Deuteronomy 1

THese be the words which Moses spake These are the Laws, Counsels and Admonitions delivered by Moses from God to Israel, which are here repeated for the instruction and obligation of those who by reason of their tender years were uncapable either of understanding them, or of entring into Covenant with God. unto all Israel To wit, by the Heads or Elders of the several Tribes or others, who were to communicate these discourses to all the people in several Assemblies., on this side Jordan, in the wilderness, in the plain Either 1. In the vast desert of Arabia. But that is no where called a plain. Or rather 2. In the plain of Moab, as may appear by comparing this with v. 5. and Numb. 22. 1. and Deut. 34. 8. Obj. That was far from the Red-Sea here mentioned. Answ. The word Suph here used does not signifie the Red-Sea, which is commonly called jam-suph, and which was at too great a distance but some other place now unknown to us (as also most of the following places are) so called from the Reeds or Flags, or R... hes (which that word signifies) that grew in or near it, which reason of the name being common to other places with the Red-Sea it is not strange if they got the same name. Compare Numb. 21 14. over against the Red-sea, between Paran Not that Numb. 10. 12. Which there and elsewhere is called the Wilderness of Paran, and which was too remote, but some other place called by the same name, than which nothing more usual., and Tophel, and Laban Places not mentioned elsewhere., and Hazeroth Of which see Numb. 11. 35 and 33. 17, 18. And these places seem to be the several bounds and limits not of the whole Country of Moab, but of the plain of Moab, where Moses now was, and spake these words., and Dizahab.

(There are eleven days journey This is added to show that the reason why the Israelites in so many years were advanced no further from Horeb, than to these plains, was not the great distance of the places or length of the way, which was but a journey of eleven days at most, but because of their rebellions, as is mentioned before and repeated in this book. from Horeb Or Sinai, the place where the Law was given which is promiscuously called by both those names., by the way of mount Seir Or Mount Edom, i. e. the mountainous Country of Seir, which was first possessed by the Horims, and afterwards by the Edomites, Deut. 2. 12., unto Kadesh barnea Which was not far from the borders of Canaan. See Gen. 16. 14. Numb. 13. 26..)

And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month Which was but a little before his death., on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them;

After he had slain Sihon the King of the Amorite, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the King of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth, in Edrei His palace or Mansion-house was at Astharoth, and he was slain at Edrei, Numb. 21. 33. of both these places see Gen. 14. 5. Jos. 13. 31.:

On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,

The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, ye have dwelt long enough in this mount Of Horeb, where they continued about a years space, Exod. 19. 1. Numb. 10. 11, 12..

Turn ye, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorite i. e. To the mountainous Country where the Amorites dwelt, which is opposed to the plain here following, where others of them dwelt. And this is first mentioned, because it was in the borders of the land; See below v. 19, 20. The divers p... or bounds of the land are here mentioned., and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea-side, to the land of the Canaanite, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river the river Euphrates.

Behold, I have set the land before you Heb. before your faces, it is open to your view, and to your possession, there is no impediment in the way. See of this phrase, Gen. 13. 9. and 34. 10.: go in, and possess the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give unto them, and to their seed after them.

And I spake unto you at that time i. e. About that time, to wit, a little before their coming to Horeb. Exod. 18. 18., saying, I am not able to bear you my self alone:

The LORD your God has multiplyed you, and behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.

The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many moe as ye are, and bless you, as he has promised you.

How can I my self alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden The trouble of ruling and managing so perverse a people., and your strife Either your quarrellings with God: or rather your coatentions amoung your selves, for the determination whereof the Elders were appointed.?

Take ye wise men, and understanding Persons of Knowledge, Wisdom and Experience., and known Men Famous, and had in reputation, for ability and integrity: for to such they would more readily submit. among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.

And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.

So I took the chief Not in Authority, which yet they had not, but in endowments for good government. of your tribes, wise men and known, and made them heads over you; captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers Inferiour Officers, that were to attend upon the Superiour Magistrates, and to execute their decrees. among your tribes.

And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him That converseth or dealeth with him. To such God would have justice equally administred as to his own people, partly for the honour of Religion, and partly for the interest which every man has in matters of common right..

Ye shall not respect persons Heb. Not know, or acknowledge Faces, i. e. Not give sentence according to the outward qualities of the person, as he is poor or rich, your Friend or Enemy, but purely according to the merits of the cause. For which reason some of the Grecian Law-givers ordered that the Judges should give sentence in the dark wherethey could not see mens faces. See the same or like phrase. Deut. 10. 17. 2 Chron. 19. 6, 7. Iob 13. 8. Iam. 2 1, 9. in judgment, but ye shall hear the small Persons of the meanest rank. as well as the great, ye shall not be afraid of the face of man: for the judgment is Gods i. e. It is passed in the name of God, and by commission from him, by you as representing his person, and doing his work, who therefore will own and defend you therein against all your Enemies, and to whom you must give an exact account.: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.

And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do I delivered unto you, and especially unto your Judges, all the Laws, Statutes, and Judgments revealed unto me by the Lord in Horeb..

And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorite, as the LORD our God commanded us, and we came to Kadesh-Barnea.

And I said unto you, ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorite, which the LORD our God does give unto us.

Behold, the LORD thy God has set the land before thee: go up, and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers has said unto thee: fear not, neither be discouraged.

And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again, by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

And the saying pleased me well For there seemed to be some prudence and good policy in it: but Moses could not see into their hearts, nor from what root this desire grew: but God saw it, and therefore in just judgment complyed with their desire, and permitted them to do so for their tryal and exercise, Numb. 13. 1, 2, 3.: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe.

And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley Or, the brook: the word signifies both, for Brooks commonly run in Valleys. of Eschol i. e. of grapes, so called from the goodly cluster of grapes which they brought from thence, Numb. 13. 23., and searched it out.

And they took of the fruit Grapes, Pomegranates and Figs, Numb. 13. 23. of the land in their hand, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land Which acknowledgment coming from its Enemies, should have prevailed with you to go in more than their discouraging words should have beat you off, because the Lord who had given you this land, was unquestionably able to settle you in it in spight of all opposition. which the LORD our God does give unto us.

Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD our God.

And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us And therefore designed to destroy us., he has brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorite, to destroy us.

Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater In number and strength and valour. and taller than we, the cities are great, and walled up to Heaven i. e. To a great height. A common Hyperbole, as Gen. 11. 4 Psal. 1... 7. 26.; and moreover, we have seen the sons of the Anakims The Children of Anak. or Enak. See Iudg. 1. 10, 20. there.

Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt Where you were weak, dispirited, divided, raw and unexperienced and in a great measure unarmed, and able to do nothing against your numerous potent, united Enemies, but to stand still and see the salvation of God. And therefore now your distrust is highly unreasonable, when you have been hardned and fitted for military service by your travels, disciplined and experienced in some degree as to Martial Affairs, encouraged by frequent and glorious Miracles for 40 years together, and you are going into a Country divided into several Nations and Kingdoms. before your eyes;

And in the wilderness where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee Or, carried thee, as a father carries his weak and tender child in his arms, as Isa. 49. 22. or as upon Eagles wings, as i... is Exod. 19. 4. through difficulties and dangers, gently leading you according as you were able to go, and sustaining you by his power and goodness. See of this or the like phrase, Numb. 11. 12. Deut. 32. 10, 11. Psal. 91. 12. Isa. 46. 3, 4., as a man does bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

Yet in this thing In this matter which God commanded and encouraged you to do, to wit, in going in confidently to possess the land. Or, in this word, whereby God promised to fight for you, and assured you of good success. ye did not believe the LORD your God;

Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.

And the LORD heard the voice of your words To wit, your murmurings, your unthankful, impatient, distrustful and rebellious speeches and carriages., and was wroth and sware, saying,

Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers;

Save Caleb Under whom Ioshua is comprehended, as is manifest from v. 38. and Numb. 14. 30. though not here expressed, because he was not now to be one of the people, but to be set over them as chief Governour. the sun of Jephunneh, he shall see it, and to him will I give the land That particular part of the Land. Compare Ios. 14. 9. that he has troden upon, and to his children, because he has wholly followed the LORD.

Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes Upon occasion of your wickedness and perverseness, by which you provoked me to speak unadvisedly, Psal. 106. 32, 33., saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.

But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee i. e. Who is now thy Minister and Servant, for such are oft described by this phrase, as 1 King. 1. 2. Dan. 1. 5, 19., he shall go in thither, Encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

Moreover, your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children; which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil A common description of the state of childhood, as Ionah. 4. 11., they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

But as for you, turn ye, and take your journey into the Wilderness by the way of the Redsea.

Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and sight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready Or, ye offered your selves, or, you began, or you earnestly resolved and attempted. to go up into the hill.

And the LORD said unto me, say unto them, Go not up, neither fight, for I am not among you With my powerful presence and assistance.: lest ye be smitten before your enemies.

So I spake unto you, and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.

And the Amorite which dwelt in that mountain came out against you, and chased you, as bees do As Bees which being provoked come out of their Hives in great numbers, and with great fury pursue and sting their Adversary and Disturber, Psal. 118. 12., and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.

And ye returned, and wept before the LORD, but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.

So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there i. e. As you abode in Kadeh many, even 40 days, until the spies which you sent returned to give you an account, so you also abode there many days, or a long time after, and were not now permitted to make any further progress towards Canaan..