand years;

²⁸ And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years, and begot a son. — and Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat son; according to the Septuagint version he was an hundred and eighty eight years old; 

— Josephus says after the seventh generation, his posterity turned into wickedness:

Now this posterity of Seth continued to esteem God as the Lord of the universe, and to have an entire regard to virtue, for seven generations; but in process of time they were perverted, and forsook the practices of their forefathers; and did neither pay those honors to God which were appointed them, nor had they any concern to do justice towards men. But for what degree of zeal they had formerly shown for virtue, they now showed by their actions a double degree of wickedness, whereby they made God to be their enemy. (Antiquities: book 1 chapter 3, section 1),

²⁹ And he called his name Noah, saying, “This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.” — the Lord hath cursed; because of the ground, which the Lord hath cursed;

— this he spake, foreseeing what his son would be, and of what advantage to him and his family, and to the world: the earth was cursed for the sin of man immediately after the fall, and continued under it to this time, bringing forth thorns and thistles in great abundance of itself, which occasioned much trouble to root and pluck them up, and nothing else, without digging, and planting and sowing;

— the Message version is:

When Lamech was 182 years old, he had a son. He named him Noah, saying, “This one will give us a break from the hard work of farming the ground that God cursed.” After Lamech had Noah, he lived another 595 years, having more sons and daughters. Lamech lived a total of 777 years. And he died. Genesis 5:28-30 MSG

³⁰ And Lamech lived after he begot Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begot sons and daughters. — and Lamech lived, after he begat Noah, five hundred ninety and five years; the Septuagint version is five hundred and sixty five;

³¹ And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years; and he died. — and all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years, and he died; the Septuagint version he lived but seven hundred and fifty three;

³² And Noah was five hundred years old; and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth. — and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth; not together, but one after another;

— Shem was an hundred years old two years after the flood, Genesis 11:10 he must be born in the five hundred and second year of his father’s age; so that it seems most probable that Japheth was the eldest.

— for more, see Japheth, the Eldest

— discrepancies of dates in Jospehus (Antiquities: book 1.1 chapter 3 section 3): “and this was two thousand six hundred and fifty-six [one thousand six hundred and fifty-six] years from Adam, the first man.”

Genesis 6

¹ And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born unto them, — and it came to pass, when men began to multiply upon the face of the earth; either mankind in general, or rather the posterity of Cain;

— or the the posterity of Seth, or a mixture of the two; but then again, Josephus says the number of children Adam had, was thirty three sons and twenty three daughters;

² that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair; and they took for themselves wives of all whom they chose. — the sons of God saw the daughters of men; by the former, from God’s point of view, is meant the family of Seth, who were of good dispositions, virtuous and professedly religious;

— by the latter, the descendants of apostate Cain, the daughters of men; from God’s point of view, mixed marriages between parties of opposite principles and practice were necessarily sources of evils and corruption;

— persons of greatest eminency for place and power, for such are called gods, and children of the Most High, Psalm 82:6 ‘I have said, “Ye are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High,”’ where, in contrast, also they are opposed to men, Genesis 6:7, that is, to meaner men.

³ And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he also is flesh; yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.” — my spirit shall not always strive with man; indicating his spirit strives with man up to a certain point; and there will a certain point beyond which he will not go; hence God reduced their days and it shall be an hundred and twenty years; given to them to repent;

⁴ There were giants on the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men who were of old, men of renown. — there were giants on the earth in those days; before those intermarriages were beginning to take place, and these intermarriages bare children unto them, or giants unto them;

— the same became mighty, which were of old: like those that were of old before; hence, perhaps, there were now two sets of giants?

— or a third set, from the evil angels: as Josephus says:

“For many angels of God accompanied with women, and begat sons that proved unjust, and despisers of all that was good, on account of the confidence they had in their own strength; for the tradition is, that these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the Grecians call giants.” This notion, that the fallen angels were, in some sense, the fathers of the old giants, was the constant opinion of antiquity; (Antiquities: book 1 chapter 3, section 1).

⁵ And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagining of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. — and God saw the wickedness of man was great on the earth; that it spread throughout the earth, wherever it was inhabited, both among the posterity of Cain and Seth, who now were mixed together;

⁶ And the Lord repented that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart. — and it repented the Lord; not in the sense the Lord wished he haven’t created man, since he was able to declare the end from the beginning; but that it grieved him at his heart to see man sinned;

— Rashi: it was a consolation to Him that He had created him [man] of the earthly beings, for had he been one of the heavenly beings, he would have caused them to rebel.

⁷ And the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping thing and the fowls of the air, for I repent that I have made them.” — for I repent that I have made them; same in the sense that he was able to declare the end from the beginning; but that God grieved that his creation had sinned;

⁸ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. — but Noah found grace; this is evidence that grace found in the Old Testament; that is, Noah obtained mercy and favour from the Lord;

⁹ These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. — Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations; “Just” is, literally, righteous, one whose actions were sufficiently upright to exempt him from the punishment inflicted upon the rest of mankind;

¹⁰ And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. — Shem was an hundred years old two years after the flood, Genesis 11:10 he must be born in the five hundred and second year of his father’s age;

— so that it seems most probable that Japheth was the eldest; and born in the five hundred and first year of his age; though Shem is usually mentioned first, because of his superior dignity: Abraham and from whom king David and the Messiah was to spring from;

— for more, see Japheth, the Eldest

¹¹ The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. — and the land was corrupt, abominable, and other enormous crimes; in contrast with Noah, the rest of the race were corrupt; entirely depraved by sin;

¹² And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. — the land was corrupt; the earth was filled with violence, with their uncleanness and wickedness of various sorts;

¹³ And God said unto Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. — the end of all flesh is come before me; that is, it was determined to put an end to the lives of all men, and of all cattle, and fowl and creeping things on the earth;

— before an order is executed the case is presented to the sovereign, that it may finally be examined, and if approved, receive the judgement, upon which it becomes a decree: “I will destroy them with the earth.”

¹⁴ Make thee an ark of gopherwood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt cover it within and without with pitch. — make thee an ark, or chest; an oblong box; not capable of sailing, but intended merely to float; the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him;

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“Make thee an ark of the wood of cedars; a hundred and fifty cells shalt thou make to the ark in its left side, and thirty and six in its breadth; and ten cabins in the midst, to lay up in them provision; and five repositories on the right, and five on the left; and thou shalt protect it within and without a pitch.”

¹⁵ And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. — the cubit is the length of the arm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger;

— as, further, it was regarded as one-fourth of a man’s height, we may safely compute it at eighteen inches, except where the sacred or longer cubit is expressly mentioned; thus the ark was 450 feet long, 75 broad, and 45 in depth.

¹⁶ A window shalt thou make for the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. — it is not necessary to suppose that Noah and his three sons built this vast vessel with their own hands; he was probably a powerful chieftain, and many of the Sethites may have given him aid;

— the highest story was for men and birds; the second for provision for the brute creatures; the lowest for the beasts, under which was the bottom of the ark, which most probably was made sloping on both sides;

¹⁷ And behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life from under heaven; and every thing that is on the earth shall die. — every thing that is in the earth shall die; this limitation that the fishes are not included in the destruction because they did not live in the same element wherein men lived and sinned;

¹⁸ But with thee will I establish My covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou and thy sons, and thy wife and thy sons’ wives with thee. — my covenant; there had been no covenant with Adam or with the Sethites, but in the higher state of things it began with Noah;

¹⁹ And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. — and of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark; that is, of fowls, cattle, and creeping things,

²⁰ Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee to keep them alive. — they shall be male and female; not any two, but one male and one female, they are to come in pairs for propagation;

²¹ And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be food for thee and for them.” — and take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten; by man and beast;

²² Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. — thus did Noah as he began without delay to prepare the colossal fabric, and in every step of his progress faithfully followed the divine directions he had received.

Posted in Books of Moses

Genesis 3

¹ Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, “Yea, hath God said, ‘Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” — the serpent was more subtle, or crafty, by its manipulation of God’s Words and its loathly form, is the natural symbol of such a deceiver of man;

— the tempter appreared unto the woman as the more susceptible and unguarded of the two creatures he would betray; and ventures upon a half-questioning, half-insinuating remark;

² And the woman said unto the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, — the woman said, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; indicating, Eve extolled the large extent of liberty they enjoyed in ranging at will amongst all the trees, except one;

³ but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ‘Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.’” — but of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden; this tree, is highly probable, stood near the tree of life, since that is described in the same “midst of the garden,” Genesis 2:9

⁴ And the serpent said unto the woman, “Ye shall not surely die; — ye shall not surely die; the serpent proceeded, in direct contradiction to divine command, not only to assure her of perfect impunity, but to promise great benefits from partaking of it;

⁵ for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” — your eyes shall be opened; his words meant more than met the ear “your eyes shall be opened”

— and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil: as “Elohim” which word is sometimes used of judges or magistrates, sometimes of angels, or “the mighty angels” as the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases the word; and sometimes of God himself, and of the divine Persons in the Godhead;

— knowing good and evil; or, as God, like unto God himself in that their knowledge should be enlarged, knowing more than just good and evil as many are being deceived with a new version today: “and you’ll go to heaven”

— the Targum, whose origin was in the Aramaic language, could be traced to Ezra speaking to the returning exiles who couldn’t understand Hebrew, but was expounded to them in a language they could understand.

⁶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and ate, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he ate. — the prevailing motive to influence her to eat: pleasant to the eyes, of a beautiful colour, and very inviting to the taste; succumbed to the lust of the flesh;

— and a tree to be desired to make one wise; which promised not only what she perceived by the discourse she had with the serpent, which she believed that this would be the consequence of eating this fruit, which looked very desirable, and she concluded to justify herself to eat;

— and gave also to her husband with her; that he might eat as well as she, and partake of the same benefits and advantages she hoped to reap from hence;

— and he did eat; an emphasis upon his eating lies the fate of his posterity; not the woman for the man was the federal head, and he sinning, all his posterity sinned in him, and died in him; through this offence judgment came upon all to condemnation; all became sinners, and subject to death;

⁷ And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves things to gird about. — the eyes of them both were opened that they were naked; the consciousness of guilt striked upon them as soon as they had broken God’s commandment by eating of the forbidden fruit;

— and they sewed, or platted fig leaves together; to cover at least part of their shame one from another, made themselves aprons;

⁸ And they heard the voice of the Lord God, walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. — “the voice of the Lord God, walking” seems like he appears as of the same kind;

— Adam and his wife hid themselves: being sensible of God’s approach, filled with shame and conscience of their own guilt, and dread of judgment; instead of flying to God for mercy, they foolishly attempted to run away from him, whom it was impossible to avoid;

⁹ And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him, “Where art thou?” — the question, “Where art thou?” implies that the Lord was aware of their endeavor to hide themselves from him to face the consequence;

¹⁰ And he said, “I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” — I was afraid, because I was naked; he confesses his nakedness, which was evident; but makes no mention of his sin; this he wished rather to hide, feeling the shameful effects of himself;

¹¹ And He said, “Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” — hast thou eaten of the tree; though God knows all our sins, yet he will know them from us, and requires from us an ingenuous confession of them, not that he may be informed, but that we may be humbled;

¹² And the man said, “The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” — the woman gave me; he shifts the blame to God; since the woman had been given him for his companion and help, he had eaten of the tree from her;

¹³ And the Lord God said unto the woman, “What is this that thou hast done?” And the woman said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.” — the serpent beguiled me; that is, a spirit in the serpent, which she took for a good one, but proved a bad one, with lying words and deceitful language imposed upon her; thus similarily laying the blame on otheers;

¹⁴ And the Lord God said unto the serpent, “Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. — upon thy belly shalt thou go; thus “no longer on thy feet, or half erect,” but thou shalt crawl along, thy belly cleaving to the earth;

— the Targum of Jonathan adds more details:

And the Lord God brought the three unto judgment; and He said to the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou of all the cattle, and of all the beasts of the field: upon thy belly thou shalt go,

and thy feet shall be cut off, and thy skin thou shalt cast away once in seven years; and the poison of death shall be in thy mouth, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.

¹⁵ And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.” — I will put enmity between thee and the woman; and the man too, but the woman alone is mentioned, for the devil’s greater confusion;

— she conceived an antipathy against it, and which is become natural between the serpent and man; man abhors the sight of a serpent, and the serpent the sight of man; and are poison to each other;

¹⁶ Unto the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” — multiplies “her sorrow and her conception,” that is, her sorrow generally, but especially in connection with pregnancy, when with anguish and peril of life she wins the joy of bringing a man into the world;

¹⁷ And unto Adam He said, “Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, ‘Thou shalt not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.

— cursed is the ground for thy sake; it shall now yield both fewer and worse fruits, and not even those without more care and trouble to thy mind, and the minds of thy posterity, and more labour to your bodies than otherwise would have been requisite;

— in sorrow shall thou eat of it all the days of thy life, meaning that with much toil and trouble, in manuring and cultivating the earth, he should get his living out of the produce of it, though with great difficulty; and this would be his case as long as he was in it.

¹⁸ Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. — thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; to give him more trouble, and cause him more fatigue and sorrow to root them up;

— and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; not the fruits of the garden of Eden, but only the common herbs of the wild, such as even the beasts of the earth fed upon: to such a low condition was man, the lord of the whole earth; and this was according to the law of consequence effect, of eating the forbidden fruit should be deprived of them all;

¹⁹ In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground, for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” — in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread; sweat appearing chiefly on the forehead, from whence it trickles down by the nose in persons employed in hard labour;

— for dust thou art, and unto dust shall thou return; his body was composed of the dust, was of the earth, earthly, and should be reduced to that again by death;

²⁰ And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. — Adam called his wife’s name Eve; named “Ishah” a woman, because taken from the man; for through her alone could human life be continued, and the “woman’s seed” be obtained who was to raise up man from his fall.

²¹ Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. — coats of skins; animals, therefore, were killed not just for food, but also for clothing, to defend them from the heat and cold, and other injuries of the air to which they were now to be exposed;

²² And the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become as one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live for ever” — behold, the man is become as one of us to know good and evil; we are now prepared to understand the nature of the two trees which were in the midst of the garden;

— the tree of knowledge of good and evil; if man had obeyed, he would have come to this knowledge in a legitimate way; and to partake of the Divine nature of God;

— as one of us, if it concerning the angels, it is an unreasonable conceit that the great God should level himself with the angels, and give them a kind of equality with himself, as this expression indicates. To know all things, both good and evil; no, the “Us” incorporates just the Father and Son; see John 1:1-3

²³ therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken. — therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden; gave him orders to depart immediately; sent or put him away as a man does his wife, when he divorces her;

— to till the ground, from whence he was taken: either the earth in general, out of which he was made, and to which he must return, and in the mean while must labour hard, in digging and ploughing, in planting and sowing, that so he might get a livelihood;

— the Targum of Jonathan adds more details, “and he went and dwelt in Mount Moriah, to till the ground from which he had been created.”

²⁴ So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. — so he drove out the man; this signified the exclusion of him and his guilty race from that communion with God which was the bliss and glory of paradise;

— cherubim, armed with a dreadful and irresistible power, represented by flaming swords which turned every way; on that side the garden which lay next to the place where Adam was sent, to keep the way that led to the tree of life.

Genesis 4

¹ And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have gotten a man from the Lord.” — Eve calls Cain “a man,” Hebrew, ish, a man;

— Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters, Genesis 5:4 “And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters,” but Cain and Abel seem to have been the two eldest;

² And she again bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. — Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground; as Adam was 130 years old when Seth was born (Genesis 5:3), there was a long period for the increase of Adam’s family (comp. Genesis 4:14-17);

³ And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. — in process of time; might be after a harvest, or after a long indefinite period, shown by the age of Adam at the birth of Seth to have been something less than 130 years;

— the Targum of Jonathan says “it was at the end of days, on the fourteenth of Nisan,” as if it was the preparation of the Passover;

— remember, the Targum, whose origin was in the Aramaic language, could be traced to Ezra speaking to the returning exiles who couldn’t understand Hebrew, but was expounded to them in a language they could understand.

⁴ And Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering; — and the Lord God had respect to Abel and to his offering; and God showed his acceptance of his offering;

— Rashi adds more details: “Fire descended and consumed his offering”

⁵ but unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. — and Cain was very angry, his countenance fell; a feeling of resentment, and a sense of disappointment and condemnation take possession of Cain’s heart; 

⁶ And the Lord said unto Cain, “Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? — Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? the Lord does not yet give up Cain but make an efford to deal with him;

— if thou do well, shalt thou not be accepted? to do well is to retrace his steps, to consider his ways, and find out wherein he has been wrong, and to amend his offering and his intention accordingly.

⁷ If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” — if thou doest well; but he (Cain) didn’t do well, hence Cain couldn’t qualify the last phase: “and thou shalt rule over him.”

— and unto thee shall be his desire; to whom do the pronouns “his” and “him” refer? Perhaps it should be read as: “And as to thy brother, unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over thee with all the right of the first born,” which is misleading since this clause is subjected to the first clause, “If thou doest well,”

— perhaps this verse could have been restructured this way: “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted; and thou shalt rule over him? But if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door; and unto thee shall be his desire.”

⁸ And Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him. — And Cain talked with Abel his brother; under the guise of brotherly familiarity, he concealed his premeditated purpose till a convenient time and place occurred for the murder;

— the Targum of Jonathan adds some step-by-step details:

And Kain said to Habel his brother, Come, and let us two go forth into the field.

And it was that when they two had gone forth into the field, Kain answered and said to Habel, I perceive that the world was created in goodness, but it is not governed (or conducted) according to the fruit of good works, for there is respect to persons in judgment; therefore it is that thy offering was accepted, and mine not accepted with good will.

Habel answered and said to Kain, In goodness was the world created, and according to the fruit of good works is it governed; and there is no respect of persons in judgment; but because the fruits of my works were better than thine, my oblation, before thine, hath been accepted with good will.

Kain answered and said to Habel, There is neither judgment nor Judge, nor another world; nor will good reward be given to the righteous, nor vengeance be taken of the wicked.

And Habel answered and said to Kain, There is a judgment, and there is a Judge; and there is another world, and a good reward given to the righteous, and vengeance taken of the wicked.

And because of these words they had contention upon the face of the field; and Kain arose against Habel his brother, and drave a stone into his forehead, and killed him.

— or for a more modern version:

“And Cain said to Abel his brother, ‘Let us go out to the field.’

And when they were in the field, Cain said to Abel, ‘I perceive that the world is created by mercy, but it does not operate according to good deeds; therefore, your offering was accepted while mine was not.’

Abel answered Cain, ‘The world is indeed created by mercy and operates according to good deeds; because my deeds were better than yours, my offering was accepted.’

Cain replied to Abel, ‘There is no judgment, no judge, no other world, no reward for the righteous, and no punishment for the wicked.’

Abel responded, ‘There is judgment, there is a judge, there is another world, there is reward for the righteous, and there is punishment for the wicked.’

And as they argued about these matters, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and struck him with a stone in his forehead, and killed him.”

⁹ And the Lord said unto Cain, “Where is Abel thy brother?” And he said, “I know not. Am I my brother’s keeper?” — it seems that Cain went away, scarcely conscious of the greatness of his crime; thus in Cain, like the devil, was both a murderer and a liar from the beginning;

— then the voice of God repeated it in his own heart, Where is Abel, thy brother! Not that God was ignorant where he was, but to inquire into the causes, and hear the accused speak for themselves, before passing sentence;

— am I my brother’s keeper? Why dost thou inquire of me concerning him who is of age to look to himself? Is he such a stripling that he needs a guardian? Or didst thou ever make me his guardian? all which was very saucily and impudently thought of in his harden heart;

¹⁰ And He said, “What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto Me from the ground. — thy brother’s blood crieth unto me; the sight God has seen tells him that the blood he has shed calls aloud for judgement and vengeance;

¹¹ And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand. — and now art thou cursed from the earth; from receiving its benefit and enjoying its fruits as before;

¹² When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength. A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be on the earth.” — a fugitive; condemned to perpetual exile; a degraded outcast; the miserable victim of an accusing conscience;

— “a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be on the earth” a vagabond shalt thou be, banished from thy own land and kindred; reminds us of the Gypsies; who are they?

¹³ And Cain said unto the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. — my punishment is greater than I can bear; what an overwhelming sense of misery; but no sign of repentence, nor cry for pardon;

¹⁴ Behold, Thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from Thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth. And it shall come to pass that every one who findeth me shall slay me.”

— he is driven, not “from the face of the earth,” which was impossible, but from the adâmâh, his dear native soil, banished from which, he must go into the silence and solitude of an earth unknown and untracked;

— whosoever findeth me, shall slay me; implies that the family of Adam had now become numerous. Not only sons and daughters, but their children and grandchildren may have been growing up when Cain was sent into exile; but in his present terror even an excited fancy suggested an enemy at every turn.

¹⁵ And the Lord said unto him, “Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

— sevenfold; Cain’s punishment was severe, because his crime was the result of violent passions, but his life was not to be taken because God wanted the earth to be populated;

— and the Lord set a mark upon Cain; to distinguish him from the rest of man; what the mark was, God has not told us: therefore any conjectures of men are just conjectures; and the Targum of Jonathan says: “Behold now, any one who killeth Kain, unto seven generations vengeance shall be taken of him,”

¹⁶ And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod to the east of Eden. — Cain, on migrating from the whole land of Eden, regarded himself as beyond the range of the sight of his fellow humans and from God;

— the land of Nod; read the word Nod with different set of vowels, the place could well be India! The Sacred Text in its original doesn’t have any vowel; they were added later, so the possibility is there.

¹⁷ And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. — he calls his son Henok (Enoch), and his city after the name of his son; the same word is employed in the lines of Seth Genesis 5:18, of Midian Genesis 25:4, and of Reuben Genesis 46:9

¹⁸ And unto Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech. — and unto Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begat Mehujael, and Mehujael begat Methusael; and Methusael begat Lamech;

— God, “declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done,” Isaiah 46:10 hence he, by preserving Cains despite his sin, wants this line to be preserved;

¹⁹ And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. — Lamech took unto him two wives; contrary to the first institution of marriage, whereby only one man and one woman were to be joined together, and become one flesh, Genesis 2:24

²⁰ And Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents, and of those who have cattle. — the father of such as dwelt in tents, and of such as have cattle: though his posterity might succeed the same business; since he was the first inventor of tents or movable habitations, which could be carried from place to place;

²¹ And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who handle the harp and organ. — he was the father of all such that handle the harp and organ: he was the inventor of instrumental music, both of stringed instruments;

²² And Zillah, she also bore Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron; and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. — an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron; he taught men the way of melting metals, and of making armour and weapons of war, and other instruments, for various uses;

²³ And Lamech said unto his wives, “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech! For I have slain a man for my wounding, and a young man for my hurt. — and Lamech (Josephus says he had 77 children) said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah; besides confessing what he had done, he self boasting what he would do should he be attacked; as this he wasn’t backed by God; but acting as if he were God;

²⁴ If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.” — the Septuagint has it “seventy times seven” which may also seem probable; in view of his boasting; like Nebuchadnezzar, saying, “Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom, by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?”

— the line of Cain is traced no further than the seventh generation from Adam, as Josephus says “the posterity of Cain became exceeding wicked, every one successively dying, one after another, more wicked than the former.” We cannot tell whether there were any more in that line before the flood; the other line through Noah and Abraham is from Seth; and from them the Messiah would descend;

— perhaps the seven generation in verse 15 above, the Targum of Jonathan: “Behold now, any one who killeth Kain, unto seven generations vengeance shall be taken of him,” may mean that Cain’s posterity would be protected only till the seventh generation;

²⁵ And Adam knew his wife again; and she bore a son and called his name Seth. “For God,” said she, “hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.” — another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew; Cain, the firstborn, and Abel, who had outstripped him in prosperity, were both lost to Adam;

²⁶ And to Seth also there was born a son, and he called his name Enosh. Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord. — then began men to be called by the name of the Lord; to pray unto God, to worship God; or to call themselves by the name of the Lord;

— now Cain and those that had deserted God had built a city, they began to err, and they made themselves idols, and surnamed their idols by the name of the Lord; and begun to declare for themselves the sons of men. Those that adhered to God began to declare for him and his worship, and called themselves the sons of God.

Posted in Books of Moses

Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none other; I am God, and there is none like Me,

declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’ Isaiah 46:9-10

Genesis 1

¹ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. — created; not formed or made from any pre-existing materials, but created out of nothing; in the beginning of this sidereal system, of which our sun, with its planets; of this material, visible, and temporal world; not the the spiritual, invisible and eternal world;

— God; Heb. Elohim; a word plural in form (Father and Son), but joined with a verb singular; created; the idea of creating them out of nothing;

² And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. — and the earth; the conjunction “and” (וְ) negatives the well-meant attempt to harmonise geology and Scripture while studying Genesis 1:1

— and the earth became (hā·yə could be translated as “become” in some versions as in Genesis 3:20 and elsewhere) without form and void; it just doesn’t make sense that God created something that is already in a state of decay (bohû and tohû);

— this process of hā·yə could have taken many years, perhaps thousands, or even million, the details we’re not given; we’re only given the gist of it only; hence today, many trace marks could be gathered to prove that the earth is very old;

— one example is the Tibetan Plateau, sometimes called the “roof of the world,” and according to Bradley Hacker, a professor of geological sciences at the University of California, “the plateau dates back 13.5 million years and has reached a maximum average height of five kilometers.”

— a second example is the Hawaiian chain of islands; more from Britannica; “The origin of Hawaii’s islands, islets, and seamounts can be traced to at least 70 million years ago, near the end of the Cretaceous Period (145 million to 66 million years ago);”

— a third evidence is the absence of the creation of the dinosaurs in Genesis chapter two, indicating they were created and destroyed millions of years before another creation in Genesis 1:1

— both the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase it, a waste and desert, empty and destitute of both men and beasts;

³ And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. — God said, Let there be light; he willed it, and at once there was light. Oh, the power of the Word of God!

⁴ And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. — divided between the light and between the darkness; God then separates light and darkness, by assigning to each its relative position in time and space; which refers to the division of day and night;

⁵ And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. — and the Evening and the Morning were the first day: the evening, the first and second part of the evening; about the space of twelve hours;

— and the morning, which is also the second part of the night, and the second morning, in the light, in all together they make the opposite space from Evening; and both form one natural day, consisting of twenty four hours; 

⁶ And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” — a firmament; an extension, or a space; or place extended or stretched out, and spread abroad like a tent or curtain, it indicates something solid;

— and let it be dividing between water and water; it appears that the water in the atmosphereic sphere was in contact with another mass of water ion the earth; hence the Targum of Jonathan says “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate between the waters above and the waters beneath.”

⁷ And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. — the waters under the firmament are seas, rivers, lakes, fountains, and other waters in the bowels of the earth;

⁸ And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. — God called the firmament (the expanse) heaven; and means something heaved up; including the starry and airy heavens; being above the earth, and reaching to the third heaven;

— and the evening; and the morning were the second day; these together made up the space of twenty four hours, which was another natural day; 

⁹ And God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. — unto one place; the ocean bed. We must add the vast depth of the ocean to the height of the mountains before we can rightly estimate the intensity of the forces at work on the third day;

— and let the dry land appear: clear of the waters, dried by the expanded air, hardened by the fiery light, and as yet without any herb or tree upon it: and it was so; immediately done;

¹⁰ And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas; and God saw that it was good. — he called them not sea, but seas; because of the differing quantity and nature both of several seas, and of the rivers, and other lesser collections of waters, all which the Hebrews call seas;

¹¹ And God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth”; and it was so. — and God said, Let the earth bring forth grass; which had been impregnated by the spirit of God that moved upon it when a fluid; and though now become dry land;

¹² And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind; and God saw that it was good. — and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind; as apples, pears, plums, apricots, nectars, peaches, oranges, lemons, and more;

¹³ And the evening and the morning were the third day. — the space of twenty four hours ran out, and were measured, either by the rotation of the body of light and heat around the earth, or of the earth upon its axis;

¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years; — and God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven; in the upper part of it, commonly called the starry heaven;

— and let them be for signs and the times of the feasts, and to reckon with them the number of days, and, sanctify the beginnings of the months, and the beginnings of the years;

¹⁵ and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth”; and it was so. — to give light upon the earth; and the inhabitants of it, when formed: and it was so:

— the Targum of Jonathan adds “and let them be for signs and for festival times,”

¹⁶ And God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. — the great light, the sun, which is really and considerably greater than the moon and with the little light, the stars, from man’s point of view, are insignificant;

¹⁷ And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, — and God set them in the firmament of the heaven; he not only ordered that there they should be, and made them that there they might be,

— but he placed them there with his own hands; and they are placed, particularly the sun, at such a particular distance as to be beneficial and not hurtful: had it been set nearer to the earth, its heat would have been intolerable; in the one case we should have been scorched with its heat, and in the other been frozen up for the lack of it;

¹⁸ and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. — in the fourth day’s work, the creation of the sun, moon, and stars is accounted for; all by the works of God;

¹⁹ And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. — the fourth day, made by the rotation of the earth on its own axis, in the space of twenty four hours;

²⁰ And God said, “Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.” — moving creature; all oviparous animals, both among the finny and the feathery tribes, remarkable for their rapid and prodigious increase: fowl, which means every flying thing;

²¹ And God created great whales and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind; and God saw that it was good. — great whales; those vast sea monsters known by that name, though elsewhere this word be applied to great creatures of the earth, or under the seas;

²² And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply on the earth.” — be fruitful, and multiply; this blessing shows that the earth was replenished with animal life from a limited number of progenitors, and probably from a small number of centres, both for the flora and for the fauna;

²³ And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. — the evening and the morning were the fifth day; the sun now in the firmament, where it was fixed the day before, having gone round the earth, or the earth about that, in the space of twenty four hours; 

²⁴ And God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth after his kind”; and it was so. — “cattle” which seem to design domestic cattle, and such as are for the use of man, either for carriage, food,

— or clothing, as horses, asses, camels, oxen, sheep and “creeping” things, which are different from the creeping things in the sea before mentioned, are such as either have no feet, and go upon their bellies, or are very short, and seem to do so, whether greater or lesser, as serpents, worms, ants and more;

²⁵ And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind; and God saw that it was good. — and God saw that it was good; that every creature he had made would some way or other be for his glory, and for the benefit of man;

— the Behemoth (H930 ḇə·hê·mō·wṯ), or known as as dinosaur in Job 40:15, is a different word from Cattle (H929 bə·hê·māh) used in this verse and elsewhere; the word “dinosaur” was coined only in 1841 by an Englishman named Sir Richard Owen, hence most translations today continue to use the antiquated word Behemoth;

²⁶ And God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

— in our image, in our form; after our likeness; with the ability to understand and to discern; these Words “let us” indicates the plurality of God (Elohim); are spoken by God the Father to the Son; hence the “US” and “OUR” plural form of a singuar God;

²⁷ So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. — in our image, that is, in our form; after our likeness; with the ability to understand and to discern, showing man’s superior glory and dignity to the rest of the creations;

— the Jerusalem Targum says,

the Word of the Lord created man in his likeness; even that Word that was in the beginning with God, and in God’s presence, the Word created all things; which is closely linked to John 1:1;

— and the parallel revealing of the Word in John 1:1-3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. John 1:1-3

²⁸ And God blessed them, and God said unto them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” — so God created man in his own image; and with man’s superior intelligence, to subdue and have dominion over them;

²⁹ And God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. — to you it shall be for meat: which is generally thought to be the food; as the Hebrew word “meat” is an old English term for “food;” compares this Luke 24:41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, “Have ye here any meat?”

³⁰ And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat”; and it was so. — and to every beast, and to every fowl and every thing that creepeth, are likewise for food;

³¹ And God saw every thing that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. — it is affirmed here everything is good that flesh and meat as well as herbs and fruits, are granted to the first men for food;

— and therefore we are safe to ignore any false shepherds who came along later and preached derogatively the eating of meat as if eating corpses; it is sufficient for us that it was expressly allowed here; as was instructed to righteous Noah in Genesis 9:3 (except the blood);

— and Ellen G White is thus a false prophetess; for she wrote derogatively of eating meat as if eating corpses:

From the light God has given me, the prevalence of cancer and tumors is largely due to gross living on dead flesh.

I sincerely and prayerfully hope that, as a physician, you will not forever be blind on this subject, for blindness is mingled with a want of moral courage to deny our appetite, to lift the cross, which means, to take up the very duties which cut across the natural passions.

Feeding on flesh, the juices and fluids of what you eat pass into the circulation of your blood, and, as we are composed of what we eat, we become animalized; thus a feverish condition is created, because the animals are diseased, and by partaking of their flesh, we plant the seeds of disease in our own tissue and blood.

Then when exposed to the changes in a malarious atmosphere, these are more sensibly felt; also when we are exposed to prevailing epidemics and contagious diseases the system is not in condition to resist the disease. TSDF 68.11

I have the subject presented to me in different aspects. The mortality caused by meat-eating is not discerned; if it were, we would hear no more arguments and excuses in favor of the indulgence of the appetite for dead flesh. We have plenty of good things to satisfy hunger without bringing CORPSES upon our table to compose our bill of fare. TSDF 68.12

The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and My people love to have it so. And what will ye do in the end thereof? Jeremiah 5:31

 For they prophesy falsely unto you in My name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord. Jeremiah 29:9

Genesis 2

¹ Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. — the host of them; that is, the creatures contained therein; the host of heaven, in Scripture language, sometimes signifies the stars and sometimes the angels;

² And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. — God ended his work; not all work (John 5:17), but the work of this specific creation;

³ And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made. — God blessed the seventh day, by conferring special honours and privileges upon it above all other days, that it should be a day of solemn rest and rejoicing and celebration of God and his works.

⁴ These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, —t hese are the generations of the heavens and the earth, when they were created; that is, the above account is a history of the creation of the heavens and earth, and of all things in them; the creation of them being a kind of generation, and the day of their creation a sort of birthday;

⁵ and before every plant of the field was in the earth, and before every herb of the field grew; for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

— for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth: so the plants and herbs could not grow owing to that; since on the third day, when they were made, there was no sun to exhale and draw up the waters into the clouds, in order to be let down again in showers of rain;

— and there was not a man to till the ground; who was not created till the sixth day, and therefore could have no concern in the cultivation of the earth, and of the plants and herbs in it; but these were the produce of almighty power;

⁶ But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. — a mist; this mist, as we learn from Job 36:27, where the same word is translated vapour, is the measure and material of the rain;

⁷ And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. — and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground; literally, formed the man (adam) dust from the ground;

— became a living soul, that is, a living man: not only capable of performing the functions of the animal life, of eating, drinking, walking and more; and of thinking, reasoning, and discoursing as a rational creature;

⁸ And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. — and the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; or “had planted” for this wasn’t done after the formation of man;

⁹ And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. — the tree of life also; so called, because of assuring him of the continuance of life and happiness, on condition of his persevering in obedience;

— but also because God had given to the fruit of it a singular virtue for the support of nature, the prolongation of life, and the prevention of all diseases, infirmities, and decays through age;

— the tree of knowledge of good and evil; to man, who by the use of it would know, to his cost, how great and good things he did enjoy, and might have kept by his obedience, and how evil and bitter the fruits of his disobedience were to himself and all his posterity; thus knowing both the good and evil;

¹⁰ And a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from thence it was parted and became four heads. — the Targum of Jonathan says And a river went forth from Eden, to water the garden, and from thence was separated, and became four heads of rivers (or four chief rivers).

¹¹ The name of the first is Pishon; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. — the first is Pishon; or Pison, perhaps an eminent branch of the river Tigris, probably that called by others Pasi-tigris, or Piso-tigris;

¹² And the gold of that land is good, and there is bdellium and the onyx stone. — there is the bdellium, and the onyx stone; the first of these is either an aromatic gum; the tree is black, and is of the size of an olive tree, has the leaf of an oak;

¹³ And the name of the second river is Gihon; the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Cush. — Gihon, the second river, flows by the land of Kush; there is one other Gihon mentioned in 1 Kings 1:33, and in II Chronicles 32:30;

— the rivers Pishon and Gihon may have been greatly altered or even effaced by the deluge and other causes over time;

¹⁴ And the name of the third river is Hiddekel; that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. — of the “Hiddekel” and “Euphrates” there high probability the former is the Tigris, or Tigres;

— and the fourth river is Euphrates; which retains its name till modern time as we know it today;

¹⁵ And the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. — to dress it and to keep it; the first word literally means to work it; for though a paradise, yet the garden had to be tilled and planted; seeds must be sown and the cultivated plots kept in order;

— the other word, “to keep it,” implies, however, some difficulty and danger, though no unpropitious weather, nor blight nor mildew, spoiled the crop, yet apparently it had to be guarded against the incursion of wild animals and birds, and protected even against the violence of winds and the burning heat of the sun;

¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; — saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: a very generous, large, and liberal allowance this: or “in eating thou mayest eat”

¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.” — the tree of knowledge of good and evil; a consequence to humanity of how evil and bitter the fruits of his disobedience were to himself and all his posterity; thus knowing both the good and evil;

— for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die; man became at once a mortal creature; but had he obeyed by eating of the tree of life, he would have lived an immortal life;

¹⁸ And the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper meet for him.” — a new and final need of man is stated, a helper;  she is formed to be social, to hold converse, not only with her superior, but also with him, a co-worker;

¹⁹ And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them; and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

— whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof; his powers of perception and intelligence were supernaturally enlarged to know the characters, habits, and uses of each species that was brought to him.

²⁰ And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper meet for him. — power and dominian over the creatures were also given to man, and as a proof of this he named them all.

²¹ And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof. — the Targum of Jonathan says, “and he took one of his ribs; it was the thirteenth rib of his right side:”

— that opening of his side and the taking away of his rib might be no grievance to him; while he knows no sin, God will take care that he shall feel no pain;

²² And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made He a woman and brought her unto the man. — the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he woman; was not made from the superior part of man, that she might not be thought to be above him, and have power over him; nor from any inferior part, as being below him, and to be trampled on by him; but out of his side;

²³ And Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” — she shall be called Woman (Ishah), because she was taken out of Man (Ish); from hence the suffix ish is derived from: British (English, Scottish), Irish, Danish, Swedish, Finnish; indicating they are of Hebraic origin;

²⁴ Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh. — one flesh; the human pair differed from all other pairs, that by peculiar formation of Eve, they were one; the man and his wife;

²⁵ And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. — and they were both naked, the man and his wife, but were not ashamed.

Posted in Books of Moses

Deuteronomy 33

¹ And this is the blessing wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.— the blessing wherewith Moses blessed Israel; Moses, the prophet of the Lord, called upon upon Israel by foretelling the blessings which God would confer upon them in the latter days;

² And he said: “The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them. He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints; from His right hand went a fiery law for them.

— the Lord came; under a beautiful metaphor, borrowed from the dawn and progressive splendor of the sun, the Majesty of God is sublimely described as a divine light which appeared in Sinai and scattered its beams on all the adjoining region in directing Israel’s march to Canaan;

— ten thousands of saints, that is, with a a great company of holy angels, Psalm 68:17 Daniel 7:10, which attended upon him in this great and glorious work of giving the law;

— the Targum of Jonathan adds that both the sons of Esau and Ishmael rejected the law:

And he said: The Lord was revealed at Sinai to give the law unto His people of Beth Israel, and the splendour of the glory of His Shekinah arose from Gebal to give itself to the sons of Esau: but they received it not.

It shined forth in majesty and glory from mount Pharan, to give itself to the sons of Ishmael; but they received it not.

It returned and revealed itself in holiness unto His people of Beth Israel, and with Him ten thousand times ten thousand holy angels. He wrote with His own right hand, and gave them His law and His commandments, out of the flaming fire. Deuteronomy 33:2 Targum

³ Yea, He loved the people; all His saints are in Thy hand; and they sat down at Thy feet; every one shall receive of Thy words. — all God’s saints or holy ones, that is, his people, were in thy hand, that is, under God’s care, to protect, direct, and govern them;

— and from MSG

Moses, man of God, blessed the People of Israel with this blessing before his death. He said, God came down from Sinai, he dawned from Seir upon them; He radiated light from Mount Paran, coming with ten thousand holy angels And tongues of fire streaming from his right hand.

Oh, how you love the people, all his holy ones are palmed in your left hand. They sit at your feet, honoring your teaching, The Revelation commanded by Moses, as the assembly of Jacob’s inheritance. Thus God became king in Jeshurun as the leaders and tribes of Israel gathered. Deuteronomy 33:1-5 MSG

⁴ Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. — the Law, both Written and Oral, is Jacob’s inheritance, because the obligation to observe it was hereditary, passing from parents to their children, and because this was the best part of their inheritance, the greatest of all those gifts which God bestowed upon the children of Israel;

— this command to study the law by the house of Jacob is one example worth studying further from Sanhedrin, the Talmud:

And Rabbi Yoḥanan says: A Gentile who engages in Torah study is liable to receive the death penalty; as it is stated: “Moses commanded us a law [torah], an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob” (Deu 33:4), indicating that it is an inheritance for us, and not for them. Sanhedrin 59a

— to Rabbi Yoḥanan, God want the children of Israel to study the Torah, which is true, but he doesn’t want Gentiles to study and know the Scriptures; which is untrue, for God want “all people, nations, and languages should serve Him:” How could one serve God without an understanding of serving Him?

— for a more detailed analysis, see The Talmud: true or fake?

⁵ And He was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together. — He was king; that is, not Moses but the Lord became king. —

⁶ “Let Reuben live, and not die, and let not his men be few.” — Reuben (France), identified by most CoG Communities as France. Despite having gone to his father’s bed, let Reuben live, and not die. Yet no judge, prophet, or national hero arose out of this tribe. Napoleon might be an exception, but he ended in Waterloo with a defeat!

the Targum of Jonathan says

Let Reuben live in this world, nor die the second death which the wicked die in the world to come; and let his youths be numbered with the young men of his brethren of Beth Israel.

⁷ And this is the blessing of Judah; and he said: “Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people; let his hands be sufficient for him, and be Thou a help to him from his enemies.” — and this is the blessing of Judah, who are the Jews; the Targum of Jonathan adds, “Let his hand take vengeance on his enemies, and be Thou his help and support against his foes.”

— the Targum of Jonathan says in full

And this is the benediction of the tribe of Jehudah, conjoined with the portion and benediction of his brother Shemeon; and thus he spake: Receive, O Lord, the prayer of Jehudah when he goeth forth unto war, and bring Thou him back from war unto his people in peace. Let his hand take vengeance on his enemies, and be Thou his help and support against his foes.

⁸ And of Levi he said: “Let Thy Thummim and Thy Urim be with Thy holy one, whom Thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom Thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah,

— and of Levi (the Jews); next to Joseph, this tribe has the largest share in Moses’ last words, it being his own tribe. The character of the priest is the principal subject. The blessing may be thus paraphrased: “Let thy Thummim and thy Urim (the chief high-priestly ornaments) be ever with some saintly man of thine;

— the Targum of Jonathan says

And Mosheh the prophet blessed the tribe of Levi, and said, With Perfections and Lights hast Thou robed Aharon, the man whom Thou didst find devout before Thee, whom Thou didst try in the temptation, and he was sincere, and didst prove at the Contention Waters in Rekem, and he was found faithful.

⁹ who said unto his father and to his mother, ‘I have not seen him’; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children; for they have observed Thy word, and kept Thy covenant. — they kept thy covenant; while the rest broke their covenant with God by sin of idolatry, the priests and Levites kept themselves pure from that infection, and adhered to God and his worship.

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

The tribe of Levi go forth to the service of the tabernacle, and separate themselves from their dwellings, saying of their fathers and mothers, I have not regarded them and of their brethren, Since we were of thirty years we have not known them or their children, for that they abide twenty years in their charge according to Thy Word, and keep the service of the holy covenant.

¹⁰ They shall teach Jacob Thy judgments and Israel Thy law; they shall put incense before Thee and whole burnt sacrifice upon Thine altar. — they shall teach Jacob thy statutes, and Israel thy law; the priests and Levites, being dispersed among each of the tribes, having cities in them allotted to them, taught the people the laws, statutes, and ordinances of the Lord.

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

Apt are they in teaching the orders of Thy judgments to them of Beth Jakob, and Thy law to them of Beth Israel. Their brethren the priests put incense on the censers to restrain the plague in the day of Thy wrath, and offer up the burnt sacrifice with acceptance at Thy altar.

¹¹ Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.” — Bless, Lord, his substance; because the priests and Levites hath no inheritance of his own, and therefore wholly depends upon thy blessing;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

Bless Lord, the sacrifice of the house of Levi, who give the tenth of the tenth; and the oblation of the hand of Elijah the priest, which he will offer on Mount Karmela, receive Thou with acceptance: break the lons of Achab his enemy, and the neck of the false prophets who rise up against him, that the enemies of Johanan the high priest may not have a foot to stand.

¹² And of Benjamin he said: “The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between His shoulders.” — Benjamin is put next to Levi, because the temple, where the work of the Levites lay, was upon the edge of the lot of this tribe;

— Benjamin (Norway and Iceland) was his father’s favourite child, and the imagery of this promise is throughout drawn from the relations between such a child and its father;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

Mosheh the prophet blessed the tribe of Benjamin, and said: The beloved of the Lord shall abide in safety with Him, He will protect him all the days, and His Shekinah will dwell within his borders.

¹³ And of Joseph he said: “Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, — blessed of the Lord be his land; as the lands inherited by his sons were extremely fruitful, the countries of lead and Bashan by Manasseh, and the fields of Samaria by Ephraim;

— for the precious things of heaven; that is, the pleasant, precious, and excellent fruits, reproduced by the influence of the heavens, particularly showers of rain which descend from thence;

— and for the deep that coucheth beneath; that is, oil, coal, iron ore, tin, zinc and diamonds, beneath the earth, and breaks out upon it, and waters it, and makes it fruitful, which happiness the land of Joseph had, as well as the rain and dew of heaven: this is to be understood of springs and fountains that flow out of the earth to the enriching of it;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

And Mosheh the prophet of the Lord blessed the tribe of Joseph, and said: The land of Joseph shall be blessed from before the Lord. From the bounty of the heavens shall it have goodly fruit, from the dew and the rain that come down from above, and from the bounty of the founts of the deep which rise up and flow and with good fruitage to water the herbage from beneath,

¹⁴ and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, — by the sun, which opens and warms the earth, cherisheth and improveth, and in due time ripeneth the seeds for all manner of fruits of the earth;

— by the moon, which by its moisture refreshes and promotes them; that onions, when the moon waxes old, increase, and flag when it is young, and at the increase of the moon all sort of corn grows bigger and larger. Hebrew, of the moons, or months, that is, which it bringeth forth in the several months or seasons of the year;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

age and produce that the earth maketh perfect by the aid (bringing out) of the sun, and with the bounty of the firstfruits of the trees which the ground yieldeth in the beginning of month after month,

¹⁵ and for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, — and for the chief things of the ancient mountains; wWhich were from the beginning of the world, and for which the land, possessed by the children of Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim, were famous;

— as the mountains of Gilead and Bashan, inherited by the former, and Mount Ephraim, and the mountains of Samaria, by the latter; which produced, besides great quantities of grass and corn, also vines, figs, olives, and more;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

and with the goodness through the birthright ordained of the mountain tops, him at the beginning by the benediction of the fathers who resemble the mountains, and with the goodness of the hills whose produce faileth not, which was given him in heritage by the benedictions of the mothers of old, who resemble the hills;

¹⁶ and for the precious things of the earth and fullness thereof, and for the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush. Let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. — in the strength of this blessing, the tribe of Joseph would attain to such a development of power, that it would be able to tread down all brothers and all other nations;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

and with the goodness of the excel- lent fruits of the earth and its fulness and the favour towards him of Eloah who revealed Himself to Mosheh at the bush in the glory of His Shekinah: let all these blessings be combined, and be made a diadem of grandeur for the head of Joseph, and for the brow of the man who was chief and ruler in the land of Mizraim, and was the glory and honour of his brethren.

¹⁷ His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns. With them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”

— his glory is like the firstling of his bullock; or the prime and fairest bullock of the herd. For things that excel in their kind are called firstborn in Scripture; his horns are like the horns of unicorns;a horn is a common Scripture emblem of power and force; as of the monoceros or rhinoceros;

— here also it ascribes to Ephraim ten thousands, and to Manasseh only thousands; thus foreshowing, that Ephraim the younger was to be the more numerous of the two, as Jacob had before prophesied of them;

— ten thousands of Ephraim and thousands of Manasseh; another view refers this to the ten thousands slain by Joshua, the Ephraimite leader, and the thousands slain by Gideon, who was of the tribe of Manasseh;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

The birthright had belonged to Reuben, but was taken from him and given to Joseph at the beginning; from thence comes the splendour of his glory and praise.

For as it may not be that a man should work the ground with the firstling of his herd, so are not the children of Joseph to be reduced to servitude among the kingdoms; and as the reema pusheth with his horns the beasts of the wilderness, so will the sons of Joseph predominate together among the peoples in all the ends of the earth.

Myriads will be slain in Gulgela by Hoshea bar Nun who hath arisen from the house of Ephraim, and thousands of the Midyance by Gideon bar Yoash who will be of the tribe of Menasheh.

— refering to the posterity of Joseph should carry their conquests and spread their dominionin “among the peoples in all the ends of the earth” the Targum would refer such prophecy to the latter days, not just to the end of the land of Caanan during the days of Joshua and Gidean, which are only a forerunner;

— for more, see (1) Ephraim / The United States (2) The Ox without the Unicorn (3) Jacob prefers Ephraim over Manasseh

¹⁸ And of Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out, and, Issachar, in thy tents. — Rejoice, Zebulun; in thy going out; first, to war, as this phrase is often used; second to sea, in the way of traffic, because their portion lay near the sea;

— Zebulun (Holland) and Issachar (Finland) were united with Judah, in the leading division of Israel in the wilderness; the warlike character of the first and the more peaceful wisdom of the second, are illustrated by Judges 5:18 and 1Chronicles 12:32-33;

— Issachar (Finland) is a strong ass couching down between two burdens (Genesis 49:14); between East and West, between Russia and Nato;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

And Mosheh the prophet blessed the tribe of Zebulon, and said: Rejoice, O house of Zebulon, in your going forth for your commerce, and you, O house of Issakar, in the tabernacles of your schools.

¹⁹ They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness; for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas and of treasures hid in the sand.”

— of the abundance of the sea; Holland shall grow rich by the traffic of the sea; and treasures of Finand are hidden in the sand; in which sometimes there is mixed a considerable quantity of gold, including iron, chromium, copper and nickel;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

Many peoples shall pray at the mountain of the sanctuary, thither will they bring their oblations of truth: for they dwell by the side of the great sea, they are nourished with (its) dainties; and they take the shell-fish and dye with its blood in purple the threads of their vestments; and from the sands make mirrors and vessels of glass; for the treasures of their coasts are discovered to them.

²⁰ And of Gad he said: “Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad; he dwelleth as a lion and teareth the arm with the crown of the head. — and of Gad (Switzerland) he dwelleth as a lion; bold and courageous, secure, and without fear of any of his enemies, though near him, on his borders;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

Mosheh the prophet of the Lord blessed the tribe of Gad, and said: Blessed be He who hath made wide the border of Gad. He reposeth as a lion in his habitation; but when he goeth out to battle against his adversaries, he slayeth kings and rulers, and his slaughtered ones are known from all the slain, for he striketh off the arm with the crown (of the head).

²¹ And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated. And he came with the heads of the people; he executed the justice of the Lord and His judgments with Israel.” — the first part; the first territory conquered by Moses was distributed between Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh;

— he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments with Israel; that is, either he justly and truly fulfilled all his promises and engagements, on condition of which he was placed on the other side; or he, together with the rest of the Israelites, executed the righteous judgment of God upon the Canaanites, in the expulsion and destruction of them;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

And he saw that the land was good, and took his portion among the first; for there was a place strown with precious stones and pearls; for there is the place where Mosheh the prophet is hidden, who, as he went in and out at the head of the people in this world, will go in and out in the world that cometh; because he wrought righteousness before the Lord, and taught the orders of the judgments to the house of Israel his people.

²² And of Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s whelp; he shall leap from Bashan.” — Dan (Ireland and Denmark) is a lion’s whelp; the lion of the tribe of Dan is not like the lion of the tribe of Judah; Jacob in Genesis 49:17 compared him to a serpent and an adder;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

And Mosheh the prophet of the Lord blessed the tribe of Dan, and said: The tribe of Dan is like a lion’s whelp, his land is watered by the streams that flow from Mathnan, and his border cometh unto Batania.

²³ And of Naphtali he said: “O Naphtali, satisfied with favor and full with the blessing of the Lord, possess thou the west and the south.” — O Naphtali, satisfied with favour; with the favour of men; and of Naphtali (Sweden); Genesis 49:21 says Naphtali is a hind let loosed indicating sexual immorality and promiscuity; this best describes modern Sweden;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

And Mosheh the prophet of the Lord blessed the tribe of Naphtali, and said: {Naphtali is satisfied with favour, and hath delight in the fishes of the sea which falleth within his portion; and he will be replete with blessings in the fruits of the vale of Genesareth which hath been given him from the Lord; he shall inherit the water of Sopheni, and the sea of Tebaria.}

²⁴ And of Asher he said: “Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. — and of Asher (Belgium) be blessed with children; he shall have numerous, strong, and healthful children;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

{And Mosheh the prophet of the Lord blessed the tribe of Asher, and said:} Blessed is Asher of the sons of Jakob. He will be acceptable to his brethren, and will supply them with provender in the years of release: his border will produce many olives yielding oil, enough for him to bathe in it even his feet.

²⁵ Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. — thy shoes shall be iron and brass; perhaps it should be read, thy bars shall be iron and brass; or Iron and brass be thy castle; and as the days of thy life let thy rest continue;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

The tribe of Asher be sound as iron, and their feet-strong as brass in walking on the stony rocks; and as the days of their youth so shall they be strong in their age.

²⁶ “There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven to thy help and in His excellency on the sky. — there is none like unto the God of Jeshurun; or Israel, as all the three Targums say; for this is one of the names of the God of Israel;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

There is no God like the God of Israel, whose Shekinah and Chariot dwell in the heavens. He will be your helper. He sitteth on His glorious throne in His majesty, in the expanse of the heavens above.

²⁷ The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, ‘Destroy them.’ — and shall say, destroy them; the Canaanites: to do which the people of Israel had an order from the Lord, Deuteronomy 7:1

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

The habitation of Eloha is from eternity; by the arm of His power beneath the world is upborne. He will scatter your adversaries before you, and will say by His Word, Destroy them.

²⁸ Israel then shall dwell in safety alone; the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. — Israel then shall dwell in safety; that is, in confidence and security;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

And Israel shall dwell safely as of old according to the benediction with which Jakob their father did bless them, for whose righteousness sake He will cause them to inherit the good land that yieldeth corn and wine; the heavens also above them will drop with the dews of blessing, and the rains of lovingkindness.

²⁹ Happy art thou, O Israel! Who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee, and thou shalt tread upon their high places.” — be found liars unto thee; or “shall lie unto thee” or be in such dread and fear as to tell lies to save themselves, perhaps even, “cringe before thee.”

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

Happy are you, O Israel: who of all the nations are like you, a people saved in the Name of the Word of the Lord? He is the shield of your help, and His sword, the strength of your excellency. And your enemies shall be found liars against you from terror, and you shall tread upon the necks of their kings.

Deuteronomy 34

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¹ And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, — Moses went up; when he knew the place of his death, he cheerfully mounted the hill to come to it;

² and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah unto the utmost sea, — the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, and all Naphtali . . . unto the utmost sea; that is, the Mediterranean;

— and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh: which lay in the midland part of the country; and he showed him all the land which was to be given to these several tribes; and all the land of Judah; which lay to the south;

— another explanation for “unto the utmost sea” offered by the Targum of Jonathan is “who would have dominion in the land until the latter sanctuary should be destroyed” of which “the latter sanctuary” is further explained by Rashi:

Do not understand the verse as stating הַיָּם הָאַחֲרוֹן, but read it as though it had said הַיּוֹם הָאַחֲרוֹן, “until the very last day,” meaning that the Holy One, blessed is He, showed him all the incidents that were destined to happen to Israel [until “the last day,” namely,] until the time that the dead would return to life. — [Sifrei 33:31]

— which means, Moses was shown by God all the days till the end of this age: the fall of the “latter” sanctuary, the Sword and Flaming Fire from the South; the Psalm 83 Prophecy; a Greater than the Egyptian “Exodus” and the coming Gog and Magog; for more, see Sequence of Prophecies till the Return of Israel

³ and the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. — and the Desert of the “South,” that is, the Negeb; and the plain and valley of Jericho which lay before him;

⁴ And the Lord said unto him, “This is the land which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it unto thy seed.’ I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.”

— this is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed; to Abraham, Genesis 15:18 “from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates:” to Isaac, Genesis 26:3; to Jacob, Genesis 28:13,

⁵ So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. — the land of Moab; which formerly belonged to Moab, and was taken from them by Sihon king of the Amorites, and now in the possession of Israel:and Moses dies

— here on a mountain in this land Moses died; according to the decree of the Lord; and is buried on Pisgah, and Joshua steps into his place, but no man knoweth of his sepulcher unto this day;

⁶ And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor; but no man knoweth of his sepulcher unto this day. — and he buried him; Moses is alone in this honour: the Son of God was buried by sinful men, but Moses was buried by Yehovah himself;

— but no man knoweth of his sepulchre; men have always believed that the contention between Michael and the devil about the body of Moses (Jude 1:9) was in fact, a struggle for his body; bearing in mind the appearance of Moses at the Transfiguration Matthew 17:1-10, and what is said by Jude (Jude 1:9), we may conjecture that Moses after death passed into the same state with Enoch and Elijah; and that his grave could not be found because he was shortly translated (transported) from it.

⁷ And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim nor his natural force abated. — his age may be divided into three equal periods, forty years in Pharaoh’s court, forty years in Midian, and forty in the care and government of Israel, in Egypt and in the wilderness;

— Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; but though he lived the full length of human life, and to an age which, in others that live up to it, is accompanied with many diseases and infirmities, yet this had made little or no alteration in him;

⁸ And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. — the children of Israel wept for Moses thirty days; as they did for Aaron, his brother (Numbers 20:29);

— the Targum of Jonathan adds more details:

And the children of Israel wept for Mosheh in the plains of Moab thirty days; and the days of weeping in the mourning for Mosheh were completed on the eighth of the month of Nisan.

And on the ninth of Nisan the people of Beth Israel prepared their vessels and set their cattle in order, and passed over the Jordan on the tenth of Nisan.

And the manna ceased for them on the sixteenth of Nisan. They found manna to eat thirty seven days after the death of Mosheh, for the sake of his righteousness.

— “And the manna ceased for them on the sixteenth of Nisan” this being the fact that from the moment (morning) of the “wave sheaf” offering, the children of Israel were then allowed to eat the new grain; adding another proof that the wave sheaf was waved on the sixteenth of Nisan (and not at the end of that week).

— for numerous Issues and Critiques of Pentecost and Wave Sheaf Offering, see (1) Archive for the ‘Pentecost’ Category (2) Archive for the ‘Wave Sheaf Offering’ Category

⁹ And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him. And the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses.

— Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom; as wisdom is mentioned as being most necessary for the government to which he was now called; for Moses had laid his hands upon him; which was a symbol of the government being committed to him;

¹⁰ And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, — there arose not a prophet since in Israel; such words like these can only indicate have been written some time later after the death of Moses;

¹¹ in all the signs and the wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, — in all the signs and the wonders which the Lord sent him to do; which the Lord sent him to do; ‘for he it was that appeared to him in the bush, and sent him to Egypt to work miracles, which he did by him;

— in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land; to whom they were visible, and who were all affected by the ten plagues inflicting upon all the Egyptians;

¹² and in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel. — and in all that great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel; meaning either the terror the Egyptians were struck with by him, in the sight of all Israel,

— when he publicly and before them wrought the wonders he did in the land of Egypt, which threw them into a panic, especially the thunders and lightning, the three days darkness, and the slaying of their firstborn;

— the Targum of Jonathan adds more details of the content that were later deposited inside the Ark, especially “the two tables of sapphire stone:”

and in all the strength of the Mighty Hand by which he bare the rod whose weight was forty savin and that divided the sea, and smote the rock; and in all the solemn things which Mosheh did when he received the two tables of sapphire stone, whose weight was forty savin, and carried both of them in his hands in the sight of all Israel.

Posted in Books of Moses

Deuteronomy 31

¹ And Moses went and spoke these words unto all Israel. — these are the words Moses spoke unto all Israel, which is in great contrast to the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, where was usual to read “And the Lord spoke unto Moses” and “And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the Lord,”

² And he said unto them: “I am a hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in. Also the Lord hath said unto me, ‘Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.’ — and he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; perhaps on the selfsame day he was bid to go up to Mount Nebo and die;

³ The Lord thy God, He will go over before thee, and He will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them; and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said. — and He will destroy these nations from before thee; and he will destroy those nations from before thee; the seven nations which then inhabited the land;

— the Lord would fulfil His promise, to go before Israel and destroy the Canaanites, like the two kings of the Amorites; only they (the Israelites) were to do to them as the Lord had commanded them, that is, to root out the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 7:2; Numbers 33:51; Exodus 34:11)

⁴ And the Lord shall do unto them as He did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of those whom He destroyed. — and the Lord shall do unto them as he did unto Sihon, and to Og, kings of the Amorites; deliver them up into their hands; the story of this in Numbers 21:10

⁵ And the Lord shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you. — and the Lord shall give them up before your face; to their ruin and destruction; the Targum of Jonathan says, “the Word of the Lord will deliver them up before you:”

⁶ Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them; for the Lord thy God, He it is who doth go with thee. He will not fail thee nor forsake thee.” — fear not, nor be afraid of them; their enemies, though numerous and mighty, and some of them of a gigantic stature, and their cities strong and well fenced;

⁷ And Moses called unto Joshua and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage; for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them, and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

— and Moses called unto Joshua; who might be at some distance from him, with the tribe to which he belonged; the Targum of Jonathan adds, “out of the midst of the people” and said unto him, in the sight of all Israel;

⁸ And the Lord, He it is who doth go before thee. He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee. Fear not, neither be dismayed.” — fear not, neither be dismayed; at the number and strength of the enemy, nor at any difficulties that might lie in the way of finishing so great an undertaking, since the Lord would be with him;

⁹ And Moses wrote this law and delivered it unto the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and unto all the elders of Israel. — and Moses wrote this law; the book of Deuteronomy, or the Torah, Pentateuch, the five books of Moses, which he had now finished, and which all of them together are sometimes called the law;

¹⁰ And Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the Feast of Tabernacles, — at the end of every seven years; thou shalt read this law; at the return of the sabbatic year and during the feast of tabernacles, the law was to be publicly read;

¹¹ when all Israel has come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which He shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. — in the place which the Lord shall choose; the city of Jerusalem, and the Temple there.

¹² Gather the people together — men, and women, and children, and thy stranger who is within thy gates — that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law,

— thy stranger who is within thy gates; those strangers that couldn’t hear, see, learn and fear the Lord, these are the blind and unrepentent Gentiles, especially, First, from those of Psalm 83, and, Second, from those of “Gog and Magog;”

— for more, see Sequence of Prophecies for the Return of Israel

¹³ and that their children, who have not known any thing, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.” — may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God; hear the law of God, learn the meaning of it, and so be brought up in the fear, nurture, and admonition of the Lord, and serve him their Creator in the days of their youth;

¹⁴ And the Lord said unto Moses, “Behold, thy days approach that thou must die. Call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge.” And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.

— that I may give him a charge; immediately from myself, for his great encouragement, and to gain him more authority with the people;

¹⁵ And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud, and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. — the Targum of Jonathan adds, “Moses and Joshua went, and stood in the tabernacle of ordinance;”

¹⁶ And the Lord said unto Moses, “Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land whither they go to be among them, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. — this people will go after the gods of the strangers; first with the Canaanites;

— then later with others:

(a) Easters, a celebration of the Queen of heaven: Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Her symbols (like the egg and bunny) were and still are fertility and sex symbols; and to those who actually think eggs and bunnies have something to do with the resurrection; Jeremiah 7:18 the women knead their dough to make cakes to the Queen of heaven; in Egypt, Jeremiah 44:17-19, 25, this is Ishtar: pronounced ‘Easter.’

(b) Christmas; Ezekiel 8:16 five and twenty men with their backs toward the temple; their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east; Christmas, which honor Mithraism, birthday on December 25th – a form of nature worship based on the Sun-Goddess Mithra who on the darkest night of the year (December 20/21), gives birth to “Light” causing each day thereafter to grow longer until the Summer solstice;

(c) Sundays; her sabbaths which is Sundays, where the original Sun-worshippers were the Samaritans, brought from Assyria: And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria and dwelt in the cities thereof, II Kings 17:24.

¹⁷ Then My anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured; and many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’

— and they shall be devoured; and they shall be devoured; by their enemies, or by the sore judgments of God, by famine, sword, pestilence, and evil beasts, they and their substance; and many evils and troubles shall befall them; both in their own land, and in other countries, where they would be carried captives;

¹⁸ And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. — for all the evils which they shall have wrought; for all the immoralities they should be guilty of, every transgression of his law, whether of the first or second table, or of LGBTqia; greed or other idolatries.

¹⁹ Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel. — put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness; such method of perpetuating the truth was even better adapted to the times and to the condition of the people than the delivery of a written law.

²⁰ For when I shall have brought them into the land which I swore unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey, and they shall have eaten and filled themselves and waxed fat, then will they turn unto other gods and serve them, and provoke Me and break My covenant.

— and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; that is, after they have for a considerable time enjoyed the good things of the land, and they abound with them, and increase in them, and have great fullness of them;

— then will they turn unto other gods: turn from the Lord who has brought them into all this plenty, from the fear, worship, and service of him, and turn to the worship of idols;

²¹ And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles have befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed. For I know their imagination and that which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.”

— this song shall testify against them as a witness; that they were sufficiently admonished of their duty, and forewarned what would be the consequence of their defection from me and my worship;

— for I know their imagination which they go about even now; there being a secret inclination in their minds to idolatry, which were working and contriving schemes to bring it about, and set it up;

²² Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel. — Moses therefore wrote this song the same day; that same day it was dictated to him by divine inspiration; and he wrote it;

²³ And He gave Joshua, the son of Nun, a charge and said, “Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore unto them, and I will be with thee.” — and said, be strong and of a good courage; that is, not fearing the people of the land, however tall their height or statue;

²⁴ And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book until they were finished, — and it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book; this book of Deuteronomy and those preceding it, and which concluded the Torah, or the Pentateuch;

²⁵ that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, — the Levites, which bare the ark; more specifically “the priests the sons of Levi” as in Deuteronomy 31:9

²⁶ “Take this Book of the Law and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee; — the solemn delivery of the book of the law to the Levites, to be deposited in, or rather by the side, of the ark;

— the Targum of Jonathan says “Take the book of this law, and put it into a chest on the right side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be for a testament to you.”

²⁷ for I know thy rebellion and thy stiff neck. Behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the Lord. And how much more after my death? — and how much more after my death? When he would be no more with them to instruct and advise them, to caution and reprove them, and to keep them in awe by his authority.

²⁸ Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them. — the heads of the tribes, the princes, and magistrates;

²⁹ For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in the latter days, because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”

— and evil will befall you in the latter days; not only in the times of the judges, nor even the time of the Babylonish captivity, but in their coming captivity, that is of “the latter days” as they call it;

— and here a revelation from Isaiah

Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none other; I am God, and there is none like Me,

declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’ Isaiah 46:9-10

— for more, see Sequence of Prophecies for the Return of Israel

³⁰ And Moses spoke in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song until they were ended: — and Moses spake; the words of this song; the exodus of Israel begins and ends with a song of Moses.

Deuteronomy 32

¹ “Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

— the expression, “O earth” is expressed seven times throughout the OT, here by Moses, elsewhere by Job, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Micah, empahsizing that God, too, has a message for the whole of humanity;

— Give ear, O ye heavens; hear, O earth; by appealing, in this solemn manner, to the heavens and the earth in the beginning of this song, Moses intended to signify heaven and earth are here for the inhabitants of all, angels and men: both will agree to justify God in his proceedings against Israel, and to declare his righteousness.

² My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass. — of such importance throughout, he desired that the words should trickle down like rain and dew upon grass and herb.

³ Because I will proclaim the name of the Lord, ascribe ye greatness unto our God. — it is the name YEHOVAH that I utter; Give ye greatness to our God.

⁴ “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are judgment, a God of truth and without iniquity; just and right is He. — He is the Rock, his work is perfect; or rather, the Rock, perfect is his work.

⁵ They have corrupted themselves; their spot is not the spot of His children; they are a perverse and crooked generation. — they have corrupted themselves; that is, the Israelites by their frequent lapses and their inveterate attachment to idolatry.

⁶ “Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? Is not He thy father that hath bought thee? Hath He not made thee and established thee? — is not he thy Father, that hath bought thee? thus the Father is also the Rock; verse 4 above;

⁷ Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations. Ask thy father, and he will show thee, thy elders, and they will tell thee. — the days of old, that is, the history and events of ancient days or former ages, and thou wilt find that I had a respect unto thee, not only in Abraham’s time, but long before it and also long after;

⁸ When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. — as the chosen people of God, the sons of Jacob were to be his messengers to the nations, the Gentiles; the LXX translate the latter half of Deuteronomy 32:8, “He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the angels of God”

— and here from the Targum of Jonathan in archaic English; “when by lot the Most High divided the world to the people that sprung from the sons of Noah:”

When the Most High made allotment of the world unto the nations which proceeded from the sons of Noach, in the separation of the writings and languages of the children of men at the time of the division, He cast the lot among the seventy angels, the princes of the nations with whom is the revelation to oversee the city, even at that time He established the limits of the nations according to the sum of the number of the seventy souls of Israel who went down into Mizraim.

⁹ For the Lord’S portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance. — the Lord’s portion is his people.’  Jacob is the lot of his inheritance; because they were his part, his portion, his inheritance, which he chose by lot for himself

— and from the Message Bible

When the High God gave the nations their stake,
    gave them their place on Earth,
He put each of the peoples within boundaries
    under the care of divine guardians.
But God himself took charge of his people,
    took Jacob on as his personal concern. The Message Bible Deuteronomy 32:8-9

¹⁰ “He found him in a desert land and in the waste howling wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. — he found him in a desert land; not by chance, but as it were looking out and seeking for him; he did, indeed, manifest himself to Israel in Egypt;

— as men use to keep the apple of their eye, that is, with singular care and diligence, this being, as a most tender, so a most useful part. What a striking idea does this give us of the care which God took of Israel.

¹¹ As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings, — the eagle is observed by scientists to have a most tender affection to her young, and therefore the care of God over Israel is here well illustrated thereby.

¹² so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. — there was no strange god with him; no idolatry among them then;

— it signifies that the Lord alone was the leader of his people, and he had no assistant in that work, and therefore all the glory should be given to him: he is the leader of his people.

¹³ He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and He made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; — he made him ride on the high places; to conquer their strongest holds on the mountains, and their cities fenced with walls of the greatest height and strength;

— oil out of the flinty rocks; olive-trees growing and bearing fruit best in rocky or hilly places. The expressions are proverbial, and denote a most fertile land;

¹⁴ butter of cows and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape. — the pure blood of the grape; this metaphor, as well as the preceding, is very elegant and natural, on account of the great resemblance between red wine and blood;

¹⁵ “But Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked; thou hast waxed fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness. Then he forsook God who made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

— then he forsook God which made him; the worship of God, as the Targum of Jonathan says, giving into idolatry in times past; and the written word of God, by giving heed to neighbouring traditions of surrounding nations;

¹⁶ They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations provoked they Him to anger. — they provoked him to jealousy with strange gods; they sacrificed to devils, which were not-God; to gods whom they knew not, to new ones that had lately come up, whom their fathers knew not;

¹⁷ They sacrificed unto devils, not to God, to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. — the devils; render unto idols or destroyers;

— whom your fathers feared not; paid no regard unto, put no trust or confidence in; or, as the Targum of Jonathan, “with whom your fathers had nothing to do.”

¹⁸ Of the Rock that begot thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. — that begat thee, that is, who hath adopted you to be his people, and hath showed as much care and kindness to you as if he had begotten you.

¹⁹ “And when the Lord saw it, He abhorred them, because of the provoking of His sons and of His daughters. — when the Lord saw how they had departed from him to serve idols, he abhorred (rather, spurned or rejected) them in consequence of the provocation which their unworthy conduct israel had given to him;

²⁰ And He said: ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. — and he said, I will hide my face from them; to withdraw his favour and see what their end would be;

— I will see what their end will be; I will make them and others see what the fruit of such actions shall be; that their apostasy would bring nothing but evil and destruction;

²¹ They have moved Me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked Me to anger with their vanities. And I will move them to jealousy with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. — they have provoked me to anger with their vanities; by vanities are meant the fictitious deities of the nations with whose worship the Israelites corrupted themselves;

²² For a fire is kindled in Mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. — and set on fire the foundations of the mountains; that is, subvert their strongest fortresses, yea, Jerusalem itself, now London, Paris and Washington DC; founded on the holy mountains, which was perfectly fulfilled in its destruction, first, by Titus.

²³ “‘I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend Mine arrows upon them. — I will heap mischief upon them; I will send them one calamity upon another;

— I will spend mine arrows upon them; even empty my quiver, and send upon them all my plagues, which, like arrows (or missiles these days) shot by a skilful and strong hand, shall speedily reach, and certainly hit and mortally wound them.

²⁴ They shall be burned with hunger, and devoured with burning heat and with bitter destruction; I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. — burned with hunger; from War, famine, pestilence; burning heat; with burning fevers, or carbuncles or other inflaming distempers;

— poison of serpents of the dust; could not escape falling into the hands of wild beasts, and of meeting with poisonous serpents that go upon their bellies, and feed on the dust of the earth;

²⁵ The sword without and terror within shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs. — these are accompanied by the evils of war, which sweeps away the men outside in the slaughter itself by the sword, and the defenceless; all inclusive, the youths and maidens, sucklings and old men;

²⁶ I said I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men, — I would scatter them into corners, or rather, I would utterly disperse them to the end of the world,;

— I would make the remembrance of them cease from among men; as of the Amalekites, Moabites, Midianites, Edomites, Chaldeans, and others, whose names as well as nations are no more;

²⁷ were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, “Our hand is high; and the Lord hath not done all this.”’ — the wrath of the enemy, that is their rage against me; their insolent and furious reproaches against my name, as if I were unnatural and cruel to my people, or unable to deliver them;

— and from MSG

I could have said, “I’ll hack them to pieces,
    wipe out all trace of them from the Earth,”
Except that I feared the enemy would grab the chance
    to take credit for all of it,
Crowing, “Look what we did!
    God had nothing to do with this.” Deuteronomy 32:26-27 MSG

²⁸ “For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. — for they are a nation void of counsel; instances of their ingratitude, folly, and for lack of counsel and understanding;

²⁹ O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end! — Moses, under a spirit of prophecy, foresees the ignorance and stupidity of the Israelites in the latter days;

— that they would consider their latter end; either the latter days of this age; had they wisdom, they would understand and observe that the displeasure of God against them, and their destruction among the nations.

³⁰ How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up?

— except their rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up; that is, unless the Lord, who was their rock and fortress, and in whom they should have trusted as such, had forsaken them, and given them up into their enemies’ hands;

— if Israel were wise, they could easily overcome all their foes through the help of the Almighty (Leviticus 26:8); but having forsaken him, they were left by him, and so came under the power of the enemy.

³¹ For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. — for their rock is not as our rock; that is, the gods of the heathens, the rock in which they trusted, are not like the God of Israel.

³² For their vine is of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter. — Sodom and Gomorrah; here, as elsewhere, and often in the prophets, emblems of utter depravity and destruction; as the cities whose destruction for their wickedness was proverbial doomed.

³³ Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. —their wine is the poison of dragons; of these creatures, both land and sea dragons;

— and from MSG

They are a nation of idiots,
    they don’t know enough to come in out of the rain.
If they had any sense at all, they’d know this;
    they would see what’s coming down the road.
How could one soldier chase a thousand enemies off,
    or two men run off two thousand,
Unless their Rock had sold them,
    unless God had given them away?
For their rock is nothing compared to our Rock;
    even our enemies say that.
They’re a vine that comes right out of Sodom,
    who they are is rooted in Gomorrah;
Their grapes are poison grapes,
    their grape-clusters bitter.
Their wine is rattlesnake venom,
    mixed with lethal cobra poison. Deuteronomy 32:28-33 MSG

³⁴ “‘Is not this laid up in store with Me, and sealed up among My treasures? — is not this laid up? “This” is generally taken to refer to what follows, but it is not clear. It may refer to the fact that “He looked for grapes, but the vine brought forth wild grapes” Isaiah 5:2

³⁵ To Me belongeth vengeance and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.’ — a prophecy: their foot shall slide in due time; though not so soon as some may expect it, yet in at a latter time when it shall be most proper and seasonable, when they have filled up the measure of their sins.

³⁶ “For the Lord shall judge His people and repent for His servants, when He seeth that their power is gone and there is none shut up or left. — for the Lord shall judge his people; his chosen and covenant people;

— and there is none shut up or left; a phrase used to express the miserable state and condition of a people, when none are left, but all are carried off, or cut off, and destroyed, and there is none to help them;

³⁷ And He shall say: ’Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted, — he shall ask: the Lord, before he deliver his people, will first convince them of their former folly in forsaking him and following idols; he will find an occasion from that miserable and hopeless condition into which their idols have brought them, to upbraid them with it;

³⁸ which ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you, and be your protection. — let them rise up and help you; their gods whom Israel had adopted from the Gentiles, upon whom judgment had fallen.

³⁹ “‘See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god besides Me. I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; neither is there any that can deliver out of My hand. — the repetition of “I” is emphatic: “I, even I, am He, I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal” is expressive of his existence, eternity, immutability, and sovereignty;

⁴⁰ For I lift up My hand to heaven and say: I live for ever. — for I lift up my hand; this is the form in taking an oath;

⁴¹ If I whet My glittering sword and Mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to Mine enemies and will reward them that hate Me. — as to say, “As I live forever, if I whet my lightning sword, and my hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and repay them that hate me.”

⁴² I will make Mine arrows drunk with blood, and My sword shall devour flesh, and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.’ — I will make mine arrows drunk with blood; signifying, that by various judgments he would bring upon them, which, like arrows, would come suddenly, fly swiftly, and pierce deeply, there would be a prodigious effusion of blood;

— and that with the blood of the slain, and of the captives; that is, his arrows should be drunk not only with the blood of these that were wounded and killed, but of the captives; who commonly are spared, but in this case should not, their blood should be shed;

⁴³ “Rejoice, O ye nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance to His adversaries, and will be merciful unto His land and to His people.” — rejoice, O ye nations, with his people; or, “rejoice, ye nations” who are “his” people; the Gentiles, who are the Lord’s chosen and covenant people, redeemed and called;

⁴⁴ And Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun. — Joshua, who is here joined with Moses in this action, because though Moses only spake the words, yet Joshua consented to them; and, it may be, afterwards repeated them;

⁴⁵ And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel, — such rehearsal, once more impressed upon the hearts of the people the importance of observing all the commandments of God;

⁴⁶ and he said unto them: “Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. — which ye shall command; or rather, that ye may command your children to observe to do all the words of this law.

⁴⁷ For it is not a vain thing for you, because it is your life; and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.” — for it is not a vain thing for you; not too light a thing for you, not unworthy of your attention;

— the law was no light and trifling matter, because it is your life, but of great importance and consequence, obedience to it being attended with rewards, and disobedience with punishment;

⁴⁸ And the Lord spoke unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, — the selfsame day; on which he finished the reading of the law, and the above song, which was the seventh of Adar (twelveth month) around February; according to the Targum of Jonathan, the day he died on;

⁴⁹ “Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab that is opposite Jericho, and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession. — unto Mount Nebo; where Moses was to die; which is in the land of Moab; it formerly belonged to it, but was taken from the Moabites by Sihon, and now possessed by Israel;

⁵⁰ And die on the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered unto his people, — as Aaron thy brother died in Mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people; of which Moses was an eyewitness; and which is observed, because there was a great likeness in their death;

⁵¹ because ye trespassed against Me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin, because ye sanctified Me not in the midst of the children of Israel. — because ye trespassed; God reminds him of the sin he had committed long before, and this Moses records as an acknowledgment, made at his death, of God’s justice, and a warning to all people not to distrust or disobey the voice of God.

⁵² Yet thou shalt see the land before thee, but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel.” — but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel; the land of Canaan was a gift of God to Israel.

Posted in Books of Moses

Deuteronomy 29

¹ These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He made with them in Horeb.

— beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb; though it was substantially the same; but it was renewed now, in different circumstances;

— they had violated its conditions, hence Moses rehearses these, that they might have a better knowledge of its conditions and be more disposed to comply with them.

² And Moses called unto all Israel and said unto them, “Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh and unto all his servants and unto all his land,

— unto Pharaoh and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; the plagues he inflicted on the person of Pharaoh, and on all his courtiers, and on all the people in Egypt, for they reached the whole land.

³ the great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles. — the great temptations which thine eyes have seen; or trials, the ten plagues which tried the Egyptians; the signs and those great miracles: as the said plagues were such as were beyond the power of nature to produce.

⁴ Yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear unto this day. — yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive; some of them seen the above miracles with their eyes, but had not discerned with their understanding the power of God displayed in them;

⁵ And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not waxed old upon you, and thy shoe has not waxed old upon thy foot. — your clothes are not waxen old upon you: were not worn out; all those forty years they had been in the wilderness, they had never wanted clothes fitting for them;

— and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot; which were to wear in travelling, and especially in a rugged wilderness; and yet, thought they had been always in use during so long a time, were not worn out.

⁶ Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink, that ye might know that I am the Lord your God. — ye have not eaten bread; not eaten bread made of corn, common bread, of their own preparing, by the labour of their own hands; but manna, the bread of heaven;

⁷ And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us unto battle, and we smote them. — and when ye came unto this place; the borders of Moab, the wilderness before it, to which joined the plains they were now in;

⁸ And we took their land and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to the halftribe of Manasseh. — and we took their land; which belonged to the two kings, the lands of Jazer, Gilead, and Bashan, fine countries for pasturage:

⁹ Keep therefore the words of this covenant and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do. — the words of this covenant; that is, those spelt out in Deuteronomy 29:1 and on Deuteronomy 4:13;

¹⁰ “Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God— your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, — ye stand — before the Lord your God; they were assembled at the tabernacle, from whence he delivered these words to them by the priests and Levites;

¹¹ your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water—

— and thy stranger that is in thy camp; not only the proselyte of righteousness, who embraced the Israelite’s religion entirely, but the proselyte of the gate, who was admitted to dwell among them, having renounced idolatry;

¹² that thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into His oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day, — the covenant was national, the whole congregation of Israel, of all ages and conditions, all, young as well as old; and therefore embraced all the elements which make up the nation;

¹³ that He may establish thee today for a people unto Himself, and that He may be unto thee a God, as He hath said unto thee and as He hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

— that he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself; it must be observed that this is the aspect of the covenant which makes Yehovah responsible for the fulfilment of the whole; he takes all this trouble for the sake of establishing thee in his presence for himself;

¹⁴ “Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath, — neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath; that is, Moses; for he was ordered to make this covenant with them in the name of the Lord;

¹⁵ but with him that standeth here with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day — so also with him that is not here; that is, with your posterity; and so with him that is not here with us this day; of the people of future generations;

¹⁶ (for ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the nations which ye passed by, — for ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; how long they and their fathers had dwelt there, the number of years they had been in the land;

— as the Targum of Jonathan, which was upwards of two hundred years; and being a country the inhabitants of which were much given to idolatry, they had seen many of their idols, and much of their idolatrous worship;

— and how we came through the nations which ye passed by; as the Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, and Midianites, through whose borders they came, as they passed by their countries in their journeys in the wilderness.

¹⁷ and ye have seen their abominations and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them); — wood and stone, silver and gold; these are the materials of which the idols they had seen in the several countries they had been in, or passed through, were made of;

— some of wood, others of stone cut out of these, and carved; others more rich and costly were made of massive gold and silver, and were molten ones; or the images of wood were glided with gold and silver;

¹⁸ lest there should be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of these nations, lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood,

— lest there should be; to prevent their falling into idolatry, and preserve them from it, whether a single person of either sex, or a whole family, or even a tribe, which might be in danger of being infected with it, and so all the people;

¹⁹ and it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart’—to add drunkenness to thirst.

— that he bless himself in his heart; inwardly pronounce himself blessed, thinking himself secure from the curse of the law, and flattering himself it will never reach him nor come upon him;

— saying, I shall have peace; all happiness and prosperity, in soul, body, and estate; inward peace of mind now, and eternal peace hereafter: though I walk in the imagination of my heart; in worshipping idols which he vainly and wickedly imagined to be gods; to the worship of which his wicked heart prompted him, and he was resolutely and stubbornly bent upon, and in which he continued;

²⁰ The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and His jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven.

— then the Lord will not spare him; have no mercy upon him, nor forgive him, being an hardhearted, impenitent, stubborn, and obstinate sinner, as well as guilty of the grossest and most provoking sin, as idolatry is;

— and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him: for as he that offends in one point is guilty of all, and especially in such a principal point as this, which concerns the being and worship of God; so he makes himself liable to all the curses of the law;

²¹ And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this Book of the Law, — according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law; the evil of punishment he shall be separated unto shall be according to them, or include them all;

— and here is from MSG:

^14-21 I’m not making this Covenant and its oath with you alone. I am making it with you who are standing here today in the Presence of God, our God, yes, but also with those who are not here today.

You know the conditions in which we lived in Egypt and how we crisscrossed through nations in our travels. You got an eyeful of their obscenities, their wood and stone, silver and gold junk-gods.

Don’t let down your guard lest even now, today, someone—man or woman, clan or tribe—gets sidetracked from God, our God, and gets involved with the no-gods of the nations; lest some poisonous weed sprout and spread among you, a person who hears the words of the Covenant-oath but exempts himself, thinking, “I’ll live just the way I please, thank you,” and ends up ruining life for everybody.

God won’t let him off the hook. God’s anger and jealousy will erupt like a volcano against that person. The curses written in this book will bury him. God will delete his name from the records.

God will separate him out from all the tribes of Israel for special punishment, according to all the curses of the Covenant written in this Book of Revelation. Deuteronomy 29:18-20 The Message

²² so that the generation to come of your children who shall rise up after you, and the stranger who shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land and the sicknesses which the Lord hath laid upon it,

— and the stranger that shall come from a far land; the Assyrians and the Babylonians were from closeby; or for the sake of travelling from afar, his road either lying through it, or his curiosity leading him to see it;

²³ and that the whole land thereof is brimstone and salt and burning, that it is not sown nor beareth nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and in His wrath—

— like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah; the whole land burnt of brimstone, and salt, and thereafter, is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein;

²⁴ even all nations shall say, ‘Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land? What meaneth the heat of this great anger?’ — even all nations shall say; not just the Assyrians and the Babylonians from closeby; or even the Roman, but all nations shall wonder;

²⁵ Then men shall say, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt; — then men shall say; these men are Gentiles; and they even know the answer: because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers;

²⁶ for they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they knew not and whom He had not given unto them. — for they went and served other gods, and worshipped them; as did all Israel, in the times of Solomon, and the ten tribes under Jeroboam,

— and other succeeding kings of Israel; and the two tribes in the times of Ahaz, and especially of Manasseh, when they worshipped all the gods of the surrounding nations; 1 Kings 11:33,

²⁷ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book; — to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book; in this book of Deuteronomy, and particularly Deuteronomy 28:16; Daniel 9:11

²⁸ and the Lord rooted them out of their land in anger and in wrath and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.’ — and cast them another land, as it is this day; the ten tribes were cast into Assyria, and from thence into the cities of the Medes, the two tribes into the land of Chaldea;

— “and cast them into another land, as it is this day” this maybe a predicted statement of the forthcoming exiles; it could either be the writer’s own and if so betrays his foresight at that time, or it is a later editorial addition. In view of the language of the whole chapter, the former alternative is the more probable.

²⁹ “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. — secret things belong unto the Lord our God; that is, the counsels and secrets of God concerning persons or nations;

— but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever; the things of nature and Providence, which are plain and manifest, are for our use and instruction; and especially the word and ordinances of God, which are the revelation of his will, the doctrines and promises contained in the Scriptures, each of the duties of religion, and the commandments of God.

Deuteronomy 30

¹ “And it shall come to pass, when all these things have come upon thee, the blessing and the curse which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee,

— and thou shalt call them to mind; recollect the promises of blessings and cursings; an awakening among the people themselves must precede their restoration.

² and shalt return unto the Lord thy God and shalt obey His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart and with all thy soul, — and shalt return unto the Lord thy God; by repentance, acknowledging their manifold sins and transgressions;

³ that then the Lord thy God will return thee from captivity and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.

— God will return thee from all the nations; not from Assyria, not from Babylon, not from Rome, but from “all the nations” that is, from the east, west, north, and south, where they are now dispersed;

— these are Prophecies of a sequence of Major events that will lead to the Return of the House of Israel, the Northern Lost 10-Tribes, back to the Promise Land that God had promised to Abraham, the land defined as the land between the two rivers;

— for more details written by the prophets Ezekiel, Isaiah and Jeremiah, see Sequence of Prophecies for the Return of Israel

⁴ If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee. — if any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven; again, emphasizing from the “outmost parts of heaven” that is, from the east, west, north, and south, where they are now dispersed;

— the timing is where the Targum of Jonathan indicates, “from thence will he bring you near by the hands of the King Messiah,” which means, at the close of this age;

⁵ And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and He will do thee good and multiply thee above thy fathers.

— and the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; that these Israelites upon their conversion in the latter day will return to the land of Judea and Samaria again, and possess it, is the sense of many passages of other Scripture; written by the prophets Ezekiel, Isaiah, Daniel and Jeremiah;

⁶ And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. — the Lord will circumcise thy heart; will by his Word and Spirit change and purge thy heart from all thy idolatry and wickedness;

⁷ And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies and on them that hate thee, who persecuted thee. — the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies; from these blind and unrepentent Gentiles, especially, First, from those of Psalm 83, and, Second, from those of “Gog and Magog;”

⁸ And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all His commandments which I command thee this day. — and thou shalt return and do all his commandments; it is as certain that in this age that the laws of Deuteronomy have been forgotten or have never been kept perfectly.

⁹ And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as He rejoiced over thy fathers,

— thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand; indicating these Israelites are humans, not spirit beings; in the fruit of thy body; abundance of children; and in the fruit of thy cattle; a large increase of oxen and sheep; and in the fruit of thy land for good;

¹⁰ if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul.

— to keep his commandments and his statutes, which are written in this book of the law; a constant reminder of keeping his laws and statutes, particularly at Mount Sinai and in this chapter;

¹¹ “For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. — for this commandment is not hidden, either is it far off; that law of obeying God, which was the subject of Moses’ discourse, was well known to the Israelites; they could not plead ignorance of its existence and requirements.

¹² It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, ‘Who shall go up for us to heaven and bring it unto us, that we may hear it and do it?’ — it is not in heaven; the scheme of it was formed in heaven, it was hid in the heart of God there, before revealed;

¹³ Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, ‘Who shall go over the sea for us and bring it unto us, that we may hear it and do it?’ — neither is it beyond the sea: the knowledge of this commandment is not to be fetched from far distant places;

¹⁴ But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. — in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it; the fulfilment of obeying God’s laws is not impossible, nor really very difficult;

¹⁵ “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil, — see, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; the alternative of a good and happy, or a disobedient and miserable life.

¹⁶ in that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply; and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. — a constant reminder of keeping his commandments, his statutes and judgments;

— and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it; with health and happiness, with an affluence of all good things, in the land between the two rivers they would enter into to take possession of.

¹⁷ But if thine heart turn away so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, — so that thou wilt not hear; the voice of the Lord and obey it, or hearken to his laws, and do them: but shalt be drawn away; by an evil heart, or by the ill examples of others;

¹⁸ I declare unto you this day that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land whither thou passest over the Jordan to go to possess it. — I denounce unto you this day that ye shall surely perish; by one judgment or another; or else sent off into exile as captives;

¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to record this day against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live, — therefore choose life, that thou and thy seed may live; that is, prefer obedience to the law, and choose to perform that, the consequence of which is life;

²⁰ that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him; for He is thy life and the length of thy days, that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

— that thou mayest love the Lord thy God; here he shows them in short what their duty is; to love God as the Lord, a being most amiable, and as their God;

— that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them; the land of Canaan, the land between the two rivers.

Posted in Books of Moses

Deuteronomy 27

¹ And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep all the commandments which I command you this day.

— Moses with the elders; having in discourses at several times repeated the principal parts of the laws, and made several necessary additions to them, Moses called the council together, the seventy elders, at the head of whom was Moses, which made the great Sanhedrin, or council of the nation;

— keep all the commandments which I command you this day; not in his own name, as being the supreme legislator, but in the name of the Lord, whom they had avouched to be their God and King;

² And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over the Jordan unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaster them with plaster.

— they were ordered to take twelve stones, and did; but then they were set up in a different place, and for a different purpose; and plaster them with plaster: that so words might be written upon them, and be more conspicuous, and more easily read;

³ And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee.

— thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law; it might be, as some think, the Decalogue; but a greater probability is that it was “the blessings and curses,” which comprised in fact an epitome of the law (Joshua 8:34).

⁴ Therefore it shall be when ye have gone over the Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, on Mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaster them with plaster. — in Mount Ebal; a mountain near Shechem in Samaria, the mount of cursing. Here the law is written, to signify that a curse was due to its violators;

⁵ And there shalt thou build an altar unto the Lord thy God, an altar of stones. Thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them. — there shalt thou build an altar; of whole stones; these stones were to be in their natural state.

⁶ Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God of whole stones, and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord thy God. — whole stones; rough, not hewn, nor polished, whereby all manner of imagery was avoided.

⁷ And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the Lord thy God. — and thou shall offer peace offerings; part of which belonged to God, which was burnt on the altar, and part to the priest that offered them; and the rest to the owner that brought them, which he eat of with his friends;

⁸ And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.” — and thou shall write upon the stones all the words of this law; not upon the stones of the altar, but upon the first stones brought to Mount Ebal, and set up there before;

⁹ And Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke unto all Israel, saying, “Take heed and hearken, O Israel: This day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God. — this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God; they were his people before; he had redeemed them out of Egypt; led them through the wilderness, and provided for them and protected them there;

— and had given them laws and statutes to observe to walk in; all which showed them to be his peculiar people: but now in a very formal and solemn manner they were vouched and declared by him to be his people;

¹⁰ Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day.” — thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God; in whatsoever he directs in his word, and by his prophets, his Son, eminently called the Word of the Lord:
and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day;

¹¹ And Moses charged the people the same day, saying,

¹² “These shall stand upon Mount Gerizim to bless the people when ye have come over the Jordan: Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin. — the 12 tribes were divided on Gerizim and Ebal;

— on Mount Gerizim were stationed the descendants of Rachel and Leah, the two principal wives of Jacob, and to them was assigned the most pleasant and honorable office of pronouncing the benedictions;

¹³ And these shall stand upon Mount Ebal to curse: Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. — on the twin hill of Ebal were placed the posterity of the bond-women, of the two secondary wives, Zilpah and Bilhah, with those of Reuben, who had lost the primogeniture, and Zebulun, Leah’s youngest son that the numbers might be equal;

¹⁴ And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice: — with a loud voice; so as they might be heard by a great number of the people, by whom the rest were informed and directed by some signal when they should answer.

¹⁵ “‘Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’ — the “Amen” attested the conviction of the utterers that the sentences to which they responded were true, just, and certain;

¹⁶ “‘Cursed be he that treateth lightly his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ — cursed be he that setteth light by his father, or his mother; that secretly despises them in his heart, and by looks and gestures mocks at them in a private manner;

¹⁷ “‘Cursed be he that removeth his neighbor’s landmark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ — cursed be he that removeth his neighbour’s landmark; removes it forward, and steals ground, this is commonly done secretly; Deuteronomy 19:14

¹⁸ “‘Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ — cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way; by directing him wrong knowingly, or laying a stumbling block in his way, Leviticus 19:14

— the Targum of Jonathan says, “that maketh a traveller wander out of the way, who like a blind man;” who knows his way no more than a blind man does.

¹⁹ “‘Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ — there follow twelve curses; the fifth against those who pervert the right of strangers, orphans and widows;

²⁰ “‘Cursed be he that lieth with his father’s wife, because he uncovereth his father’s skirt.’ And all the people shall say, ’Amen.’ — the sixth against incest with a mother;

²¹ “‘Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ — the seventh against unnatural vices (Leviticus 18:23);

²² “‘Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ — the eighth and ninth against incest with a sister or a mother-in-law (Leviticus 18:9 and Leviticus 18:17);

²³ “‘Cursed be he that lieth with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

²⁴ “‘Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbor secretly.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ — the tenth against secret murder (Exodus 20:13; Numbers 35:16.);

²⁵ “‘Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ — the eleventh against judicial murder (“he that taketh reward to slay a soul, namely, innocent blood:” Exodus 23:7-8);

²⁶ “‘Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ — the twelfth against the man who does not set up the words of this law to do them, who does not make the laws the model and standard of his life and conduct.

Deuteronomy 28

¹ “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe and to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth;

— if thou hearken diligently; the foregoing blessings and curses being appointed to be pronounced in so solemn a manner, Moses takes occasion from thence to enlarge upon both of them, to show the Israelites what they and their posterity had to expect at the hands of God;

² and all these blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God: — all these blessings shall overtake thee; the blessings which others greedily follow after, and never overtake, shall follow after thee, and shall be thrown into thy lap by special kindness.

³ “Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. — blessed shalt thou be in the city; not only in the city of Jerusalem, where the temple would be built, and there be blessed with the service, worship, and ordinances of God, but in all other cities of the land;

— where they should dwell in title, large, and spacious houses, and their cities should be walled and fenced, and be very populous; yet should enjoy health, and have plenty of all sorts of provisions brought unto them, as well as prosper in all kinds of merchandise there.

⁴ Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy herds, the increase of thy cattle, and the flocks of thy sheep. — blessed shall be the fruit of thy body; their children, of which they should have many, and these live; be healthful, thrive, and arrive to manhood, and increase and perpetuate their families;

— and the fruit of thy ground; of their gardens, orchards, and fields; grass for the cattle, and the wheat, barley, vines, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates for the use of men: and the fruit of thy cattle; which being distinguished from oxen and sheep.

⁵ Blessed shall be thy basket and thy stores. — blessed shall be thy basket; which the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem restrain to the basket of firstfruits, and the cake of the first of their dough;

— but it intends any and every vessel in which they put their provisions for present use, and that that should never be empty of them, and that they should always have a sufficiency: and thy store; what remained, and was laid up in their barns, cellars, and storehouses, for future use, or in proper places for seed.

⁶ Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. — in all their business and employments of life whether within doors or outside;

— in the administration of every office, whether more public or private; and in all their journeys going out and coming home; and particularly when they went out to war, and returned, all should be attended with success.

⁷ “The Lord shall cause thine enemies who rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face; they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. — flee before thee seven ways—that is, in various directions, as always happens in a rout.

⁸ “The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and He shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. — in thy storehouses: barns, granaries, and cellar, where their corn, wine, and oil, were laid up; by preserving the corn from being devoured by vermin, and the casks of wine and oil from bursting and running out.

⁹ “The Lord shall establish thee a holy people unto Himself, as He hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God and walk in His ways. — an holy people unto himself, that is, shall confirm and establish his covenant with thee, by which he separated thee to himself as a holy and peculiar people, and shall publicly own thee for such.

¹⁰ And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of thee. — compare this to Jeremiah 33:9 “And they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity, that I provide unto it.”

¹¹ And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord swore unto thy fathers to give thee. — in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee; the land of Canaan, often thus described; it evidence shows it is also true in the land of exile.

¹² The Lord shall open unto thee His good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand; and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

— and thou shall lend unto many nations, and thou shall not borrow; that is, thou shalt be in such affluent circumstances, as to be capable, out of thy superfluous wealth, to give aid to thy poorer neighbors.

¹³ And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath, if thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them. — the head, and not the tail; give them dominion over others, and not make them subject to them; the head signifies rulers and governors, and the tail the common people that are subjects;

¹⁴ And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. — to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them; which to do was to break the first and principal table of the law, than which nothing was more abominable and provoking to God.

¹⁵ “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee: — that all these curses shall come upon thee; from the hand of God, certainly, suddenly and unexpectedly:

¹⁶ “Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. — in these curses are specified and delivered out in form, as the reverse of the blessings in Deuteronomy 28:3;

¹⁷ Cursed shall be thy basket and thy stores. — if under the curse, which, in summary, includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness.

¹⁸ Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy cattle, and the flocks of thy sheep. — cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land; — the Targum of Jonathan says “Accursed the children of your wombs, the fruits of your ground, the oxen of your herds, and the sheep of your flocks.”

¹⁹ Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. — in all their business and employments of life whether within doors or outside;

— in the administration of every office, whether more public or private; and in all their journeys going out and coming home; and particularly when they went out to war, and returned, all should be attended with success.

²⁰ “The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke in all that thou settest thine hand unto to do until thou be destroyed and until thou perish quickly, because of the wickedness of thy doings whereby thou hast forsaken Me.

— vexation; trouble, distress, and anguish of spirit: and rebuke; this may well be considered as a rebuke and correction for sins committed, to awaken to a sense and acknowledgment of them, and to repentance for them;

²¹ The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee until He have consumed thee from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. — pestilence; some fatal epidemic, like Covid-19; there is no reason, however, to think that the plague, which is the great modern scourge worldwide, is referred to.

²² The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blight, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

— hard drugs such as methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin, and they shall pursue thee until thou perish; coincided with an increase in violence, including gun crime, and come so close one after another upon them, until they are utterly destroyed. In 2021, more than 80,000 deaths in the United States were related to opioids, with nearly 71,000 linked with fentanyl.

²³ And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. — thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass; for its dryness and hardness, no moisture being in it, or passing through it; no showers of rain nor dew being let down from it;

— and the earth that is under thee shall be iron; or like iron, hard and impenetrable, into which the plough and spade will not enter; nor anything spring out of it, for want of rain and dew to moisten and soften it.

²⁴ The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust; from heaven shall it come down upon thee until thou be destroyed. — powder and dust; the great desert, that is, instead of showers of rain in their season, to water, refresh, and enrich the earth, now a land of powder and dust; becoming a great desert, makes this only too possible;

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

After the rain which cometh down on the earth, the Lord will send a wind that shall drive dust and ashes upon the herbage of your fields; and calamity will fall upon you from the heavens, until you are consumed.

²⁵ “The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies; thou shalt go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them, and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

— the Lord shall cause thee to be smitten fore thine enemies; and by them, as they sometimes were by the Philistines and others, before their utter destruction, when they sinned against the Lord; and by the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans;

— thou shall go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them; march out against them in a body, promising themselves victory, but be utterly routed; so that they shall flee every way they can for their safety; Deuteronomy 28:7,

— and shall be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth; the ten tribes, when taken captive by Shalmaneser, were not carried into all the kingdoms of the earth, neither were the Jews; only to some particular places; but this prophecy is yet for the endtime: “into all the kingdoms of the earth”

— for a close parallel, see Jeremiah 23 (Another “Out of Egypt” Exodus)

“Therefore, behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that they shall no more say, ‘The Lord liveth who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’

but, ‘the Lord liveth who brought up and who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land” Jeremiah 23:7-8

²⁶ And thy carcass shall be meat unto all fowls of the air and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall frighten them away. — it was to be a very grievous calamity, where their carcasses lying unburied; and as this have never happened, this prophecy is yet for the endtime;

²⁷ The Lord will smite thee with the boils of Egypt, and with the hemorrhoids, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. — the botch of Egypt; the “boil,” with which the Egyptians were plagued (Exodus 9:9); the “scab” and “itch” represent the various forms of the loathsome skin diseases;

²⁸ The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart; — and blindness; not of body, but of mind; with judicial blindness and hardness of heart: astonishment of heart; they shall be filled with wonder and horror, because of the strangeness and soreness of their calamities.

²⁹ and thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways. “And thou shalt be only oppressed and despoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee. — thou shalt grope at noonday, a general description of the painful uncertainty in which they would live.;

— and thou shall not prosper in thy ways; in any steps they may take to extricate themselves out of their difficulties, distresses, and calamities; they would be miserable, poor and wretched, mean and despicable.

³⁰ Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her. Thou shalt build a house, and thou shalt not dwell therein. Thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. — thou shall betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her; espouse a woman in order to make her his wife, and before he can take her home, and consummate the marriage, some calamity or another would come upon them;

— thou shall build an house, and thou shall not dwell therein; being, before it is quite finished, or however before he is got into it, carried captive, or obliged to flee to a distant place;

³¹ Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof. Thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee. Thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.

— thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof; shall be taken from the owner, and out of the field or stall, by the enemy, and killed for the soldiers to feed on, and not the least part of it given to them;

— thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored unto thee; thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shall have none to rescue them; not given them by themselves, but they should be suffered to fall into their hands, and they should never be able to get them out again;

³² Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look and fail with longing for them all the day long; and there shall be no might in thine hand. — thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people; this also was not true in the Babylonish captivity; for then their sons and daughters went with them, and continued with them, and returned again;

— but has been oftentimes verified on their captivity by the Romans; their sons and daughters taken from them by force, to be brought up in another religion, by the edicts of kings and popes, and by the canons of councils, and particularly of the fourth council of Toledo, in attendance by all the bishops of Hispania;

— but onone had happened with the lost 10 tribes; for then their sons and daughters went with them in captivity, and continued with them, though they never returned;

³³ The fruit of thy land and all thy labors shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed always,

— “a nation which thou knowest not” wouldn’t be Assyria, who took the 10 tribes, nor Babylon, who took the Jews; as they were neighbouring countries; nor Rome; more likely “a nation against thee from far” and “a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand” verse 49, it could be Russia or China at the endtimes;

— and thou shall be only oppressed and crushed always; this seems best to agree with their present case, or future tense; for in their former captivities they were not always oppressed and crushed;

³⁴ so that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. — thou shalt be mad, for the sight of thine eyes that thou shall see; on account of the shocking things they saw, their dreadful calamities, oppressions, and persecutions;

³⁵ The Lord shall smite thee in the knees and in the legs with a sore boil that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.

— the Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch, that cannot be healed; this as being a disease of such a nature, that it would render it utterly impossible for those who were afflicted with it either to stand or walk, and then heightens the threat by adding the words, “from the sole of the foot to the top of the head.”

³⁶ “The Lord shall bring thee and thy king whom thou shalt set over thee unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. — “a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known” seems very foreign; for they would have known the Assyrians, the Babylonians and even the Romans;

— and there shall thou serve other gods, wood and stone; which they were obliged to do as were in Babylon, and under subjection to a foreign power, and they should be made to serve other gods, wood and stone seduced or compelled into idolatry as were in the Assyrian and Babylonish captivities;

³⁷ And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee. — an astonishment, and would become an object of horror, a proverb, and a byword among the nations;

³⁸ “Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field and shalt gather but little in, for the locust shall consume it. — consumption of corn by locusts and of grapes by worms, and casting of olives; for the locust shall consume it; which is a great destroyer of the fruits of the earth;

³⁹ Thou shalt plant vineyards and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worms shall eat them. — even in their own land the curse would fall upon every kind of labour and enterprise; much seed would give little to reap, because the locust would devour the seed; the planting and dressing of the vineyard would furnish no wine to drink, because the worm would devour the vine;

⁴⁰ Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy borders, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil, for thine olive shall cast his fruit. — thou shalt have olive trees throughout thy borders, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; nor any other relations, friends, guests, as were at entertainments;

⁴¹ Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them, for they shall go into captivity. — thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shall not enjoy them; for “they shall not be thine” being taken from them into captivity, and given to others;

⁴² All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. — the locust, a creature that not only consumes grass, and herbs, and the corn of the field, but all green trees;

⁴³ The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high, and thou shalt come down very low. — the stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; in wealth and riches, in power and authority, in honour and dignity;

— and thou shall come down, very low; into a very mean condition, to be in great subjection, a vassal and a slave;

⁴⁴ He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him. He shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. — he shall lend to thee, and thou shall not lend to him; the stranger, or one of another nation, shall be in a capacity of lending to the Israelite, when the Israelite would not be able to lend to the Gentile.

⁴⁵ Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee and overtake thee till thou be destroyed, because thou hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded thee.

— and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee till thou be destroyed; which though they would endeavour to flee from and escape, should not be able, since they would follow them so closely and swiftly, and overtake them, and seize upon them;

⁴⁶ And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. — and they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder; and what follow, should rest and remain upon them, continue with them, and be very visible on them; so as to be observed by others, as a sign of the wrath and displeasure of God.

⁴⁷ “Because thou served not the Lord thy God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things, — with joyfulness and gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; which they enjoyed in the land of Canaan, a land that abounded with all good things; which laid them under great obligations to serve the Lord:

⁴⁸ therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies whom the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger and in thirst and in nakedness and in want of all things; and He shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck until He have destroyed thee.

— and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck; bring them into a state of subjection to their enemies, which would be intolerable to them, and from which they would not be able to free themselves, any more than to break an iron yoke; which, as were in the Babylonish captivity, and their subjection in that state.

⁴⁹ The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand, — the Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far; the invasion of the Romans: “they came from far.” But more likely for the endtime, the Russians and the Chinese , woule then be considered “the end of the earth.”

⁵⁰ a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old nor show favor to the young. — a nation of fierce countenance; the Russians had lost 20 millions to the Nazis; the Chinese a similar amount to the Japanese, all had toughened themselves;

⁵¹ And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle and the fruit of thy land until thou be destroyed; he also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy cattle, or flocks of thy sheep until he have destroyed thee.

— and your enemy shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, oxen and sheep, as their calves and lambs, and kids of the goat, and the fruit, wheat, barley, figs, grapes, pomegranates, olives, and dates, of thy land until thou be destroyed;

⁵² And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates until thy high and fortified walls come down wherein thou trusted, throughout all thy land; and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land which the Lord thy God hath given thee.

— and he, a modern type of Shalmaneser, Sennacherib, and Nebuchadnezzar, shall besiege thee in all thy gates until thy high and fortified walls come down wherein thou trusted;

⁵³ And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege and in the extremity wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee,

— thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body; this been confirmed during the siege of Samaria by the Syrians (II Kings 6:26-29; but also in Deuteronomy 28:56), and also in Jerusalem when besieged by Nebuchadnezzar (Lamentations 2:20; 4:10)

— during the siege of Samaria by the Syrians:

²⁶ And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!”

²⁷ And he said, “If the Lord do not help thee, from whence shall I help thee? Out of the barn floor or out of the wine press?”

²⁸ And the king said unto her, “What aileth thee?” And she answered, “This woman said unto me, ‘Give thy son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’

²⁹ So we boiled my son and ate him. And I said unto her on the next day, ‘Give thy son, that we may eat him’; and she hath hid her son.” II Kings 6:26-29

— and from the MSG version:

²⁶ One day the king of Israel was walking along the city wall. A woman cried out, “Help! Your majesty!”

²⁷ He answered, “If God won’t help you, where on earth can I go for help? To the granary? To the dairy?”

^28-29 The king continued, “Tell me your story.”

She said, “This woman came to me and said, ‘Give up your son and we’ll have him for today’s supper; tomorrow we’ll eat my son.’ So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I told her, ‘Your turn—bring your son so we can have him for supper.’ But she had hidden her son away.” II Kings 6:26-28

⁵⁴ so that the man that is tender among you and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children whom he shall leave, — his eye shall be evil towards his brother, and towards the wife of his bosom, and towards the remnant of his children which he shall leave;

— that is, he shall begrudge his brother, who is so nearly related to him, the least bit of food; yea, his wife, he dearly loved, and is one flesh with him, his other self, and even his children, which are parts of himself, such of them as were left not eaten by him; or his eye should be evil upon then, he should look with an evil eye on them, determining within himself to kill and eat them next.

⁵⁵ so that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat, because he hath nothing left him in the siege and in the extremity wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. — so that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat; neither give to a brother, nor to a wife, nor to any of his remaining children, the least bit of the flesh of a child he has killed and dressed for his own food;

— because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates; every creature being eaten up, dogs, cats, anything dung of beasts, and whatsoever else could be any ways made food of;

⁵⁶ The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son and toward her daughter,

— the stress being so immensed, character changed for fear of taking cold, or defiling her feet, her eye shall be evil towards the husband of her bosom, and towards her son, and towards her daughter; begrudge them every bit they eat, and restrain food from them as much as in her lies, and even snatch it out of their mouths;

⁵⁷ and toward her young one who cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children whom she shall bear; for she shall eat them secretly for want of all things in the siege and extremity wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates. — and toward her young one that cometh out from between her fee; for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates;

⁵⁸ “If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, The Lord Thy God, — that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name of the Lord thy God;

— or that it might appear that the fear of God was before their eyes, and in their hearts, by their obedience to his law; that they had a proper awe and reverence of him, who is glorious in his titles and attributes, and whose name is Yehovah;

⁵⁹ then the Lord will make thy plagues wondrous, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. — then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful; visible, remarkable, distinguishable, and astonishing to all that see them;

— and the plagues of thy seed; for they were to continue, as they have done, with their posterity, age after age: even great plagues, and of long continuance; great as to quality and quantity;

⁶⁰ Moreover He will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt which thou wast afraid of, and they shall cleave unto thee. — and would bring all the diseases and pestilences of Egypt; which thou wast afraid of; when living among them, and they shall cleave unto thee; not only should come upon them, but continue with them; they should not get rid of, or be cured;

⁶¹ Also every sickness and every plague which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee until thou be destroyed. — every plague which is not written in the book of this law; now Covid-19, bird flu; whatsoever sickness or disease that could be thought of or named;

⁶² And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude, because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the Lord thy God. — whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; and, as it is sometimes said, as the sand of the sea, as was promised to Abraham, Genesis 15:5; and was partly fulfilled in the days of Solomon 1 Kings 4:20;

— and ye shall be left few in number, because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the Lord thy God; in his law, and by his prophets;

⁶³ “And it shall come to pass that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and to multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. — rejoice over you to destroy you; his just indignation against them will be so great, that it will be a pleasure to him to take vengeance on them;

— the Emperor Adrian, to prevent their insurrections and rebellions, which had given him a great deal of trouble, ordered by an edict that no Jew should come into Jerusalem, nor into the land of Judea, or be seen; by which means the country had them cleared.

⁶⁴ And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. — and the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even to the other; which refers to their current situation, in all parts of the world, east, west, north, and south;

⁶⁵ And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest; but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart and failing of eyes and sorrow of mind. — but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart; being always in fear lest their persons should be seized on, their children taken from them, and their goods confiscated; hence the epithet of “trembling”

⁶⁶ And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have no assurance of thy life. — and thou shalt fear day and night; being in continual dread of being killed: and shalt have none assurance of thy life; of its being continued a moment scarcely, but live in constant fear and expectation of its being taken away.

⁶⁷ In the morning thou shalt say, ‘Would God it were evening!’ and at evening thou shalt say, ‘Would God it were morning!’ for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. — in the morning thou shalt say, would God it were even; wishing they might get through the day well, fearing their life would be taken away before night, or some sad calamity befall them before the day could past;

— for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which, thou shalt see; often beholding such dreadful sights, as their countrymen put upon the rack, and cruelly tortured, and then burnt alive;

— and so their hearts would fear and tremble, lest they should be the next that would be taken up and used in this manner; besides other severities and hard usages, with which their brethren were treated, and they in continual fear of.

⁶⁸ And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships by the way whereof I spoke unto thee, ‘Thou shalt see it no more again.’ And there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.”

— into Egypt again, either into a state of hard bondage and slavery, like that their fathers were in; he hath now so gloriously delivered thee, and the remembrance of what they endured in Egypt could not but make the thoughts of returning thither again very terrible to them;

— no man shall buy you; that is, no one shall venture even to employ you as slaves, regarding you as accursed of God, and to be shunned in everything;

— in archaic English, the Targum of Jonathan says:

And the Word of the Lord will bring you captive to Mizraim in ships through the Sea of Suph, by the way you passed over, of which I said to you, No more shall you see it. And there will you be sold to your enemies, at the beginning for a dear price, as artificers, and afterward at a cheap price, as servants and handmaids, until you be worthless and (be consigned) to unpriced labour, and there be none who will take you.

Posted in Books of Moses

Deuteronomy 25

¹ “If there be a controversy between men and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them, then they shall justify the righteous and condemn the wicked. — if there be a controversy between men; a dispute between two or more:

— that the judges may judge them; who were never less than three; the great Sanhedrin at Jerusalem consisted of seventy one, the lesser court was of twenty three, and the least of all three only;

² And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number. — scourging is named as a penalty in Leviticus 19:20. The beating here spoken of would be on the back with a rod or stick, perhaps a rotan, which have been proven to be very effective in its desire effect;

³ Forty stripes he may give him, and no more, lest, if he should exceed and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee. — then thy brother should seem vile unto thee; as if he was a beast, and not a man, and much less a brother;

— the Targum of Jonathan says, “lest he be in danger, and that thy brother may not be made despicable in thy sight;” lest he be in danger of his life, and become vile, as a dead carcass;

⁴ “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. — thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn; the larger grains were beaten out by the feet of oxen, which, yoked together, day after day trod round the wide open spaces which form the threshing-floors; and to be humane, they were allowed freely to pick up a mouthful;

⁵ “If brethren dwell together, and one of them die and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry outside unto a stranger; her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him for a wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto her. — if brethren dwell together; in the same town, or at least, the same county.

⁶ And it shall be that the firstborn whom she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother who is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. — that his name be not put out of Israel; that a family be not lost. So this was a provision that the number of their families might not be diminished;

⁷ And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel. He will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother.’

⁸ Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak unto him; and if he stand by it and say, ‘I like not to take her,’ — the duty is recognized as one of affection for the memory of the deceased;

⁹ then shall his brother’s wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother’s house.’

— the root of the obligation here imposed upon the brother of the deceased husband lies in the idea of childlessness being a great calamity (compare with Hagar in Genesis 16:4), and extinction of name and family one of the greatest that could happen;

¹⁰ And his name shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.’

— and from MSG

¹¹ “When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand and taketh him by the secret parts, — when men strive together, one with another; quarrel with one another, and come to blows, and strive for mastery, which shall beat, and be the best man;

¹² then thou shalt cut off her hand; thine eye shall not pity her. — thine eye shall not pity her; because of the plausible excuse that might be made for her action, as these considerations were to have no place with the magistrate, who was to order the punishment inflicted without pity;

¹³ “Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small. — in Proverbs 11:1, “a false balance is abomination to the Lord.”

¹⁴ Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small. — the protection of the poor is the chief practical end in this; rich men can take care of themselves; poor men are doubly robbed by short weight and measure, because they cannot protect themselves against it.

¹⁵ But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have, that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. — that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee; long life was always reckoned a blessing, and is frequently promised to.

¹⁶ For all who do such things and all who do unrighteously are an abomination unto the Lord thy God. — and all that do unrighteously; what is not just and right between man and man, in any other instance whatever: are an abomination unto the Lord thy God; both they and their actions; he is a righteous God, and loves righteousness, and hates injustice of every kind.

¹⁷ “Remember what Amalek did unto thee on the way, when ye had come forth out of Egypt, — take warning from the case of the Amalekites; which was an aggravation of their cruel and inhuman action, that they not only came out against them unprovoked;

¹⁸ how he met thee on the way and smote the hindmost of thee, even all who were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.

— the Amalekites were the aggressors, and fell upon them as they were travelling on the road, but when they were just come out of Egypt, where they had been in hard bondage, and their spirits broken, and they not used to war; and so took them at all these disadvantages, a people that had not in the least injured them.

¹⁹ Therefore it shall be, when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it. — that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven:

— that is, utterly destroy them, so that there should be none left of them anywhere, to put in mind that there ever were such a people on earth; men, women, children, cattle of all sorts, were to be destroyed, and nothing left that belonged unto them; that it might not be said this beast was Amalek’s; and to be destroyed.

Deuteronomy 26

¹ “And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it and dwellest therein, — and possessest it, and dwellest therein; not only had entered into it, but got the possession of it, and settled there;

² that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring from thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place His name there.

— and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there; which, as the event showed, was the city of Jerusalem; hither from all parts of the country were the firstfruits to be brought.

³ And thou shalt go unto the priest who shall be in those days, and say unto him, ‘I profess this day unto the Lord thy God, that I have come unto the country which the Lord swore unto our fathers to give us.’ — the priest that shall be in those clays; not the high priest, but the priests generally, or the individual priest whose function it was to officiate on the occasion;

⁴ And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God. — the firstfruits here in question are to be distinguished alike from those offered in acknowledgment of the blessings of harvest;

⁵ “And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God: ‘A Syrian ready to perish was my father; and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous.

— a Syrian was my father; that is, Jacob; for though born in Canaan, he was a Syrian by descent, his mother Rebecca, and his grandfather Abraham, being both of Chaldea or Mesopotamia, which in Scripture is comprehended under the name of Syria;

— Jacob’s wives and children, by their mothers’ side, and his relations, were Syrians, and he himself had lived twenty years in Syria with Laban.

⁶ And the Egyptians evilly treated us and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. — and the Egyptians evilly entreated us; ordered their male children to be killed by the midwives, and by another edict to be drowned by the people: and afflicted us; by setting taskmasters over them, who put heavy burdens upon them;

⁷ And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction and our labor and our oppression. — and the Lord heard our voice, and looked upon our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression; with a look of pity and compassion, heard their cries, answered their petitions, and sent them a deliverer, Exodus 2:25.

⁸ And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great fearsomeness, and with signs and with wonders; — with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm; by his almighty power, of which full proof was given by what he then did, Deuteronomy 5:15,

— and with great terribleness: to Pharaoh and his people, through the plagues that were inflicted on them, especially the last, the slaying of their firstborn; Deuteronomy 4:34; and with signs and wonders; wrought by the hands of Moses and Aaron, meaning the ten plagues, often so called;

⁹ and He hath brought us into this place and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. — “a land flowing with milk and honey” was for ancient Israel; but “amber waves of grain” and “mountains of cheese and lakes of wine” for modern Israel;

¹⁰ And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which Thou, O Lord, hast given me.’ And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God; — the person who offered his first-fruits, must remember and own the mean origin of that nation, particularly the family of Abraham began to develop into a nation, of which he was a member.

¹¹ and thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger who is among you. — thou and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you; by which it seems that not only a basket of firstfruits was brought and presented to the Lord, which is the perquisite of the priest,

— but there were others also brought, or bought with their money at Jerusalem, and a sort of a kept, which the Levite, and stranger or proselyte, from Pentecost to the feast of tabernacles a man may bring the firstfruits, and proclaim; must thankfully acknowledge God’s great goodness to Israel. 

¹² “When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates and be filled, — the third year, which was the year of tithing; that is, of the tithe for the poor, commanded to be paid every third year;

¹³ then thou shalt say before the Lord thy God: ‘I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all Thy commandments which Thou hast commanded me. I have not transgressed Thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them. — again, the tithe for the poor, or the third tithe; commanded to be paid every third year;

¹⁴ I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away aught thereof for any unclean use, nor given aught thereof for the dead; but I have hearkened to the voice of the Lord my God and have done according to all that Thou hast commanded me.

— I have not eaten thereof in my mourning; when in times of sorrow, which brought defilement on sacred things; under a pretense of poverty, and grudging to give any away to the poor.

¹⁵ Look down from Thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Thy people Israel and the land which Thou hast given us as Thou swore unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.’

— and the land which thou hast given us; with fertility and plenty of all good things, that it might be as thou swarest to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey;

¹⁶ “This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments; thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart and with all thy soul. — refer not only to the laws last mentioned, but to all others which he had been repeated and repeated;

— thou shall therefore keep and do them with all thy heart, and with all thy soul; cordially, readily, willingly, sincerely, constantly, and to the utmost of their abilities.

¹⁷ Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in His ways, and to keep His statutes and His commandments and His judgments, and to hearken unto His voice.

— thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God; said, affirmed, pledged and in the most solemn manner declared, that the Lord was their God, and him only; and that they would have no other God, nor worship, serve, or obey any other;

¹⁸ And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be His peculiar people, as He hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all His commandments,

— and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; at the same time declared this as his will, that they should observe all his precepts, to which they were laid under obligation by the special favour and peculiar privileges he bestowed upon them, Deuteronomy 7:6;

¹⁹ and to make thee high above all nations which He hath made in praise and in name and in honor, and that thou mayest be a holy people unto the Lord thy God, as He hath spoken.” — to make thee high above all nations; none of them having the Lord to be their God and King in such sense as Israel,

— nor they his people in such a peculiar sense as they were; nor having such laws and statutes as he had given to them; these things gave them a superiority over all other nations;

— and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken; the end of the Lord in being their God, and making them his people, was not only to make them high above all others, but to make them more holy than others; to set them apart for himself, as a people sacred to his worship and service, as he had both determined and declared, Deuteronomy 7:6.

Posted in Books of Moses

Deuteronomy 23

¹ “He that is wounded in the stones or hath his private member cut off shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord. — he that is wounded in the stones; in any of them, not accidentally, but purposely;

— or hath his private member cut off; a eunuch should not enter into the congregation was doubtless intended to prevent the Israelitish rulers from making eunuchs of their brethren the children of Israel.

² A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord. — a bastard; probably, a child born of incest or adultery; even to his tenth generation;

³ An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever, — an Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; because their forefathers were begotten in incest (Genesis 19:30);

— or marry an Israelitish woman, and so the Targum of Jonathan says, “the male Ammonites and Moabites are not fit to take a wife of the congregation of the Lord;”

— they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever; that is, not only to the tenth generation, but for ever; and this law was understood as in force in Nehemiah’s time; when, at the time of Nehemiah, the newly-built Temple was infiltrated with an Ammonite named Tobiah,

— who, at the bidding of Sanballat, a Samaritan (Josephus: Sanballat was “satrap of Samaria”) went on to introduce the heresy of the Samaritan “passover” to the Jews; whereby there sprung a branch of Judiasm called the Sadducees,

— further, Tobiah, an Ammonite official and an enemy of Nehemiah who had opposed the rebuilding of the walls, had actually been given a room in the Temple for his possessions. That room had housed many important items, including the money allotted to pay the Levites for their time in the Temple. With no payment forthcoming, the Levites had abandoned their posts and returned to their homes to work their fields, (for more, see Nehemiah 2; 4)

⁴ because they met you not with bread and with water in the way when ye came forth out of Egypt, and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor, of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.

— in the way when ye came forth out of Egypt; they (viz., the king of the Moabites) had even hired Balaam to curse Israel. In this way they had brought upon themselves the curse which falls upon all those who curse Israel;

⁵ Nevertheless the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam, but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee. — but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee; in the very mouth of Balaam, as the Targum of Jonathan says;

— for when he opened his mouth and Balak expected he would have cursed Israel, and he intended it, could he have been permitted, the Lord overruled his tongue, and put such words into his mouth, that instead of cursing Israel, he blessed him; see Numbers 23:11,

⁶ Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever. — still upon any Ammonite or Moabite: thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days forever; not just until the tenth generation;

— make no contracts, either by marriages, or leagues, or commerce with them, but rather shalt constantly keep a jealous eye over them, as enemies who will watch every opportunity to insnare or disturb thee.

⁷ “Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite, for he is thy brother. Thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian, because thou wast a stranger in his land. — the Edomite, as descended from Esau, the nearest akin to each other of all the nations; and the Egyptian, as of that nation which had shown hospitality to Joseph and his brethren, and shouldn’t be objects of abhorrence.

⁸ The children who are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the Lord in their third generation. — Edomite, and Egyptian; not in the third generation from the time that this law was made, but from the time that any of their males should embrace the true religion; for females, might be accepted immediately as soon as made proselytes through marriage.

⁹ “When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thyself from every wicked thing. — then keep thee from every wicked thing;

— the Targum of Jonathan adds, by way of explanation, “from strange worship, uncovering of nakedness, and from shedding innocent blood;” that is, from idolatry, uncleanness of every sort, and murder; and all other wickednesses ought to be abstained from at all times by all persons;

¹⁰ “If there be among you any man that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp; he shall not come within the camp. — by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night; through pollution by a nocturnal flux, Leviticus 15:4

¹¹ But it shall be, when evening (first erev) cometh on, he shall wash himself with water; and when the sun is down (second erev) he shall come into the camp again. — he shall wash himself with water; dip himself all over in water, not only wash his garments but his flesh;

¹² “Thou shalt have a place also outside the camp whither thou shalt go forth abroad. — thou shalt have also a place without the camp; a place prepared, as the Targums of Jonathan says, provided on purpose for the use hereafter suggested;

— whither thou shalt go forth abroad; to do the necessities of nature, which they were to do outside the camp, not in any place they thought fit and most convenient, but what was appointed for that purpose.

¹³ And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee. — and thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; a nail or spike, some kind of instrument to make a hole in the ground with, which was fastened to the sword upon their loins; which was to be instead of a spade or mattock to dig with;

— and it shall be, when thou shall ease thyself abroad; outside the camp, in the place appointed for that use, whenever nature required such an action to be performed;

— thou shall dig therewith; with, the paddle, an hole in the earth: to make it a foot deep with a spade or mattock, and to everyone that was newly admitted among them, a little pickaxe was given for that purpose: and shalt turn back; having eased nature;

— and cover that which cometh from thee; their dung, with the earth they dug out of the hole they made. This law was made to preserve modesty and decency becoming men, and not act like brute beasts, as well as cleanliness in the camp,

¹⁴ For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp to deliver thee and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy, that He see no unclean thing in thee and turn away from thee. — for the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and give up thine enemies before thee: to save them from falling into the hands of their enemies;

— therefore shall thy camp be holy; that he see no unclean thing; and turn away from thee; and so they fall into the hands of their enemies; care should be taken not to offend him, and cause him to depart from them;

¹⁵ “Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant who has escaped from his master unto thee. — this case in question is that of a slave who fled from a pagan master to the holy land. It is of course assumed that the refugee was not flying from justice, but only from the tyranny of his lord.

¹⁶ He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates where it is good for him. Thou shalt not oppress him. — evidently a slave of the Canaanites or some of the neighboring people, who was driven by tyrannical oppression, or induced, with a view of embracing the true religion, to take refuge in Israel;

— in that place he shall choose, in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: he was not to be detained by the person that took him up in his own house, or be obliged to dwell in any certain place under, a restraint, but he might take up his abode in any of the cities of Israel, which would be most for his good.

¹⁷ “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. — whore and sodomite seem both intended to be taken in the sense in which they belonged to the temples of Baal and Ashtaroth, of persons dedicated to impurity;

— today, such impurities are prevelant in both houses of Israel in the name of liberal democracies; and, with few exceptions, whore and sodomite are far worse than those of the Gentiles;

¹⁸ Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore or the price of a dog into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow, for even both these are abomination unto the Lord thy God. — for even both these are an abomination to the Lord thy God; both the hire of the whore and the price of the dog, when brought as a sacrifice to him.

¹⁹ “Thou shalt not lend upon interest to thy brother, interest of money, interest of victuals, interest of any thing that is lent upon interest. — thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; one of the same nation and religion, and who is in poor and necessitous circumstances, and wants either food for himself and family;

— till such times as the fruits of his ground will bring him in a sufficiency for his support, and the payment of what he borrows, and which is to be lent him without any interest.

²⁰ Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon interest, but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon interest, that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

— the case was different with foreigners, who, engaged in trade and commerce, borrowed to enlarge their capital, and might reasonably be expected to pay interest on their loans.

²¹ “When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not be slack to pay it; for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee, and it would be sin in thee. — thou shall not slack to pay it; or delay the payment of it, but do it immediately; since zeal and affection might abate;

— and there might not be hereafter an ability to perform, or death might come and prevent it; the Targum of Jonathan adds, at the three feasts, that is, of the Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles;

²² But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. — there shall be no sin in not making any vow, nor any pledge; no charge of guilt be brought or punishment laid;

²³ That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform, even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.

— even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth; it was to be paid, and in the manner as it was vowed and promised;

— the Targum of Jonathan says

the oath which goeth from your lips you shall confirm. The precepts of integrity you shall verily perform, but that which is not right to do ye shall not do; and according as you have vowed shall you fulfil;

sin offerings, trespass offerings, burnt sacrifices, and consecrated victims shall you present before the Lord your God, and bring the libations and the gifts of the sanctuary of which you have spoken (in promises), and alms for the poor which your lips have declared.

²⁴ “When thou comest into thy neighbor’s vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes to thy fill at thine own pleasure, but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.

²⁵ When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbor, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand, but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor’s standing corn.

Deuteronomy 24

¹ “When a man hath taken a wife and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes because he hath found some uncleanness in her, then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

— some uncleanness; some hateful thing, some distemper of body, or quality of mind, not observed before marriage; evidently mere caprice and dislike are not intended here: there must be some real ground of complaint;

² And when she has departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. — she may go and be other man’s wife; it was permitted her to marry another man, she being by her divorce freed from the law of her former husband;

³ And if the latter husband hate her and write her a bill of divorcement, and putteth it in her hand and sendeth her out of his house, or if the latter husband die who took her to be his wife,

— or if her latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; and she survives him; as she is then by death loosed from the law of an husband, she may lawfully marry another man, but not her former husband;

⁴ her former husband who sent her away may not take her again to be his wife after she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord, and thou shalt not cause the land to sin which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

— for that is abomination before the Lord; for a man to take his wife again, after she had been divorced by him, and married to another man;

— and thou shalt not cause the land to sin which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance; since if this was allowed, that men might put away their wives, and take them again at pleasure, and change them as often as they thought fit;

⁵ “When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business; but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife whom he hath taken.

— he shall be free at home one year, that their affections newly engaged may be firmly settled, so as there may be no occasions for the divorces last mentioned.

⁶ “No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone in pledge, for then he taketh a man’s life in pledge. — MSG “Don’t seize a handmill or an upper millstone as collateral for a loan. You’d be seizing someone’s very life.”

⁷ “If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him or selleth him, then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.

— MSG “If a man is caught kidnapping one of his kinsmen, someone of the People of Israel, to enslave or sell him, the kidnapper must die. Purge that evil from among you.”

⁸ “Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently and do according to all that the priests, the Levites, shall teach you; as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.

— take heed, in the plague of leprosy; whether in the bodies of men, or in houses, or in garments, not to hide and conceal it; or cut out the bright spot; that thou observe diligently;

⁹ Remember what the Lord thy God did unto Miriam on the way after ye had come forth out of Egypt.

— remember what the Lord did unto Miriam; this seems to have been intended as an admonition, to take care lest they spoke evil of dignities, or disobeyed the commands of the priest, which might bring such a stroke upon them as God inflicted upon Miriam.

¹⁰ “When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. — thou shall not go into his house to fetch his pledge; which would be an exercise of too much power and authority;

— to go into a neighbour’s house, and take what was liked; and besides, as no doubt he would take the best, so he might take that which the poor man could not spare;

¹¹ Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee. — if the lender or creditor had been allowed to go in and take what he pleased for a pledge, he would choose the best; so, on the other hand, the borrower or debtor would be apt to bring the worst, what was of the least value and use;

¹² And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge. — and if the man be poor; which may be thought to be the case of anyone that gives pledges for a debt he owes, or a sum of money he borrows;

¹³ In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment and bless thee; and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God.

— in any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again, when the sun goeth down; if it was a night covering; but if it was his day clothes, he was to return it in the morning, when the sun arose;

¹⁴ “Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren or of thy strangers who are in thy land within thy gates. — not oppress a hired servant; by detaining his wages from him when due;

¹⁵ At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor and setteth his heart upon it, lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee. — lest he cry against thee to the Lord; having none to apply unto but him, who is the patron of the poor and needy;

¹⁶ “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

— the fathers shall not be put to death for the sin of their children; by the civil magistrates, for sins committed by them of a capital nature, and which are worthy of death: neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin;

¹⁷ “Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger nor of the fatherless, nor take a widow’s raiment in pledge; — the law against perverting the right of strangers, widows, and orphans is here repeated from Exodus 22:20, 21; Exodus 23:9 with the addition that the raiment of the widow was not to be taken in pledge;

¹⁸ but thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee thence. Therefore I command thee to do this thing. — but thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt; the remembrance of which may cause sympathy with persons in distress; particularly the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.

¹⁹ “When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field and hast forgotten a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow, that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.

— when thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field; whether barley harvest or wheat harvest, when either of them are ripe for cutting, mowing, or reaping, and are cutting down: and hast forgot a sheaf in the field; it shall be for the stranger; or proselyte; or for the fatherless and for the widow; which of them soever should first find it.

²⁰ When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

— thou shall not go over the boughs again; to beat off some few that may remain; they were not nicely to examine the boughs over again, whether there were any left or not: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow;

²¹ When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. — thou shalt not glean after thee, that is, after thou hast reaped and gathered for thyself;

²² And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt. Therefore I command thee to do this thing.

— and thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt; when they would have been glad to have enjoyed the like favours, as small as they might seem to be, even to glean in their fields, vineyards, and oliveyards.

Posted in Books of Moses

Deuteronomy 21

¹ “If one be found slain in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him, — if a murderer could not be found, great solemnity is provided for putting away the guilt from the land, as an expression of dread and detesting of that sin;

² then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure the distance unto the cities which are round about him that is slain. — thy elders and thy judges near the cities, appointed by members of the great Sanhedrin at Jerusalem;

— so the Targum of Jonathan says, “then shall go out from the great Sanhedrin two of thy wise men, and three of thy judges;”

³ And it shall be that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer which hath not been worked and which hath not drawn in the yoke; — in this case, the heifer, of a year old, represents the murderer, so far at least as to die in his stead, since he himself could not be found;

⁴ and the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer’s neck there in the valley. — unto a rough valley; rough, uncultivated ground, fitly representing the horribleness of the murder;

⁵ And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto Him and to bless in the name of the Lord; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried.

— by their word shall every controversy be tried; every controversy between man and man respecting civil things, and every stroke or blow which one man may give another; and whatsoever came before them was tried by them;

⁶ And all the elders of that city who are next unto the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley. — shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley: in token of their innocence, and this they did not only for themselves, but for the whole city;

⁷ And they shall answer and say, ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. — our hands have not shed this blood; have been no ways concerned in it, nor accessory to it: the Targum of Jonathan says “it is manifest before the Lord that he did not come into our hands, nor did we dismiss him, that has shed this blood;”

⁸ Be merciful, O Lord, unto Thy people Israel, whom Thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto Thy people of Israel’s charge.’ And the blood shall be forgiven them. — and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel’s charge; impute not the guilt of innocent blood to Israel in general, when only a single person, and he unknown, is chargeable with it.

⁹ So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord. — so shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you; which otherwise, the person not being found out, and brought to just punishment for it, would devolve upon the whole.

¹⁰ “When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thine hands and thou hast taken them captive, — by this law a soldier was allowed to marry his captive, if he pleased;

¹¹ and seest among the captives a beautiful woman and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her for thy wife, — and hast a desire unto her; being captivated with her beauty; it signifies a passionate desire of enjoying her in a lawful way,

¹² then thou shalt bring her home to thine house. And she shall shave her head and pare her nails; — she shall shave her head; this was one of the external signs of mourning,

¹³ and she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house and bewail her father and her mother a full month. And after that thou shalt go in unto her and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.

— and bewail her father and her mother a full month; who were either dead in the battle, or however she had no hope of seeing them any more,

¹⁴ And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will, but thou shalt not sell her at all for money; thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her. — then thou shalt let her go whither she will; by a bill of divorce, as the Targum of Jonathan, who understands it in this sense,

— and as before marriage, at the month’s end, or any time before, that if his affections cooled towards her, and all the above methods tended to abate his love of her, then he was obliged to dismiss her, or to grant her her freedom, and let her go wherever she pleased.

¹⁵ “If a man have two wives, one beloved and another hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated, and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated, — this law restrains men from disinheriting their eldest sons without just cause;

¹⁶ then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, who is indeed the firstborn.

— when the son of his wife he has the least value for is really his firstborn, he may not, through favour and affection to the wife he loves better, prefer her son, and declare him to be the firstborn;

— the birthright was to Joseph, the eldest son of Rachel, the most beloved wife of Jacob, before Reuben who was the son of Leah, less beloved by him, and was in fact his firstborn; yet this was owing to the sin of Reuben, and by the appointment of God; Genesis 49:3.

¹⁷ But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated as the firstborn by giving him a double portion of all that he hath, for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

— for he is the beginning of his strength; as Jacob said, of Reuben; distinguish him from all his other sons, and make known to all, that he is his firstborn.

¹⁸ “If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them, — which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother; is disobedient to the commands of either of them;

¹⁹ then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city and unto the gate of his place.

— and bring him out unto the elders of his city; the Sanhedrin, or court of judicature, to be admonished and scourged by order of the bench of three, if he returns to his corrupt and wicked ways again;

²⁰ And they shall say unto the elders of his city, ‘This, our son, is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ — this our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; one of an obstinate disposition, will have his own will and way,

— he is a glutton and a drunkard; is perverse and refractory; honours not, but despises his parents, and is disobedient to their commands, unruly and ungovernable;

²¹ And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, so that he die. So shalt thou put evil away from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear. — so shalt thou put away evil from among you; put a stop to, and prevent such an evil for the future,

— and remove the guilt of it; or, as the Targum of Jonathan says, him that doeth that evil, then “all the men of his city shall stone him with stones that he die; and so shall you put away the evil doer from among you, and all Israel will hear, and be afraid.”

²² “And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he is to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree, — on a tree; which was done after the malefactor was put to death some other way; this public shame being added to his former punishment.

²³ his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day (for he that is hanged is accursed of God), that thy land be not defiled which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

— accursed of God by this law, the touch of a dead body was defiling, therefore dead bodies must not be left hanging, as that would defile the land.

Deuteronomy 22

¹ “Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them. Thou shalt in any case bring them back unto thy brother. — go astray; literally, being driven away, as by wild beasts, or by robbers; or frightened and starved away from the herd or from the flock by a wolf or a dog.

² And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again.

— if thou know him not; which implies, that if they did know the owner, they should restore it to him; thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, to be used like thine own cattle.

³ In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment and with all lost things of thy brother’s, which he hath lost and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise; thou mayest not hide thyself. — and so shalt thou do with his raiment; if that is lost and found, it must be restored to the owner;

⁴ Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them; thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.

— thou shall not see thy brother’s ox or his ass fall down by the way; and lie under his burden, not being able to rise with it of himself, nor with all the assistance about it, without further help;

— and hide thyself from them; cover thine eyes, or turn them another way, and make as if thou didst not see them in distress; thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again; 

⁵ “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment; for all who do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God. — the woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man; it being very unseemly and impudent, and contrary to the modesty of her sex;

— neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment; which would betray effeminacy and softness unbecoming men, and would lead the way to many impurities; as they are an abomination to the Lord thy God;

⁶ “If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree or on the ground, whether there be young ones or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young; — if a bird’s nest chance to be before thee: these precepts are designed to cultivate a spirit of humanity; and cares for animals and fowls of the sir;

⁷ but thou shalt in any wise let the dam go and take the young to thee, that it may be well with thee and that thou mayest prolong thy days.

— let the dam go; partly for the bird’s sake, which suffered enough by the loss of its young; for God would not have cruelty exercised towards the brute creatures; and partly for men’s sake, to restrain their greediness and covetousness;

— and from MSG

When you come across a bird’s nest alongside the road, whether in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, don’t take the mother with the young. You may take the babies, but let the mother go so that you will live a good and long life. Deuteronomy 22:6

⁸ “When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a parapet for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house if any man fall from thence. — when thou buildest a new house; obviously the Law refers to houses with flat roofs, upon which it was customary to walk;

— that thou bring not blood upon thy house; be not the occasion of blood being shed, or contract guilt of blood through negligence of such a provision the law directs to, the guilt of manslaughter, or of shedding innocent blood in thy house;

⁹ “Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds, lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown and the fruit of thy vineyard be defiled. — with divers kinds of seed mixed and sowed together between the rows of vines in thy vineyard; which was forbidden to be done in the field, Leviticus 19:19, and here in the vineyard.

¹⁰ “Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. — an ox and ass, being of different species and of very different characters, cannot associate comfortably, nor unite cheerfully in drawing a plough or a wagon. The ass being much smaller and his step shorter, there would be an unequal and irregular draft.

¹¹ “Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together. — a garment of woollen and linen together aren’t allowed;

— in Ezekiel 44:17-18, the priests are altogether forbidden the use of woollen garments during their ministry.

¹² “Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture wherewith thou coverest thyself. —this fringe on the four sides of the square shawl or mantle, Numbers 15:38; partly to bring the commands of God to their remembrance, and partly as a public profession of their nation and religion, whereby they might be distinguished from strangers of the nations.

¹³ “If any man take a wife and go in unto her, and hate her, — that is, marries a wife, and cohabits with her as man and wife, and after some time dislikes her,

¹⁴ and give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her and say, ‘I took this woman, and when I came to her I found her not a maid,’ — I found her not a maid; the sense is, that he had married her, and when he came to cohabit with her as man and wife, it appeared to him that she was vitiated, and not a pure virgin;

¹⁵ then shall the father of the damsel and her mother take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate. — then shall the father and the mother of the damsel take; power from the court, according to the Targum of Jonathan;

¹⁶ And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, ‘I gave my daughter unto this man for a wife, and he hateth her; — and he hateth her; has taken a dislike to her, and wants to be rid of her, and therefore has brought this infamous action against her;

¹⁷ and lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, “I found not thy daughter a maid,” and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity.’ And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.

— saying, l found not thy daughter a maid; so that it seems he said this not only to his neighbours, and before a court of judicature, but to the parents of the damsel (a young unmarried woman);

¹⁸ And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; — and the elders of that city shall take the man, and chastise him. Not with words, but “shall scourge him;” as the Targum of Jonathan says; —

¹⁹ and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought an evil name upon a virgin of Israel. And she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days. — the fine was to be paid to the father, because the slander was against him principally as the head of the wife’s family.

²⁰ But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel, — but if this thing be true; which the husband of the damsel (a young unmarried woman) laid to her charge, that she was no virgin when married to him, and she had committed whoredom, of which there was proof;

²¹ then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die, because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house; so shalt thou put evil away from among you.

— sin of an injury to her husband in the false profession of virginity, with a pretence of virginity, she should then be put to death.

²² “If a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman and the woman; so shalt thou put away evil from Israel. — both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; they were both to die, and to die the same death.

²³ “If a damsel who is a virgin be betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city and lie with her, — and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; with her consent, as might be presumed by her not crying out,

²⁴ then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones, that they die — the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city, and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbor’s wife; so thou shalt put away evil from among you.

— the damsel because she cried not, being in the city, and the man because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife; as she was by espousal, by contract, by promise, and so was guilty of adultery, which was punishable with death: so thou shall put away evil from among you;

²⁵ “But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her and lie with her, then the man only that lay with her shall die. — he being guilty of rape;

²⁶ But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death. For as when a man riseth against his neighbor and slayeth him, even so is this matter;

— and a man force her, and lie with her; or “take fast and strong hold on her” (b); so that she is not able to get out of his hands, and make her escape; then the man only that lay with her shall die; he being guilty of rape;

²⁷ for he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her. — for he found her in the field; from which it might he presumed that she was forced, and did not consent;

²⁸ “If a man find a damsel who is a virgin who is not betrothed, and lay hold on her and lie with her, and they be found, — and lay hold on her, and lie with her, she yielding to it, and so is not expressive of a rape;

²⁹ then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days. — and she shall be his wife; if her father and she agreed to it; and in such a case the man was not at his liberty to refuse;

³⁰ “A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor uncover his father’s skirt. — a man shall not take his father’s wife; not marry her, or any other incestuous relationship with her, whether his own mother, or a stepmother.

Posted in Books of Moses

Deuteronomy 19

¹ “When the Lord thy God hath cut off the nations whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them and dwellest in their cities and in their houses, — the Lord thy God giveth thee; the seven nations of the land of Canaan, whose destruction was of the Lord for their sins, and whose land was a gift to the children of Israel;

— and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses; should possess their land in their stead, by virtue of the gift of it to them by the Lord, and inhabit their cities and houses built by them.

² thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it. — thou shalt separate three cities for thee; there were to be six cities of refuge in all, but Moses had already appointed three on that side of Jordan where they now were;

— three were before ordered to be separated from those inhabited by the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, Deuteronomy 4:41: namely, Bezer, Ramoth-Gilead and Golan.

³ Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the borders of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither. — thou shalt prepare thee a way; the roads leading to them were to be kept in good condition and the brooks or rivers to be spanned by good bridges;

— divide the coasts of thy land; into three parts, the whole extent of the country from the south to the north. The three cities on each side of Jordan were opposite to each other, “as two rows of vines in a vineyard.”

⁴ “And this is the case of the slayer who shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbor ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past—

— and this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live; it was not any slayer that might have protection in these cities, but such who were thus and thus circumstanced, or whose case was as whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly; without intention, as the Targum of Jonathan, did not design it, but was done by him unintentional;

⁵ as when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve and lighteth upon his neighbor, so that he die — he shall flee unto one of those cities and live,

— he shall flee unto one of these cities, and live; be safe and secure from the avenger of blood; such an one might have the benefit of one of these cities;

⁶ lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer while his heart is hot and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him, whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.

— and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; wherefore it was proper that everything should be done to make the way to these cities as easy and as short as it could be;

⁷ Therefore I command thee, saying, ‘Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.’ — thou shalt separate three cities for thee; this was to be done as soon as they were settled in the land of Canaan, and established these cities as soon as when the inhabitants were cut off, or driven out, or however subdued.

⁸ And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which He promised to give unto thy fathers, — and if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast; three additional sanctuaries were to be established in the event of their territory extending over the country from Hermon and Gilead to the Euphrates (Genesis 15:18; Exodus 23:31).

⁹ if thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day — to love the Lord thy God and to walk ever in His ways — then shalt thou add three cities more for thee besides these three,

— and then shall thou add three cities more besides these three; three more in the land of Canaan, besides the three now ordered to be separated in it;

¹⁰ that innocent blood be not shed in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. — that innocent blood be not shed; as it would be if such a slayer as before described was killed by the avenger of blood, before he could get to one of these cities of refuge;

¹¹ “But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him and smite him mortally, so that he die, and he fleeth into one of these cities,

— and lie in wait for him knowing and expecting he will come by in such a way at such a time; and rise up against him; out of the place where he lay in wait, just at the time he is passing by;

¹² then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.

— then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence; the Targum of Jonathan says, “the wise men of his city,” appointed by the Sanhedrin, or court of judicature, or at least the civil magistrates of that city, to which such a murderer belonged, had a power to send to the city of refuge whither he was fled;

— that he may die; that is, after the examination and trial of him, and when he is found guilty, and sentence is passed upon him, then he was to be delivered into the hands of the avenger of blood, to be the executioner of that sentence.

¹³ Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee. — thine eye shall not pity him; this is the elders, judges, and civil magistrates of the city to which he belonged, who is not to be supposed to have any pity or compassion on such a criminal;

¹⁴ “Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor’s landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.

— it is the will of God that every one should know his own; which they of old have set in thine inheritance; and not to injure a man’s property, and alienate his lands to the use of another;

¹⁵ “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth. By the mouth of two witnesses or by the mouth of three witnesses shall the matter be established. — at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established; either for acquittance or condemnation;

¹⁶ If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong, — if a false witness rise up against any man; in a court of judicature;

¹⁷ then both the men involved in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who shall be in those days; — before the priests and the judges which shall be in those days; which shall compose the Sanhedrin, or court of judicature;

¹⁸ and the judges shall make diligent inquisition. And behold, if the witness be a false witness and hath testified falsely against his brother, — and the judges shall make diligent inquisition; into the case before them, into the nature of the evidence and proof that each witness brings for or against; so the Targum of Jonathan, “the judges shall interrogate the witnesses of their times fairly;”

¹⁹ then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his brother; so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. — then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his brother; inflict the same fine or punishment on him he thought to have brought his brother under by his false testimony of him;

— whether any pecuniary fine, or whipping and scourging, or the loss of a member, or the value of it, or death itself; whether stoning, strangling, burning, or to be slain by the sword;

— so shalt thou put the evil away from among you; the evil man that bears a false testimony of his brother, or the guilt of sin which would be incurred by conniving at him.

²⁰ And those who remain shall hear and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. — and those which remain shall hear, and fear; those which survive the false witness shall hear of the punishment inflicted on him, and fear to commit the like sin, lest they should be punished in like manner.

²¹ And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. — and thine eye shall not pity; the false witness when convicted; this is directed to the judges, who should not spare such an one through favour or affection, but pronounce a righteous sentence on him, and see it executed, in proportion to the crime;

— eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot; that is, the price of an eye an eye; practically, however, a pecuniary compensation might be accepted for the offence.

Deuteronomy 20

¹ “When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses and chariots and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them; for the Lord thy God is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

— when thou goest out to battle against thine enemies; the land of Canaan being to be gained by conquest, in a war of God’s special appointment; and the Israelites, after their settlement in it, being likely to be exposed to invasions from, or quarrels with the neighbouring nations;

— which brought thee out of the land of Egypt; who were reminded for the encouragement of their faith and confidence in him; for he that did that for them, what is it he cannot or will not do?

² And it shall be, when ye have come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, — the priest; not the high priest, but one appointed for that purpose, and called “the anointed of the war” hence, perhaps the expression of Jeremiah 6:4, “prepare ye war”

— they appoint a priest to speak to the people at the time of war, and they anoint him with the anointing oil, and he is called the anointed of war; twice the anointed of war speaks unto the people;

³ and shall say unto them, ‘Hear, O Israel: Ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies. Let not your hearts faint; fear not and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; — Let not your hearts faint, fear not; but the opposite could also be true:

“for they will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods. So will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you and destroy thee suddenly” Deuteronomy 7:4

⁴ For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. — a reassurance of a promise made to Abraham from Genesis:

“I am thy shield! Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates” Genesis 15

⁵ And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, ‘What man is there who hath built a new house and hath not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.

— what man is there; these questions show that, primarily, all Israelites of military age (20 to 50) were expected to attend the muster; then those who were unprepared for the campaign were suffered to depart;

⁶ And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard and hath not yet eaten of it? Let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle and another man eat of it. — what man is there; this and the following exceptions are to be understood only of a war allowed by God;

⁷ And what man is there who hath betrothed a wife and hath not taken her? Let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.’

— lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it; as the Targum of Jonathan says, “let him go and return to his house, lest sin prevent him from rejoicing with his wife and he be slain in the battle, and another take her.”

⁸ And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, ‘What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.’

— these cases were founded on the principle that a man’s heart being deeply engrossed by something at a distance, he would not be very enthusiastic in the public service; thus God also provides even for men’s infirmities;

— let him go and return to his house; lest, by his pale looks and trembling joints, his fainting fits and swoons, he discourage the rest in the same company with him, and by his example make them unfit for war also.

⁹ And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people. — that they shall make captains of armies to lead on the people; on to battle; that is, either the officers should do this, that they might be generals of the army, who constituted captains under them, to lead the people on to battle;

¹⁰ “When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. — when thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it; this is to be understood of an arbitrary war, which they engaged in of themselves, or were provoked to by their enemies; which was their own choice, and according to their own will and pleasure;

¹¹ And it shall be, if it make thee an answer of peace and open unto thee, then it shall be that all the people who are found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee. — shall be tributaries unto thee: pay a yearly tax imposed upon them, as the Moabites sometimes did, and which was paid in lambs and rams with the wool, II Kings 3:4

— and they shall serve thee; be in continual bondage and servitude; and upon occasion be called out to any public service, as joining them against their enemies, rebuilding or repairing palaces, cities, or walls of cities, and the like; and in general acknowledge their dominion over them by paying an annual tribute, or sending gifts unto them; thus the Moabites, Syrians, and Edomites, became the servants of David, II Samuel 8:2.

¹² And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it. — and if it will make no peace with thee; will not accept of terms of peace offered: but will make war against thee; come out and fight, or prepare to defend themselves: then thou shall besiege it; surround and block it up on all sides with their forces;

¹³ And when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword. — thou shall smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword; the men in it, grown persons, as distinguished from little ones; because it was owing to these it was not surrendered at once, when terms of peace were offered;

¹⁴ But the women and the little ones, and the cattle and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies which the Lord thy God hath given thee.

— but the women, the little ones, and the cattle; these were to be spared; women, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shall thou take unto thyself; gold, silver, merchandise, household goods, utensils in trade, and whatever was of any worth and value to be found in their houses;

— and thou shall eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given thee; that is, enjoy all their wealth and riches, estates and possessions; for this is not to be restrained to things eatable only.

¹⁵ Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations. — thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee; as all such were reckoned that were outside the land of Israel, even all in their neighbouring nations, the Moabites, Edomites, Ammonites, Syrians;

— for the children of Israel never went to war with any very distant nations, unless they came unto them and invaded them; nor did they seek to carry their conquests to any great distance, when the most powerful and victorious, as in the days of David and Solomon;

— the Targum of Jonathan says “Thus shall you do to all cities that are remote from you, which are not of the cities of these seven nations;” the seven nations of the land of Canaan; all that were not of them were accounted foreign cities, and at a distance.

¹⁶ But of the cities of these people which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth, — but of the cities of those people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance; the cities of the seven nations, six of which are mentioned by name in the next verse:

— thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth; the reason of this severity was because of their wickedness, the capital crimes and gross abominations they were guilty of, when the measure of their iniquities was full, plus others such as idolatry, incest, witchcraft, soothsaying, and necromancy; for which they reserved total destruction;

¹⁷ but thou shalt utterly destroy them, namely: the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, — forbearance, however, was not to be shown toward these Canaanite nations, who were to be utterly exterminated;

¹⁸ that they teach you not to do according to all their abominations which they have done unto their gods, so ye should sin against the Lord your God.

— that they teach you not to do after all their abominations; this is another reason why they were to be utterly destroyed, not only because of the abominations which they committed, but to prevent the Israelites being taught by them to do the same;

¹⁹ “When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an ax against them, for thou mayest eat of them; and thou shalt not cut them down to employ them in the seige, for the tree of the field is man’s life.

— the trees thereof; the fruit trees, as appears from the following words; not of the cutting down of all, but only some of them, as the conveniency of the siege might require; for the tree of the field is man’s life; by the fruit of which, among other things, his life is supported and maintained;

²⁰ Only the trees which thou knowest are not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.

— if only the trees which thou knowest that they are not trees for eating, these trees do not bear edible fruits, then mayest thou hew them down;

— and thou shall build bulwarks against the city that maketh war; build bulwarks of the trees cut down, and raise batteries with them, or make machines and weapons from their wood, to cast stones into the city to annoy the inhabitants of it, in order to make them surrender, until they are totally subdued.

Posted in Books of Moses

Deuteronomy 17

¹ “Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the Lord thy God any bullock or sheep wherein is blemish or any evilfavoredness, for that is an abomination unto the Lord thy God. — thou shalt not sacrifice; any bullock, or sheep, which is blemish;

— having spoken of the principal services and offerings prescribed in the law for preventing the Israelites from idolatrous practices, Moses interposes a caution against neglect in their own worship of God; which might be committed by offering any beast to him that had a disease, blemish, or defect in it;

— the only time mentioned in the Scriptures when the sacrifice of imperfect creatures is complained of to any great extent is the time of the prophet Malachi (Malachi 1:7-14). The laxity of the priests in his time called forth the prophecy that “in every place incense should be offered to God’s name and a pure offering.”

² “If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, man or woman who hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord thy God in transgressing His covenant, — who hath wrought wickedness; a man or a woman who does evil; doing what is wrong in God’s eyes, breaking his covenant;

— in transgressing his covenant; that is, his law, and particularly the table of the commands, which respects divine worship, and which is in the nature of a marriage contract or covenant; which, as that is transgressed by adultery committed by either party, so the covenant between God and Israel was transgressed by idolatry;

³ and hath gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded, — the host of heaven; either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven; which I have not commanded; to do would be an abomination to the Lord; —

⁴ and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it and inquired diligently, and behold, it be true and the thing certain that such abomination is wrought in Israel,

⁵ then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman who has committed that wicked thing unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones till they die. — and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and inquired diligently; a report of this kind was not to be neglected; though it was not to be concluded upon as certain by hearsay,

— it was to be looked into, within the gates of the Sanhedrin and the persons that brought it thoroughly examined; so the Targum of Jonathan says, “and inquired the witnesses fairly,” what proof and evidence they could give of the fact, who the persons were, when and where, and in what manner the sin was committed;

⁶ At the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death, but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

— at the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; the idolater found guilty was to be stoned; two witnesses were sufficient to prove a fact, if three the better, but, on the testimony of one, sentence might not be pronounced.

⁷ The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you. — the hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death; of everyone of them; they were to cast the first stone at him;

— so thou shall put the evil away from among you; both the evil man and the evil committed by him, which by this means would be prevented from spreading, seeing by his death others would be deterred from following his example;

⁸ “If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates, then shalt thou arise and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose,

— too hard for thee; he speaks to the lower-ranked magistrates, who were erected in outlying cities, as appears by those at Jerusalem. If, saith he, no the necessary or confidence to determine so weighty and difficult a cause;

— between blood and blood, that is, in capital causes in matter of bloodshed, whether it be wilful or casual murder, whether punishable or pardonable by those laws;

— between plea and plea; in civil causes or suits between plaintiffs and defendants to decide which is in the right and which is in the wrong; or about words, contracts or estates; whether in capital or pecuniary cases; it chiefly if not solely respects civil things in controversy;

— and between stroke and stroke; blow or wound which one man received from another, and for which he commences a suit of law upon it, Exodus 21:18 or for assault of blows and bruises;

⁹ and thou shalt come unto the priests, the Levites, and unto the judge who shall be in those days, and inquire; and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment. — unto the priests; that is, unto the great council, which consisted chiefly of the priests and Levites, as being the best expositors of the laws of God, by which all those controversies were to be decided;

— by judges, here, seems to be meant those supreme judges of the nation, whom God raised up when the Israelites were oppressed by their enemies, such as Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, Samuel: such judges were, by their office, invested with the highest authority, civil as well as military;

— the Sanhedrin, the Supreme court, Deuteronomy 17:9, consisted partly of priests, and partly of wise and learned persons of other tribes, is referred to in very general terms as sitting similarily as Jerusalem at “the place which the Lord thy God shall choose,” the Sanctuary Deuteronomy 17:8

¹⁰ And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall show thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee.

— and thou shalt do according to the sentence which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall show thee; the judges of the lower courts were to return and proceed on the difficult case according to the judgment of the highest court at Jerusalem, and follow the directions and instructions they should give them;

— and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee; not only observe and take notice of what they say, but put it in practice, and not in some things and some circumstances only, but in all and everything they should give them information about relating to the case in question.

¹¹ According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do. Thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall show thee to the right hand nor to the left.

— according to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee; for they were not to make any new law, but to teach the law of God, and so far as their sense and opinion of things agreed with that law they were to be regarded;

— and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; what were law and justice, what were fit and right to be done, according to the will of God, which they should declare unto them, that was carefully to be done by them;

— thou shalt not decline from the sentence they shall show thee, to the right hand nor to the left; by setting up after, all their own judgments against theirs to whom they had applied for information and direction, which to have done would have been very insolent and affronting;

¹² And the man who will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest who standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die; and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. — who will do presumptuously, he who will acted proudly and obstinately oppose the sentence given against him;

— even that man shall die; and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel; the Targum of Jonathan affirms “that man shall be put to death; so shalt you put down the doer of evil from Israel,”

¹³ And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously. — and all the people shall hear, and fear; all the people of Israel in their own cities, and particularly the judges in those cities;

— they shall hear of what is done to the obstinate and disobedient elder, and shall be afraid to commit the like offence, lest they should come into the same punishment.

¹⁴ “When thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are about me,’ — this is a pophecy; and thou shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are round about me;

— which was what would and did lead them to such a thought and resolution; observing that the neighbouring nations had kings over them, they were desirous of being like them as to the form of their civil government, and have a king as they had.

¹⁵ thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee whom the Lord thy God shall choose. One from among thy brethren shalt thou set as king over thee; thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, who is not thy brother.

— whom the Lord thy God shall choose; approve of, or appoint. So it was in Saul and David ny annointing. God reserved to himself the nomination both of the family and of the person.

¹⁶ But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to the end that he should multiply horses, forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, ‘Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.’

— horses were not anciently used for purposes of agriculture or traveling, but ordinarily for war and as a symbol and embodiment strength and might;

¹⁷ Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away; neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. — neither shall he multiply wives to himself; as Solomon’s did; as well as the manner of other kings were, contrary to the design of God from the beginning.

¹⁸ “And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book from that which is before the priests the Levites. — upon the throne of his kingdom; when he is settled on it, and is even amidst all the pomp and glory of it: he shall write with his own hand; out of that which is before the priests;

— out of that original, which was carefully kept by the priests in the sanctuary, that it might be a perfect copy, and that it might have the greater influence upon him, coming to him as from the hand and presence of God. He shall read therein; diligently and constantly: neither the greatness of his place, nor the weight and multitude of his business, shall excuse or hinder him; all the days of his life;

— it is not enough to have Bibles, but we must use them, yea, use them daily. Our souls must have constant meals of that manna, which, if well digested, will afford them true nourishment and strength.

¹⁹ And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them, — and it shall be with him; always, when at home or abroad, sitting on his throne or lying down, or wherever he went;

— and he shall read therein all the days of his life; every day of his life; meditate on it night and day, that he may learn to, fear the Lord his God; to serve and worship him both internally and externally; having the fear of God always before his eyes, and on his heart, which the holy law of God directs to and instructs in;

— to keep all the words of this law, and these statutes, to do them; not only such as concerned him as a king, but all others that concerned him as a man, a creature subject to the Lord,

²⁰ that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.

— that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren; on account of his office, the dignity of it, considering that he was subject to the law of God, and accountable to the Lord for all his actions;

— and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand or to the left; not in the least deviate from the law of God in the whole of his conduct, and particularly in the exercise of his kingly office;

— he and his children in the midst of Israel; this shows, that if his son was fit for the kingdom, he was to be preferred to any other man; for though it was elective, yet to be continued in the same family, provided they walked in the ways of the Lord, and observed his laws.

Deuteronomy 18

¹ “The priests, the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and His inheritance.

— the priests, the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi; this is the office of the priests and the Levites: they are said, “to stand before the congregation to minister unto them” (Numbers 16:9); in the Sanctuary and throughout their cities;

² Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren; the Lord is their inheritance, as He hath said unto them.

— therefore shall they have none inheritance among their brethren; neither of the field, nor of the vineyard, because provision was made for them otherwise, and especially because the Lord is their inheritance;

³ “And this shall be the priest’s due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the maw. — and this shall be the priest’s due from the people, from them that offer sacrifice; not from the priests, but from those that bring the sacrifices to the priests;

— and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw; the first of these designs the upper part of the arm that joins to the neck and back, and the next the two cheeks with the tongue.

⁴ The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him. — and the first of the fleece of thy sheep shall thou give him: and they give white wool, and not defiled, enough to make it into fine garment to minister in; or enough garment fit for a priest to minister in is a girdle.

⁵ For the Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever.

⁶ “And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the Lord shall choose, — and if a Levite come; the Levites with the priests were to receive forty-eight cities in Israel, with the suburbs, Numbers 35:7

— for the Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes; that is, has chosen the tribe of Levi out of all the other tribes of Israel;

⁷ then he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God as all his brethren the Levites do, who stand there before the Lord. — then he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as every priest and every sacrifice were: he was to be allowed to officiate, though it was not his course or turn.

⁸ They shall have like portions to eat, besides that which cometh from the sale of his patrimony. — they shall have like portions to eat, beside that; the Levite thus dedicated was to have the same allowance from tithes as the rest who served at the tabernacle;

— beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony; though he have an estate whereby he may subsist raised by the sale of his flock or herd, or other movables, yet you shall not upon this ground either deny or diminish their part of your share of maintenance.

⁹ “When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations.

— thou shall not learn to do after the abominations of these nations; the seven nations which before inhabited it; they might learn to know how corrupt their works were, and to show to their children, that they might not do so.

¹⁰ There shall not be found among you any one who maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or who useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, — there shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, see Leviticus 18:21

¹¹ or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. — necromancer; or a necromancer that inquiries of the dead, or seeks instruction from them, as the Targum of Jerusalem; as Saul did: 1 Samuel 28:8, Isaiah 8:19

— four of the above practices are ascribed to king Manasseh in II Chronicles 33:6. It is hardly possible that all of them were mere imposture and deceit.

¹² For all who do these things are an abomination unto the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

— thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations; that whoever does any of them, including the Israelites themselves, all such persons shall be removed from their land; and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee; —

¹³ Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God. — thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God; the Israelites being wholly his, seeking him and cleaving to him, and to his word alone, faithfully adhere to his word, laws, statutes, and ordinances, and walk uprightly before him; and therefore abhorring all commerce and conversations with devils.

¹⁴ For these nations which thou shalt possess hearkened unto observers of times and unto diviners; but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. — though the heathen whom they exterminated before them hearkened to conjurers and soothsayers, the Lord their God had not allowed anything of the kind to them.

¹⁵ “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, from thy brethren, like unto me. Unto Him ye shall hearken, — the Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet; namely, Him of whom Peter spoke in Acts 3:22-26. “Unto you first; God, having raised up His son Jesus, sent Him to bless you,”

¹⁶ according to all that thou desired of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.’

— according to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God at Horeb; this was promised them, in answer to their request at Horeb or Mount Sinai, when the law was delivered to them in the terrible manner it was;

— saying, let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God; which was attended with so much terror, that they that heard entreated the word might not be spoken to them any more; neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not; out of which the Lord spoke; the congregation of Israel is here represented speaking as if a single person.

¹⁷ And the Lord said unto me: ‘They have well spoken that which they have spoken. — they have spoken in the name of the Lord, for the purpose of enforcing obedience with all the greater emphasis.

¹⁸ I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him. — here was the Father, promising concerning Christ, that there should come a Prophet, that his Son, great above all the prophets;

— and I, the Father, will put my word in his mouth; the doctrines of the Gospel, which come from the Father, and are the words of truth, faith, righteousness, peace, pardon, life, and salvation; and which Christ says were not his own, as man and Mediator, but his Father’s, which he gave unto him, and put into his mouth;

¹⁹ And it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which He shall speak in My name, I will require it of him.

— whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him; the direful consequences of unbelief in his Son, the Christ, and disregard of his mission, the Jewish people have been experiencing during eighteen hundred years of exiles;

— I will require it of him; or, as the Targum of Jonathan says, “my Word shall require it of him, or take vengeance on him;” as Christ the Word of God did in the destruction of the Jewish nation, city, and even the Temple; see Luke 19:27.

²⁰ But the prophet who shall presume to speak a word in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or who shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.’ — but the prophet which shall presume to speak in my name; pretending a mission and commission from God, and yet was never sent by him, like the false prophets in Jeremiah 23:21,

— the Targum of Jonathan says:

But the false prophet who doeth wickedly in speaking a thing in My Name, when I have not commanded him to speak, or who shall speak in the name of the gods of the Gentiles, that prophet shall be slain with the sword.

²¹ And if thou say in thine heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?’ — that is, how shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? What marks, signs, and criterions are those by which it may be known that it is not a word that comes from the Lord?

²² when a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously; thou shalt not be afraid of him. — if the thing follow not; which he gives as a sign of the truth of his prophecy. He means the prediction of some strange and wonderful event, and doesn’t come true;

— the Lord hath not spoken: the falsehood of his prediction shows him to be a false prophet, though the truth and accomplishment of his prediction had not proved him to be a true prophet; presumptuously; impudently ascribing his own vain and lying fancies to be the God of truth;

— thou shall not be afraid of him; not only to reprove him for his wickedness, but also to punish him for it; showing no regard to the high character he assumes; we should not be afraid of his predictions or threats, so as to be scared from doing thy duty in bringing him to deserved punishment.

Posted in Books of Moses

Deuteronomy 15

¹ “At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. — at the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release; the Law in this place is an extension of that which we find in Exodus 21:2, and Leviticus 25:3; there was to be a freeing of Hebrew slaves and a Sabbath for the land in the seventh year, applicable to all the Israelites.

² And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor who lendeth aught unto his neighbor shall release it. He shall not exact it from his neighbor or from his brother, because it is called the Lord’S release. — a release of debts, every poor Israelite who had borrowed money, and had not been able to pay it before, should this year be released from it;

— the Targum of Jonathan says as a son of Israel, “because the house of judgment, or the Sanhedrin, proclaimed it a release before the Lord.”

³ From a foreigner thou mayest exact it again; but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release, — a foreigner would not be bound by the restriction of the Sabbatical year, and therefore would have no claim to its special remissions and privileges;

⁴ save when there shall be no poor among you. For the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, — to the end that there be no poor among you; and so they contain a reason of this law; namely, that none be empoverished and ruined by a rigid exaction of debts.

⁵ only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day. — to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day; a phrase often used to put them in mind of the commands of God, and the necessity of keeping them, their happiness depending thereon.

⁶ For the Lord thy God blesseth thee as He promised thee; and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.

— and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shall not borrow; signifying they should be so rich and increased in goods, and worldly substance, that they should be able to lend to their neighbouring nations round about, but should stand in no need of borrowing of any of them;

— and thou shalt reign over many nations: which was fulfilled in the times of David and Solomon: but they shall not reign over thee; that is, as long as they observed the commands of God; otherwise, when they did not, they were carried captive into other countries, and other people reigned over them, as at this day.

⁷ “If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother; — within any of thy gates; a native of the land was to be preferred to a foreigner, and the poor of a city to which a man belonged, to the poor of another city;

⁸ but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth. — and shalt surely lend him, to any within thy gates; sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth;

⁹ Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother and thou givest him nought, and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee.

— be warned that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, and thine eye be evil against thy brother, and thou give him nought, especially on the seventh year, the year of release;

¹⁰ Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him, because for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto;

— thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him, that is, thou shalt give not only with an open hand, but with a willing and cheerful mind and heart;

— from MSG

Give freely and spontaneously. Don’t have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God’s, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures.

There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors. Deuteronomy 15:9-11

¹¹ for the poor shall never cease out of the land. Therefore I command thee, saying: ‘Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy in thy land.’ — for the poor shall never cease out of the land; there would be always such objects to exercise their charity and beneficence towards those obedient to the laws of God;

¹² “And if thy brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee and serve thee six years, then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. — and serve thee six years; the term of servitude could not last beyond six years;

¹³ And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty. — thou shalt not let him go away empty; a seasonable provision for enabling a poor and unfortunate to regain his original status in society;

¹⁴ Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock and out of thy floor and out of thy wine press. From that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, thou shalt give unto him.

— thou shalt furnish him liberally; not only to supply his present wants, but for his future use; give him as much as he can carry, and well stand up under;

— out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress; with sheep or lambs out of the flock, with corn out of the floor, wheat, or barley, or both, and wine out of the winepress; which take in all the necessaries of life;

¹⁵ And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing today.

— and thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt; where they were bullied, and their lives were made bitter in hard bondage; and therefore should show the greater compassion to others;

¹⁶ And it shall be, if he say unto thee, ‘I will not go away from thee,’ because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee, — it might happen, however, that the slave chose rather to remain with his master than to be freed; and in that case he was not to be forced to go free, which would be a hardship to him;

¹⁷ then thou shalt take an awl and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise. — but in this case, by a formal process of nailing his ear to the door of his master’s house, constituted him to be his slave for life;

¹⁸ It shall not seem hard unto thee when thou sendest him away free from thee, for he hath been worth a double hired servant to thee in serving thee six years; and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest. — and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thou doest; thus well using thy servants, whether menservants or maidservants.

¹⁹ “All the firstling males that come from thy herd and from thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the Lord thy God; thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep.

— thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock: as to plough or tread out the corn with it, which were done with other heifers; nor shear the firstling of thy sheep; nor was the wool shorn of it to be made use of;

²⁰ Thou shalt eat it before the Lord thy God year by year inthe place which the Lord shall choose, thou and thy household. — but in the place which the Lord shall choose, which was the city of Jerusalem;

²¹ And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame or blind or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the Lord thy God. — any ill blemish: thou shall not sacrifice it unto the Lord thy God; blemishes in any beast made it unfit for sacrifices which were required;

²² Thou shalt eat it within thy gates; the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck and as the hart. — any ill blemish, thou shalt eat it within thy gates; the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck and as the hart, though these might not be sacrificed.

²³ Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water. — only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; of the firstling: but thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water.

Deuteronomy 16

¹ “Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto the Lord thy God; for in the month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. — the laws for the three yearly feasts are here repeated; that of the Passover, that of the Pentecost, that of Tabernacles;

— observe the month of Abib; this name, belonging to the early agricultural calendar, was replaced after the Exile by the name Nisan of the later priestly calendar, in which it was the first month;

² Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the Passover unto the Lord thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the Lord shall choose to place His name there. — thou shalt sacrifice the passover; strictly so called, this was the paschal lamb; the feast of the Passover, which lasted seven days;

— the sheep (of the flock) and oxen (of the herd) here mentioned were additional sacrifices which were to be offered in the seven days of the paschal solemnity; the Targum of Jonathan says “the sheep and the bullocks”

— if this is only a reference for the Passover proper, it would only be of the flock only, that is, one from the sheep; and none from the herd; but the herd is mentioned, hence this is a reference to a composite feast, the feast of the Passover, which lasted seven days;

— and this composite Passover festival is described with more details in Numbers 28

“‘And on the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover of the Lord.
“And on the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
“On the first day shall be a holy convocation. Ye shall do no manner of servile work therein,
“but ye shall offer a sacrifice made by fire for a burnt offering unto the Lord: two young bullocks, and one ram, and seven lambs of the first year. They shall be unto you without blemish.” Numbers 28:16-19

³ Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it. Seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste, that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

— the bread of affliction, that is, bread which is not usual nor pleasant, but unsavoury, heavy and lumpish, to put thee in mind both of thy miseries endured in Egypt;

⁴ And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy borders seven days, neither shall there anything of the flesh, which thou sacrificed the first day at evening, remain all night until the morning.

— neither shall there be anything of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning; which may be understood both of the flesh of the passover lamb;

— at the start of “the first day at even” no leavened bread shall be seen; hence unleavened bread starts on the fourteenth, at even; again proving this feast of the Passover is a composite fesitival;

⁵ Thou mayest not sacrifice the Passover within any of thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee; — not within any of thy gates, that is, within any of thy cities; but as the Targum of Jonathan says “in the place which the Lord your God will choose to make His Shekinah to dwell,”

⁶ but at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place His name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the Passover at evening, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. — the Passover at evening (bā·‘ā·reḇ)and only in the city of Jerusalem were God had ultimately chosen;

⁷ And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, and thou shalt turn in the morning and go unto thy tents. — and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents; the were commanded to stay and keep the feast of Passover at Jerusalem, where most would be staying in tents;

⁸ Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord thy God. Thou shalt do no work therein.

— the Targum of Jonathan says, on the first day ye shall offer the sheaf (the firstfruits of the old corn), and for the six days which remain ye shall begin to eat the unleavened bread of the new corn; or unleavened bread of the new fruits;

⁹ “Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. — begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn;

— for the sheaf of the wave offering, as the first fruits of barley harvest, which was done on the morrow after the sabbath; Q is, which Sabbath?

— the Targum of Jonathen makes it clear in Leviticus 23

And he shall uplift the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for you. AFTER THE FIRST FESTAL DAY OF PASCHA (OR, THE DAY AFTER THE FEAST‑DAY OF PASCHA) on the day on which you elevate the sheaf, you shall make (the sacrifice of a lamb of the year, unblemished a burnt offering unto the Name of the Lord . . . 15 and number to you AFTER THE FIRST FEAST DAY OF PASCHA . .  .  (Leviticus 23:11-15, Targum)

— false prophets abound, the Samaritan “Jews” and the latter-day Samaritan “Christians,” who follow the former, interprete this differently: that the Sabbath to start the count is the weekly Sabbath;

¹⁰ And thou shalt keep the Feast of Weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.

— and thou shall keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God; the feast of Pentecost, at which time the Spirit was poured down upon the apostles in Jerusalem, Acts 2:5

— similarily, the Samaritan “Jews,” who kept their Pentecost at Mount Gerizim; and the latter-day Samaritan “Christians,” who also keep it on a different day, if they keep it, were not in Jerusalem to receive the holy spirit on the Day appointed; Period.

¹¹ And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God — thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite who is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are among you — in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place His name there.

— and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God; make a joyous feast, and keep it cheerfully, in the presence of God, in the place where he resides, thankfully acknowledging all his mercies and favours;

— and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen Jerusalem to place his name there; who should be at Jerusalem at this time.

¹² And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and thou shalt observe and do these statutes. —remember that thou wast a bondman in Egyp, Israel was to keep this feast with sacrificial gifts, which every one was able to bring, according to the extent to which the Lord had blessed him;

¹³ “Thou shalt observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, after thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine; — after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine; and sometimes called the feast of ingathering, Exodus 23:16,

— barley harvest began at the Passover, and wheat harvest at Pentecost; and before the feast of Tabernacles began, the vintage and the gathering of the olives were over, as well as all other summer fruits were got in.

¹⁴ and thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within thy gates.

— and thou shalt rejoice in thy feast; at this feast of tabernacles and ingathering of the fruits of the earth, in token of gratitude and thankfulness for the goodness of God bestowed on them;

— the Targum of Jonathan adds, with the clarinet and the flute, making use of instrumental music to increase the joy on this occasion.

¹⁵ Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose. Because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.

— a solemn feast, yet with rejoicing, with wine and gladness; because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy increase, and in all the works of thine hands; both in the increase of their fields, vineyards, and oliveyards.

¹⁶ Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which He shall choose: in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles. And they shall not appear before the Lord empty; — they must rejoice in their receivings of blessings from God, and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed;

¹⁷ every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which He hath given thee. — every man shall give as he is able; the quantity to be given is not fixed in the law,

— but the wise men appointed it, and it is left by the Lord to the generosity of the people, only giving this general rule, that they should do according to their ability, and as the Lord had prospered them.

¹⁸ “Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes; and they shall judge the people with just judgment. — judges and officers shall thou make thee; judges were fixed in the Sanhedrin, or court of judicature;

— officers are masters of the staff and whip, and they stand before the judges; they go into markets, streets, and shops, to order the weights and measures, and to smite all that do wrong; and they carry out any order of the judges;

¹⁹ Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a bribe; for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise and pervert the words of the righteous. — thou shalt not wrest judgment; not give a forced and unjust sentence

— thou shalt not respect persons; not give sentence according to the quality of the person, his riches or poverty, friendship or enmity, but according to the justice of the cause. A gift doth blind the eyes of the wise; biases his mind, that he cannot discern between right and wrong; and pervert the words of the righteous;

— that is, the sentence of those judges who are inclined and used to do righteous things, and have the reputation of being righteous men; it makes them give a wrong judgment.

²⁰ That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. — that which is altogether just; that which had been gathered together, with righteousness; nothing but righteousness in all causes and times, and to all persons equally, shall thou follow.

²¹ “Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God which thou shalt make thee. — thou shall not plant thee a grove of any trees; of any sort of trees, as oaks or any other; not but that it was lawful to plant trees and groves of them, but not for a religious or idolatrous use;

— near unto the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou shalt make thee; as the heathens did near their altars, lest it should be thought to be done for a like superstitious and idolatrous use;

²² Neither shalt thou set thee up any image, which the Lord thy God hateth. — neither shalt thou set up any image; graven or molten, of man, beast, fish, or fowl; the word signifies a “statue or pillar” which was set up for idolatry.

Posted in Books of Moses

Deuteronomy 13

¹ “If there arise among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, — if there arise among you a prophet; a false prophet, a lying prophet, as the Targum of Jonathan says; one that pretends to be a true prophet, and to be sent of God, and to come from him with a message from him, a new revelation or doctrine, or in his name, to foretell things to come;

— Moses, foreseeing how liable the Israelites would be to be deluded by false prophets, who, under pretence of divine revelations, or communications of divine power, while indeed they were assisted by no other than wicked and infernal spirits, might foretel some future events;

— or work some wondrous and unaccountable things as demonstrations of their false doctrine, and thereby persuade others to join in their idolatrous worship, here proceeds to show how such pretenders to divine inspiration might be known, and lays down a law, according to which they were to be dealt with.

² and the sign or the wonder come to pass whereof he spoke unto thee, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods which thou hast not known, and let us serve them,’ — and the sign or wonder come to pass; God permitting Satan or his agents to do what is above the ordinary course of nature for thy trial. Saying, Let us go after other gods;

³ thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. — when such a sign or wonder foretold did not follow or come to pass, it was a sign of a false prophet, as is said, Deuteronomy 18:22,

— yet when it did come to pass, it was no sufficient or infallible sign of a true one, especially in such a case when he brings in new gods.

⁴ Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and ye shall serve Him and cleave unto Him. — to fear the Lord thy God; to fear him with a filial fear, and to keep his commandments, his statutes; all the ten commandments, the feasts and all others, and obey his voice;

⁵ And that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

— and that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; whose death, according to the Targum of Jonathan, was to be slain with the sword;

— so shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee; the evil man, by putting him to death, and the evil of idolatry, by not listening to the words of the false prophet.

⁶ “If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend who is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers

— if thy brother; the substance of this law is that individual idolaters, any relatives, however close, entice thee secretly, might be executed, putting the evil away from the midst of Israel.

⁷ (namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth), — of the gods of the people which are round about you; as of the Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites and Phoenicians;

⁸ thou shalt not consent unto him nor hearken unto him, neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him; — neither shalt thou conceal him; that is, smother his fault, hide or protect his person; but shalt accuse him to the magistrate, and demand justice upon him;

⁹ but thou shalt surely kill him. Thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. — but thou shalt surely kill him; not privately and secretly, when and where he entices, nor the enticed himself by his own authority,

— but after being examined, judged, and condemned by the civil magistrate; and none might judge a false prophet but the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem; and afterwards the hand of all the people; this shows that the person enticed had not a right to kill the enticer, without a judicial process, and the order of the civil magistrate.

¹⁰ And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die, because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. — and thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; it was not sufficient to answer the end of the law to cast a few stones at him, but he was to be stoned to death;

¹¹ And all Israel shall hear and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you. — and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you; either to entice unto idolatry or commit it; which is a piece of wickedness against the first table of the law.

¹² “If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the Lord thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying, — if thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities; a report concerning them, anyone of them;

¹³ ‘Certain men, the children of Belial, have gone out from among you and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods,” which ye have not known,’ — certain men, the children of Belial; lawless, designing demagogues (Judges 19:22; 1Samuel 1:16; 25:25), who abused their influence to withdraw the inhabitants of the city to idol-worship;

¹⁴ then shalt thou inquire, and make a search and ask diligently; and behold, if it be truth and the thing certain that such abomination is wrought among you, — then shalt thou inquire, make search, and ask diligently; that is, of the witnesses, as the Targum of Jonathan says; and this is a case that is only taken into consideration and judged of by the great Sanhedrin at Jerusalem;

¹⁵ thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. — destroying it utterly; the very same punishment which was inflicted upon the cities of the cursed Canaanites, to whom having made themselves equal in sin, it is but fit and just that God should equal them in punishment.

¹⁶ And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city and all the spoil thereof every whit for the Lord thy God. And it shall be a heap for ever; it shall not be built again. — and shall burn with fire the city, and all the spoil, the booty, thereof every bit; and all this shall be done for the Lord thy God;

¹⁷ And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of His anger, and show thee mercy and have compassion upon thee and multiply thee, as He hath sworn unto thy fathers, — there shall cleave naught of the cursed thing to thine hand; no spoil shall be taken from a city thus solemnly devoted to destruction;

¹⁸ when thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God to keep all His commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord thy God. — when thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God; not only in this case, but in all others; to do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord thy God; which they would do, if they kept the commandments of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 14

¹ “Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not cut yourselves nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. — any baldness between your eyes; apparently, “on your foreheads.” The word for baldness in this place is generally used for baldness on the back of the head;

— Rashi: You shall neither cut yourselves: Do not make cuts and incisions in your flesh [to mourn] for the dead, in the manner that the Amorites do, because you are the children of the Omnipresent and it is appropriate for you to be handsome and not to be cut or have your hair torn out.

— Rashi: [nor make any baldness] between your eyes: [i.e.,] near the forehead. Elsewhere, however, it says: “They shall not make their head bald” (Lev. 21: 5), to make the entire head like between the eyes (בֵּין עֵינַיִם) [i.e., one must not make bald spots on any part of the head]. — [Sifrei]

— ye shall not cut yourselves; in any of their flesh in any part of their bodies: tattooing is cutting of the skin, however tiny or however artistic they may be;

² For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself above all the nations that are upon the earth. — thou art a holy people; since you have the honour to be separated to God to be his peculiar treasure, to be his peculiar servants, by laws different from those of all other nations,

³ “Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. — thou shall not eat any abominable thing; that is so either in its own nature, or because forbidden by the Lord; what are such are declared in the following verses:

⁴ These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, — the ox, the sheep and the goat; which were creatures used in sacrifice, and are clean ones, yet nevertheless they might be used for food if chosen;

⁵ the hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. — the hart, the roebuck, and the fallow deer: these are clean animals, but are not generally used for sacrifices;

⁶ And every beast that parteth the hoof and cleaveth the cleft into two claws and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.— and every beast that parted the hoo fand if they chewed the cud,; in this and the two following verses two general rules are given, by which it might be known what beasts were fit for food and what not;

⁷ Nevertheless, these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud or of them that divide the cloven hoof: the camel, and the hare, and the coney; for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you. — but such that only chewed the cud, but did not divide the hoof, as the camel, hare, and coney, might not be eaten; and so if they divided the hoof, and did not chew the cud, as the swine, they were alike unlawful;

⁸ And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcasses. — and they that divided the hoof, but did not chew the cud, as the swine, they were alike unlawful;

⁹ “These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat. — the rule given here, that only those with fins or scales are clean practically rules out eels, lampreys and others, with of course all shellfish;

¹⁰ And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you. — these ye shall eat of, all that are in the waters; the fishes there, even such as have fins and scales, but they that have not were not to be eaten.

¹¹ “Of all clean birds ye shall eat. — of all clean birds ye shall eat; which the Targum of Jonathan describes, everyone that has a vesicle, and whose crop is naked, and has a superfluous talon, and is not rapacious; but such as are unclean are expressed by name in the following verses:

¹² But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and ossifrage, and the osprey, — the eagle, and ossifrage, and the osprey; identified by the baldness of its head and neck; —

¹³ and the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind, —the glede, and the kite, and the vulture; these are closely related to the eagle, and ossifrage, and the osprey; —

¹⁴ and every raven after his kind,

¹⁵ and the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, — these are they of which they shall not eat,

¹⁶ the little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,

¹⁷ and the pelican, and the giereagle, and the cormorant,

¹⁹ And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. — these are they of which they shall not eat,

²⁰ But of all clean fowls ye may eat. — but of all clean fowls ye may eat. Even of all fowls, but those before excepted; the locust, as being a clean fowl, that might be eaten; and so the Targum of Jonathan says “every clean locust ye may eat.”

²¹ “Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself. Thou shalt give it unto the stranger who is in thy gates, that he may eat it, or thou mayest sell it unto an alien; for thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God. “Thou shalt not boil a kid in his mother’s milk.

— Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself; the blood rendered it unlawful to be eaten. Proselytes of the gate, not being obliged to observe these laws, or mere Gentiles, who might happen to be in their country, might eat such meat;

— but those who were termed proselytes of righteousness, that is, circumcised Gentiles, who had embraced the Israelite religion, were bound to abstain from such food as much as from native Israel; for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God;

²² “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed that the field bringeth forth year by year. — thou shalt truly tithe; the tithe mentioned here and in Deuteronomy 14:28, and in Deuteronomy 26:12-15, are second tithe;

— the “first tithe;” are entirely distinct from the ordinary tithe assigned to the Levites for their subsistence in Numbers 18:21, and by them tithed again for the priests (Numbers 18:26); the tithe described in Numbers are called “the first tithe.”

²³ And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which He shall choose to place His name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks, that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always. — this second tithe: thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which He shall choose, which later Jerusalem was nominated to be where his Shekinah dwells;

²⁴ And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it, or if the place be too far from thee which the Lord thy God shall choose to set His name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, — or if the place shall be too far from thee; which by the event appeared to be the city of Jerusalem, and this from some parts of the land in the North was a distant:

²⁵ then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose. — and shalt go unto the place which the Lord that God shall choose; in Jerusalem, carrying the money along with him, for which he sold the tithe.

²⁶ And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after: for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth; and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thine household.

— or for wine, or for strong drink; to drink with his food, whether wine or any other liquor; the Targum of Jonathan says, wine new or old, which he chose; but the latter, strong drink;

²⁷ And the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him, for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. — and the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him; as not from giving him the first tithe, as so he was not to forget him in this; he was not to leave him behind, but take him with him to partake of this entertainment;

²⁸ “At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates. — at the end of three years thou shalt bring forth ail the tithe; this is called Ma’aser ‘Âni, “the poor’s tithe.” It is regarded as identical with the second tithe, which was ordinarily eaten by the owners at Jerusalem; but in every third and sixth year was bestowed upon the poor.

²⁹ And the Levite (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee), and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within thy gates, shall come and shall eat and be satisfied, that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

— “the stranger, fatherless, and widow,” who are within thy gates, and lay it up within thy gates; not to be hoarded up, or to be sold at a proper time, but to be disposed and made use of.

Posted in Books of Moses

Deuteronomy 11

¹ “Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep His charge, and His statutes, and His judgments, and His commandments, always. — therefore; there is no break here in the original. “The Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God.”

— and keep his charge; whatsoever the Lord had charged them to observe, even what follow: and his statutes and his judgments, and his commandments, always; all his laws, ceremonial, judicial and moral; and that constantly and continually, all the days of their lives.

² And know ye this day, for I speak not with your children, who have not known and who have not seen the chastisement of the Lord your God, His greatness, His mighty hand, and His stretched out arm, — I speak not with your children which have not known; but your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did;

— it must be remembered that all those who were less than twenty years of age at the date of the Exodus would still be living, and the events of their youth must have left a strong impression on their memories;

— the “chastisement” consisted in the many mighty acts, both of punishment and mercy, through which God had guided them from Egypt to the borders of the promised land.

³ and His miracles, and His acts, which He did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt and unto all His land; — and his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt; the miraculous works done there, the ten plagues inflicted on the Egyptians for refusing to let Israel go;

— unto Pharaoh king, of Egypt, and unto all his land; for those plagues not only affected him and his court, and his metropolis, but all parts of the land, the inhabitants of it everywhere.

⁴ and what He did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses and to their chariots: how He made the water of the Red Sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord hath destroyed them unto this day; — hath destroyed them unto this day; brought them so low that they have not yet recovered their strength;

— or, the effect of which destruction continueth to this day, in their weakness and fear, and our safety from their further attempts against us, what he did in the wilderness, both in a way of judgement and mercy.

⁵ and what He did unto you in the wilderness until ye came into this place; — what he did unto you in the wilderness; the doings of God to the people; the manifestations of his omnipotence, both in their guidance and protection, and in the punishment of those who transgressed;

— one instance of the latter is expressly referred to – the destruction of those who joined in the insurrection of Korah;

⁶ and what He did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their households and their tents and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel—

— Moses does not mention Korah himself here, but only his accomplices Dathan and Abiram, probably, “from regard to his sons, who were not swallowed up by the earth along with their father, but had lived to perpetuate the family of Korah;” perhaps also because, though Korah was at the head of the insurrection, Dathan and Abiram were the more determined, audacious, and obdurate in their rebellion;

⁷ but your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which He did. — but your eyes have seen; literally, for your eyes are the witnesses of all the great working of God which he hath done; and therefore the instruction they should learn from thence should be as follows.

⁸ “Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land whither ye go to possess it; — therefore shall you keep all the commandment and his statutes; the ten commandments, the feasts and all others, which I command you this day,

⁹ and that ye may prolong your days in the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey. — and that ye may prolong your days in the land, not only enter it, and take possession of it, but continue in it long, which depended upon their obedience to the laws of God;

— a land that floweth with milk and honey; abounds with all good things, whose fruits are fat as milk, and sweet as honey; so the Targum of Jonathan says.

¹⁰ For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt from whence ye came out, where thou sowed thy seed and watered it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs. — is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out; either the whole land of Egypt, or that part of it, Rameses, in which Israel dwelt, and which was the best of it, and yet Canaan exceeded that;

¹¹ But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven, — drinketh water of the rain of heaven because this comes not from man’s art or industry, but immediately from God’s power and goodness; more easy, being given thee without thy charge or pains; more sweet and pleasant,

¹² a land which the Lord thy God careth for. The eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. — which the Lord careth for; in a special manner, watering it immediately, as it were, by his own hand, without man’s help, and giving peculiar blessings to it, which Egypt enjoyed not;

— in Ezekiel 20:6 it says “A land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands.”

¹³ “And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, — this exhortation to fear and love the Lord, with a reference to the blessing that would follow the faithful fulfilment of the law, and a threat of the curse which would attend apostasy to idolatry.

¹⁴ that ‘I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn and thy wine and thine oil. — the first rain and the latter rain; the former is the proper term for the autumn rain, falling about the time of sowing;

— and which may be named “the former,” as occurring in the early part of the Hebrew civil year, namely, in October and November, as the Targum of Jonathan says; the other word is applied to the spring rain, which falls in March and April, because it fits the earth for the ingathering of harvest;

¹⁵ And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.’ — and I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle; by giving plentiful showers of rain at proper times, to cause it to spring up and grow, that so there might be food for the cattle of every sort, greater or lesser; 

— that thou mayest eat and be full; which refers to the preceding verse as well as to this; and the sense is, that the Israelites might eat of and enjoy the fruits of the earth to satiety; namely, their corn, wine, and oil; and that their cattle might have grass enough to supply them with.

¹⁶ Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; — that your heart be not deceived; by the specious pretence of idolaters, persuading you that they enjoy fruitful seasons, and other temporal blessings, as a reward for their worship;

¹⁷ and then the Lord’S wrath be kindled against you, and He shut up the heaven, that there be no rain and that the land yield not her fruit, and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.

— and that the land yield not her fruit; which is unavoidably the case when rain is withheld: and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you; for if the land does not yield its fruits sufficient to support the inhabitants of it, they must in course perish.

¹⁸ “Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. — and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes; of this and the two following verses;

¹⁹ And ye shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down and when thou risest up. — let them therefore impress the words now set before them very deeply upon themselves and their children; 

²⁰ And thou shalt write them upon the doorposts of thine house and upon thy gates,

²¹ that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. — as the days of heaven upon the earth; that is, as long as the heavens and the earth shall be, and the one shall be over the other, as they will be to the end of time.

²² For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you to do them — to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave unto Him—

— if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you to do them, observe and take notice of them, even all of them, and so as not merely to have a theory or notional knowledge of them, but to put them in practice;

²³ then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.

— then will the Lord drive out all those nations from before you; little by little, even all the seven nations which then inhabited the land of Canaan; and this he would do to make room for them, that they might inherit the land;

²⁴ Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your borders be. — from the wilderness and Lebanon; which was a range of mountains to the north of it; and was the northern border of the land;

— from the river, the river Euphrates; which was the north and eastern border, when it was carried to its utmost extent, as in the days of Solomon; 1 Kings 4:21.

²⁵ There shall no man be able to stand before you; for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as He hath said unto you. — the fear of you and the dread of you; “The fear of you on those that are near, and the dread upon those that are far off.”

— not a single man, such an one as Og, or any of the sons of Anak, the giants; because it could never be thought, imagined, or feared, that one man only should be able to stand against 600,000 fighting men, but any people or nation, though greater and mightier than they.

²⁶ “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: — a blessing and a curse; literally, blessing and cursing; the blessing if ye obey, and the curse if ye do not;

²⁷ a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day; — a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God; that is, a blessing should come upon them, even all temporal blessings they stood in need of; they should be blessed in body and estate, in their families, and in their flocks, in town and country;

²⁸ and a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods which ye have not known.

— and a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God; accursed in body and estate, in basket and store; in their families, flocks, and herds; within doors and without; in city, and country; going out, or coming in; in this world, and that to come, if divine goodness prevent not;

²⁹ And it shall come to pass, when the Lord thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon Mount Gerizim and the curse upon Mount Ebal.

— that thou shall put the blessing on Mount Gerizim, and the curse upon Mount Ebal; that is, pronounce the one on one mountain, and the other on the other mountain.

³⁰ Are they not on the other side of the Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh? — are they not on the other side Jordan; opposite to that where Moses now was in the plains of Moab, even in Samaria;

³¹ For ye shall pass over the Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it and dwell therein. — and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein: should not only take possession of it, but make their abode in it; they are assured hereby of continuance in it, on condition they obeyed the laws of God;

³² And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day. — which I set before you this day; repeated in order to them, on the observance of which depended their continuance in the land of Canaan; and therefore this is so often repeated and repeated.

Deuteronomy 12

¹ “These are the statutes and judgments which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. — these are the statutes and judgements; the word Mitzvah (commandment, or duty), is not used here; as institutions and judgements are now before them.

² Ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains and upon the hills and under every green tree.

— ye shall utterly destroy; first of all these requirements is the destruction of every vestige of idolatry; their temples, chapels, altars, groves, as appears from other scriptures; also the Gentiles used to employ the high mountains for their idolatry;

³ And ye shall overthrow their altars and break their pillars and burn their Asherah poles with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods and destroy the names of them out of that place.

— and you shall overthrow their altars, these were to be demolished, lest the Israelites should be tempted to make use of them; and besides, the Lord would not have any remains of idolatry in the land where his tabernacle and worship were, as being abominable to him.

⁴ Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God. — Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God; not sacrifice to him on hills and mountains, and under green trees;

⁵ But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put His name there, even unto His habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come.

— to put his name there, that is, to set up hiss worship there, or which he shall call by his name, as his house, or dwelling-place, where the ark should be, the tabernacle, or temple; which was first Shiloh, Joshua 18:1, then next in Jerusalem.

⁶ And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks. — the command to bring ALL the sacrifices to the door of the tabernacle, was now explained with reference to the promised land;

⁷ And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.

— there; not in the tabernacle or temple, where only the priests might eat the most holy things, (Numbers 18:10,) but in the court of the tabernacle, or in some place adjacent to the sanctuary.

⁸ Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever being right in his own eyes. — every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes; that did he, brought the above things when and where he pleased;

— not that there was no regard had to the laws and rules given, as if there was no priest in Israel, nor the works of the Sandhedrin; but they were not so exactly in all circumstances conformed to as they would be obliged to when they came into the land of Canaan;